Visiting the Preemptive Strike

I couldn't make the Preemptive Strike opening yesterday afternoon, and I can't make the event this coming Thursday either.  To save myself from making a whole trip up from the shore on some other day to see it, I decided to go today during the break between my early and late classes.  It's only several miles from my university, though not a route I'm used to traveling.  Got my map, figured out a way that involved only a few turns after leaving my parking lot, and set out, passing through bits of Elizabeth, Roselle, and Linden (birthplace of my former pickup truck).  About a twenty minute trip in the sprinkly rain.  The schedule had my 4 pieces in 3 different locations.  The first one I spotted was my boardwalk image in the main room of the building, second from the left in the photo above.

Next up was the saint print, which I found in one of the alcove spaces (above) off the hallway toward the back door.  When I went in there to photograph it, I spotted my smoking piece on a different wall in there (below).  I was a little surprised because I had been told it would be in one of the window display spaces down the street.  Later Doug told me he didn't have enough of the hangers he needed for all the windows, so my piece was one of many that ended up back in the main building.  So she's not in her natural street habitat, but she'll be seen whenever people come in to see the show.  And I didn't have to walk in the rain to see it.

My fourth piece was still scheduled to be in the Arts district office down the street, but I was told that the work hadn't been hung in that location yet, but would before Thursday night's street event.  However, I was able to see Molly's robot blocks, which were displayed in a tower construction back in the main room.  Before leaving, I picked up my copy of the exhibition catalog, for which I had submitted a photo of the boardwalk print.   The image looked good, but once again my name was misspelled.  It was right on the wall labels in the show.

The Preemptive Strike show remains on display at Arts Guild New Jersey in Rahway through May 30, 2013 during regular gallery hours and by appointment.  It will be also be open during the First Thursday street event this coming May 2nd.