A Special Occasion

Today I attended a function that had nothing to do with printmaking, but a bit to do with the Studio.  When Molly and I first moved in, the Jersey Shore Arts Center had been open for about 5 years, and that came after about two decades of abandonment.  However a group of Ocean Grove residents, who had known the building as Neptune High School (built in the 1890's) acquired the disintegrating structure and set about preserving it while repurposing it as regional arts center.  By any standards, they were incredibly successful.  Much of the year, the building is hosting classes, events, and working artists 7 days per week,  A lot of work had been done before we set up our print shop, but construction has continued all along, including a lot of physical labor from senior citizens.  The basement (our floor) was brought to a functional level, but the 1st and 2nd floors had been completely restored, including the spectacular 600 seat theater and the classrooms, with chalkboards and built in cabinets.  The 3rd floor, on the other hand, was very much a wreck, still looking like the abandoned derelict it had been.  The front stairway was closed, so the only access was by the elevator, and once in a while I made the trip, usually if I needed to find Herb.

The surviving architecture showed an incredible potential, if you could ignore the state of the ceiling, walls, and floor, and the piles of junk,   But they had plans.  Eventually I learned that the plan was an educational program to teach cooking skills to people with visual impairment.  Gradually the rooms were cleaned out, repairs were made.  Several dormers were installed in that roof, with windows that would bring in much natural light.  Acquired commercial kitchen equipment was stored for lengthy periods of time in the hallway outside the Studio, waiting to be moved upstairs. Last year they started building a central staircase similar to the one that joined the 1st and 2nd floor, this one connecting the 2nd and 3rd.  When I was in the building on other business last week I was told that the new staircase was now open.  The above photo is a view looking down it toward the earlier central grand staircase.  And I was reminded again about today's big event.

This morning they held the grand opening and dedication of the 3rd floor.  Herb (at the podium above) presided over a program that included people involved in the reconstruction,  and local political types, before cutting that red ribbon behind him.  There was a good crowd, at least forty or fifty, with an average age that was probably twice mine.

The new third floor also includes a "black box" type theater, which will hold up to 80 people, using vintage wooden pews from a church on the edge of the Adirondacks.  And some of the classroom spaces up there will be used for education, or possibly more artist studios.  But the focus today was on the cooking mission.  A large section of the floor has been set aside as dining room.  In the above photo, you can see a piece of the kitchen, and to the right, the wood framed windows that had once looked from this classroom into the hallway.  The white tables would eventually hold a breakfast (or perhaps brunch, when it was served) provided to us by the JSAC.  There were coffee, tea, and juice, fresh fruit, quiches (meat and veggie), and mini bagels with expected things to spread on them.

The above photo shows a different view of that dining room, from the hallway, showing about half the tables and chairs.  On the right side you can see one of the old chalkboards, and in the center is an elevated platform in front of one of those dormers. The crowd of seniors had filled most of the tables on the main floor, but I was able to join some building people at that elevated table while we enjoyed the special occasion.

Due to the red tape involved in setting up both an education program and food service,  the culinary school may be a little while in coming. However, the upstairs theater has already hosted some events, and the kitchen has been used for catering, so if you are coming to an event in the building sometime, don't be surprised if it's up on 3.  And we'll give Herb a few days to rest before he begins the next major project.