Open Show 2017 at the Upper Gallery

Today was the opening reception for Open Show 2017 at the Upper Gallery, the space upstairs in the Spring Lake Community House.  This follows right on the heels of the one held in this same space starting late last year and ending last week.  That show had been organized by the Belmar Arts Council, while this one has no official connection, though a lot of the same people are involved.

The artist list for the show includes 64 names, and the rule was one piece per person.  Like the previous show, it's hung salon style more or less.  Mostly paintings, but also some sculpture, drawings, mixed media, ceramics, and the other typical art from non-specific shows.  About a quarter of the names on the artist list are ones I recognize, and while not every one of them was there today (I'd recognize the faces), we still had a big crowd.  I'm told that it wasn't quite as large as the attendance at the previous opening/reception in this space, but it was still pretty impressive.

Didn't take long to find my piece, as it was displayed in a tabletop easel on a table right by the door leading into the gallery.  That "best" certificate next to my piece is not an award for me, but for the space as one of the best galleries in their readers poll.  Of course, if a viewer thinks I won an award, that doesn't hurt me.

Among the people in attendance who I knew was my new pizza eating friend Jeanine, here next to a watercolor she contributed.  She also has a piece in the next Belmar show, so I guess I'll be seeing her again in about 2 weeks.  About half way through the event we decided to head downstairs to the "Brown Room" (as they call it) for the reception.  It is their policy to keep distance between the art and food.  Before long, the crowd was even bigger at the reception than the gallery.

I had only been in this particular room once before- when Jeanine brought us here back in December to see her contribution to that show, we found we couldn't get in the theater door, and the library door was locked, even though we expected it to be open.  However a few steps away was a double door that was closed, but I found it unlocked, so I opened it and we went in, passed through this room, then found our way up the stairs to the gallery.  It's a nice room, with a fire burning in the hearth at the far end of the room.  Didn't need the heat on this relatively warm winter day, but it did contribute a smoky aroma to the whole building.

Not a place to get a whole meal, but there were a variety of beverages and things to snack on.  No problem because I had more food waiting for me at home.

Let's not forget today is St Joseph's Day, which we always celebrate here at Studio Arrabbiata.  The traditional treat is a zeppole filled with cannoli cream.  Last year I got one in an Italian store up on Main Street in Belmar, but when I drove past yesterday on other business in town, I noticed the windows were covered with brown paper- never a good sign.  Luckily my parents decided to go to our local big time Italian store late yesterday for some of their own, and picked one up for me, too.  I look forward to enjoying it tonight.

The Open Show will remain on display through July 31, 2017.  The building has always declined to provide a list of open hours, just saying that it's open when something is going on in the building and there's often something going on.  So if you want to see the show, stop by if you're in the area, and if you can find an open door, come on in and check it out.