ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — All nonprofessional and professional senior citizen artists residing in Essex County are invited to participate in the 2016 Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show and Exhibition. Admission to the Senior Citizen Art Show is free. Registration and art submissions are due Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon at Essex County Hospital Center, 204 Grove Ave. in Cedar Grove.
The exhibit will run Wednesday, Aug. 3, to Thursday, Sept. 1 at the center. There will be an awards ceremony closing out the exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. at the center.
“Essex County has a thriving arts community and our Senior Art Show enables our older residents, both professionals and nonprofessionals, to display their original creations where everyone can see them,” county Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said in a press release. “This is an excellent means for us to promote the arts and inspire our residents to use their talents. I encourage our seniors to submit their work and invite our residents to visit the art show.”
Senior citizens must be at least 60 years old and a resident of Essex County to participate. Senior citizens will be considered as professional artists if they have had their artwork accepted into three or more juried exhibitions; have had at least two of their works purchased through an exhibition or gallery; have sold their art through commercial channels including craft fairs; have shown their artwork in exhibits, galleries, museums, craft shows for four or more years; or have been represented by a gallery as some point in their career. Seniors with nonprofessional status do not meet any of the above criteria.
Awards will be presented in the following categories, without exceptions: acrylic, craft, digital, drawing, mixed media and collage, oil, pastel, photography, print, sculpture and watercolor. First-place winners will be eligible to participate in the New Jersey Senior Art Contest.
Seniors can submit two entries of original artwork that were completed within the last three years. Artwork must be matted, mounted or framed, with screw eyes and wire attached. Art cannot be larger than 36 inches and no smaller than 11 inches in any dimension, including matting and outer edge frame dimension. Sculptures or 3-D crafts cannot exceed 18 inches in any dimension, including the base. Any entry with a value exceeding $400 must have private insurance.
All artwork must be clearly labeled with the following information: the artist’s name, address, title of work, medium, date created, size, professional or nonprofessional status, and approximate value of the painting, with the name of the insurance company if it is privately insured. Labels will be provided to artists during drop-off at the Essex County Hospital Center.
For more information or to obtain an application, visit www.essexcountynj.org or contact Jackie Matthews at 973-735-6228 or jmatthews@parks.essexcountynj.org.
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