Resident artists of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to exhibit an original work of art completed in the last three years in the annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, May 18. The exhibit will be held in the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Ave., in Union, from May 31 to July 12. All participating artists are invited to attend a reception in the Atrium on Wednesday, June 8, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., including live music and refreshments. The reception is an ideal opportunity to meet other artists.
Artwork will be judged by artists Joan Pamboukes, Julie Harris and Peter Lester. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category. First Place winners in all categories will go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show in East Windsor. Entrants may be either amateur/non-professional or professional artists. Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional:
- Sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels;
- Exhibited in a professional gallery;
- Held professional membership in a guild or association.
Categories of eligible work are: oil; acrylic; watercolor (including gouache); pastel (including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel); drawing and prints (including pencil, pen, ink, graphite, and prints such as etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen, etc.); mixed media (combines two or more media, no one of which predominates; including collage and assemblage); sculpture (three dimensional, carved, or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted); craft (one-of-a-kind creations only; no kits or molds); digital/computer art (art generated or altered digitally using software); and photography.
Hanging artwork, crafts and photos may not exceed 36 inches nor be less than 10” in any dimension, including matte and frame. Sculpture or 3-D crafts may not exceed 20” in any dimension (measurements include any base for the sculpture). All work must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging. Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Mylar, Plexiglas or other clear material. Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces exceeding 24 inches.
To receive an application, call Martha Sturm, Senior Arts Coordinator, at the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org. Relay users dial 711. Completed applications may be: mailed to Senior Art Show, Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or faxed to 908-558-2652; or scanned and emailed to msturm@ucnj.org.