Jersey City artists showcased their art through a virtual lens
The pandemic canceled live gallery shows but artists brought the art studios to people’s homes
By Vincent Onofre
Last year Theda Sandiford, a mixed media and installation artist, had 300 people walk through her art studio over the course of four days. This year she hosted 38 people via Zoom in a short 20 minute meeting. The mixed-media artist was one of dozens of artists participating in the Jersey City Art and Studio Tour during the 2020 season. Through a live video call she presented her art and engaged with visitors from the safety of her studio.
For 29 years JCAST has highlighted Jersey City art and artists with a fall tour that includes buses and bike stops to guide visitors thought the city for four days. This year however JCAST swapped their original plans of for a virtual art tour. Presented by Mayor Steven Fulop, the Jersey City Municipal Council and the Office of Cultural Affair, the tour proceeded in a new format to celebrate a milestone anniversary.
“This being the 30th annual Jersey City Art and Studio Tour, a huge event and landmark to celebrate, we did not want to cancel, we definitely wanted to move forward,” said Christine Goodman, the Director of Cultural Affairs for the city.
Bryant Small, Co-President of Pro Arts Jersey City, an organization dedicated to advancing and promoting artists and art, hosted the kick-off event for JCAST. “As artists, you have a need to keep the cultural conversation going. It’s what people look to artists for, he said, “It’s even more important for artist to keep their voices going and to adjust in a time like this.”
Artists held a variety of dynamic events thought the first four days in October, showcasing paintings and sculptures, hosting art demos, dancing and playing music in their studios and through a large outdoor gallery that gave color to the local landscape.
While the virtual aspect posed a challenge, many artists felt like the small audiences on Zoom brought in engagement they had not had in a while. Kristin DeAngelis, art curator at the Silverman Building, said that previous years had been successful for the gallery because her gallery was part of the dedicated tour as the only location in Jersey City Heights. And although the format changed, “the engagement, every single person who was on the calls were really interested.”
Sandiford , whose show “I Am My Hair: Quarantine Edition,” was composed of cotton ropes wrapped with yarn, recycled sari thread, plastic cord, trim, ribbon, sequins, trim and pom poms, was thrilled of the discussion. She jokes that in years past she’s lost her voice from the constant chats but this year she was able to save her voice and focus on a singular captivating talk. The day after her show she had curators and gallerists asking to put her in their shows.
“Did I sell anything? No. Did I prepare to sell? Yes. Am I still reaping the opportunities? Yes.”
Hellen Cha-Kim, a watercolor portrait artist and former professor, used her time to educate those who attended her session. Although she was limited to an 8 minute show, she was able to connect with people by explaining her process and showcasing her preferred pieces.
Others saw this as a great opportunity for artists to appreciate other artists work but not the best medium for an art collector.
Small also displayed his own alcohol ink art at JCAST via Zoom. However, he is no stranger to an online show, having a virtual gallery on his website where guests are invited to walk through a room filled with his art. But he knows that despite the captive audience, “it does not present the best set up for people who are interested in the work to have a conversation about the work specifically.”
Susan Isaac, a self-taught mixed media artist whose show “Present Perfect was curated by Kritin DeAngelis, spoke about the difficulty of showing art in more than one dimension. Isaac’s work is inspired by Indian and Middle Eastern art and is full of texture so she approached her problem by literally walking her guests around the art through Zoom.
“When you have textures on a canvas, when you have textures on the art, it’s hard to bring it out with a camera just at a distance so bringing it closer to the piece and showing it from different angles did make that difference.”
Regardless, all the artists are also hoping to combine the virtual setting with traditional studio tour in the future. They felt there was a lot more potential to support one another for the first time since other shows were just a link away.
“We’re really proud that we’ve had this festival for 30 years, from a downtown festival to a city festival,” said Goodman, “And we can’t wait for the next 30.”
