An art show this month sponsored by the Ewing Arts Commission and the Trenton Elks is being expanded to include works by people with developmental disabilities.
The EAC, which is charged with supporting, developing and expanding the arts in the community, will hold two shows this year — on Jan. 31 and April 24 — featuring artistic creations by local kids.
The events were first held last year when the EAC and the Elks teamed up to put on shows that exhibited works of art created by the townships school children. Based on last year’s success, the organizations also planned shows for this year as well.
The first show that the EAC and Elks put on last January exhibited over 100 works of art. The second, in April, featured 220 works of art from over 100 contributing artists. They attracted over 500 attendees including Mayor Bert Steinmann.
According to Melissa Antler, a member of the Ewing Arts Commission, one new aspect of this January’s show is that it will also feature a dozen works submitted by the Arc Mercer, an organization that works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Antler said she believes that contributions by the Arc are an important addition to this year’s program.
“We are really hoping it will change the community’s perspective of art and artists in general,” she said.
In addition to being a joint project of the EAC and the Elks, the shows also involve cooperation from the Ewing Township Public Schools.
Antler said that a Jim Woidill, the Ewing Publi Schools visual arts supervisor, was key in helping organize last year’s events.
“He was really enthusiastic and all of his teachers were on board,” Antler said.
Most of the art for the shows has been submitted by students enrolled in the district, but home schooled students have also submitted their work.
Antler, who is the coordinator for the show on behalf of the EAC, said that all submitted works of art, as long as they can fit through the door, are displayed in the show.
She praised the art teachers in the district for the creative projects that students have done in class. The shows have included paintings, drawings, photography, collages, ceramics, wire sculptures, and even mixed media projects that incorporate found objects.
The Elks and the EAC are also hoping to hold a preview night for the Ewing Public Educational Foundation the day before the show. The foundation raises money to support teachers and students in the district. The purpose of the preview night would be both to attract potential owners and to thank people who have already donated.
“It would expose community members to the work who normally wouldn’t come because they don’t have children in the show,” said Antler. “It might end up promoting an art scholarship at the high school.”
Antler said that the date of the January shows was also specifically chosen to attract as wide an audience as possible. It is scheduled for the Sunday before the Superbowl so it doesn’t have to compete with any football games.
The EAC coordinates the shows, gathering the submitted artwork, collecting permission slips from artist’ parents and hanging the exhibit, while the Elks have been responsible for providing the money.
In 2015, the Elks applied for and received a grant from the Elks National Foundation to fund some art shows.
Pat Marchetti, a member of the Trenton Elks, said that he decided to apply for the grant because teachers in the district had expressed an interest in showcasing their students’ work. In addition to paying for food and DJs, the Elks hosted the exhibits at their lodge in West Trenton.
After the success of last year’s shows, he applied for and secured a second grant for 2016. This year’s show also takes place at the Elk’s lodge.
Antler explained that the shows simply would not have been possible without the generosity of the Elks.
“Ewing Arts Commission has forever been trying to promote all kinds of art in Ewing, but we have no money and it’s really hard to do anything without a budget,” she said.
The EAC was founded in 2009. In addition to Antler, its membership includes Bill Ullrich, Marisa Benson, Maria Bua, Rosanna Bua, Ruth Savage, Lauren Weber and Jennifer Winn.
The organization is interested in both visual and performing arts. Projects undertaken by the group have included open mic nights and art shows at various locations including the municipal building. In fact, when the municipal building was undergoing renovation the group urged the mayor to put in a room with wallboard that could support artwork and good lighting in order to make shows more feasible.
Future projects the group hopes to sponsor include a mural arts project over the summer and open mic events at the Ewing Pool and newly restored 1867 Sanctuary on Scotch Road.
The EAC is also hoping to take select works from the Elks show and bring them to different locations around the community including the municipal building and the Hollowbrook Community Center.
Antler is an art teacher who teaches at a magnet school in New Brunswick. As an undergraduate she studied graphic design at the Philadelphia College of Art, now called the University of the Arts. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in the same institution with a focus in art education. She became involved with the EAC after seeing a meeting listed in the Observer in February 2012 and joined the organization the next fall.
The student art shows have been a good source of publicity for the EAC.
“We’re trying to take the moment and go places,” said Antler.
However, funding remains a problem. The Elks will likely only be able to get the same grant for three or four years. Until recently all of EAC’s project have been funded by members of the group and it has started to become a financial burden, but the group is hoping that will change.
Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, the president of the Ewing Township Council, has been sitting in on EAC meetings and been advocating for the group at higher levels of government. The group is hoping to secure funding from the township for the next fiscal year, which will help them undertake projects requested by the government including painting a mural in the municipal building.
“We would love to be able at some point to fund our own show,” said Antler.
Meanwhile the student art shows will continue at least this year.
“We were ecstatic with the success of last year’s show and there’s even more buzz for this year,” said Marchetti.
The Jan. 31 show will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Trenton Elks Lodge #105, 42 DeCou Ave.. The April 24 show will take place at the same time and location.
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