June Recap: Our 95th Anniversary Gala at Masker’s Barn

Our Masker’s Barn fundraiser – which marked the close of our 95th season – was a wonderful celebration, with a full house and many of art sales. So nice to see so many friends, supporters, & patrons of the arts on hand for our celebration!

Members, friends, and patrons enjoying the evening


As a locally-based nonprofit, we strive to enhance our community through public art education, art appreciation, and through occasional exhibitions by our members. The many cultural events that we put on FREE OF CHARGE to the Westfield community each year are wholly funded by member dues and fundraising. 

A harpist played softly throughout the event


We are a wholly volunteer organization. This means that 100% of your membership dues – and donations – go into our events, NOT into management expenses and overhead. Even with more than 100 dues-paying friends & members, our costs for insurance, guest speakers, and venue rentals far exceed our annual income from dues. We make up the difference by applying for event-specific grants and by holding an annual fundraising event.

Members hard at work preparing for our guests

Unlike our regular public events, we chose to charge admission for this fundraising event. The proceeds of the more than 130 tickets that were used in part to cover the venue rental, insurance, and food and drinks – and also provided a much-needed boost to our bank accounts as we prepare for another season of free events.

Historian Priscilla Hayes speaks about the county’s famed de la Selva murals

It is well worth noting that we did NOT charge the exhibiting artists ANY fees or commissions on their sales – and we sold THOUSANDS of dollars of artwork during this one-night event! 100% of the sale prices went directly to the artist. That is a highly unusual arrangement, but is a demonstration of our commitment to our member artists and the work they are creating.

Exhibiting artist members of WAA

Many thank-yous are due to our Board of Directors, who planned and worried and worked and worked and worked on this event for over 14 months: Avi Kiriakatis, Brooke Gardiner, Paul Federico, Maxine King, Michael Endy, Francesca Azarra, Sharon Reed and event chair Laura Brown. And to Mariya Kovalyov. And to our speaker, Priscilla Hayes. And to Dan Bernier of Union County Parks & Recreation. And to the Union County Freeholders. And to so many others who helpd make this event a success for both the community and our organization.

May Recap: Mana Contemporary

We had a quick carpool to Jersey City and a GREAT tour of Mana Contemporary on Friday. There is always so much to see there. For this visit, our knowledgeable tour guide was Alex Santana. She took us for private viewings of Richard Meier‘s architectural models and John Chamberlain‘s swing-camera photographs. We also viewed the AYN Foundation’s large collection of Andy Warhol silkscreens. Great exhibits.

We also had the opportunity to visit with several seasoned artists, surely interrupting them as they worked. Talking to artist in their own studio is a wonderful experience, and we had several. The first working artist that we spoke with wa Geraldine NeuwirthNext we visited with Daniel Frankenthal in her studio.



Clockwise from top: Danielle Frankenthal, Warhol’s Marilyns, and signing 
petitions in support of the NEA


A trip to Mana Contemporary is never complete without a visit to the Mana Café. After a nice lunch, it was a beautiful day for a short driving tour of bustling Jersey City and the stellar views of Manhattan from the waterfront.

If you have not yet experienced Mana Contemporary, follow this link to their website: http://manacontemporary.com/

Our May Event: Field Trip to Mana Contemporary on 5/19

Join us for a private, guided tour of Mana Contemporary in Jersey City on Friday, May 19. If you have yet to visit this incredible arts space, you should definitely join us for this field trip!

Founded in 2011, Mana Contemporary is visual and performing arts center with a 27-acre campus in Jersey City. This unique operation combines galleries, a ballet company, studios for working visual artists, an art school, a winery, several restaurants, and…well, you really need to experience it.

For more info on this fascinating venue: http://manacontemporary.com/




We will meet at South Avenue Arts in Garwood at 8:45am, where you can leave your car free of charge. We will carpool from there. Our tour begins at 10am, and we will return at about 3pm. No reservations necessary, but wear comfortable shoes as this will be a walking tour. Members only for this special event. Not a member? You can join day of the event!

March recap: Juxtapose Gallery

Juxtapose Gallery hosted our March event this year, with a presentation and an informative Q&A session with owner – and WAA board member – Danielle D’Amico.

a full house of WAA members at Juxtapose Gallery

It’s not every day that an artist has the opportunity to meet casually with a gallery owner – especially a successful gallery that has been continuously open in Westfield for over 40 years. This special event offered a relaxed & friendly environment in which to hear first-hand how a gallery works both with artists and art buyers.

owner Danielle D’Amico answering member questions

 
Attending artists were encouraged to ask Danielle the questions that they had always wanted to ask a gallery owner. It was a fascinating discussion, and another one of the unique opportunities that the WAA offers its many artist members.

Along with original fine art pieces, Juxtapose also offers expert framing & matting services to artists – and WAA members always receive a discount. Not a member yet? What are you waiting for?!