Author: westfieldartassociation

This Sunday: Art Appreciation lecture

As part of its on-going art education series, the Westfield Art Association (WAA) will present an educational afternoon seminar with noted art historian Gene Wisniewski on this Sunday, March 20, 2016, from 1-4pm in the Westfield Town Hall Community Room, located at 425 East Broad Street in Westfield, NJ.
Mr. Wisniewski delivered part one of his lecture previous to WAA which focused on a review of 1,000 years of Western Art. This month Mr. Wisniewski offers Part Two which focuses on Art Appreciateion. In this popular 3-hour lecture, he will explain what to look for when you look at art. 
This lecture is taken from his larger seminar, the Six-Hour Art Major, which he calls “art school, condensed.”  “Being exposed to these mini-versions of basic art classes gives you a whole different take on art,” he says.
This presentation is free to WAA members, with a $10 suggested donation for non-members. New membership applications will be available at the door. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

About GENE WISNIEWSKI: Instructor Gene Wisniewski received his art education at the New York Academy of Art, The National Academy of Design, The New School, and L’Ecole Albert Defois in Vihiers, France.  He has exhibited in galleries nationwide, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. He has fourteen years’ experience teaching and lecturing on visual art, and is the author of “Art: Who, What, How, When, Where, and Especially, Why”.

Art & Poetry: Recap

Sunday’s WAA presentation at Westfield Town Hall, on the relationship between art & poetry, was both thought-provoking and challenging. Artist, teacher, and poet Michelle Greco led us through a truly interactive session that exposed us to innovative, visual approaches to poetry. And challenged us to try our own.

Michelle Greco, presenter

Michelle’s way of teaching is truly interactive, and she continually sought thoughts and ideas from the audience throughout her presentation. After an overview of the event’s subject matter, she opened our eyes to 3 distinctly different approaches to using visual imagery to create verbal art.

a nice crowd in the Westfield Town Hall

And with each new approach, we all had a chance to try our hand at it. We took turns sharing what we had created by reading it aloud, and the output was truly remarkable.

If you attended the event and have any thoughts you would like to share, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below.

Westfield Art Association Presents “Making Connections: Art & Poetry” Workshop this Sunday February 21

Visual and written art are typically seen as two distinct forms but Michelle Greco will discuss how they inform each other significantly.
The Westfield Art Association (WAA) will present a workshop with poet and artist Michelle Greco on Sunday, February 21, 2016, from 1-4pm in the Westfield Town Hall Community Room, located at 425 East Broad Street in Westfield, NJ.
Visual art and poetry have been inextricably linked for as long as they have both have been in existence. They inspire one another in ways that no other art form does and add greatly to the visual aesthetics of art. Poetry can help the artist look at art in a new way and closer at the details of a painting. They can dig deeper to discover a more detailed story behind the artwork.

Visual and written art are typically seen as two different forms of expression, but poet and artist Michelle Greco will discuss how they inform each other significantly. This afternoon event will focus on mind mapping and word association based on visual images. Attendees are encouraged to bring a pen and paper to catch the muse!
This presentation is free to WAA members, with a $10 suggested donation for non-members. New membership applications will be available at the door. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.
About MICHELLE GRECO: Michelle Greco is a poet and artist who both lives and teaches in New Jersey. She holds an MFA from Drew University. Her poems have appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, The Stillwater Review, Edison Literary Review, and the anthology Dear Sister, among others. Her book, Field Guide to Fire, is now available from Finishing Line Press.

About WESTFIELD ART ASSOCIATION (WAA): Since 1922, the Westfield Art Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, completely volunteer organization, has provided art education and public exhibitions, and continues today to actively encourage its many members in the pursuit of individual artistic goals and growth. All mediums. All experience levels. All welcome. For more information, to donate, or to become a member, please visit http://westfieldartassociation.blogspot.com.

A New Partnership With Kean University

We are pleased to announce that we have been invited by Kean University to partner with their School of Communication, Media & Journalism in the facilitation of a new course on public relations for non-profit organizations.

Our Education Coordinator, Laura Brown, and president, Michael Endy, met this week with the student team we will be working with this semester.

This is an exciting new opportunity for our organization, and fits perfectly with our mission’s commitment to arts education in our community. We hope to see this blossom into a beautiful relationship.