METUCHEN – Volunteer efforts have kept the Metuchen Public Library Art Gallery alive bringing community camaraderie for the love of art.
Margaret Cohen, who is the director of the gallery, shared what is in store for the year. The gallery, which had been running for seven to eight years, reopened in January after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Library Gallery offers the community the opportunity to display works of art or personal collections of interest. Exhibit space includes secure upright or flat display cases in the foyer, and open wall space, according to the library website.
The mission is to serve the community educationally and aesthetically, by exhibiting and fostering the arts in the community; to provide exhibition space to promising emerging artists; to highlight local artists in the community; to provide a venue for established artists who wish to enrich the community by display in a local space; and to enable the public library to enrich the cultural life of Metuchen.
Cohen said she has been involved with the gallery and took over the director role right before the pandemic happened.
The reopening of the gallery featured the artwork of artist Shelley Phillips from January through March. Currently, the gallery is featuring the artwork from artist Lisa Gordon Cameron through June.
In July and August, artist Ray Skibinski will hold watercolor classes. In September and October, the gallery will feature artist Enrique Zaldivar in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Cohen said for November and December, the gallery will feature an open art call, which would double as a fundraiser. Artists will be able to submit artwork on a pre-wired 10-by-10-inch canvas.
The Metuchen Public Library Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the library next to the Children’s Room.
For more information visit www.metuchenlibrary.org.
