(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) – The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University will host its monthly Second Friday event on May 8 from 6 until 8pm. The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey will be center stage as they present two artist receptions in conjunction with their respective exhibits. This Second Friday, which includes light refreshments, live music performed by Pan Gravy, and a wine tasting by The Iron Room, is free and open to the public.
The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey boasts an impressive collection of items, including drawings, paintings, photographs, advertisements, and other cultural artifacts, all depicting Blacks in a historical context. In addition to the Museum’s standing exhibits, it regularly hosts a variety of artists and documentarians. During Second Friday, the museum is presenting two new exhibits in their gallery, “My Walk on the Wild Side” by artist Dr. Paul Gordon, and “Ebony Expressions” by artist Quinton Greene.
Artist Dr. Paul Gordon is from Moorestown, New Jersey and served as a dental officer in the United States Navy. It was there that he found a creative outlet in painting. What began as a hobby to pass the time quickly blossomed into his passion. After completing his military service, Gordon further developed his skills at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He has spent the last 20 years painting, and enjoys working in oil depicting figures of people of African descent. Since retiring from his dental practice, Gordon has gained national acclaim with his portraits. You can find his work hanging in the homes of celebrities like Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The work of artist Quinton Greene, entitled “Ebony Expressions,” will also be on display in the African American Heritage Museum. Greene, a self-taught artist, was born and raised in North Carolina. He came to New Jersey in 1992 and spent 12 years working as a Certified Psychiatric Social Service Worker at Camden County Psychiatric Hospital. Through the years Greene studied theology at Camden County College and finally received a master’s degree in Biblical Theology and today lends himself as council to his community. Greene enjoys working in acrylics and mixed media, and considers himself to be an artist of the people, conveying a message of hope and deliverance. It is his intention, through his imaginative use of vibrant colors, to reach inside the viewers and open their minds in a positive way. Greene currently resides in Sicklerville, NJ with his wife Priscilla. He is preparing to start working on a degree in Art Therapy at Rowan University.
Pan Gravy is an animatedly fun Americana, New Grass, Blue Grass, and Folk band, well known in the Absecon Island area. They can be found plucking away regularly at Melelani Café and Ventnor Coffee. Their music will be the sound track for a fun evening of delightfully creative activities during Second Friday, May 8 from 6pm to 8pm. As always, Second Friday at the Noyes Arts Garage is free and open to the public.
The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University is free and open to the public, from 11am until 8pm, Tuesday through Sunday. For more information call (609) 626-3805, or visit www.artsgarageac.com.
About:
The Noyes Museum of Art was founded in Oceanville, NJ, in 1983, to collect, preserve, and exhibit American fine and folk art, with an emphasis on New Jersey artists and folk art forms. Today, the Noyes Museum’s exhibitions continue to reflect the area’s cultural heritage, while also presenting significant artwork by regional and national artists working in a variety of media. The Noyes has also expanded to include satellite galleries in Hammonton, Atlantic City, and at Seaview Resort in Galloway. The Noyes Shop: Hammonton, which opened in 2008, specializes in custom framing and can be reached at (609) 561-8006. In February 2010, The Noyes Museum of Art formed a partnership with Stockton University to form The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University. Through a partnership with the CRDA, in 2013, The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University opened The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University, a unique multi-use arts and retail space, at 2200 Fairmount Avenue in Atlantic City.
The Museum remains a 501(c)(3) organization, with general funding provided by: The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Mr. and Mrs. Fred Winslow Noyes Foundation; Stockton University; and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
