Arts High and Arts Middle School Student Work on Exhibit

Paintings, drawings and photographs created by Middlesex County Arts High and Arts Middle School students will be on display at the Highland Park Public Library for the month of January 2020. The work is in the meeting room and the Main Hall Display Case.

The exhibit features work completed by gifted and talented students who participated in the Middlesex County Arts High or Arts Middle School. The programs, now in their 40th year, offer advanced art classes in creative writing, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, acting and visual arts to students from public, private, and home schools in Middlesex County. Students, admitted to the program through audition, are released from their schools one afternoon each week during the spring semester to participate in the various courses that are taught by professional artists.

For more information on the exhibit or the Middlesex County Arts High or Arts Middle School programs, or to obtain an application, contact the Arts & Education Center at 732-566-ARTS (2787), email info@artsandedcenter.org, or visit their website at www.artshigh.net.

This program has been made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowments for the Arts.

by Molly Wasielewsk - Middlesex student exhibit

by Edan Blank - Middlesex student exhibit

Fractured Manhattan: Work by Irene Riegner

For photographer Irene Riegner, who travels the United States as well as nearby cities for her subject matter, the creation of each photo is also an adventure. Her exhibit, TFractured Manhattan: New Work by Irene Riegner, will be displayed at the Highland Park Public Library from December 2 until December 31, 2019. An art reception will be held on Sunday, December 19 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM in the meeting room.

“I have always taken photographs, Riegner said. “My first camera was a Kodak Duafle, but recently I decided to do photography more skillfully and creatively. The turning point was my cross-country journey in 2017 from Highland Park, NJ, to Seattle, WA which provided the opportunity for an intensive eleven weeks of uninterrupted photography.”

The Highland Park photographer has also exhibited at the Metuchen Public Library, the Hamilton Street Gallery in Bound Brook and has participated in other art exhibits in Highland Park, Metuchen and in the Middlesex County Senior Art Competition where she won a prize in 2019.

“Through the actual act of photography and digital processing, I realized that for me the photograph was only the beginning of the creative act, the raw material which could be manipulated into something striking and extraordinary”. “My photos are not at that point yet, but I’m working on it”.

Irene Riegner photo

Stalking the Wild Photo II

Stalking the Wild Photo II will be exhibited at the Highland Park Public Library in the meeting room and main hall display case from October 1 to October 31, 2019. Photographers Mary and Kenn Krasner will have an art reception on Sunday, October 6 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

For the last thirty years or so, Mary and Kenn Krasner have amassed literally thousands of tranquil landscapes, nature scenes and panoramas they have taken while walking, hiking, and snowshoeing in local, state and national parks, wildlife areas & refuges, and in and around the highways and by-ways of New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York. In every season, and in all kinds of weather.

“We consider ourselves to be serendipitous photographers – a fancy way of saying that we don’t really pre-plan our photography outings”, Mary Krasner said. “We shoot what we see with the camera(s) we have with us at the time. For us, nature’s beauty is everywhere, so we’re always finding things that catch our eye, speak to us, or completely captivate us – and hopefully, we bring something of ourselves, something new or fresh to the subject, whether it’s a small beautiful detail or a different and unique point of view.”

The husband and wife photographers have had many exhibits at the Highland Park Public library and throughout the region.

There have also been many times, without any indication or portent, when we’ve stumbled upon scenes of incredible beauty, both great and small” Kenn Krasner said. “We used to call that dumb luck, but now consider them to be gifts from the universe.”

Stalking the Wild Photography II

“As I Recall”–Coleen Tyler and Marcia Shiffman—Photographs and Prints

Coleen Tyler and Marcia Shiffman, friends, artists and neighbors in Highland Park, are exhibiting together at the Highland Park Public Library from February 1 through February 28, 2019. “As I Recall”—Photographs and Prints will be in the meeting room and an artist reception will be held on Sunday, February 10 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The artists will talk about their work at 3:00 PM. This is their second exhibit together.

“We both spend time at Rutgers seriously pursuing our art interests and continue to benefit from the creative and stimulating environment that it provides,” Coleen Tyler said. I think that the title of this exhibit, “As I Recall” reflects a shared focus on time and memory that is evident in our work.”

Coleen Tyler is exhibiting the Gelatin Silver Prints and is also exhibiting in the main hall display case. Tyler has had many exhibits and workshops at the Highland Park Public Library. She has also exhibited extensively throughout the state and the tristate area. Tyler is also an art teacher and ESL teacher who has taught in many New Jersey communities. Her exhibits have featured her art in many different mediums. Tyler has a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. She has her Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA.

Marcia Shiffman, a printmaker, has also worked as a professional planner and landscape architect since 1976. In 2012, Shiffman returned to her original passion, printmaking. She has created etchings, lithographs, and silkscreen prints.

“I have been creating etchings, lithographs and silkscreen prints,” Shiffman said. “My work has focused on images based upon my memories and life experiences. I am very interested in drawing to create the image with varied lines, shadow, light and textures creating depth.”

Shiffman has a Master of Arts in Graphics and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. In 2018 she received First Place Prints in the Middlesex County Senior Art Exhibit and has displayed her in Highland Park and throughout Middlesex County.

Marcia Shiffman, Dancers 9

Coleen Tyler

Photographic Memory, Gelatin Silver Prints by Coleen Tyler

Photographic Memory, Gelatin Silver Prints by Coleen Tyler will be in the main hall display case at the Highland Park Public Library from February 1 through February 28, 2019.

Gelatin silver print is the technical name for a black and white photograph made from a negative. A suspension of silver salts in gelatin is coated onto a support, commonly paper. The paper is exposed to light, traveling through the negative. It is then chemically developed in the dark room, creating the print. This process was the most common way to develop black and white photographs in the 1880’s and is still in use today.

“My experience in making photography from film is a recent one and I consider myself to be in the early learning phase of a demanding, yet rewarding, process,” Tyler said. “Light, its presence and absence, are the heart of photography. The black and white image evokes a beauty that is timeless, regardless of the subject matter.”

“I am intrigued by the transformation of subject as it appears in the clear light and deep shadows of the photograph. It is a world unto itself isolated from the emotional layering of color. I think I am searching for some type of truth about nature and humanity that seems to exist in the past, waiting for me to find and acknowledge. While not knowing what I seek, I can recognize its truth, captured in a fleeting moment on film, with just the right amount of light and dark to reveal it.”

Highland Park Artist Coleen Tyler has had many exhibits and workshops at the Highland Park Public Library. She has also exhibited extensively throughout the state and the tri-state area. Tyler is also an art teacher and ESL teacher who has taught in many New Jersey communities. Her exhibits have featured her art in many different mediums. This month she is exhibiting As I Recall: Photos and Prints in the meeting room with artist Marcia Shiffman.

Tyler has a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. She has her Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA.

Candle, Coleen Tyler

Arts High and Arts Middle School Student Work on Exhibit – 2019

Paintings, drawings and photographs created by Middlesex County Arts High and Arts Middle School students will be on display at the Highland Park Public Library for the month of January. The work is in the meeting room and the Main Hall display case.

The exhibit features work completed by gifted and talented students who participated in the Middlesex County Arts High or Arts Middle School. Highland Park High School students Talia Fishman and Edan Blank have work in the show as well as Highland Park Middle School students, Grace Budd-Cording, Gwyneth Gherzan and Martin Mann. The programs, now in their 39th year, offer advanced art classes in creative writing, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, acting and visual arts to students from public, private, and home schools in Middlesex County. Students, admitted to the program through audition, are released from their schools one afternoon each week during the spring semester to participate in the various courses that are taught by professional artists.

For more information about exhibits at the Highland Park Public Library call 732-572-2750 or go to the website at www.hpplnj.org. For more information on the exhibit or the Middlesex County Arts High or Arts Middle School programs, or to obtain an application, contact the Arts & Education Center at 732-566-ARTS (2787), email info@artsandedcenter.org, or visit their website at www.artshigh.net.

This program has been made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowments for the Arts.
Pangilinan- Middlesex County Arts

Isler - Middlesex County Arts

Stalking The Wild Photo: An Exhibit at the Highland Park Public Library

Husband and wife photographers Ken and Mary Krasner will be exhibiting, Stalking Wild Photos, in the Meeting Room and Main Hall Display Case from October 2 through October 31, 2018 at the Highland Park Public Library in New Jersey. An art reception will be held for the photographers on Sunday, October 7 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

For 30 years Ken and Mary Krasner have amassed thousands of serene, inspirational and tranquil landscapes, nature photographs and panoramas. The photos were all taken while walking, hiking, and snowshoeing local, state and national parks, and wildlife areas & refuges, as well as in and around the highways and by-ways of New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York, in every season, and in all kinds of weather.

“We see nature’s beauty everywhere we look,” Ken said. “Even in places you might not think it exists. For us, the opportunities are endless – no matter where we go, there’s always something that catches our eye or completely captivates us – and we then try to bring something new or fresh to the subject – a small beautiful detail or just a different point of view”

To see more of Ken and Mary Krasner’s photos, go to their website: MySerenityPhotography.com.

Black Tie and Tails, Ken Krasner

Ken Stalking Wild Hazens Notch by Mary Krasner

The Universe in a Flower

Sara Parmigiani, a curator at the Fleetwood Camera Museum, will be displaying her photographs of flowers at the Highland Park Public Library from August 2 to August 31, 2018.

One of her favorite artists is landscape artist Martin Johnson Head (1819-1904) who made stunning still life images of tropical flowers. Active in the 1840’s, Head would often isolate flowers such as orchids and magnolias and paint them against a dark background. The dark background enhances the wonderful colors of the flowers. “I love his paintings and find great inspiration for photographing flowers,” Parmigiani said.

Parmigiani has a BA in Fine Arts from Fairleigh Dickenson University and a MA in Museum Studies from Seton Hall University.

Sara Parmiagiani - pink orchid photo

After the Storm: New Photos and Paintings by Lindsay Holeman

After the Storm: New Photos and Paintings by Lindsay Holeman will be on display in the meeting room at the Highland Park Public Library through November 2017.

A born Jersey girl, Lindsay Holeman is a self-taught artist who moved to Highland Park two years ago. She paints in acrylic, water color, and mixed media. She also enjoys photography. Her art has been included in the 2012 Memory exhibit at the Ewing Municipal Complex as part of the Creative Collective Art Group. Her work has also been featured at Art Space in Long Branch, and in private collections throughout Mercer County.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Goucher College in MD and is in the process of completing her Master’s Degree in Education at Rider University.

“An elementary school teacher, Lindsay hopes to inspire children and teens to create art for self-expression and to raise awareness about significant issues affecting the community,” Lindsay said. “As a behavioral consultant for Maxim Healthcare Services, where I worked with children and teens with emotional and behavioral issues, art therapy played a crucial role in their coping abilities and in their healing.”

She currently teaches with Fresh Theatre Arts, a local children’s theatre company.
holeman photo

Recent Photographs and Prints: Coleen Tyler and Marcia Shiffman

The meeting room at the Highland Park Public Library will feature through the month of June 2017, Recent Photographs and Prints: Coleen Tyler and Marcia Shiffman. An art reception will be held for the artists on Sunday, June 25 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.

Coleen Tyler has been working with black and white film and her subjects include portraits and landscapes.

Marcia Shiffman has been working on lithographs, etchings, and silkscreen related to memory.
Tyler photograph

Shiffman: woman holding pom

Tyler Shiffman exhibit