Welcome, Culture Vultures!

Hi There; welcome to the JerseyArts.com blog. We’re in the process of rolling out great new content here this winter and spring–you’ll be able to find blogs on the NJ arts scene from some of the smartest, most connected, and most insightful bloggers around, covering a broad array of topics and genres. So stay tuned for new posts coming soon!

Meanwhile, there’s a whole bunch of Jersey Arts adventures from the past few months to explore right here.Take a peek:

• This blog launched with two live-bloggers at the XPoNential Music Festival. You can follow John’s thoughts, or Raegan’s thoughts, or check out the whole experience here.
• We then covered the opening of Noises Off at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
• Opera-lover Patricia checked out Destination: Opera at Ocean Grove, presented by New Jersey State Opera.
• Our Generation NEXT program features exclusive events and special offers for young professionals; our GenNEXT bloggers explored I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, MacHomer, and ABBA-Mania.
• In November, our blogger wrote about his experiences at Full Circle 2009: Voice and Vision at Matheny Arts Access in Peapack.

If you’re interested in some casual browsing, we’re also developing general categories organized by genre–right now you can peruse all of the GenNEXT posts, Opera and Theater, and more are coming!

So, that’s a bit about who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going–we hope you enjoy the JerseyArts.com blog, and please feel free to join the conversation with your thoughts and comments!

Full Circle 2009: Voice and Vision Recap

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending Full Circle: Voice and Vision 2009. Full Circle is a yearly event where the clients who take part in the Arts Access Program at Matheny Medical and Education Center display their talent for a packed house. Upon entry into this beautiful facility on Saturday,  many of the works created by clients all over the walls. As I turned the corner to enter the performance space I was greeted by masterpiece after masterpiece, some of which had already been marked as sold to event attendee. Much of the artwork is also on display on the Arts Access Program Website (www.artsaccessprogram.org).

The performance segment of the event began as Lyn Sanders, director of the Arts Access Program, took the stage to make her welcoming remarks. I settled in standing in the back. The feeling in the theater was one of excitement and anticipation. The performing arts portion of the event lasted an hour and was made up of a mix of dance, dramatic scenes, monologues and the occasional documentary style interview. I must admit that the very first piece, a documentary piece by Chris Saglimbene set the mood for the performance perfectly. In the piece he addresses what it is to be an artist with a disability, and very eloquently expresses something we’ve all felt. Chris explains, “When I [make art] it feels like a ton of rocks have been lifted off my shoulders.”

While the pieces ranged in tone and medium from a heartfelt and expressive dance to a clever monologue addressed to Father Christmas from his not so jolly wife Mrs. Claus, they all had a few things in common–not just the unique voices of the clients who created them, but their faces as well. These choreographers, directors and writers fearlessly took the stage and took part in their pieces, which really allowed the audience to know all the work, and passion that went in to creating them. They addressed a range of issues from the tackling the daily challenges of being disabled to simple stories about love and friendship and loss. At the end of the performance the clients and performers took their well-deserved curtain call.

After the performance there was a dessert reception during which I got the opportunity to talk with a number of people responsible for the night’s festivities. Between handshakes and numerous congratulations, a number of the Arts Access clients explained that while they were nervous, they were excited about the performance and very proud of the work that they had done.

They have every reason to be. I feel as though I got a chance to be part of something really special and I extend many thanks to the people at Metheny and Arts Access for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it.