Growing up in central New Jersey, I had little idea that I was surrounded by cool places to see art in person. Now living back in my home state, I wanted to share a few of my favorite local places for art excursions.
ArtYard | Frenchtown
I came across ArtYard by accident and was blown away I hadn’t heard of it before. What was this beautiful contemporary art space doing in a quaint river town? ArtYard was founded by a group of artists and encompasses a few buildings in Frenchtown, sharing a wide range of programming. During my visit, I saw a show of Janet Ruttenberg’s massive Central Park paintings. I believe they will reopen in September, by appointment.
Grounds for Sculpture | Hamilton Township
Grounds for Sculpture is a 42 acre park, home to 300 contemporary sculptures and 6 indoor galleries that show temporary exhibits. The organization puts on educational workshops, concerts, and performances. It’s a good place to visit on a day you’d rather be outdoors, and I think there is something special about seeing the art and gardens as the seasons change.
Main Street Gallery | Manasquan
Main Street Gallery is a great place to see some of my work in person locally. The owner Jen is an absolute joy to work with, and I always enjoy going in to see what’s on display. You can expect to find a selection of work that speaks to the local coastal community along with a wider range of figurative and abstract contemporary art. Some of my favorite pieces are the etchings by Helen Frank, a painter/printmaker who was recently inducted into The Met’s permanent collection.
Princeton University Art Museum | Princeton
I consider this museum a hidden gem of New Jersey. The permanent collection of artifacts and paintings is incredible, and they usually have a more contemporary exhibit going on as well. They are technically closed right now, but there is plenty to explore on their website until the museum reopens.
Schmidtberger Fine Art Gallery | Frenchtown
Another great art space located in Frenchtown. Founded by painter John Schmidtberger, SFA gallery shares the work of mid to late-career artists. The few shows I’ve seen speak to the painterly painter in me, with a variety of life paintings reminiscent of Fairfield Porter.