“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
RP Loves ARTS! looks to have a picturesque sunny day this Saturday, September 19th, from 2:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. along Chestnut Street for its second annual arts festival.
The borough-sponsored event was the brainchild of resident Pam Reinoso who wanted to showcase local talent in all aspects of artistic expression. The festival has grown in just one year to include over a dozen artists and activities. The event will have Chestnut Street closed from East Grant Avenue to West Webster Avenue and will start off with a formal welcome from Mayor & Council. There will be a bandstand that was generously provided by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders as well as performances from music ensembles and local dance studios.
Art – in its various forms – will be displayed and a list of activities for children as well as adults along the tree-lined street will convert Roselle Park into a living art gallery Saturday.
Residents are welcomed and asked to invite friends to view all the artistic talent of the mile-square town. There will also be food available. A list of vendors and activities include:
- Art & Soul Galleries Live Artist Demonstration (link)
- The Baron-Montemurro Duo (link)
- Bobby Rivers (link)
- Chameleon Jazz Band with Julius Tolentino (link)
- Community United Methodist Church Artwork Exhibit (link)
- Dancers Pointe (link)
- El Rancho Dorado
- Face Painting
- Fusion Dance Centre (link)
- Gina Zdanowicz/SerialLab Studios (link)
- Jenny Lichtenwalner from Charlie Thyme (link)
- Kids’ MusicRound (link)
- Montclair Art Museum Mobile Truck (link)
- Ms. Foo’s Yummy Food Truck (link)
- New Jersey Youth Theatre (link)
- NJIT School Of Art + Design (link)
- Paul Zdanowicz (link)
- Pico Reinoso (link)
- Planet Dance (link)
- RPHS Cabaret (link)
- Rosalia Tignini Verdun (link)
- Roselle Park Art Walk
- Roselle Park Bike Decorating
- Roselle Park Children’s Art Show
- Roselle Park Community Chalk Masterpiece
- Roselle Park Fire Hydrant Adoption Certificates
- Roselle Park Kids Chalk Selfies
- Roselle Park Kids Drawing Class
- Roselle Park Papier-Mâché
- Thos Shipley (link)
- Uncle Louie G’s Italian Ice (link)
- Westfield Art Association (link)
Art & Souls Galleries, located at 128 Chestnut Street, will have their very own award-winning local artist Rosalia Tignini Verdun (link) perform a free, live painting demo at the gallery that will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will last approximately two hours. Admittance will be free and all attendees will be able to submit their names for a drawing to win the resulting artwork.
Kids’ activities on the street will include chalk selfies, a drawing class with Pico Reinoso, papier-mâché making, a percussion band, face painting by Denise Wood, and bike decorating behind the library with David Paterno.
The MAM Truck from the Montclair Art Museum will be on-hand from 2:30 p.m. till 6 o’clock in the evening to showcase art from throughout the state.
An Art Walk along Chestnut Street will display local professional, amateur, and student artists.
There will also be an interactive real-time Community Chalk Masterpiece that will allow visitors to color a square quadrant to create a finished large work of art.
Kids’ activities on the street will include chalk selfies, a drawing class with Pico Reinoso, papier-mâché making, a percussion band, face painting by Denise Wood, and bike decorating behind the library with David Paterno.
Events at the Casano Center:
- Kids’ MusicRound will start off events in the Community Center at 3 p.m.
- Bobby Rivers will have a half-hour symposium on “The Literature of Film: How to Read the Sights and Sounds of Classic Movies” at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
- At 4 p.m., NJIT will present “Careers that Utilize a Background in the Arts” for interested students and families
- Emmy Award nominated Gina Zdanowicz from SerialLab Studios will hold a presentation in sound design entitled “A Peek into the world of audio for games, film, and TV” at 4:30 p.m.
- 5 p.m. will have the Animation Masterclass “Do What You Love: A Career in Animation and Game Design” by professional animator Paul Zdanowicz.
- The Children’s Art Show “Dream & Be” that will showcase original works from young Roselle Park artists.
The following is a schedule of events on the street and the bandwagon:
| TIME | EVENTS |
|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. | Opening Ceremony by Mayor & Council |
| 2:40 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | NJ Youth Theatre performances from "Oklahoma" and "Cabaret" |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Chameleon Jazz Band with Julius Tolentino |
| 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Planet Dance |
| 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Kids' Percussion |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | The Baron-Montemurro Duo |
| 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | Fusion Centre |
| 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | RPHS Cabaret Preview |
| 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Dancers Pointe |
| 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | Roselle Park Jazz Fest with Thos Shipley |
The evening will close with the inaugural Roselle Park Jazz Fest. Resident Thos Shipley, singing selections of Jazz and American Songbook classics, will be accompanied by a quartet of award-winning Jazz musicians:
- Lisa DeSpain on piano (link)
- Lisa Kline on upright bass
- Reggie Quinerly Jr. on drums (link)
- Charlie Sigler on guitar (link)
The concert will include a jam session that will invite guest musicians to join the stage. Residents who feel comfortable enough in their musical skills to play live are also invited to jam along.
For those residents who are away and unable to attend in person, the day will be streamed live at Concert Window’s website (link).
The event will have something for everyone and will highlight the artistic talent of its residents. The hope is to have it grow every year and flourish as a prominent voice from the community to the world.
Organizer Pam Reinoso stated, “We wanted a free community event to unite Roselle Park residents and residents in the surrounding towns by engaging in an experience viewing, creating, learning about, and watching art in its many forms. The arts unite communities. The look on a young child’s face who has just completed a ‘masterpiece’ or the quiet listening of their parent to a wonderful piece of music or the sheer joy of movement in our dance groups are just within days of reach at RP Loves ARTS! I cannot wait to see the discoveries that will come about.”
More information can be found on RP Loves ARTS! website (link) and Facebook page (link).