2022 EXHIBITS PREVIEW

© Graphics by Kraz
Linda Baran and Louise Krasniewicz, Co-Directors of the 2022 exhibits year at Belmar Arts, present their schedule for the coming year. In planning an entire year of new and innovative themed exhibits, Linda and Louise hope to excite and challenge the Belmar Arts community and encourage members to renew their memberships and non-members to join this exciting year.

​Several noteworthy elements:
***Anchored by our traditional Juried Art Show (in its 18th year), all the exhibit themes are new
***Each new exhibit will be non-juried and will welcome all forms of art
***Each exhibit will have associated classes, workshops, book club readings, lectures, and/or music events.
***Dropoff and Pickup dates have been standardized for the year
***Entry fees (other than JAS) have been reduced for members to $20 for first entry, $5 for each additional entry
Contact Louise Krasniewicz (email) and Linda Baran (email) if you are interested in co-ordinating or working on one of these exhibits.

THE 2022 SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITS

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES: ​A MEMBERS SALON
January 7 to February 5, 2022

Digital Submissions Due:  Sunday, January 2, at Midnight
Artwork Drop off:  Tuesday and Wednesday, January 4 and 5, 10am-1pm
Reception: Saturday, January 8,  5:00-7:00 pm 
Artwork Pick up:  Sunday and Monday, February 6 and 7, 10am-1pm
​    Can you recall your first or an early memory from your childhood? Was it a fun one or painful one? Do you have memories of someone else’s childhood that you can’t forget or that inspire you? Have you even made art about these memories or the acts and feelings that have attached them to your remembrances?  Whether we recognize it or not, early memories can color our perceptions of the world for years. Not in the Freudian sense that childhood determines adulthood but in terms of persistent fragments of memory that unexpectedly crop up in our thoughts, works, and perceptions. This exhibit is an invitation to act on those memories by making them into a tangible form that can be shared with others in our salon format.
Workshops on:
Storytelling
Working with Family Photos
​Making Memory Quilts
Book Club Reading:
“The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human” by Jonathan Gottschal

THE HANDMADE PHOTOGRAPH
February 9 to March 12, 2022
​
Digital Submissions Due: Thursday, February 3, at Midnight
Artwork Drop off:  Sunday, February 6, 10am-1pm and Monday, February 7, 10am-1pm
Reception: Saturday, February 12,  5:00-7:00 pm 
Artwork Pick up:  Sunday, March 13, 10am-1pm​ and Monday, March 14, 10am-1pm
Alternative photographic processes—ones that challenge the aesthetics and methods of the 20th century photograph—have made 21st century photography a dynamic art form. This exhibit invites all photographers and artists who use non-standard methods for crafting photo-based works to share their creations. These can take to form of digital collages, painted or embroidered photos, cyanotypes, ambrotypes, photograms, photo collages, manipulated Polaroids, photo quilts, handmade books, and photos printed on objects. No longer is the “perfect moment” photograph considered the height of the art. Instead the methods and materials of alternative photographic processes emphasize the constructedness not only of the physical object but also of the reality the camera supposedly captures.
Workshops on:
Cyanotype on Paper and Fabric
Photographs on Fabric for Quilts
Lecture:
The History of Photography and Alternative Photographic Processes

EQUINOX
March 16 to April 16, 2022

Digital Submissions Due: Thursday, March 10, at Midnight
Artwork Drop off:  Sunday, March 13, 10am-1pm and Monday, March 14, 10am-1pm
Reception: Saturday, March 19,  5:00-7:00 pm 
Artwork Pick up:  Sunday, April 17, 10am-1pm​ and Monday, April 18, 10am-1pm
The Vernal Equinox is the day in the spring when we experience equal amounts of daylight and darkness. Across the globe there is a planetary awakening with both celebrations and relief, a sense of renewal as the daylight grows longer and banishes the dark. It is a time to sow seeds, clean out the debris of winter, and believe in the unseen powers that bring forth new life. It’s no wonder we rejoice with the increase in sunlight and all the evidence of our awakening world. This is an exhibit to celebrate light, spring, and renewal and is open to all interpretations of these ideas.
​
The 2022 Equinox is March 20th and Easter is April 4. These two events share themes of renewal and rebirth, a sense that the world is being reborn or is recovering from darker days. The opening reception will feature a Spring Equinox ceremony.
Workshops on:
Making Amulets
​Creating a Deck of Divination Cards
Lecture:
Rituals and the Cycles of Nature

THE RATIONAL DRESS SOCIETY
April 20 to May 21, 2022

Digital Submissions Due: Thursday, April 14, at Midnight
Artwork Drop off:  Sunday, April 17,  10am-1pm and Monday, April 18, 10am-1pm
Reception: Saturday, April 23,  5:00-7:00 pm 
Artwork Pick up:  Sunday, May 22, 10am-1pm​ and Monday, May 23, 10am-1pm
In the latter part of the 19th century, women organized to protest the Victorian clothing that pinched, squeezed, and deformed their bodies, restricting their movements and affecting their health. The Rational Dress Society promoted wearing comfortable shoes, abandoning corsets, and adopting split skirts for athletic activities.

In the 21st century, during the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic, women (and men) were free to abandon the ritualistic clothing they had to wear for work or school and adopt comfortable and simple clothing for staying at home. This echo of the Rational Dress Movement is the subject of this anything-goes exhibit. We will focus on clothing as a statement of politics, beauty, philosophy, and identity.  Whether your art celebrates Rational Dress or promotes its irrational counterparts, share your ideas and works on clothing fashion in this timely exhibit.
Workshops on:
Making a vintage tie-on pocket
Lecture:
Rational Dress and Women's Suffrage
Fashion Show:
Rational and Irrational Dress
Book Club Reading:
The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660–1900
Event:
A “Lady Cyclist Association” bicycle ride on the Belmar Boardwalk

JAS (Juried Art Show) 18
May 25 to July 9, 2022

​The Juried Art Show is a traditional part of the Belmar Arts Center exhibit schedule each year and is eagerly awaited by members and other regional artists. It will be juried by a renowned artist and will provide awards as it does every year. Entry fees and awards will differ from the other exhibits in the schedule.

Mosaics and The Ceramics Invitational
​July 13 to August 13, 2022
A mosaic is a work created by joining smaller pieces into an image or pattern. A traditional mosaic is made of stone or glass pieces and in the ancient world decorated floors and walls. Mosaics can also define physical objects like vases and jewelry. Image mosaics can be made with printed images or through digital techniques. In every case a mosaic is an exciting and dynamic process that creates unique works of art. Explore mosaics in a variety of forms in this multi-media show.

​At the same time as the Mosaics show, the Ceramics Invitational will extend the connection between mosaics and other design elements that commonly appear in ceramics. The invitational will feature practical and utilitarian works for sale as well as artistic offerings.
Workshops on:
Creating a planter using mosaic pieces
The art of photographic mosaics

Beautiful Sea: The Belmar Anniversary Show
August 17 to October 8, 2022

In 2022, the Borough of Belmar will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding. To celebrate this event and connect BAC more directly to the people who call Belmar home, we are presenting artists’ interpretations of Belmar’s history. With objects, images, and documents shared with us by the Belmar Historical Society (BHS), we will use Belmar’s history as an inspiration for a mixed media exhibit. Each artist will choose one of the BHS historical artifacts or can explore Belmar’s history on their own. The resulting exhibit will include the work that inspired the artistic interpretation of some moment or element in the 150 years of this beautiful town by the sea.
Lecture:
Belmar and the 1876 Philadelphia World's Fair

The Evil Eye
October 12 to November 12, 2022

Since ancient times, it was a common belief that an “evil eye” (in the form of a malevolent stare or an actual eye shaped object) had the power to cause misfortune. Protection against such a curse often took the form of an eye shaped talisman. In general, eyes have been the fascination of cultures around the world. For artists, the eye is highly symbolic, conjuring ideas of power, insight, truth, emotion, and vigilance. In this exhibit artists can employ any of these concepts of the eye as we examine the power of seeing. The concept of the “Evil Eye” then takes on multiple meaning that can be explored in the art world but also in the world of terror and horror in the darkest of months, October.
Lecture:
TheEvil Eye Around the World
Workshop:
Making an Evil Eye Talisman

The Games People Play
November 16, 2022 to January 7, 2023

Play is considered one of the most important human activities. The playing of games is universal, and for children game playing is a way to learn the values and ideas of a culture. For adults it is a stepping away from the real world and entering an alternative with different rules and outcomes. It is through the chaos of play that we gain insights into what makes a normal and stable world. In this exhibit, depictions of play, though the objects used in games or the joys and strains of engaging in play, will be a reminder of the value of play in our lives. 

A marketplace of play related gifts and art will also be available.
Lecture:
The Anthropology of Play
Event:
Casino Night!