Artists Cooperative Holds "First Saturday" Open House in Frenchtown NJ

On Saturday, June 3, 2006, The Harrison Street Gallery: A Cooperative For Artists will host "First Saturday" in Frenchtown NJ. The event is an open house that will last from 5 till 9 PM. Exhibiting artists will be on hand to talk with the public about their new work. Wine, cheese, hors d'oeuvres, coffee and dessert will be available. The cooperative, is located at 108 Harrison Street in Frenchtown.

The new gallery is a cooperative for artists from Philadelphia, Bucks County PA and Hunterdon County NJ. It features artists working in a wide variety of media from oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings to drawings, pastels, photography and wooden mosaics. Members work in styles ranging from realism to impressionism to modern abstraction. Many of the artists also offer giclee prints of their original works.

Member artists include: Arthur Ritter, Robert Allen, Joe Kazimierczyk, Clay Johnson, Eilleen Borger, Glenn Harren, Michael Green, Denise Fell ,Michael Schweigart, Cara London, Joe Zagorski, Jim Grimes , Marian Hummel, John Wright, Judith Langan, Jerilyn Weber, Addie Hocynec, Kathleen Groom, Charles and Katharine Ross, Milli Pryor, Pamela Grumbach, Lee Warring and Norine Kevolic.

The artists cooperative concept is one that has become a major trend in the art world. You will find artists co-ops in local towns like Clinton and Lambertville but across the world in places like Glasgow Scotland, New York City , and Sydney Australia. The cooperative is a win-win situation for the artist and the public.

It benefits the artists in the following ways. It allows the artist to sell their work in a professional art gallery setting without paying high rents for a storefront gallery space, and without paying high commissions to gallery owners. It also allows the artist to share the workload of gallery sitting, promotion and sales with the other members of the cooperative.

It benefits the public in the following ways. It allows them to see a wider range of works from more artists in a multitude of mediums in a single gallery space. It allows them to experience an ever changing selection of works from the artists. It also allows them to buy art at more affordable prices because the artist is not paying so much to display and sell his or her work.

The artists cooperative and "First Saturday" are the brainchild of Laura Wells of Art Decor Frame & Gallery located next door to the co-op at 112 Harrison Street. When Ms. Wells surveyed the local art scene, she noticed that other local towns have opened art co-ops and organized monthly art events like First Friday in Doylestown and First Sunday in Easton that feature art openings and celebrations on the first weekends of the month. Both concepts were perfect for Frenchtown with it's large artist population and art galleries, so Ms. Wells set about making her vision come true. Within a few weeks she had filled the gallery with artists eager to join the gallery and help get it started.

Ms. Wells believes that "First Saturday" will call attention to Frenchtown's artistic character and inspire other galleries and local businesses to join the gallery in scheduling open houses, special events and studio openings on the same day or evening. This will make for a much richer cultural experience for visitors with several events or openings to attend all over town. Ms. Wells invites all interested businesses to call her and join in the celebration.

It is co-sponsored by The Wine Hut of Milford and Frenchtown NJ and The Indian Rock Inn of Bucks County PA.

For more information on helping out with First Saturday or for directions contact:

Laura Wells
The Harrison Street Gallery: A Cooperative For Artists
108 Harrison Street
Frenchtown, NJ 08825
908-996-3325