The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey Returns To Summit Farmers Market

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and local artists will return to the Farmers Market in Summit after a successful outing that captivated attendees in July. During that outing, visitors to the Art Center's tent were asked to participate in a shared vision board and were given instruction on how to create mandala drawings. On Sunday, August 19, from 8 AM-1 PM, artists Nan Ring and Asha Ganpat will further engage the community in discussions about artistic process while creating and displaying original artwork. Ganpat will work on large cardboard sculptures of a life-sized outhouse and an old tube-television. Ring will invite visitors to write stories of compassion onto squares of silkscreened vintage flour sacks, which will then be added to her compassion quilt. "Compassion is what I think the world needs more of now," said Ring, explaining her work. "The quilt is made from flour sacks because they literally once held sustenance, and as they become a quilt of our compassion stories, they will again hold sustenance, but this time metaphorically."

Both Art Center presentations at the Summit Farmers Market have been organized by Sarah Walko, Director of Education & Community Engagement. "The farmers market is a great place to meet and interact with our neighbors," said Walko. "In July, artists engaged the public with communal expression and we hope to be able to do that again with our upcoming visit. Art brings people together and bridges the community."

Nan Ring has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards for her artwork, including a Vermont Studio Center Fellowship, a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's Creative Fellowship, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Artists' Fellowship Award in Drawing. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, where she was awarded an honorable mention in painting at the Art Center's 25th Silver Anniversary Juried Exhibition. Additionally, her work has been displayed at Drawing Rooms in Jersey City; 73 See Gallery in Montclair; The Drawing Center and Gallery Henoch in New York City; and Hudson River Museum in Yonkers.

Asha Ganpat is a New York City-area artist, originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. Ganpat has shown at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum of Art; Queens Museum; Exit Art and the Nathan Cummings Foundation in Manhattan; Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University, in Galloway Township, NJ; and Jersey City Museum. Her work was cited as one of the "10 Best Interactive Summer Art Installations" in New York City by Complex Magazine in 2012. She has participated in the Emerge program at Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, which focused on strategic career management for emerging artists; ChaNorth, ChaShaMa's upstate artist residency located in the Hudson Valley; and the Alice Yard residency program in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She is a professor of sculpture at Montclair State University and co-founder of Red Saw Gallery in Newark.

The Summit Farmers Market takes place every Sunday through November 18, from 8 AM-1 PM. The market is held at Park & Shop Lot #2, at the corner of DeForest Avenue and Maple Street in Summit.

About the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
For 85 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been exclusively dedicated to viewing, making, and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization, the Art Center's renowned Studio School, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youth, families, seniors, and people with special needs every year.

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, New Jersey. Adult and children's group tours are available throughout the year. Gallery Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 10 AM-5 PM; Thursday, 10 AM-8 PM; and Saturday & Sunday, 11 AM-4 PM. Please call 908.273.9121 to confirm holiday hours. Visit artcenternj.org for more information.