The Greenville Talented Youth Art Show is calling on Jersey City’s young and aspiring artists and performers for their March 3rd art show. Painters, photographers, graphic artists, sculptors, graffiti artists, singers, rappers, poets / spoken-word artists and dancers, ages 12 to 19, are welcome to apply. The show, organized by Friends of the Lifers, will accept work through February 24th, and will run as part of JC Fridays.

“Having participated in the last JC Fridays myself as an artist, I thought it would be a great idea to utilize JC Fridays as an avenue to organize our local youth in Greenville to create their own event and be be able to be a part of a citywide celebration of local talent and commerce,” says Brooke Hansson, a representative from Friends of the Lifers.

“At Friends of the Lifers (FOL) we work to create fun and engaging programs for youth that have a lot of educational and leadership components built in and also offer them creative ways to understand and give voice to what is going on around them,” she adds.

To schedule an audition or drop off art, contact Hansson at Bhansson[at]friendsofthelifers.org or call (201) 469-7107.

Want your event listed on our calendar? You can submit it yourself — just click here and follow the simple instructions.

TODAY

Arts and music fest JC Fridays is back today with a killer lineup of mostly-free events. Here are a few highlights:

Some events do you the service of both introducing you to local artists and taking care of your holiday shopping lists. Not Yo Mama’s (Happy!) Holiday Craft Fair brings together vendors of everything from leather to baked goods under one roof (Art House Productions; 6 pm). And Grigory Gurevich and Alexander Gurevich present Miniature Gifts, a party and exhibition of acrylic and watercolor miniatures for sale (282 Barrow Street, 6 pm).

At Bistro La Source, check out the opening a double photo exhibit: Paris Skyline by Michael Steele and Saving Decay by Brooke Hansson and Dennis Whittinghill (6 pm). And at Cosi Café and Restaurant, an exhibition of Nancy Mace‘s collage art opens.

Join BrightMoment and No Gas Pipeline for a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland at City Hall (8 pm, $5 suggested donation).

Dance the night away between live music with Kapa Prieto at WoolpunkStudio (6 pm) and the JC Fridays Band Bonanza at 58 Gallery (5:30 pm). The latter’s lineup include The One & Nines, the MiCKS and the Orion Experience.

For more of our picks, check out our preview of JC Fridays.

TOMORROW:

Several JC Fridays events continue today, including Not Yo Mama’s (Happy!) Holiday Craft Fair (11 am). Check out JC Fridays for more.

Chris & Albie Manzo and Chris Laurita of Real Housewives of New Jersey will be on hand for a Levendi bottle signing and wine tasting event at Super Buy Rite (1 pm).

Animal lovers have two events today: the opening of Hound About Town in Hamilton Park, which celebrates with a Bark & Wine Social (12 pm); and National Mutt Day adoption event at Liberty Humane Society (11 am).

The Lamp Post welcomes Cicada Radio, Holy City Zoo, They Had Faces Then and Meet/Pause (9 pm, free).

SUNDAY:

For more holiday shopping, Jersey City Medical Center is hosting a craft fair with proceeds to benefit the hospital’s auxiliary (11 am, $2).

And it’s the final Sunday of the Autumn Harvest of Kittens at Grace Church Van Vorst (12:30 pm). The first three adopters get a free lint roller.

Anti-Fracking Documentary Gasland at City Hall – 280 Grove Street, 8 pm

BrightMoment and No Gas Pipeline will be screening the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland Friday at 8 pm in the Council Chambers of City Hall (280 Grove Street). The film, directed by John Fox, investigates just how dangerous fracking is, and just how close to home it can be found (spoiler: the Delaware River).

About the Film: “The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a “Saudia Arabia of natural gas” just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called Gasland. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.”

For More Information visit the website, watch the trailer.

Pro Arts Jersey City’s Art Eat-Up: Democratically Chosen Art Proposal Takes Home Cash – 39 Erie Street, 7 pm – 10 pm UPDATE: This event has been canceled and is being rescheduled for February.

Pro Arts Jersey City, the arts umbrella group, is holding their fourth Art Eat-Up, a fundraiser dinner with a democratic sensibility. For a small donation you can cast a vote on the artists’ proposals you find most deserving of funding. $20 gets you a meal, a beverage and a ballot, $10 a drink and a ballot, and $5 just a ballot. The votes will be counted at the end of the night and a winner awarded. In previous Eat-Ups, winning proposals have received upwards of $600.

Not Yo Mama’s Holiday Craft Fair and Art House Productions Fundraiser 1 McWilliams Place, 6 pm – 10 pm (Friday); 11 am – 6 pm (Saturday)

The 3rd annual Not Yo Mama’s Holiday Craft Fair brings together local artists and artisans for a two-day crafts fair starting Friday, at 6pm to 10pm, and running through Saturday, December 3rd, from 11 am – 6 pm. Featuring over 50 vendors (partial list: Bag the Habit, the Jersey City Craft Ma#a, Sassy Sweet Treats, The Craftmen, Bonnie Gloris, Kudu-lah Kritters (Brooklyn), and many more), the crafts fair gives you the opportunity to shop early and local for your holiday gifts.

The Fair will continue Saturday with craft tutorials such as a free ornament-making workshop and “holiday how-to’s.” The fair encourages a $5 donation to benefit Art House Productions.

4th Street Arts Presents Round Two of “Take Your Chances” – 371 4th Street (and surrounding area), 7 pm –10 pm

4th Street Arts wants you and whatever instrument / noise-maker you have nearby to swing by for a night of music performance and participation on and around 371 4th Street. The group’s positive message to those on the fence: “Scratch the surface and find it inside you. It’s okay, we’re right here.” It’s as “posi” as music gets.

Dynasty December Gallery Opening / Costume Party – 315 3rd Street, 7 pm – 10 pm

Wealthy affectation, 80′s hair stylings, champagne and caviar, all to the backdrop of a screening of exclusively the “cat-fights” from ABC’s soap opera “Dynasty.” Jersey City arts collective _gaia’s costume party and gallery opening is going to have “big hair, big shoulder pads, and power dress attire… Dress to impress!” So wear your costume of dated affluence and watch as political correctness rolls over in its grave for the night. Oh, and there will be hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails along with art on the walls in case you grow tired of mud fights and face slaps (we’re thinking unlikely).

Jersey City Art School Workshop – 313 3rd Street, 1 pm – 8 pm

JC Fridays wants your budding and/or latent talent to (re-)emerge and is offering the tools for you to do this. Visit the Jersey City Art School Workshop to get your art skill sets back on track.

JCAS, the downtown for-profit artist collective and studio space, is looking to pair your visual arts skills-in-progress with one of their artists. Whether it’s portraiture, poster design, T-shirt design, or just about any other visual medium, you’re going to find an artist’s guidance at the JCAS workshop. There are 7 studios in the 1,800 square-foot facility, as well as an event space and screen printing/etching studio. While you’re there learn about their weekly illustration seminars and film screenings, not to mention the plethora of other visual arts taught at JCAS.

A Sound Start / Winter Open House 489 Jersey Avenue, 10 am

A free day of music lessons for children is being offered at A Sound Start every hour on the hour (from 10am until 2pm). Founded by Kindermusik Maestro Andi Gunden, A Sound Start’s interactive demonstration will give a look at how the school works and the classes offered throughout the year such as Kindermusik, Itsy Bitsy Yoga, and a Percussion Workshop. For more information on the school visit the website.

Pianoland @ Morgan Junction, After-After Party, 196 Morgan Street, 11:30 pm – 6 am

Because why stop when the bars do? Live music and DJs spinning at this free to all event that will “bring you safely to the morning sun,” according to the organizers. Of course at that point you’ll probably want to get your 5 hours of sleep in before Not Yo Mama’s Craft Fair continues at 11:30 am on Saturday.

Too many to choose from? There are dozens more listed at the JC Fridays website, so check the schedule and plan accordingly.

The One and Nines performing at Groove on Grove last June; they are scheduled to play this year’s Groove on Grove/JC Fridays event on June 3. (Photo: Zac Clark)

As the weather begins to warm up, the free outdoor Groove on Grove music series is set to return for its fourth year beginning with a “Cuatro de Mayo” event next Wednesday.

The schedule for the entire summer isn’t quite firmed up yet, but the first five weeks have been booked (shows begin at 6 pm):

• Wednesday, May 4: Cuatro de Mayo with Lucha DJ, Deivito y Los Pescadores, Crosstown Country Allstars
• Wednesday, May 11: The Porchistas, The Ashes, Fairmont
• Wednesday, May 18: The Broc Hempel Trio, Brendan Kibbee, Jordan Piper
• Wednesday, May 25: These Animals, The Radio Galaxy, Hello, Boat
• Friday, June 3 (JC Fridays): The One and Nines, Roland Ramos, The Black Hollies, The Milwaukees

“This year’s Groove on Grove will host new acts as well as some of our seasoned veterans,” explains booker Tony Susco, adding that, like last year, the first concert of each month with have alcohol and food sponsors.

“We are working with JC Studios, Pearl Studios, Sirelo Entertainment, the Lamp Post, Lucky 7 Tavern, Zac Clark, as well as other local music bookers to offer a diverse music selection,” he says. “Thanks to Metropolis Music and local schools, we will also showcase some truly blossoming and developing artists.”

We’ll let you know as more shows are booked into the summer; you can also always check our Cultural Calendar for live music outdoors and indoors, all over town.

“A memory captured, a place frozen in time, the icy world of winter,” the call reads, “this show explores the act of preservation, and what we discover when we dare to look in the coldest of places.”

Artists who work in any medium will be considered; to submit send an artist statement and five images to art (at) arthouseproductions.org by Friday, February 11.

The show will open on the March 4 JC Fridays, and run for three weeks.

As we noted at the time, the problem ultimately comes down to zoning. 58 is now trying to get its house in order by applying for a zoning variance, and they estimate they need to raise about $1,500 to do so. And what better way to raise that money than by holding a benefit featuring three bands on a JC Fridays night?

Mr. Junestar Blackman (7 pm), Little, Big (8 pm) and Fancy Colors (9 pm) are all slated to perform tomorrow evening at the Coles Street gallery, which is currently showing John Fesken’s Ehullek Tragedies: Terminal Everlasting, Overmaars exhibition. The suggested donation, to be put towards what is being dubbed the “58 Longevity Fund,” is $10.

On a separate front, Susco is among the cultural leaders who are working with city officials to revise the outdated entertainment ordinance.

First up is tomorrow’s Holiday Sidewalk Fair from 2 to 6 pm in Downtown Jersey City. The event, which is being put together by the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) and will coincide with the quarterly arts event JC Fridays — as well as the weekly Creative Grove Artist Market – will feature artists and artisans selling their wares and shops holding special deals along Grove Street, Newark Avenue, Jersey Avenue and Christopher Columbus Drive.

HDSID’s Nikol Floros says there will also be “stilt walkers, clowns, 3 DJs, 2 musicians who will just be walking around and free cider to give out to everyone.”

Participating stores are: Grove Street Bicycles, Morlees, Made With Love, Vivi Girl Shop, Fish with Braids Gallery, Ahymn, Hudson Camera, Brennan’s Flower Shop, Save Polish Meat Market, Gallerie Hudson, Kanibal Home, Nine Lives Skate Shop, Duck Duck Goose and Park & Sixth Comfort Food.

Meanwhile, tomorrow also marks the beginning of another holiday market uptown at 264 Fairmount Space (264 Fairmount Ave.) in McGinley Square. The holiday art market dubbed Trade Show is being put together by Uptown Crew, and it features 20 pieces of affordable artwork from four local artists — Happiness Akaniro, Joe Gilmore, Kayt Hester and Aura Highsmith — in a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic, pastel and masking tape. There will also be copies of three coffee table style books of Andre Cypriano‘s renowned photography for sale at a reduced price, courtesy of Ed’s Salvage Co. All work in the show, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 pm, is priced at $200 or less.

And over at the Jersey City Art School (326 5th St.) Thomas Carlson and the crew who’ve helped launch the school will celebrate their first anniversary with a special sale of small works created by the school’s instructors. There will be paintings, drawings, watercolors, glass and jewelry pieces all for sale at reasonable prices.

Last up this weekend for discerning gift-givers is the Le Bouquiniste mobile kiosk at Curious Matter (272 5th St.), which features a wide variety of artist books, zines, chapbooks and similar items from small and independent presses. The kiosk is open this Sunday and next from noon to 3 pm, and most books are less than $20.

These are just four special events happening specifically geared toward holiday shopping this weekend. There are a few more on the horizon, including LITM‘s annual show of small works (which opens next week) and the Jersey City Craft Mafia‘s Handmade Holiday Market (December 19). But also remember that you can almost always buy works being exhibited at most art shows in Jersey City; with JC Fridays offering a plethora of exciting exhibitions tomorrow, it’s worth checking for the price tag (or asking) if something strikes your fancy.

Beth Ann Morrison (at right) and Michelle Mumoli (at left) | Photo courtesy of Steven Principato

The current recession has hit everyone, and no one is safe, especially in the art world. The opportunity for the public to engage in art and experience culture is being threatened at an alarming rate, with museums and galleries closing their doors all across the U.S. due to declining revenue and budget cuts.

But as arts institutions struggle, savvy artists, cultural creatives and other DIY types are stepping up to fill the void in Jersey City and elsewhere. The latest example is Pop-Up Art, a new group of artists coming together during these bleak times to organize art exhibitions and musical performances in temporary spaces across the city. The group will open its debut exhibition, In Spirited Company, at the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery this Friday.

“Pop-Up Art is our response to a growing urgency for a stronger artist community in Jersey City, by putting together art and music shows in nonprofit or donated spaces,” says Michelle Mumoli, one of Pop-Up Art’s six curators. “This economic situation we are in has taken a huge toll on the arts and culture. Funding for the arts has been cut so drastically, we risk having an uncultured society — so we decided to use donated spaces as vehicles to curate work that is truly mind-provoking as well as publicly accessible.”

Mumoli and fellow Pop-Up curator Beth Ann Morrison recently talked to us about their nascent organization, their first exhibition and the state of art in Jersey City.

Tell us about yourselves. Who are you, and what do you do?

Michelle Mumoli: I’m a filmmaker, experimental video artist, hair designer and brainstormer. I moved to Jersey City almost two years ago and familiarized with the Downtown area — I just knew it was a the next city to cultivate my interests in.

Beth Ann Morrison: I make art; for a long time I’ve been focusing on installation and sculpture – from the miniscule to the gigantic – but my interests are broad. My work is leading into the public realm and sustainable community building. I’ve lived in Jersey City since 2002 and have been fundraising for nonprofits for the last ten years.

What is your definition of a strong artist community, and how can it contribute to the well-being of the entire city?

MM: A strong community is one where neighbors know each other, help each other and care for each other’s general well-being. So we would like to take those principals and apply them to the arts and artists in Jersey City. In other words, promote making art and helping each other in the process.

BAM: I think art has a unique way of bringing people together — it can be non-threatening, fun, participatory — and it always has a greater effect when more artists work in synergy. There are a lot of creative people in this town, and I’d love to see us all supporting each other and bringing all our neighbors into the fold. At that point our work can start to effect positive changes on attitudes, policies and our environment.

Who is involved in Pop-Up Art?

BAM: We are a growing group. All of us are involved in art and music in overlapping ways — as artists, curators, designers, etc. For this first show, we’ve had four active participants: Donna Kessinger (independent curator), myself, Michelle and Beverly Sommer (filmmaker and MBA). Other interested participants include Jasmine Graf (artist and ProArts board member), Stephanie Werthman (artist and graphic designer), Wendy Lee (Brooklyn-based designer) and Steve Principato (graphic designer and musician) … and the list keeps getting longer.

What are your goals?

BAM: I’d like for this group to play a role in the direction of this era of development in Jersey City — the arts should be appreciated and cultivated for the value and substance they bring to a community. I want our events to leverage high-caliber artists to bring attention to the rising stars among us and eventually help restore and build respectable venues.

Let’s talk about your first show, In Spirited Company. How did it come about, what do you have planned, and why should everyone come out on December 3?

BAM: After our first meeting this fall, we were eager to get Pop-Up Art started right away, so we chose to align our first show with JC Fridays on December 3. Donna had been in conversation with the folks at the cemetery, who are enthusiastic about creating more awareness and support for the site through arts and educational events.

After hearing more about the cemetery’s history and taking a tour of the gatekeeper’s home, we got the feeling that we should hang a nice indoor show of art that is “darkly beautiful” — with some acoustic acts, wine and refined snacks — to bring out the space’s nice 1850s parlor feel. I’m enamored by the way Jon Rappleye’s paintings and sculpture marry delicate organic beauty with the macabre, and he was inspired by the charm and character of the old home and the eerily rolling grounds. Rebecca Major’s videos also walk the same edge of grace and fear.

For the opening, we hand picked musicians whose sound will enhance this ambiance. NYC Duo is classically trained; Mike Gilsinan (Fort Lee) composed a piece for guitar and flute and will be projecting a creepy stop-animated film during their set. Gonul and What Army features Billy Gray (of the band Ben Franklin) and his wife, singing sweet old-fashioned soul.

The relaxed and intimate setting will give everyone a chance to talk with the artists, Pop-Up Art members and the abundantly knowledgeable volunteers at the cemetery.

Gingerbird Store and Cocoa Bakery will be offering the best in hot cocoa, cupcakes, biscotti and other such goodness. The first annual tree lighting will take place at 8pm on the grounds, featuring a 15-minute choral concert by the Hudson View Carolers — the final dress rehearsal before the group performs at this year’s official White House tree lighting in D.C.

The exhibition will remain on view by appointment through January 1; we hope to share the show with as many people as possible.

Exhibitions, particularly ones that involve as many components as this one, cost money and take a lot of time to organize. Has Pop-Up Art received any funding to cover expenses?

BAM: Not yet, but we’re brainstorming ways to bring in some capital. Luckily, a few others and I have fundraising experience that we can draw on. And who doesn’t like a good party?

Once we have a handle on how much this show has actually cost us and can sit down and budget for the next few ideas, we’ll make some plans to raise the cash. Personally, I’d like to use this as a chance to demonstrate varied income streams like merchandise, services and events … but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…

So what steps have you taken to neutralize your overhead?

MM: We keep tabs on each other’s spending. For example, I may have spent too much on an item and Beth Ann will say to me ‘Are you absolutely positive this is necessary?’ and then I’ll reconsider or not. I think big.

BAM: I try to think: balanced. Whatever we put out we have to think of realistically bringing back in. But of course I want these events to break records of the huge and outrageous. That just means we have to be just as huge and outrageous with our thinking.

You say this exhibition aims to breathe new life into the abandoned residence in Harsimus Cemetery; what other vacant sites or locations in Jersey City does Pop-Up Art intend to resuscitate? And how can this activity contribute to the vitality of the local art scene and to Jersey City as a whole?

MM: There’s a movement in Newark, where I was involved in the arts community before moving here, where real estate brokers have been giving away entire buildings downtown that have been unoccupied or abandoned, to artist groups and burgeoning galleries. We can do that here; we need to explore that option. But in terms of future locations, we will be popping up everywhere. Other sites and venues around town are in the works but they are top secret at this juncture.

What types of projects can Pop-Up Art realize that a conventional gallery or exhibition space cannot?

MM: I have grown to think of conventional gallery spaces along the lines of being structurally corporate, a cubicle and a white box are the same to me: squares. We are breaking out of the conventional mold. Art needs to be real and it needs to be able to reach a vast audience for it to get a response.

BAM: The other aspect to consider is that for-profit galleries usually have to fit their shows into tight constraints — of sale-ability, relevance in the market, insurance issues. But as an un-incorporated group using atypical spaces, we can give the artists freedom to be true to their expression. We will invite them to experiment and respond to the venue and each others’ work. We’ll still be working hard to bring exposure and buyers like any gallery would, for the artists’ benefit. But this is about breaking through and building a reputation for Jersey City as a home to stellar original talent.

Creative expression is important, I agree. In my experience, artistic freedom has its own price tag, and it’s costly. How do you balance artistic freedom with financial reality?

MM: The fortunate thing is that we are all experienced in working in the arts and fundraising, and we have art connections, so we will use that knowledge to make things happen. Yes, artistic expression sometimes comes with price, but we don’t think it should have to.

BAM: I have been used to working under alternative circumstances since I began making art. My work has been site-specific and ephemeral, and I sort of resisted the usual market. So that gave me a good training for thinking ahead, being resourceful and raising cash. I think that genius comes out of the creative application of available resources.

Why start a project in Jersey City and not some other place, like Bushwick or the Bronx?

MM: We love this place. We’re here now and that’s where we want to build our name. The future is in our hands.

What else are you planning?

MM: We’ve already started talks with some well-known international artist groups as well as some in Brooklyn, so there’s lots of fun and exciting things coming to Jersey City via Pop-Up Art.

BAM: We’re thinking of events that are built in response to the space — illustrating the character and history of a place as thoroughly as possible — through art, music, performance, whatever makes sense. Hopefully this group will help build a stronger conversation between Jersey City’s long-time residents and those who have gravitated here to be part of the cultural community — so our artists will feel more invested to participate in restoring and preserving the hugely rich history here.

THE DETAILS

In Spirited Company Opening Reception; Friday, December 3 from 5 to 9 pm; Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery, 435 Newark Ave. MORE DETAILS HERE.

Vendors will be set up along streets including Newark Avenue, Grove Street and Jersey Avenue from 2 to 6 pm that day; to participate or for more information email Nikol Floros at nikol (at) jcdowntown.com.

It costs $10 to sign on, and vendors must provide their own table and chairs.

That’s led the gallery to scale back the festivities for tonight’s opening reception of paintings by Jersey City’s Kirk Bray. While the band Fancy Colors was initially set to perform tonight, that’s no longer happening, according to Susco, who says the gallery will opt for a more straightforward traditional opening instead.

But he says the JCPD action hasn’t stifled 58′s plans for tomorrow’s JC Fridays event, which is set to feature live music from Shayfer James and The Old Glorys.

“We intend to keep our full schedule as advertised,” Susco says.

Last week was hardly the first time in the past few years that 58 had run afoul of the law. In fact, the perceived “war” the city was waging against the gallery and other arts organizations was one of the main themes 58 owner Orlando Reyes touched on in his July interview with the Independent.

“I am at a point of moving the 58 to Newark, where they actually care about the art that is made in their city,” he told Brendan Carroll, before pulling back a bit and saying he had no solid plans to leave Jersey City quite yet. “Rather than waging war against their artists, they seem to be nourishing and encouraging it.”

But city spokesperson Jennifer Morrill says no such “war” exists.

“There is no war by the city against 58 Gallery or any other art establishment in Jersey City,” she says.

Morrill says the administration has worked with Reyes and 58 owner John Besante “on more than one occasion” to clear up the situation, and that it is ultimately their responsibility to conform to necessary zoning changes.

“Cultural Affairs learned that the problem lies with zoning, and has worked with city agencies to help educate the gallery owner and the property owner about what needed to be done to implement those zoning changes,” she says. “Ample time has been given by the city for these changes to be made, and it is unfortunate that these changes have not been made and that unresolved zoning issues may impact the current exhibition, but responsibility for the situation lies with the gallery management — not the municipal government.”

She points out that when artists or arts organizations accept donated space to run a gallery, as many in Jersey City do, they need to make sure the space is properly zoned.

“While the arts community greatly appreciates donated space, it is imperative for artists to know if the space is properly zoned, and if not, if the owner will be willing to make the needed changes for a gallery to operate,” Morrill says.