UNION COUNTY, NJ — The Union County Board of County Commissioners has announced that 10 Union County artists have been selected as award winners in the 56th annual New Jersey Senior Art Show. The exhibit includes works of art created by both professional and nonprofessional artists, ages 60 and older, from all 21 counties across the state.
To qualify for the statewide exhibit, artists first had to have participated in juried exhibits in their own counties and received a first-place award in their media category.
“On behalf of the commissioner board, I thank everyone who participated in the Union County Senior Art Show last spring and congratulate the awardees who are exhibiting in the statewide show. We are all enriched by the creativity and insights of the senior members of our community,” said Union County Commissioner Chairperson Rebecca L. Williams.
The Union County awardees are:
• Joe Manzella, of Cranford. First place, digital art by a nonprofessional artist, for “Listen To Your Heart.”
• Elizabeth Gillin, of Westfield. First place, oil painting by a nonprofessional artist, for the painting “Amanda Gorman, My Favorite Poet.”
• Sam Awad, of Summit. Second place, photography by a professional artist, for “Pit Stop.”
• Michelle Thompson, of Union. Third place, mixed media by a nonprofessional artist, for “Finding Beauty in a World of Chaos.”
• Marianne O’Neill, of Rahway. Honorable mention, craft by a nonprofessional artist, for “Birdhouses & Buttons.”
• Lynda Dubois-Jackson, of Plainfield. Honorable mention, craft by a professional artist, for “Grandma & Friends.”
• Joseph J. Schott, of Fanwood. Honorable mention, oil by a professional artist, for the painting “Snyder Hunt Club.”
• Barbara Uhr, of Westfield. Honorable mention, pastel by a professional artist, for “Along the Banks.”
• Carol Sussman Skalka, of Springfield. Honorable mention, sculpture by a nonprofessional artist, for “Caress.”
• Kim Eckstrom, of Fanwood. Honorable mention, watercolor by a professional artist, for the painting “House With Turret.”
The 2022 New Jersey Senior Art Show can be viewed online at njseniorarts.com/gallery/.
To see the exhibit in person, visit the main building of Meadow Lakes Senior Living, 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor. The public can view the artworks, free of charge, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of six or more should contact Meadow Lakes in advance by calling 609-448-4100. Directions can be found on the Meadow Lakes website at meadowlakesonline.org/.
The show is on display at Meadow Lakes through Thursday, Oct. 27.
The New Jersey Senior Art Show is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Mercer County’s Division of Culture & Heritage, funded by the Council on the Arts, with additional support from Mercer County and the New Jersey Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
Photos Courtesy of Tina Casey