An Abundant Life - Creative Space

I met the mesmerizing Maria Kosdan, the Gallery Director of Prime Gallery, at the lovely 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace at the opening reception for the Jersey City Arts High School Program that I wrote about two weeks ago. Kristin DeAngelis, the beautiful Director of 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace introduced us, and though I was exhausted after a very long week and long day, Maria's enthusiasm, warmth, and passion for supporting artists energized me and encouraged me to stop on my way home to attend the opening at Prime Gallery. Maria had stopped by 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace because in her words, "We need to support each other," and my experience of her each time we have met shows that her actions meet her words. She is so full of light and life, and so full of love for art and supporting artists and their work that her energy is contagious. She is from a family of artists and is an artist herself, but early on she had the heartfelt and brilliant idea to learn about and focus on the business side of the business to help and support artists in that area so that they could focus on their work. I have had a similar experience in my own journey, and meeting Maria was a breath of fresh air. So many times people say they want to help artists or work with artists, but when it comes down to it, that's not really the case. With Maria, her love for doing the work of the business shows in all she does, and her respect for the artists she works with is clear. And now with Prime Gallery, her quest to fuse together the worlds of art and real estate have come together perfectly. My hat is off to Prime Real Estate Group for their enormous part in supporting the vision of a gallery in one of their offices. It's one more time that I've been amazed by the open hearts and minds of a group of people who are willing and open to creative thinking and to thinking creatively. The opening I attended was in a word perfection, and when I followed up with a visit during a regular office week day it was just as lovely and marvelous. With food and wine and collaboration from local businesses The Cliff, Jersey Girls Food Tours, Dine DK and CoolVines, and lovely designs from Tribeca Grain, the space and events at Prime Gallery have brought a beautiful new space and place to gather as a community.

Maria Kosdan

Gallery Director/Sales Partner

Prime Gallery

Current Show: "Artists Who Print"

Jay Batlle, Carole Feuerman, Bob Gruen, Shelter Serra

Curated By Maria Kosdan & Melissa Marr, Director of Operations

Gary Lichtenstein Editions @ Mana Contemporary Fine Art

 Prime Real Estate Group

Jesse Halliburton, Principal Broker

Maria Kosdan, Gallery Director/Sales Partner

351 Palisade Avenue

Jersey City Heights, New Jersey

www.primereg.com

Janis Borroto And Alessia Aron

Founders Of Jersey Girls Food Tours

An Inspired Addition To The Office

www.jerseygirlsfoodtours.com/

Sleek And Lovely Design Elements From Tribeca Grain

 www.tribecagrain.com/

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - More Abundance

I wrote last week about a beautiful group of amazing and talented young artists who were showing their work at the lovely 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace. Part of the Jersey City Arts High School Program, the show was a tremendous and well deserved success, and this week another group of artists had the opportunity to create their own show there. I say they had the opportunity, because it is difficult for emerging artists to find supportive spaces to show their work, but because of the generosity of 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace, everyone in the area nearby the gallery and anyone willing to travel there had the opportunity to see extraordinary, beautiful and powerful work, and to meet the lovely artists who created and envisioned it. As I have said before, I feel it is important to encourage artists to do the work they love to do because we are all enriched by it, and so although I have other events and spaces and people waiting in the wings for me to write their posts, I wanted to give equal footing to the second group of artists who are a part of this program as I did to the first. Please join me in celebrating and recognizing these tremendously gifted artists for the hard work and passion they share with us.

Jersey City Public Schools-Jersey City Arts High School Program

And 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace Present

Prelude

Marinelle Manansala, Vanessa Hondoy, Jorelle Rea, Jia Jia Zhong

107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace

107 Bowers Street

Jersey City Heights, New Jersey

www.107bowersgallery.com

Blessings,

Jannie Susan 

An Abundant Life - True Abundance

I've written about the beautiful 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace, and the lovely owner Kristin DeAngelis in these pages before, and I have attended events and openings there over the past few months that have all been very special. But the other day when I received an invitation to For Thought: JC Arts Senior Show Reception I knew it would be important for me to be there. Even though the weather has been colder than feels comfortable in Spring, and I don't like being cold at all, especially not in May, I headed over to the gallery, thinking that I would be there for only a short time and then would head back home again. I think it's so important to encourage artists of all ages, and encouraging up and coming artists who are just starting out in their professional life is something that I have always felt is needed. Being an artist is hard enough - seeing the world through your own eyes that sometimes see things in such vastly different ways than everyone else does is not an easy way to live, and often I think that artists can spend time wondering if they are talented or visionary enough rather than focusing on doing the work they feel in their hearts they must do. So even though it was cold and gray outside, I made my way over to the gallery, thinking that I would be doing something very important by giving some encouraging words about the work that I'd see there. What I wasn't prepared for was the beauty and vision and extraordinary talent I'd find, so much that it warmed me right up and made me forget that I had anything to say to anyone, except that their work was lovely and that it was an honor to be there. Breathtaking, yes, lovely, yes, powerful, yes and yes and yes. I look forward to the day when their names are in lights, and I'll be able to say I saw their work one cold May day at a lovely neighborhood gallery.

Franyelly Rodriguez, Jina Alhenawi, Shawna Reid

For Thought: JC Arts Senior Show Reception

107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace

107 Bowers Street, Jersey City, New Jersey

www.107bowersgallery.com

Blessings,

Jannie Susan