Just as I was getting ready to begin preparations for installing the new show at YES Gallery a few weeks ago, I was introduced to one of the lovely women who founded the organization Main Street Pops. I had met two of the women a few years ago when they had organized a Christmas Market near the PATH Station in Hoboken that a friend had invited me to, and at the time we had spoken about the work that I do with Artists and the shows I had been curating in the same building where the market was. But that was in 2019, and of course in a few months the world as we know it was turned completely into something else, and though I occasionally had seen or heard that they were beginning to do some events and pop ups again, I hadn't had the chance to speak with them since that time when we first met.
Last November, during the Hoboken Art Walk and Studio Tour weekend when I opened the second show at YES Gallery, the two women I had met before walked in the door of the gallery on one of the days and began speaking with me about some of the events they were planning for the future. There was an event that they told me was named Through The Windows which was a citywide Art Walk and celebration, and I remembered seeing some of the signage the year before. Now that I have a gallery full of art and large windows and a door with a window that opens onto the street, they suggested the idea of the gallery participating in Through The Windows and I agreed that it sounded wonderful. After speaking a bit more about some of the other projects they were working on, they took my business card and were planning on following up with me for a longer visit, but somehow time went by and I didn't hear from them and with everything else that has been filling up my schedule and taking my attention I thought that perhaps it had already happened and I'd somehow missed it. But then I attended the event in support of Commissioner Anthony L. Romano, and one of the members of his staff introduced me to the one founder of the organization Main Street Pops who I hadn't met yet, and so the dots were connected and I was able to participate in this wonderful event that began on May 1.
For six weeks, businesses throughout Hoboken will have artwork from local Artists in their windows, and there was an opening celebration citywide with parties at several of the venues on May 3. There will also be tours and other events throughout the weeks from May 1 - June 15, and each business that is showing artwork was given a sign to put on the sidewalk out front to identify that there is artwork in the windows. As a gallery, this is such a wonderful experience, because nearly every piece of art can be seen through the front windows and door, and when people arrive they are always so excited because there is so much art to be seen. I had a party on the evening of the citywide opening celebration, and one of the wonderful musicians from Ocean Channel, the wonderful band that performed at the opening of the current show, put together two acoustic sets to play and sing solo for the event. His name is Jack, but his solo performance name is Visionary Module, and it was such a beautiful blessing to have him at the gallery to play live music for the celebration.
Right before the end of April I had found a street sign from another business that had been left on the sidewalk as a giveaway when they closed, and I took it to YES Gallery and gave it a good washing and drew my own sign and added a quote from my Mother. It was something that she'd said when I was very young that she and I often repeated, "Art can inspire you to do the impossible," and it just seemed right to add it to the sign. I had been planning to paint the name of the gallery and the quote, but I have some chalk that was given to me when I first opened the gallery by the woman who has had the vintage store for many years where the gallery is, and I used the chalk to make the sign. As with everything that happens in that space, somehow it looks just right, and it feels as if it has always been there and was meant to be the sign for YES Gallery.
The opening event for the Through The Windows Art Walk was another wonderful evening. In addition to the wonderful live performance, there is some new art at the gallery that was brought in by the Artist Jeremy Roche who I met through the group Ocean Channel and the musician who has performed at the gallery in the past, Rose Image. For food I chose sweet and savory pastries from a wonderful place where I've gone in the past, The Old German Bakery, and fresh and smoked mozzarella with a variety of antipasti from Fiore's, and there are some lovely flowers that were shared with me after a very special event I attended at The Pierre Hotel that grace the counter top, adding their beauty to my already existing floral arrangement bouquet that has been an ongoing joy at the gallery. The festival is sponsored by the Hoboken Business Alliance which is also such a wonderful organization and it was so wonderful to have a chance to meet the Executive Director when she stopped by the gallery on the night of the opening celebration. There's so much good that can happen in communities when there are great minds and hearts thinking and working together to make a difference and planning for ways to make life for everyone a better and more beautiful place.
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