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Arts

Thursday, February 14, 2013

I Am Collingswood

I Am Collingswood: Devon Winfree

The Collingswood coffee shop manager is part barista, curator and booking agent. This week she tells Patch about her new venture into jewelry-making.

As manager of popular Haddon Avenue coffee shop Grooveground, jewelry designer Devon Winfree finds herself connected to a variety of art and music. She says the borough nurtures young artists, and provides many opportunities for her to grow her new custom jewelry business, Earthen Treasures. Collingswood Patch: Tell me about your background in the arts. What was your first love? Drawing, painting, sculpting? Devon Winfree: I started doing lots of arts classes in high school. I did fine art, sculpture, web design. Then when I went to college I started doing more fine arts like painting and getting into expressive drawing classes and abstract painting. I went to Monclair State University for one year, and then I did a year at Rowan …

SoHa Arts Building and Arts Education Center

2:22 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013

Great article...I love getting to know people like this!   more ›

Thursday, November 29, 2012

I Am Collingswood

I Am Collingswood: Eileen Boyle

A Collingswood resident for more than 25 years, Eileen Boyle is a business owner, volunteer and one of the architects of the local arts scene as we know it.

It's no wonder that "welcome change" is a mantra for long-time Collingswood resident Eileen Boyle. She's weathered the changes in her own life gracefully, including raising children after the loss of her husband and starting her own business, all while helping Collingswood transform itself into the vital, artistic community we know today. An independent life coach and business consultant, Eileen moved her graphic arts business to Haddon Avenue in the late 1990s. Her work with Newton Colony Arts Bank helped revitalize the town, and she says Collingswood has sustained her through difficult times. Collingswood Patch: Can you tell me about your role in the redevelopment of 729 Haddon Ave., the building that now houses El Sitio and the Pop Shop…

Thursday, October 25, 2012

I Am Collingswood

I Am Collingswood: Ally Averell

Collingswood athlete-turned-artist Ally Averell brings to life comic and pop art, wildlife, and other flights of fancy in various media, including wood, murals, and body paint.

Collingswood native and artist Ally Averell works in variety of media for a variety of reasons. This week she tells Patch about how she uses her talents to fulfill commissions, celebrate the things she loves, and bring attention to a cause that's very close to her heart. Collingswood Patch: Did you go to school for art or are you self-taught? Ally Averell: A little bit of both. I've always painted and drawn ever since I was born. I copied Disney stuff, animal stuff, everything. In high school I was pretty good at art, but never serious about it. I was always a jock. I played soccer, so I thought sports were going to be my forte. But then I had a couple teachers for drawing who said, “You're really good at this. You have to do it more.” I …

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Images from Saturday's Collingswood PhotoWalk

Photographers from all over South Jersey came to Collingswood on Saturday to participate in the worldwide PhotoWalk. Come see the town as they did.

Viewfinders from throughout South Jersey focused on Collingswood Saturday for the fifth annual Worldwide PhotoWalk, an event designed to harness the creative energies of photographers of all skill levels all over the world in a single day. Collingswood enjoyed the happy coincidence of both Second Saturday and the Before the Bridge Music Festival providing fertile subject matter for the experience. Photographers began the walk by checking out the beautiful mosaic artwork in front of the Perkins Center for the Arts, and then took advantage of the beautiful light to capture the classic beauty of the Collingswood Presbyterian Church and First Baptist Church of Collingswood.  The focus of the photowalk then changed to the urban streetscape of …

Heather Hayes

12:04 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012

All of the photographs are fantastic. My favorite: The lights of Tortilla Press. Amazing lighting.   more ›

Thursday, October 11, 2012

I Am Collingswood

I am Collingswood: Evelyn Taylor

Prolific and talented jeweler Evelyn Taylor didn't think she could make a go of her art as a business until she came to the supportive community of Collingswood.

When she's not handling marketing and website management for the Kimmel Center, artist-designer Evelyn Taylor spends hours in her basement studio crafting one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, decorative tiles and mosaics. Taylor says that Collingswood gave her her first breaks as a gallery artist, and its welcoming atmosphere supports the home-based business she shares with her boyfriend, potter Chris Bonner.  Collingwood Patch: When did you fall in love with ceramics? Evelyn Taylor: I remember watching a PBS show as a kid and they were talking about disabilities and people doing stuff despite their disabilities. This guy was throwing pots with his feet because he didn't have any arms. I was really blown away by that! I mean, just the throwing…

Thursday, September 27, 2012

I Am Collingswood

I Am Collingswood: Mark Zelesky

A recent addition to Collingswood, avant-garde musician-arranger Mark Zelesky plays everything from arcade game music to the works of composer John Cage.

Mulit-instrumentalist Mark Zelesky's avant-garde sensibilities inform not only his musical arrangements but also his original compositions. As a university music librarian, he's entrusted with curating the sheet music collection at Rowan, which also gives him plenty of opportunities to rediscover art and artists.  A well-traveled artist in his own right, Zelesky discusses his creative influences, musical performance projects, and how Collingswood is a novelty that makes him feel like he's lived here all his life.  Collingswood Patch: Tell me about your education and how it affected your musical career. Mark Zelesky: I went to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. I got degrees in literature and saxophone performance. I studied 20th …

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I Am Collingswood

I Am Collingswood: Nick Cain

Local promoter Nick Cain talks to Patch about the Collingswood music scene, touring Europe with a hardcore band, and his upcoming Before the Bridge Music Festival.

Performer-promoter Nick Cain has played many roles during his 20 years in the music business. This week he sat down with Patch to talk about why he loves South Jersey and its burgeoning music scene, and how the Before the Bridge music festival supports both. Collingswood Patch: You've been involved in music for the past 20 years. Tell me about some of the different roles you've played in the business. Nick Cain: I was about 16 years old and I started as a roadie for a band. I just had a knack for playing bass and so eventually I started my own band called Rain Still Falls. We toured America a couple of times. We did a big tour in Europe and opened for a lot great bands like the Refused and Ignite and a bunch of other hardcore bands. My …

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Collingswood Celebrates Children Artists

A three-hour symposium of the arts will unite every elementary-school student in the district tonight.

The collective artistic talents of Collingswood elementary school-aged students will be on display for three hours tonight at a multimedia, district-wide symposium. The Second Annual Collingswood Elementary Arts Night will be held from 6 to 9 p.m at the Collingswood Middle School and High School. "Artwork from every student in the district will adorn the walls of Collingswood High School while performances by strings, band and all of the elementary choirs fill the air," read a statement from Thomas Sharp Elementary School principal Joe Gurscik announcing the event. "Please come and show your support for the arts!" There is no charge for the event, which will be held in both the Collingswood Middle School Auditorium and the Collingswood …

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Photography Show Kicks Off Camden County College's 45th Year of Art Displays

The student photography exhibit opens at the school's Blackwood campus Sept. 7.

Camden County College can proudly boast that it has been a champion of the arts for more than four decades. Really, arts have played a key role in the curriculum and extracurricular activities at the community college since it was founded in 1967. Camden County College will open a student exhibit—Flâneur: A Photographic Exhibition—on its Blackwood campus on Wednesday. The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 30, will serve as the kickoff to the 45th consecutive year the school has presented art works by students, faculty and guest artists. The Flâneur student photography exhibit will be housed in the Marlin Gallery. An artists' reception is scheduled for Sept. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. Flâneur showcases the works of 11 Camden County College …

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