The Gallery at Glen Rock Public Library
Supported and sponsored by the Friends of the Library
The Gallery is managed by the Friends of the Glen Rock Library. It enhances the Library itself and at the same time enriches patrons’ visits. The Gallery is also an important venue for metropolitan area artists to display their work. Applications and art are accepted throughout the year.
For more information on exhibiting artwork in The Gallery, please download the following documents:
Contact: gallery@friendsglenrocklibrary.org
For the month of April the Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library are happy to welcome the artwork and poetry of the Arts Council of Glen Rock.
‘Verse & Visuals, The Art of the Poem’ will be on display in The Gallery through April 30th, in celebration of National Poetry Month. Featuring the poetry of Alice Gomstyn, Peter Marcalus, Kay Fialkoff, and Marcia Kaiser. As well as poetry by Glen Rock students Amaani Dharia, Kai Elrom, Olivia Choy, Jake Dreyer and Anjali Gandhi. Local artists were then asked by the Arts Council to submit artwork inspired by the poetry- artwork by Peter Marcalus, Sarah Neydon, Kay Fialkoff, Peter Liman, Kristin Marchesiello, Arlyne Berzak, Vinny Cartiglia, Sydney Mangaroo, Mary Lynch, Soo Kim and Pat Smythe was selected to exhibit.
The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library and the participating artists will donate 20% of all sales to the Glen Rock Arts Council. Please join the Glen Rock Public Library in celebrating the poets and artists participating in the exhibition at a reception Sunday April 28, 2-4pm. Light, Kosher for Passover refreshments will be served.
The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library Gallery welcome the paintings of Lori Weisbart-Polson for the month of March.
Lori Weisbart-Polson began painting and studying art at a young age. In her twenties she attended classes at the Art Students League in New York City and has traveled through Southern France on painting workshops. Weisbart-Polson has a BA in Communications from The American University and a second Associates Degree in Advertising Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology.
Her true love is painting and drawing. Polson, in addition to enjoying fine art, has been representing preeminent portrait painters for over twenty years. The link to the art consulting site is: LORIPOLSON.COM
Before that, Lori was an art director for Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide in New York City.
Her fine art sites are LORIWEISBARTART.COM and LWEISBART.COM
The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library Gallery welcomes the collage artwork of Jennifer Merz for the month of February. Jennifer is also presenting her books to the children of Glen Rock on Feb 7th, World Read Aloud Day, (prior registration required). Please visit jennifermerz.com to learn more about her work and inspiration. An artist’s reception will take place at the library on Sunday, Feb 11th, 2-4p.m. and all are welcomed.
Jennifer Merz is a picture-book writer and illustrator from Allendale, NJ. Her whimsical and colorful collage art, handmade from special papers, fabric, and mixed media, create narratives that celebrate imagination. Influenced by master artists Henri Matisse, Romare Bearden, and Ed Young, Jennifer’s books have been recognized with the Children’s Choice Award, Best Book Finalist Award, and shortlisted for the self-published Selfie Award. Her picture book on Frances Perkins is designated by the Frances Perkins Center as a prime resource for teachers and parents.
Kay Faye Fialkoff, long-time Fair Lawn resident and artist, will exhibit a series of embroidery masterworks, Prayers for the Earth, 1990-2018, at the Gallery in the Glen Rock Public Library. The exhibition will run from January 5 – January 31, 2024.
Ms. Fialkoff took inspiration from New Jersey’s wetland, meadowland, and woodland habitats including the Ramapo Valley County Reservation in Mahwah, the Celery Farm Nature Preserve in Allendale, the Glen Rock Duck Pond, the Saddle River County Park Glen Rock and Paramus (Dunkerhook), and Cape May. The embroidery masterworks celebrate Earth from the time granite formed over a half a billion years ago through our current era, the Cenozoic Era, a time of great diversification of flowering plants and birds. Her practice invokes the art of Zen, portraying nature over time and space.
For the month of December, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library will be showcasing the giftable artworks of several Glen Rock Arts Council artists including Soo Kim of Soo Soo Studios, Wendy Villa of Munay Art Studio, Pat Smythe, Lisa Hahn, Karol Rubio, Shantala Kaikini, Christopher Weyant, and Daniel Perry of DJP Wildlife Photography. All artworks in The Gallery are for sale, and 20% of every sale benefits The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library, who underwrites many of the library’s activities.
Thank you for shopping small and shopping local! Karol Rubio and Christoper Weyant are generously donating 100% of the proceeds from their sales back to The Library. Also shop online Daniel Perry Wildlife Photography https://djpwildlifephotography.net where 10% of every sale gets donated to an organization working with the subject of the photo.
Shop more artwork from these local Glen Rock artists and others on December 5 - "Holiday Hoopla" - 6 pm-10pm • Glen Rock Inn, 222 Rock Rd., Glen Rock
For the month of November, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the artwork of Kristin Marchesiello. Ms. Marchesiello is an award-winning artist from Glen Rock- previously winning recognition at the Centennial Art Show in 2022 at the Glen Rock Public Library. Ms. Marchesiello grew up on Long Island and lived in Manhattan for several years. She and her family settled in Glen Rock in 2019. Ms. Marchesiello has pursued the arts since childhood, first with drawing but then focusing on painting and printmaking. Throughout the years, her subject matter evolved often reproducing works she viewed in museums. She now largely focuses on floral still-life with vibrant colors and shadows. Although her most recent work has been in acrylic paints, she also works in oils, which she learned to use through the adult education program at Midland Park High School, in partnership with the Glen Rock Community School.
For the month of October, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the artwork of Mary Walker-Baptiste and the poetry of Lou Baptiste. This husband-wife team’s “Painted Poetry” exhibition pairs Mary’s visual arts with poetry written by her husband Lou.
Their collaboration of paintings and poems began with their annual Christmas card, starting in 2004. One year Mary would create a painting, and Lou would write a complimentary poem. The next year, Lou would write a poem, and Mary would interpret it in a painting. They hope the viewer enjoys exploring how their pieces actually do have connections.
For the month of September, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the artwork of Christopher Weyant. Chris is a native of New Jersey who now lives in Glen Rock with his wife and their two daughters.
A cartoonist for The New Yorker, Chris’ work has been published worldwide in newspapers, magazines, books and online, and he has worked on numerous national advertising campaigns. His cartoons are in permanent collection at The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. In 2016, the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard selected Weyant to be a Nieman Fellow, the second cartoonist to receive that honor in Nieman Foundation's seventy-five year history.
For the months of July and August, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the artwork of Gertrude C. Greco.
Gertrude is a self taught artist, specializing in watercolor, oil, mosaic and mixed media collage. She also is an avid seamstress, chef and entrepreneur. Gertrude’s personal history is closely tied to her artwork- resourceful and optimistic. Her use of vibrant colors and pleasant subject matter are a true testament to her life long resilience. Gertrude’s talent is awe inspiring. She was born in Sri Lanka, and after several familial tragedies- including the political assassinations of her father and grandfather, and after enduring horrible abuse at the hands of her uncle, by the age of six she was an orphan being raised by a convent. Her mistreatment continued until she ‘aged out’ of the system and started her first job at sixteen years old. She was able to earn a living for herself making cards and eventually found a job as a chef at the Japanese embassy in Sri Lanka. With the money she saved she was able to purchase her own shop in the lobby of the embassy. While running her shop, she worked to further her education and studied to be a nurse. Unfortunately her success was shortened by her husband’s escalating abuse and eventually he assumed ownership of the convenience store business she had built. Gertrude narrowly escaped her marriage and the country with her life.
For the month of June, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the watercolor paintings of June Fisher-Markowitz.
June Fisher-Markowitz is native to New Jersey and lives with her husband in Wayne. June has always had an interest in art, and with a very humble portfolio, she was accepted to William Paterson College where she was drawn to painting and pottery classes. June graduated in 1970 with a major in Visual Arts and a minor in Art Education, which started her career path in teaching. She then pursued graduate work in painting, pottery and creative arts therapies. Once her children were school age, she quit her job in education and began a pottery business, where she developed a unique style of decorating that incorporated her love of painting and working with clay. June dedicated herself to working with watercolors, taking numerous courses and entering her art into shows throughout northern NJ. In June’s words ‘Most important of all is that I now have the time to paint – for a painter must paint. Painting pulls my soul and spirit from inside to the visual experience of an image on paper.”
