Artists to Open Gallery Doors for Annual Tour

This weekend Hobokenites will get the chance to see the work of their artistic neighbors in the 31st annual Hoboken Studio Arts Tour.

The tour is sponsored by the City of Hoboken, the Hoboken Reporter newspaper and the Hudson County Division of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts donated a grant to fund the tour.

Visitors will have both Saturday and Sunday to see the 30 different exhibits.

“You don't want to miss a second,” said Hoboken Cultural Affairs director Geri Fallo. “There's so much great stuff we needed two days to show it all.”

The tour began in 1980 as a way to showcase Hoboken's artistic community. Many artists live and work in Hoboken by maintaining studios in converted industrial spaces such as the Neumann Leather building. In addition, multiple art galleries have opened in recent months that display local artwork for sale. One of those galleries, the Aristocrat at 49 Harrison Street, is having its soft opening this weekend.

Visitors to the free, self-guided walking tour can obtain programs and maps at City Hall. Stops include the Neumann Leather building, the Monroe Center for the Arts and the Bama Contemporary Art, Lana Santorelli and Paul Vincent galleries, plus an exhibition at City Hall and several inside private homes. Participants can also take a shuttle bus that will stop at prominent locations.

The artwork, veering from traditional to contemporary to abstract, will showcase watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages and computer generated art. There will also be musical and spoken word performances.

The Lana Santorelli Gallery, which opened in June, is participating in the tour for the first time. The studio tour coincides with the opening of the gallery's latest exhibit, Small Works. The gallery's director, Bess Sobota, said she hopes the tour brings new visitors to the gallery.

“This is a great opportunity for the gallery to show off the fabulous work of the fourteen artists in our current show,” she said.

Many of the artists will be on hand to discuss their work with visitors. Most of the artwork will be available for purchase.

For painters like Ricardo Roig, who is presenting his work at multiple locations, the chance to show his art to an audience is a vital part of the artistic process.

"Meeting people and having them tell you how they connect with your artwork is such a worthwhile experience for me," Roig said. "I believe art isn't art until someone else sees it and experiences it."

The 2011 Hoboken Studio Arts Tour will run this Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit the City's website.