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Art And Music Close Dover Art Week On A High Note
Creators and fans enjoy 'Basement Bash' to celebrate the imaginative spirit.
Story and photos by Heath Rumble
Dover Art Week, celebrating the local creatives community, got a joyful sendoff at The Amp, a new arts center and performance space that recently opened in the Richards Building on Blackwell Street.
The third installment of the "Basement Bash" showcased the wide variety of visual arts and crafts across Morris County in The Amp’s gallery, from paintings and photography to ceramics and even magnets, while the Latin fusion rhythms of Chambacú pumped through the space from the main stage. The annual fiesta moved upstairs from its usual subterranean setting into the recently restored Richards Room, featuring a bonus musical performance by musician Eric Roman, also known as "The Nightly Noodle."
Amanda Kisvonak attended the Bash after she saw The Nightly Noodle’s social media post about performing in the Richards Room. She was thrilled to learn more about the daily classes and workshops at the Richards Building as well as The Amp’s ceramics studio.
“That’s fantastic!” she exclaimed, "I would definitely be drawn to pottery [classes]. I did ceramics in high school and I do things with air-dry clay and grew up using Sculpey and stuff."
Likewise, Joe and Martha Haywood, who live across the street, were excited to learn about The Amp's arts focus while finally getting an inside look at the revamped Richards Building. Martha, an artist who creates collage designs, was especially intrigued by the works of photographer and visual artist Kahli Suggs-Barnes, who happily discussed her display with them. Suggs-Barnes uses photographs of herself in various scenes, some shot on old printmaking plates and framed with tape for a tin-type effect, and others overlayed with materials to create unique patterns and juxtapositions, exploring themes from discovering herself to the contrast of joy and grief. Her sister, Waverly, featured her ceramics art at the next booth, including sculptures evoking body horror with a "foodie" twist.
After an introduction from The Amp's Executive Director, Walter F. Rodriguez Jr., thanking the many partners and organizers who supported the event,
Dover Mayor James P. Dodd echoed his gratitude, and thanked Rodriguez for helping organize the event.
“Cheers, to an even brighter future for the arts in Dover," Mayor Dodd said.
Chambacú, fronted by singer and IDEA Cultural Director Julian A. Gomez, kicked up he energy and guests continued to follow the music into The Amp. They were greeted by the sight of artist Margaret Grzymkowski at an easel painting live as she finished a piece she designed with a digital sketch that was projected onto the canvas during the "Art in the Park" event earlier that day.
Carlos Arita-Rios bought a mini monster mug for espresso shots from Shelley Dean, who runs her ShellBell Studio out of her rented space in The Amp.
“They make me chuckle,” Arita-Rios said, “I find them super whimsical, and I like the idea of the adoption center.” Dean gives out mini bios for each mug's “adoption.” Her booth was flanked by comic book illustrator and writer Casey Cruz, displaying her genre and video game-inspired art along with the first volume of her manga “Trinity Vampire” at a stand, and artisan Glow by Soniar selling colorful, scented wax melts at a booth further down. Some pieces that have been shown at other events from Dover Art Week and The Amp were on display too, like Amp Ceramics Director Kaylee Gernant’s sculptures and pottery, and Fanery Valencia’s paintings, with their bold colors and dynamic scenes of dance and nature.
There were tours of the Richards Building available, provided by The Amp’s staff, including Rodriguez, who has become the de facto tour guide for the property in recent months. Starting at The Amp, they featured the ceramics studio, the recording studio that’s coming soon, dove into the building’s history, and ended with the Richards Room, which was also displaying art by local creators set to The Nightly Noodle’s jazzy guitar tunes overlaying recorded beats.
Katie Rivera, a Ceramics Member at The Amp, brought friends to the Bash. Painter Amanda Moraga likewise invited her friend Angeles Gandhi after Morega joined the "Art in the Park" event.
“Art’s been my passion since I was a kid,” Moraga explained, “I love this event a lot. I feel like I really thrive when I get out of my comfort zone and talk to more people.”
Back downstairs, audience members of all ages and backgrounds danced in the performance space as Chambacú continued to play.
On the other side of the wall, The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health, a Bash partner, had a booth set up for sharing information on their mission to support mothers and their children. Norwescap, a local nonprofit agency that supports low-to-moderate-income families that also had a booth at Dover Art Week’s opening event, was seeking community input.
“We want to come up with a neighborhood plan to really target it is what the folks in Dover are needing or what they think is missing in the space.” Fabi Soto, a Norwescap program assistant, explained. As she took in the artwork surrounding her booth she commented on how there hadn’t been as much engagement, but she felt it was important to invite the discussion and understood that people were anxious to give information out considering the recent incidents and detentions with ICE agents in town. “It's important to bring people together for art and happiness, especially in this difficult time,” Soto said.
The event certainly did a great deal to bring joy and honor artists and performers in the face of anxieties that appeared to dampen attendance compared to last year. The community came together to support each other and celebrate the urge to create and express oneself, all while nurturing Dover Art Week’s tradition of elevating the creative spirit and The Amp's capacity for fostering creativity and learning the other 51 weeks each year.
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