Let the Voorhees Arts Council help with holiday gift giving this year
By Kristen Dowd
The Sun
Intriguing sculptures crafted from found objects. Intricate mosaic mirrors ready to adorn a bedroom wall. Ceramic snowflakes crafted to hang shining from a Christmas tree. There’s all this — and so much more — ready to wrap up for gift giving at the Voorhees Arts Center and Gallery.
“We pride ourselves in a diverse, eclectic collection,” Marianne Leone, gallery executive director, said, “from traditional still paintings and landscape photography to Turkish embroidered jewelry and graffiti art, as well as mosaics and bead and wire work.”
There is found trash art, Leone continued, and beautiful wooden cheese boards, pottery and ceramics, stained glass, ornaments and more. The price points vary, from $5 to $300. And buyers can appreciate that 10 percent of all sales support the nonprofit Voorhees Arts Council.
Leone is co-chair with Natalie La Torre-Southerland of the VAC, and the pair — both photographers — are two of the 20 artists showcased at the gallery, which is located at the Voorhees Town Center near the food court. The VAC is part of the 501(c)(3) Voorhees Citizens Event Foundation, and the gallery was opened in late June to give the council “a place, a space and a face,” according to Leone.
“It communicates to the community that there is a place to have classes and workshops,” she said, “and it’s a gallery that always has artwork on display.”
For its first holiday season, Leone said they are giving a big push to encourage people to support its artists and shop local.
“Art is important to the community and we have the best selection of artwork from 20 local artists,” Leone said. “It’s great, unique, one-of-a-kind gifts.”
Tangible objects aren’t the only offering from the gallery — it’s also hoping to stuff stockings with gift certificates for art workshops, tailored to a variety of tastes. For $25 apiece, five individuals (or more) can essentially rent the gallery space for a workshop, learning belly dancing, painting wine glasses, creating alcohol ink art or choosing one of many more options. Workshops are BYOB (and snacks are welcome, too) and geared toward adults. As a special price for the holidays, a $100 gift certificate includes a workshop for five individuals.
At 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 19, one of these workshops will be offered to the community. Stained glass artist Risa Batterman-Dera will lead the Holiday Stress Relief Gift Workshop, which gives participants a chance to make an artisan soap, candle and customized bath salts. Cost is $25 and space is limited to 10 people per class.
The VAC and gallery will host a craft show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 15 and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 16, with 20 local artisan crafters setting up in the VTC near the gallery, which will also be open for shoppers.
As a thank-you to the resident artists, the VAC is forgoing its 10 percent of sales at the gallery’s Meet the Artist reception on Dec. 21, essentially giving shoppers a chance to buy artwork at 10 percent off the list price.
“It’s a gift to the artists,” Leone said, “giving up our donation to get more sales (for them).”
Leone is hoping the holiday season is a busy one for the Voorhees Arts Center and Gallery. She feels the VAC is an important part of the Voorhees community, and she wants to see it thrive.
“Artists inspire creativity in one another and in other people who don’t even think of themselves as creative,” Leone said. “In these respects, artists play key roles in helping communities develop creative ways to protect the character and environmental qualities of our communities through our art programs and displays.”
To learn more about the VAC and the Voorhees Arts Center and Gallery, including hours and ways to register for the December workshop, visit www.sustainablevoorhees.org/artscouncil and also like the VAC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/voorheesartscouncil. The Voorhees Town Center is located at the corner of Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads in Voorhees.
