The Voorhees Art Center and Gallery is preparing to celebrate its one-year anniversary Friday, June 28 starting at 7 p.m. at the Voorhees Town Center.
Thanks to the help of 14 sponsors, local art from South Jersey artists has found a home over the past year at the center and gallery. Executive Director Marianne Leone says artists from across the area have enjoyed the outlet of displaying their pieces while also partaking in different events and activities throughout the year.
“We have 24 artists on the waitlist to get in the gallery,” said Leone. “The Voorhees art community is 80 artists strong, the artists are responding by providing a bunch of different classes and activities.”
Prepared to begin its second year in existence, Leone says the Voorhees Arts Center and Gallery is prepared to continue to offer unique activities and gift ideas for residents from the hands of local artists.
“This is the work of 30 local artists displaying unique, one-of-a-kind gift ideas,” said Leone. “We want for the community to see us as a place to go for that unique, one-of-a-kind gift that supports local artists.”
A wide range of activities are available for students out of school for the summer, with flexibility on the dates, days and times for the activities take place at the Voorhees Town Center location at the backend of the food court.
For starters, the center is hosting a Pizza Painting Pajama Party on the first Friday of July and August for parents to drop off their kids from 6 to 8:30 p.m. to make time for date night, such as dinner and a movie, while their kids take part in an evening painting program led by art teachers.
Sponsored by Holman Enterprises, the center is hosting a Tween Art Camp every Wednesday until Aug. 21, with a morning session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and afternoon session from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with special discounts for those who bring a friend to the camp.
Additionally, the Drop Off Pop Up Art Party, originally started as a pilot program earlier this year, is now free to all students throughout July and August. This drop-off event is from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. and contains multiple art activities during its time for kids to enjoy.
These three activities are just a few of the more than 20 exciting events it’s been able to host throughout its first year, with more in the works. Moving forward, Leone says the center hopes to gain more popularity and support from the community.
With the Summer Concert Series and Beer Garden slated to start Thursday, June 20, the Voorhees Art Center and Gallery has partnered with the event to provide art activities, including glow in the dark rock painting and more.
“We learned that there are often kids that get a little bored at the concert looking for something to do in the grass and around the park,” said Leone. “So we’ll be providing art activities for that this summer, and hopefully it gets people to come into the arts gallery more so they buy something.”
“We hope to be able to get out more in the community and market ourselves to an already built-in audience,” added Leone. “We want to provide great activities and build more foot traffic.”
