Art Lovers Gather, Enjoy Evening at Fall Reception

Notes from a classical quartet filled the halls of the Chatham Township Municipal Building just after 6:30 p.m. on Friday, as art lovers had already begun to gather, snack and mingle at the Art League of the Chathams fall opening reception.

Gail Logan, president of the Art League, stood proudly in the hall as guests arrived, admiring the walls lined with artwork in every medium from acrylics to photography.

For Logan, the groups of attendees that came through the municipal building’s front doors proved that the night was achieving exactly what it set out to do. 

“Our objective is to promote art and artists in the community,” said Logan, “You don’t always realize the talent in your own community, that this artist could be your neighbor.” 

As observers made their way down the hall, occasionally stopping to introduce themselves to an artist, to critique a piece or to request a sale, they found themselves immersed in images of Alfresco dining, European cities and houses hidden by lakes in Ann Frommer’s solo exhibit, "European Scenes."

“My husband and I retired and spent some time in Hungary, where my husband lived as a child,” said Frommer regarding the inspiration for the exhibit. “I love the old world, the window boxes… [In Europe] I saw things there that I couldn’t see anywhere else.” 

As Frommer’s husband Robert strolled through the exhibit, he said the pictures “bring back the memories” of past trips.

“I try not to compete with her when I take pictures,” Robert Frommer joked. “She does a nice job and I enjoy her exhibits.”

Gene Maimin, a longtime friend of the Frommers stood at the end of the exhibit, impressed yet again by the work Ann Frommer produced and the show she put together.

“Ann has amazed me with her photography for a score of years now,” Maimin said. “She brings back these photos that are extremely interesting, there’s a style to them … it’s eye candy.” 

The fall exhibit featuring Frommer’s solo exhibit, as well as the work of many other members of the organization, will be up until Dec. 5.

For some Chatham residents, like Celeste Fondaco, the Art Society of the Chathams allowed them to finally embrace the artist that had always been within them. 

"I’ve been an artist all my life but I was never confident enough to show my work,”  Fondaco said. “One day I came to one of their shows and decided ‘Hey, I can do this’ and asked if I could join the group.”

And for Rosemary Howlett, the programs director and former president for the Art League of the Chathams, art is an irreplaceable outlet that she loves to bring to the community. 

“Art is so important to the soul," Howlett said. "There is so much going on in the world today that we don’t want to think about, but it’s always being thrown at us. Art lets us have some peace."