Cel-ebration! Animation Art Gallery will host a “Villainous Affair” through Oct. 30. The show highlights villains from all animation studios in both 2-D and 3-D art and collectibles. On Oct. 30, the gallery will host artist Mike Kupka, whose depiction of Captain Hook, Cruella, the Evil Queen, Scar, Jafar and Maleficent will be showcased. Kupka will be at the gallery between 2 and 4 p.m. to meet and greet animation art collectors and film enthusiasts. Cel-ebration!, located at 30 Monmouth St., Red Bank, specializes in vintage cels and drawings. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (732) 842.8489 or visit www.cel-ebration.com.
Monmouth Players will present Agatha Christie’s “Go Back for Murder” Oct. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8:15 p.m. and Oct. 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. at the Navesink Library Theater at the corner of Sears and Monmouth avenues in the Navesink section of Middletown. Tickets are $15 and $12 for seniors and students. Coffee and homemade desserts will be available. For reservations, which are required, or further information, call Lori at (732) 291-9211 or visit www.monmouthplayers.org.
Dan Lieb of Historic Shipwreck Divers of New Jersey will present “Identifying the Cecelia M. Dunlap,” Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. at the MacLeod-Rice House at Croydon Hall, Leonardo section of Middletown. All are welcome and light refreshments will be served. For more information, check the Web site www.home.earthlink.net/~lmpoll or e-mail [email protected].
The second annual Garden State Art & Craft Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 16 and Sunday, Oct. 17, at the PNC Bank Arts Center on the Garden State Parkway in Holmdel. Along with the 225 crafters and artists, the event will feature live country music and a large selection of food vendors.
The juried Fall Art & Craft show will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will include a raffle for a one-of-a-kind heirloom quilt that will benefit CPC Behavioral Healthcare, Monmouth County. There is a $5 admission fee; children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information contact Anita Means at (732) 946-3229 or visit www.cottagecraftshows.com.
The Friends of the Monmouth Museum, Middletown, will host Gems in the Afternoon, presented by Hamilton Jewelers, on Monday, Nov. 1. The event will be held at the Rumson home of museum trustee Edward F. McNamee. The program by Hank Siegel, third-generation owner of Hamilton Jewelers, will cover the history of fine jewelry design through the 20th century.
A formal afternoon tea will be served. The cost is $45 for museum members and $50 for nonmembers. Seating is limited and reservations may be made by calling the museum at (732) 747-2266.
The Monmouth Organ Society will present Bill Horn at the fall fund-raiser Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. at Jacques Reception Center on Palmer Avenue in North Middletown. Member donation is $5; guest donation is $7. For more information, call (732) 382-5631.
The First Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Road, Red Bank, will kick off the 2004-2005 concert series with a performance by the Manhattan Music Ensemble Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The ensemble consists of Dmitry Kouzov, cello; Milana Strezeva-Bahl, piano; and Dmitry Lukin, piano. The program will feature music from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods. All are welcome to attend the free concert; a freewill offering will be taken. For more information, call (732) 747-1329.
The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, Long Branch, will host its third annual Art Auction Nov. 19, 7:45-9 p.m. This will be the first auction held in SICA’s completed facility at 20 Third Ave. Proceeds will help fund programs, exhibitions, art events, arts education programs, speakers, art demonstrations and more. More than 100 artworks and other items will be auctioned. A “Meet the Artists” reception will be held from 6:30-7:45 p.m. and will include refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment by pianist Joseph Accurso. For more information, call SICA at (732) 263-1121.