The Center for the Visual Arts Gallery at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, will host the annual Arts and Communication Faculty Exhibition through Dec. 17. The exhibit represents a diverse mix of artwork from traditional media to experimental work and includes painting, sculpture, photography, watercolor, ceramics and architectural drawings.
The gallery is in the Communications and Visual Arts (CVA) building and is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is invited to an opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 4, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Parking is most convenient in lots one and two. For more information, contact Sid Godwin at (732) 224-2520.
The Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury will have an exhibit of works in acrylics by members for the month of November. The exhibit will run from Nov. 6 through Dec. 2, and an opening reception will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7, 3-5 p.m. Running concurrently with the Acrylics Show will be a minishow entitled “Brushstrokes” by Lodi resident Ann V. Piekarz. The Guild is located at 620 Broad St. For more information on the exhibit, call (732) 741-1441, Monday through Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. or visit www.guildofcreativeart.com.
The Visiting Writers Series at Brookdale Community College will sponsor a free reading and lecture by nature writer Trudy Dittmar on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The former BCC faculty member will present a program at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Room 101. Parking is most convenient in lots one and two. Dittmar is author of the recently published “Fauna and Flora, Earth and Sky” and is recipient of 2003 Whiting Writers’ Awards. Her essays weave personal experience with diverse threads of subject matter to create unexpected connections between human nature and nature at large. For more information, contact Laura McCullough at (732) 224-2053, or e-mail to [email protected].
The New Jersey film premiere of “The Merchant of Venice” will take place Thursday, Nov. 18, to benefit the Monmouth County Arts Council in Red Bank. Set in the lavish era of 16th-century Venice, the powerful play tells of the interlocking lives of a captivating assortment of classic Shakespearean characters. The much anticipated production is directed by Michael Radford (“Il Postino”) and stars Lynn Collins, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino. The event will begin at 5 p.m. with a tapas reception and cash bar at Echo, 79 Monmouth St., Red Bank. Clearview Cinema, White Street, will screen the film at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 for MCAC members and $45 for others. Film-only tickets are $20. For reservations, contact MCAC at (732) 212-1890 or e-mail: li@monmouthartscouncil. Proceeds of the event will help the MCAC match a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts that benefits the council’s local arts programs.
The McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University in West Long Branch will host readings of the poetry of Dr. Philip Terman on the occasion of the publication of his book, “Book of the Unbroken Days.” Public readings of Terman’s work will be presented on Nov. 18 in Wilson Hall Auditorium and Nov. 19 in the Student Center, Anacon Hall. Students and the public are invited to meet and share their work on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m., McGill Commons, Club 108. Terman received the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award for his poems on the Jewish experience.
The New Jersey State Teen Arts Program, with funding from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, will offer a clinic for teenage guitar, bass and keyboard players, as well as drummers, on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.
Featured clinicians will include Glenn Alexander of The Coalition, Scott Healy and Michael Merritt of the Conan O’Brien Band, and Shawn Pelton, a member of the Saturday Night Live Band.
The clinic will feature a live performance by the clinicians, followed by group instruction covering topics ranging from instrumental technique to music business basics. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with others, ask questions, and perform with clinicians and peers.
Preregistration is required; enrollment is limited. The fee is $25. Music educators are also invited to register and are eligible for continuing education credits. For additional information, call the New Jersey State Teen Arts office at (609) 397.0505 or e-mail [email protected].
A free concert by talented young pianist Benjamin Michael will be presented Sunday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Red Bank. He will perform Sonata, Op. 81a, by Beethoven; Intermezzi, Op. 119, by Brahms; and “Histoire de Babar: Le Petit Elephant,” by Francis Poulenc. Michael, 12, is an eighth-grader at New Providence Middle School. He studies piano with Herbert Burtis; his concert schedule for 2005-06 includes performances in New England, New York, New Jersey and Florida.
The Children’s Theatre series at Monmouth University in West Long Branch will present “Cat in the Castle,” “Three Pigs White Christmas,” “Ugly Duckling,” “Pinocchio” and “Treasure Island.” The Sunday series, presented by the Performing Arts Series in Pollak Theatre, is sponsored by the university alumni association and produced by the Forum Theatre Co. All productions are performed by professional actors with live music, colorful sets and imaginative costuming. Cast members will meet-and-greet children after each performance to sign autographs and take photographs.
Performances are: Nov. 7, 2 p.m., “Cat in the Castle”; Dec. 5, 2 p.m., “Three Pigs White Christmas”; Feb. 6, 2 p.m., “Ugly Duckling”; March 20, 2 p.m., “Pinocchio”; May 15, 2 p.m., “Treasure Island” with a cast of deaf and hearing actors and sign interpretation throughout. Tickets for the shows are $10 each and can be purchased through the box office at (732) 571-3483.