FREEHOLD — Downtown Freehold Borough has added an art gallery to its roster of business establishments.
The Freehold Art Gallery, 7A West Main St., above a CVS pharmacy, opened in September and offers a venue for area artists to display their paintings, sculptures, jewelry and other artwork.
The gallery opened with the exhibit “Western Monmouth Masters” featuring the work of Richard Berger, Leslie Daley and Wally Zuber. The exhibit also featured artwork from members of the Freehold Art Society.
The art gallery is part of the vision that its owner, Jeff Friedman, said he has had for downtown Freehold for years.
“I have always believed that one of the steps to revitalize the downtown, to make it a destination and make it thrive, is to create fun and exciting things for people to do,” Friedman said. “I am always looking for opportunities to further my vision of what the downtown should look like. When the space became available it made it possible to do it. We hope the Freehold Art Gallery will serve as a hub for the artistic community of Freehold and beyond, as well as a gathering spot for the community as a whole.”
The art gallery fills 1,100 square feet of space and Friedman said its mission is to feature all mediums of art from emerging and established New Jersey artists, works by artists from around the country and the world, as well as prints, historic maps, photographs and documents.
“The gallery has three show spaces. These gallery rooms blend the traditional 19th century salon styles inherent to the space with the needs of a contemporary art gallery, creating an elegant, but modern atmosphere for artists to display their work and to host a small event or function,” Friedman said.
According to material provided by Friedman about the first artists to exhibit their work at the gallery, “Daley taught elementary school and art in the Freehold Borough elementary schools for 35 years. Now retired, she paints pastels and watercolors, makes pottery, teaches private art lessons, enjoys traveling, and attends pastel and watercolor classes and workshops.”
Berger is the founder of the Richard Berger Fine Art Studio, where he works on a commission basis. He traveled throughout Europe, studying art independently, and worked on commission. Today, he continues his work for public and private clients.
Zuber was born and raised in Freehold and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Zuber has been painting watercolors for 25 years. He said all of his paintings have a story behind them and are “painted from my heart.”
“It is my life’s passion to keep laying colors on canvas, so hopefully, others can enjoy and appreciate the paintings I put forth,” Zuber said.
The gallery’s curator, Jilltrude Barba, has been an artist for more than 40 years and studied with Susan Winter, Ed Hicks and Grace Graupe-Pillard.
Friedman studied art with New York artist Dorothy Zilka. He earned degrees in philosophy and political science from Manhattanville College, New York, studied as an associate student at Trinity College of Oxford University, Oxford, England, and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Widener School of Law, Wilmington, Del.
Friedman said the gallery consigns and sells original paintings, sculptures, jewelry, glass works, etchings, photographs and more by local, regional and international artists, and also deals in historic maps, photographs, documents, and other pieces.
Admission to the gallery is free. Fall hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 2 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., and by appointment for private parties or other events.
A new exhibit will open Oct. 17 and run through Nov. 28. “More Western Monmouth County Masters” will feature the work of Mary Caruso-Albert; photographs by Vicky Culver; the mixed medium works of Kortez; and oil paintings by Eddie Mungiello.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/freeholdartgallery