By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — There are many parallels between South Amboy’s story and artist Laura Petrovich-Cheney’s story.
That is why it is fitting that Petrovich-Cheney of Asbury Park is the first artist to be featured in the new Broadway Gallery at 141 N. Broadway.
Diana St. John, one of the two founders of the new South Amboy Arts District, known as South Amboy ARTS, says the gallery will be the hub of the district.
“It will be an important gathering place for music, visual arts, film projects, author talks, comedy, classes and workshops,” she said.
The new exhibit opened Sept. 17 and will run through Oct. 16.
“They are going through a revitalization, and my work is about second chances,” Petrovich-Cheney said.
She said she also uses her work to convey her feelings about the environment, consumption, redemption and resurrection.
“We selected Laura Petrovich-Cheney as our inaugural artist because her work speaks to renewal and transformation, and that is the essence of what South Amboy ARTS is all about,” St. John said.
St. John said the inaugural exhibit’s title is “On Track” for two reasons: “It not only refers to the proximity of the arts district to the train station, but it recognizes that the City of South Amboy is on track to becoming a vibrant place to work, live and play,” she said.
In her work, Petrovich-Cheney takes remnants from superstorm Sandy damage, such as floorboards, window frames and more, and uses them to create unique pieces based on traditional quilt designs.
St. John said Petrovich-Cheney looked for items “that evoked life before the storm.”
“Ms. Petrovich-Cheney created several of these pieces specifically for this exhibition. The vertical pieces are hung in a row, symbolic of train tracks that lead the visitor to anywhere they can imagine,” St. John said.
Petrovich-Cheney said she created works specifically in a rectangular shape for this exhibit — a departure from much of her previous work — and it is something she may continue doing.
“I think it definitely has inspired me,” she said. “I like the idea of doing rectangles.”
Petrovich-Cheney also pointed out that the exhibit and the arts district as a whole are examples of how important women are to the arts. She pointed out that two women — St. John and her colleague Susan Pellegrini — are launching the district, and she was chosen as the artist to kick off the gallery opening.
“I think that says so much about women and the arts right now,” Petrovich-Cheney said.
Petrovich-Cheney said the opening was a great opportunity to meet South Amboy officials as well as fellow artists looking to connect.
“The energy was just great,” she said, adding that she feels St. John and Pellegrini are true visionaries who will help transform South Amboy.
“I think anyone that works with them will find success,” she said, pointing out that as part of her own town’s revitalization, it was the arts that first took hold before additional investments from developers and businesses. She said she believes the arts district “will help build a network for artists,” and she encourages local artists to seek out others from the district to learn from and build upon each other.
Following this exhibit, Petrovich-Cheney’s art will be on display in a variety of communities near and far, some of which did not witness superstorm Sandy firsthand. However, she said, her work resonates with plenty of people who were not in New Jersey for the historic storm.
“There’s not a community left in this country that hasn’t had some kind of devastating environmental storm,” she said.
St. John said she hopes that visitors to the gallery will feel at home in the new space.
“We hope that they leave feeling inspired. We want this to be a space where we can dream big, celebrate each other’s creativity, and through the arts, change the way we interact with each other,” she said.
Gallery hours are 12-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays.
For more information on South Amboy ARTS, visit www.southamboyarts.com. To find out more about Petrovich-Cheney, visit www.lauracheney.com.