Art Lovers' Delight

By Brianne Harrison

New Jersey is particularly blessed when it comes to arts venues, not just because of the state's close proximity to both New York and Philadelphia, but also because of the many spectacular museums, galleries, and theaters our state houses. And this is an excellent weekend to enjoy those amenities throughout the Garden State.

Lovers of the visual arts shouldn't miss Collide-A-Scope on Friday. For this event, Asbury Park's premier galleries throw open their doors for tours and offer special discounts. Further inland, Princeton University Art Museum premieres Myth and Modernity: Ernst Barlach's Images of the Nibelungen and Faust on Saturday, Feb. 21 (the show runs through June 7). This is the only venue in the U.S. that will be hosting this show, which showcases the versatility and narrative power of German sculptor, printmaker, and playwright Ernst Barlach.

In honor of Black History Month, Burlington County Freeholders are exhibiting the works of African American artists from the Amistad Cultural Alliance of Southern New Jersey at the Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Easthampton. "Keepers of the Dream" runs to the end of February.

If music is more your line, check out Titans of Song: A Musical Tribute to Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson at the East Brunswick Public Library on Saturday, Feb. 21. This tribute to two of the 20th century's greatest entertainers will be performed by the group Follow the Drinking Gourd.

For anyone looking to get a jump start on St. Patrick's Day, the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the State Theatre of New Jersey statetheatrenj.org in New Brunswick. The evening will feature traditional Irish music played on the violin, Irish flute and whistles, Bodhrán, and Uilleann Pipes as well as singers and Irish dancers.

Opera New Jersey is kicking off its 2009 season with a concert-staged production of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus at the Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown on Feb. 20 and at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Feb. 22. Come enjoy this comic romp of mistaken identities, practical jokes, and masquerades set to the memorable tunes of the Waltz King of Vienna.