No Gloom in the Gallery

del la Serna, Open Bowl, 2009
courtesy of groundsforsculpture.org

By Brianne Harrison

There’s no denying, it’s cold outside. And not terribly colorful, unless you’re a fan of slush grey. So, why not thaw out and brighten up the weekend by ducking into an art exhibit (or two?)

Saturday and Sunday are the annual Artists’ Days at Sickles Market in Little Silver. Local artists will be on hand to show their work and give demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. And while you’re there, you can grab a few gourmet goodies to enjoy later!

Also displaying the work of New Jersey artists is the Noyes Museum of Art in Oceanville. The current exhibition features handcrafted pieces in metal, wood, textiles, ceramics, and other, more unusual materials. The show only runs through February 28, so head over soon if you want to see it!

Over at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, visitors can enjoy free admission for the rest of February. Current exhibitions include Albert Paley: Dialogue with Steel—elaborate, impressive sculptural works by a former jeweler—and Jacobo del la Serna’s Reflections on Tradition, which highlights the artist’s beautiful, delicate pottery. You can also see the unusual, whimsical hand-blown glasswork of Flo Perkins.

In New Brunswick, the Zimmerli Museum is showing an exhibition of children’s book illustrations from 1960 through today, focusing on how they highlight social themes and subjects of contemporary culture. Artists’ whose work is on display include Catherine Stock, Roger Duvoisin, and E.B. Lewis.

Visions of Gingerbread

By Pat Tanner

Every year I have the same fantasy: that I will finally make a perfect gingerbread house. This never happens. I’ve come to the conclusion that what it takes are equal parts baking expertise, artistic flair, and engineering acumen. I come up short on at least two of these.

If you’re like me, don’t despair! I’ve found the perfect solution. And if you’re not like me, I encourage you to show off your skills while competing for some pretty nifty prizes. First, the solution.

At last summer’s Fancy Food Show I came across Virginia-based Gingerhaus Baking Kits, which even I cannot mess up. The genius is that you bake the pieces on a cardboard template – an armature, if you will - that includes tabs. You mix the dough (included in the kit and developed with the King Arthur Flour people), cut out the flat panels, flip them over, and bake. The kits include royal icing mix and decorations, and you apply them to the baked flat panels, and then assemble via the tabs. I’m partial to the deluxe house, which resembles a Bavarian town hall, but the smaller chalet is awfully cute. The big kit comes with panels for trees and gingerbread boys and girls as well. Decorations include peppermint sticks, peppermints, and candy hearts, but you can be creative and add your own. (That much should be doable, right?)

An all-natural version of the chalet kit is carried by the Whole Foods chain. Standard Gingerhaus kits are available at surlatable.com and kingarthurflour.com, but the best price I could find for the full-sized house is at amazon.com. [$19.95]

Once you’ve made your house - whether using a kit or your own ingenuity – you can enter it into the 5th annual contest taking place this Saturday (Nov. 28) at Grounds for Sculpture, as part of their Lights On! celebration. There are four categories: child, family, adult, and visitor’s choice. The gingerbread house drop-off period is up to 3 p.m. that day and winners will be announced at 4:30. The judges are Grounds for Sculpture staff and yours truly. Prizes include free memberships to Grounds for Sculpture (GFS), gift certificates to the museum shop, tickets to upcoming concerts, and GFS t-shirts, calendars, and mugs. Grounds for Sculpture is located at 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. To view the official rules and for more information about all the other activities surrounding the Lights On! celebration, which runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. that day, visit groundsforsculpture.org.

A Weekend’s Worth of Food, Music, Art, and Fun

By Pat Tanner

If you’ve been meaning to spend a day touring picturesque Princeton or roaming the lush, beautiful, sculpture-filled acres of Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, there is no more opportune time than this coming weekend, which features two of my favorite autumn events back to back.

JazzFeast

Princeton’s historic Palmer Square will be closed to traffic from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, for the 18th annual open-air, rain-or-shine festival that features free performances by leading jazz groups. Food and drink is on offer by 17 Princeton eateries this year and among them are some of my local favorites. To whit: Scott Anderson’s new restaurant, elements, which is, in my opinion, currently the most exciting restaurant in the state; Mediterra, which last year brought on board the noted Spanish chef, Luis Bollo; and the very modest Tiger Noodles, which just happens to cook up the best home-style Chinese food for miles around. For more info visit palmersquare.com.

Epicurean Palette

Kevin Sbraga, the new executive chef at Rat’s Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, will be host chef on Sunday, September 13th for this year’s food and wine benefit for the 35-acre public sculpture park founded by Seward Johnson.

When the STARR Restaurants Catering Group took over management of the food facilities at Grounds for Sculpture earlier this year they recruited Sbraga, who has worked for some of Philadelphia’s leading chefs and restaurateurs, among them Georges Perrier, Stephen Starr, and, most recently, Jose Garces.

The sculpture park is closed to the public for the day, so only guests will meander the beautiful paths, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., as they sample fine wines and other beverages and fare from about 20 restaurants and food artisans, among them Rat’s, Bobolink Dairy, Brother’s Moon, Eli’s Bread, Miele, One53, Piccola Italia, Provence Catering, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Starr Restaurant Group, and The Yardley Inn.

Tickets must be purchased in advance, at $99 per person ($85 for Grounds for Sculpture Members). Visit epicureanpalette.org or phone 609.584.7760.