JCC MetroWest is pleased to announce the Grand Reopening of the Gaelen Gallery East in a stunning new space at the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, Ross Family Campus, 760 Northfield Avenue, West Orange. The community is invited to an Opening Reception on Sunday, June 30, 2:00pm-4:00pm. The show will feature selections from the Gaelen Art Collection.
Audrey & Norbert Gaelen, formerly of Short Hills and now residents of West Orange, started collecting in the mid-1960s, first with lithographs, followed by oils, small sculptures, and Native American pottery. Their interest in glass pieces began in the early 1980s with a blown glass sculpture made by Drew Smith, an artist from Ohio. Over the years, paintings by Wolf Kahn and Tom Berg were acquired as well as bronze pieces and granite works by Jesus Moroles. The Gaelens’ love of the southwest led them to Santa Fe where they met artists John Axton, Albert Handell, and Dan Namingha.
Works by all of these artists, including Robert Vickrey, will be featured in the Grand Reopening Show.
“Our acquisitions were purchased with two things in mind—we liked them and they spoke to us,” said Norbert Gaelen. “Audrey and I have developed the same taste and we always agree on anything before we buy it. It is a joy and a pleasure to live with our art.”
The stunning new Gaelen Gallery East, suspended over the lobby outside the JCC’s Maurice Levin Theater, is 825 square feet (25 ft x 33 ft). Its modern aesthetics rival any Chelsea Gallery: sleek glass paneled walls, contemporary hardware, charcoal grey & black palette, and halogen lighting.
Norbert Gaelen credits architect Stephen Schwartz for the development and execution of the magnificent new Gallery space. “He had the imagination, commitment, technical ability, and creativity to create a gorgeous and exciting Gallery in a great location at the JCC,” Gaelen said.
“The generosity of the Gaelens has made art accessible to the community,” said Alan Feldman, CEO, JCC MetroWest. “Now, with the new Gaelen Gallery right near the main entrance to the JCC at Steiner Court, the world of artistic endeavor and expression is more centrally located and easily accessible for all to visit and enjoy. The Gaelens are not only true patrons of the arts, but they exemplify conceptual commitment to and financial support for the goals and purposes of the Jewish Community Center. We owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their generosity over the years and for this spectacular new exhibition space.”
Gaelen Gallery East hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00am to 9:00pm; Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm; Saturday 9:00am to 6:00pm; and Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, please contact Lisa Suss at 973–530–3413.
(lsuss@jccmetrowest.org).
