Carteret, NJ – On August 13th, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman joined with county officials, senior artists, and art enthusiasts from throughout Middlesex County, for the conclusion of the 2009 Middlesex County Senior Citizen Art Contest & Exhibition.
According to Mayor Reiman, Carteret was honored to host the exhibit, which began on July 20 at the Thomas J. Deverin Community Center. 102 senior artists submitted original works for display and placement in the competition, which had 9 artistic categories divided into professional and non-professional artists.
Media welcome for submission included oil, acrylic, drawing, sculpture, pastel, mixed media, photography, and craft. Judges included representative from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the Perth Amboy Gallery Center for the Arts, and the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Art Program, who named fifteen 1st place winners, thirteen 2nd place, and 6 honorable mentions. Winners were invited to participate in a state-wide senior art contest in September.
“Middlesex County artists had an amazing showing in the contest and we couldn’t be more proud,” said Freeholder Blanquita B. Valenti, Chairwoman of the County’s Committee for Human Services and Aging. “I want to offer my congratulations to the winners and to all who participated.”
Mayor Reiman and the Middlesex County Department on Aging hosted a luncheon and reception for the artists on site at the Thomas J. Deverin Community Center & Library.
“We’re honored to have hosted the 2009 Senior Citizen Art Contest and Exhibition,” Mayor Reiman commented. “This program has expanded the range of recreational and cultural opportunities for county seniors, and provided a stimulating visual arts exhibition for residents of all ages. There is a wonderful range of talent residing right here in Middlesex County, and it has been a pleasure to see it showcased in Carteret.”
“We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure quality recreational and arts programs for Middlesex County,” Freeholder Ron Rios added. “The level of participation we had this summer has demonstrated the popularity of such programming. We were honored to have so many beautiful submissions contributing to the success of this year’s Senior Citizen Art Contest and Exhibition.”
