From Maplewood Division of Arts and Culture:

Maplewood’s Division of Arts and Culture is set to participate in the second edition of Garden State Art Weekend later this month with “Earth & Water”, a solo exhibition by Lauren Rosenthal McManus. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, April 24th (5pm – 8pm), with community workshops and additional viewing dates to follow.

McManus’s exhibit, which coincides with national Earth Day (April 22nd), is inspired by elements of the earth, including the Rahway River Watershed, where 1978 Maplewood Arts Center is located. Her drawings, installations, and community-based projects combine geospatial data and site-specific pigments to emphasize the innate beauty and universal importance of freshwater systems; inspiring a deepened sense of place through the reconsideration of community boundaries and notions of home.

Over the weekend (April 24-27), visitors of all ages are invited to participate in a collaborative workshop to create a map of the Rahway River Watershed. Participants will use natural rock pigments, gathered from the landscapes through which these waters flow, turned into watercolor paints. The collaborative map will be displayed as a large community artwork for the remaining dates of the exhibition.

FAST FACTS:

• Location: 1978 Maplewood Arts Center (1978 Springfield Ave., Maplewood, NJ, 07040)
• Opening reception: Thursday, April 24th from 5pm – 8pm
• Community Workshop schedule: Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th SIGN UP HERE 
• The Community Workshops will only take place during Garden State Art Weekend from April 24 – April 27.
• Additional viewing hours are Saturdays and Sundays 2pm – 4pm, 5/3, 5/4, 5/10, 5/11, 5/17, 5/18.

About Garden State Art Weekend (April 24 – 27, 2025): This statewide celebration of art is an inclusive, once-a-year art weekend for all of New Jersey to enjoy. In 2024, there were over 115 participants located in 15 counties around the state. Some of the included institutions are Montclair Art Museum, The Newark Museum of Art, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Hunterdon Art Museum and 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. This will be Maplewood Township’s second year participating.

Please reach out to Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture Manager, Andrea Teutli, at [email protected] or (973) 843-7157 for more information.