“Stairs and Shadows,” above, by Warner White of Fair Haven, might have made a good ‘Where Have I Seen This?’ (See below for location.) At right, a shot by an unknown photographer; the young woman is believed to be June Evans of South Street, whom the McKay Gallery is trying to locate.
Weather-permitting, the heart of downtown Red Bank will be thronged on November 28, as it is the night following every Thanksgiving, for the annual tree lighting and Holiday Express concert.
Now, Bob & Liz McKay, owners of a photo studio and art gallery upstairs at 12 Monmouth Street, have decided to throw an additional attraction into the festive mix: the opening of an exhibit of photos and paintings to celebrate the borough’s centennial.
The display will offer a range of viewpoints, from decades-old photos from the Dorn’s Classic Images collection to shots taken in recent weeks expressly for this show.
Artists include “people who have never shown in their lives all the way up to George Tice, an internationally famous fine art photographer,” Bob McKay tells redbankgreen.
Works by more than 20 local artists will be hung, and dozens more examples of their artistry will be mounted and available for sale.
Among the images are some prints made from negatives that Anna-Mária Vág of Belford found in a shop in Ocean Grove, including the one of the cheerleader, above. Taken in 1950 or so, it’s believed to show June Evans of South Street; the McKays are in the process of trying to locate her, if you can be of any assistance.
So is it an art show, or a history show?
“It’s a mixture,” says McKay. “We always try to make a cohesive show. We want what’s on the wall to work well together — historical and documentary photographs along with more quirky, visually interesting detail shots.”
As for the celebration outside, which kicks off at 7p, McKay doesn’t believe the gallery will be competing for attention on opening night.
“Other than the fact that there it’ll be a little more difficult for artists and their families to find parking, I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” he says. “And it’ll give a lot more people an opportunity to see this show than might otherwise be the case.”
In addition to the McKays themselves, the participating artists are:
1. Anthony Almeida (photography)
2. Colin Archer (photography)
3. David L. Brown (photography)
4. Francesco Cenicola (photography)
5. Joyce Chadwick (photography)
6. Sanford Cook (photography)
7. Valerie Craig (photography)
8. Bob Cullinane (photography)
9. Allie Cummings (photography)
10. Dennis Czund (photography)
11. Gary Groves (photography)
12. Nancy Harrison (photography)
13. Sandra Johanson (photography)
14. Bobbie Kingsley (photography)
15. Sarah Klepner (photography)
16. Saori Kurioka (photography)
17. Jennie A. Meares (photography)
18. Jen Megill (photography)
19. Jenifer Rutherford (photography)
20. Bernadette Sabatini (photography)
21. Bill Scaff (photography)
22. Donna Senopoulos (Watercolors)
23. Lorelle Shea (photography)
24. Elizabeth Sowell-Zak (photography)
25. Ambra Talarico (photography)
26. George Tice (photography
27. Fran Waldmann (photography)
28. Valentine (photography)
29. Warner White (photography)
30. Alycia Yerves (photography)
The reception, which is open to the public, runs fom 6 to 10p. The show continues on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 7p, or by appointment, through January 8; call 732.842.2272 for more info.
BTW, the above photo of the stairs was taken at the Courts of Red Bank, an office complex on Maple Avenue.
