Special Events
The Somerset Art Association is always planning exciting new programs. Lectures, live art demonstrations, and bus trips to out-of-town cultural events and museums are some of the special events that SAA organizes throughout the year. Check this page often, as new events are posted quarterly.
Past Events
Many thanks to "The Art of Cake Design" event sponsors Jersey Mortgage Company and Ellen H. Vreeland; and supporters donating $350 and above including Village Supermarket, Inc., LCD Mortgage Co., Godiva Chocolatier, Macy’s Bridgewater, City Lights Limo.
Internationally renowned Manhattan cake designers Sylvia Weinstock and Colette Peters selected the following winners from participating acclaimed area pastry chefs:
- "Showstopper" – Anne Khoobiar Heap – Pink Cake Box, Denville, NJ
- "Best Artistic Design" – Elena Shumskaya – The Fine Art of Cakes, Stirling, NJ
- "Best Taste" – Executive Chef Kevin Goodchild & Robert Williams, Specialty
Restaurant Chef – Bridgewater Marriott
Honored guests Vivian Ahrens, Sally Bush, Mary Chandor and Eleanor Georgen along with 285 guests enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club and together helped reach a goal of raising $20,000 for the Somerset Art Association. Congratulations on a job well done to Co-Chairs Debbie Bergen & Kathleen Palmer, committee members and everyone involved!
The Somerset Art Association
and
Friends of the Clarence Dillon Public Library
Invite you to join us for an evening with
Peter Galassi
Chief Curator of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art
"Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century"
Sunday, April 18, 2010
5:00 pm cocktails & book signing
6:00 presentation
At
Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, Bedminster
$75 per person
Proceeds to benefit the Somerset Art Association &
The Friends of the Clarence Dillon Public Library
Reservations
Please mail check made payable to
The Friends of the Clarence Dillon Public Library
2336 Lamington Road
Bedminster, NJ 07921
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is one of the most original, accomplished, influential and beloved figures in the history of photography. His inventive work of the early 1930s helped define the creative potential of modern photography, and his uncanny ability to capture life on the run made his work synonymous with "the decisive moment" -the title of his first major book. After World War II (most of which he spent as a prisoner of war) and his first museum show (at MoMA in 1947), he joined Robert Capa and others in founding the Magnum photo agency, which enabled photojournalists to reach a broad audience through magazines such as Life while retaining control over their work. In the decade following the war, Cartier-Bresson produced major bodies of photographic reportage on India and Indonesia at the time of independence, China during the revolution, the Soviet Union after Stalin's death, the United States during the 
postwar boom, and Europe as its old cultures confronted modern realities. For more than twenty-five years, he was the keenest observer of the global theater of human affairs -and one of the great portraitists of the twentieth century. MoMA's retrospective, the first in the United States in three deaces, surveys Cartier-Bresson's entire career, with a presentation of about three hundred photographs. The exhibit will be on view through June 28, 2010.
Bus Trip to MoMA
A bus trip has been organized to see the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at MoMA on Thursday, April 22, 2010. The motor coach will leave the Clarence Dillon Public Library at 9:00 am and depart from MoMA at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $45 per person on a first come first served basis and include round trip transportation and entrance to the museum. Lunch on your own. To register, please mail check made payable to The Friends of the Clarence Dillon Public Library, 2336 Lamington Road, Bedminster, NJ 07921.
Somerset Art Association Partners with
Somerset Medical Center Foundation
Hosts Unveiling of "Michael Graves" a five panel portrait by Mel Leipzig
The Somerset Art Association, in partnership with Somerset Medical Center Foundation, hosted the unveiling of a five panel painting of renowned architect and designer, Michael Graves, by award-winning artist, Mel Leipzig at The Johnson Gallery on February 17, 2010, from 6 p.m. to
7 p.m. Both the artist and Mr. Graves were in attendance for the event with more than 100 people including volunteer and guitarist John Whitlock who added a musical touch to the evening.
Since founding his practice in Princeton in 1964, Michael Graves has been at the forefront of architectural design. His work has directly influenced and transformed urban architecture winning him a variety of prestigious awards including the 2001 Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects and the 1999 National Medal of the Arts. Mr. Graves has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies including Disney, Black and Decker and Phillips Electronics. Additionally, Mr. Graves designs a variety of household products for Target as well as medical products for Drive Medical bringing his creativity and innovation to everyday items.
Mel Leipzig is a nationally recognized artist based in Trenton. His works are featured in collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y., The White House Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven, Conn., amongst others. Mr. Leipzig holds many honors including the Fulbright Traveling Fellowship award, Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, and a grant in Painting from the National Endowment of the Arts.
"It was a privilege and honor to be the first gallery to showcase the portrait of one of the most influential architects of our time and it was even more special that Mel was in attendance for the event. We are indebted to Mel; he is a trustee and strong supporter of the Somerset Art Association," said Robyn Tromeur, Executive Director of the Somerset Art Association.
The unveiling was followed by an intimate dinner at the Pluckemin Inn with Mel Leipzig and Michael Graves. Proceeds from the dinner benefited the Somerset Medical Center Foundation and the Somerset Art Association.
The Somerset Art Association and Somerset Medical Center Foundation sincerely acknowledge the below listed individuals for their talent, time and generosity in making the event a success.
Honored Guests
Mr. Mel Leipzeg and Mr. Michael Graves
Benefactors
Ms. Deborah Daye
Ms. Sassona Norton
Patron
Mrs. Evelyn S. Pyne
A special thank you to the Pluckemin Inn
and the generosity of Mrs. Gloria LaGrassa
The Somerset Art Association held several events in October 2009, during nationally recognized Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness through the power of the visual arts about breast cancer which strikes 182,460 women annually.
Image Early
Gallery Exhibit by Marion Behr, artist and breast cancer survivor
October 4-31, 2009
Generously sponsored by Ortho-McNeil
Surviving Breast Cancer: Decades of Hope
Thursday, October 8 6:00-8:00 pm
Generously sponsored by Drs. Reinhard and Helga Schwartz
Panel discussion comprised of medical experts and
women diagnosed during different stages of life.
Presenters (from left to right): Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Pam Adams, Meera Bagle, Sheryl Hardy, Marion Behr and Dr. Angela Lafranchi
Image Early Benefit
Friday, October 23, 2009
7:30 – 10:00 pm
at the Somerset Art Association
Friends of the Somerset Art Association gathered at the center’s Bedminster facility in support of the visual arts and the search for a cure. Guests were entertained by the musical talents of Nancy Marino, Michael Dundon and Joe Reagan with a special performance by cabaret songstress Susan Spiedel.
Special thanks to the following individuals & businesses
for their generous support:
Tracy Redling & Meera Bagle, event co-chairs
Susan Spiedel, Nancy Marino, Michael Dundon & Joe Reagan
Debbie Bergen
Dr. John Cross
Florence Faul
Janice Haggerty
Rae Hoffman
Kathleen Palmer
Constellation Wines U.S. and the Robert Mondavi family of wines for
their
donation of the wine and champagne in cooperation with:
Baker & Rannells, PA Intellectual Property Attorneys
Exquisite Entertaining, Milburn
Verve Restaurant, Somerville
Tropea Restaurant, Bridgewater
Tuscanny Bistro, Basking Ridge
Arla Foods, Basking Ridge
Area Businesses and individuals for purchasing ads in the event journal with special thanks to:
New Jersey National Golf Club & the Red Oak Grille, Basking Ridge
PNC Bank
Peapack Gladstone Bank
Reno's Appliance, Fairfield
Team Bank Somerset Valley
Urgent Care
Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation received a percentage of the funds raised.
Savor Coffee House
Generously Sponsored by Bedminster, Warren
and Riverwalk at Basking Ridge Starbucks
On May 15, guests of SAA's Savor Coffee House enjoyed listening to the musical talents of folk singer and song writer Steve Kunzman and accompanying musicians Adam Krass and Greg Molyneaux, while watching the on-site creation of a 20 foot long mural (above) by Starbucks employees. The mural was the vision of Bedminster Starbucks' Manager James Kelewae.
Mural Painters
Starbucks employees were involved in every stage of the event and donated countless number of hours to insure its success. "Starbucks is a wonderful corporate partner," says Robyn Tromeur, Executive Director of the Somerset Art Association. "While the down-turned economy has and continues to present financial challenges to the arts community, Starbucks' steadfast and generous support is incredible."
James Kelewae was particularly excited by the opportunity to partner with the Somerset Art Association. "The arts have always been important to me," he explains. "They provide quality of life and are an instrumental part of the human condition by providing opportunities to reflect, reevaluate and find substance in the fleeting moments of life."
Starbucks Employees
Guests also had the opportunity to view artist demonstrations by W. Carl Burger, Anne Kullaf, Mark de Mos, Norma Rahn, Rhoda Yarnow and ceramic instructor Frank Bowman Krimmel and his students. Accomplished teen pianist Hank Rosenthal also entertained guests by playing the piano in SAA's lobby when guests entered the building.
