This past Saturday, I attended an art opening at the Torche Galerie in Belmar, New Jersey. It is a fairly new gallery that embraces a range of artists from emerging to established and various mediums from paintings to installations. The gallery owner, Roddy Wildeman, is an artist himself and had some work on display that night. The show, “Inside Out,” was the second opening for this contemporary gallery space (The first exhibit premiered back in April 2013). It will be open to the public all summer. Although Belmar may seem a little out of range from the scenes of NYC (Belmar is about an hour and 30-minute drive away), it is worth the trip. Many NYC inhabitants frequent the Belmar area which is a-buzz with people and activities during the summer months.
I’ve got to say, I was impressed with the space itself (there is a 2nd floor!) and the diversity within the show. There were several artists who were graduates and current faculty members of the the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), as well as a number of local artists. Melissa Starke, department coordinator of Fine Arts at FIT and mixed media artist, was Torche Galerie’s first guest coordinator for this show. Overall it was a night filled with laughter and stimulating conversations. I would return to Torche Galerie despite the drive to experience a night like that again! If you are ever in the area (or feel like taking a small trip), check this place out!
Sarah Veloso 