Arts & Entertainment

Valley Arts Firehouse: Where Tribal, Street and Modern Art Meet

Friday is the opening of a new exhibition in a new gallery space

The ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery Inaugural Exhibition offers The Art of Dan Fenelon. The show opens with a flourish on Friday, November 16 from 6-9pm, 580 Forest Street, Orange, NJ. It is free and open to the public.

Influenced by tribal art, street art and modernism, Fenelon’s works have been featured in more than twenty solo shows in galleries from New York City to Los Angeles. He is known for his large, exuberant murals and paintings, including a 1,500 square foot mural he designed in 2011 to welcome the Dalai Lama to Newark. Two of his murals are permanently installed in the Valley Arts District. 
 
ValleyArts Inc. will curate and manage the new Firehouse Gallery and is coordinating the Firehouse Opening Week events. The ValleyArts District, formerly a center of hat making and other industries, was severely impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs over time. Now artists creating in a variety of media are being encouraged to live, work and exhibit in the artist loft spaces above the Firehouse Gallery.
 
The old firehouse was home to horse-drawn fire wagons in 1905. It has been lovingly restored byHANDS Inc. (Housing and Neighborhood Development Services), a local non-profit community development organization that focuses on redeveloping vacant homes and buildings. Though independent, the work of ValleyArts Inc. is closely allied with the work of HANDS Inc.
  
“We are building on the strong community spirit here,” said Richard T. Bryant, Executive Director, ValleyArts Inc. “This is a real grassroots effort that involves artists, neighbors, teens, government, community leaders, educators, funders and many more that see creativity and innovation as an engine of stability and sustainable growth.” 


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