New Jersey arts and entertainment news, features and event previews.

(UNITED COUNTY, NJ) – The Union County Board of Commissioners announced that 10 Union County artists have been selected as recipients of the 56th Annual New Jersey Advanced Art Show. The exhibit includes artwork by professional and non-professional artists age 60 and older from all 21 counties across the state.

To qualify for a statewide exhibit, an artist must first participate in a judged exhibit in their county and earn first place in their media category.

“On behalf of the Commission of Commissioners, I thank everyone who participated in the Union County Senior Art Show last spring, and congratulate the honorees who have exhibited statewide. We are all enriched by the creativity and insight of senior members of the community,” Union County Commissioner Chairman Rebecca L. Williams said.

The 2022 New Jersey Advanced Art Show is available online at www.njseniorarts.com/gallery/.

To see the exhibit in person, visit 300 Meadow Lakes, the main building of Meadow Lakes Senior Living in East Windsor. The public can view the artworks for free Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Groups of 6 or more should contact Meadow Lakes in advance at 609-448-4100.Routes can be found on Meadow Lakes website.

The show will be shown at Meadow Lakes on Thursday, October 27th.

The Union County winners are:

*Joe Manzella (Cranford)- first place, Digital Artwork by Non-Professional Artists, “Listen to Your Heart”

*Elizabeth Gilling (Westfield) – first place, Amanda Gorman, My Favorite Poet, Oil Painting by a Non-Professional Artist

* Sam Awad (Summit) 2nd place, Photographed by a professional artist for the artwork “Pit Stop”

*Michelle Thompson (Union) – 3rd place, “Finding Beauty in a Chaotic World” by a non-professional artist

* Marianne O’Neill (Rahway) — honorific name, Made by lay artist for artwork “Birdhouse and Buttons”

*Lynda Dubois-Jackson (Plainfield) – honorific name, Made by professional artist for artwork “Grandmother and Friends”

* Joseph J. Schott (Vanwood) — honorific name, Oil painting by professional artist for painting, “Snyder Hunting Club”

*Barbara Clock (Westfield) – honorific name, Professional artist’s pastels for the artwork “Along the Shore”

*Carol Sussman Skalka (Springfield) — honorific name, Sculpture “Caress” by a non-professional artist

*Kim Eckstrom (Fanwood) — honorific name, Watercolor painting by professional artist, “House with Turrets”

The New Jersey Advanced Art Show is a co-sponsored program of the New Jersey Arts Council and the Mercer County Department of Culture and Heritage, funded by the Arts Council, with additional support from the Mercer County and New Jersey Regional Association for Aged Agencies.

For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including free vaccinations, free testing, and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

Image: (top) Cranford resident Joe Manzella’s “Listen to Your Heart” was awarded first place in digital art by non-professional artists at the 2022 New Jersey High Art Show. (Bottom) “Amanda Gorman, My Favorite Poet” by Westfield resident Elizabeth Gillin was awarded first place in oil painting by lay artist at the 2022 New Jersey High Art Show.