A professional juror has selected the winners from 150 entries in this year’s Mercer County Senior Art Show, which is being held through August 14 at The Conference Center at Mercer on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor campus.
“Every year I look forward to seeing the talent that Mercer County has to offer, and every year the level of talent excites me,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes.
“What’s especially so amazing about this year is that the number of participants is just about back up to where we were before the COVID pandemic.”
Each year, the Mercer County Office on Aging and the Division of Culture and Heritage partner to produce the Mercer County Senior Art Show. All first-place winners from the County show will advance to the New Jersey Senior Citizen Art Show, which will be held in the fall.
Mercer County residents age 60 or older may submit artwork to the Mercer County Senior Art Show. There is no fee to enter. Submissions must be the original work of the applicant, created within the last three years, and not previously entered in a Mercer County Senior Art Show or the State Senior Art Show. This year, artwork was entered in the following categories: acrylic, craft, digital imagery, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, sculpture, watercolor, and works on paper.
The winners were selected by professional juror Walter Czajkowski, a lifelong Trenton resident who was the co-owner and co-director of J & W Gallery in New Hope, Pa., for more than 20 years. His gallery represented more than 40 artists, and 60 percent of them are in permanent museum collections. Some of the more notable artists include Yaacov Agam, Glenna Goodacre, Esther Wertheimer, Marlene Baron Summers, and Fred Stein.
Twenty artists from the Mercer County Senior Art show — one “non-professional” winner and one “professional” winner in each of the nine categories — will move on to the State Show. Pictured, from top, are the Best in Show selections: “Peacock” by Orlando Loaiza of Hightstown, Acrylic, Non-Professional; and “Exiles” by William Plank of Lawrenceville, Acrylic, Professional.
Listed below are the individuals who were awarded first, second, and third place, as well as honorable mention in their respective categories.
NON-PROFESSIONAL
Acrylic
1. Orlando Loaiza, BEST IN SHOW, NON-PRO, Hightstown
2. Rochelle Clerkin, Hamilton
3. Annette Osterlund, West Windsor
HM – William Wolfe, Princeton
Craft
1. Darlene Duttry, East Windsor
2. Irwin Stoolmacher, Princeton Junction
3. Rima Phillips, East Windsor
HM – Peggy Bardon, Hamilton
Digital
1. Joel Finger, Pennington
Mixed Media
1. Eileen Johnson, Hamilton
2. Eugenia Travers, Trenton
3. Loreta Macaraig, Hamilton
HM – Susu Pat, Trenton
Oil
1. Andrea Pitluk, Princeton Junction
2. Carlo Fiorentini, Princeton
3. Raj Oberoi, Robbinsville
HM – Karen Brodsky, Princeton Junction; Suzanne Migliori, Hamilton
Pastel
1. Marilyn Sperry, East Windsor
2. Olga Skolka, East Windsor
3. Mary Raftery, Hightstown
HM – Steven Brodel, Ewing
Photography
1. Leslie Rothermal, East Windsor
2. Sari DeCesare, Pennington
3. Bill Boyles, West Windsor
HM – Patrick Compagnucci, Trenton
Sculpture
1. Kay Chen, East Windsor
2. Douglas Watt, Hamilton
Watercolor
1. Marion Crum, Ewing
2. Diane Hughes, East Windsor
3. Lorraine McCormick, East Windsor
HM – Cecelia Hetzer, East Windsor; Donna Kay, West Windsor
Works on Paper
1. Barbara Bingham, Pennington
2. Sulhiniso Rahmatullaeva, Lawrenceville
3. Vivien Cannata, Robbinsville
HM – Earl Brancolino, Hamilton; Marina Lam, East Windsor; David Potts, Hamilton; Susan Tsui, East Windsor
PROFESSIONAL
Acrylic
1. William Plank, BEST IN SHOW, PROFESSIONAL, Lawrenceville
2. Arcelio Brignoni, East Windsor
3. Ed Drago, Robbinsville
HM – Jane Conlon Goble, Lawrenceville; Leni Paquet-Morante, Hamilton
Craft
1. Caryn Newman, Ewing
Digital
1. Maia Reim, West Windsor
Mixed Media
1. Helene Plank, Lawrenceville
2. Renee Kumar, Princeton Junction
3. James Dashcund, Hopewell
HM – Eleni Litt, Princeton
Oil
1. Larry Chestnut, Trenton
2. Pat Proniewski, Hamilton
3. Bo Li, Hightstown
HM – Younghee Kim Chung, Princeton; Maxine Shore, East Windsor
Pastel
1. Lucia Stout, Hopewell
2. Margaret Kalvar-Bushnell, Princeton Junction
Photography
1. Janice Montervino, Trenton
2. Diana Frost, Princeton Junction
3. Lisa Shrager, Hamilton
Sculpture
1. Sue Chiu, Lawrenceville
2. Joy Kreves, Ewing
3. Stefanie Mandelbaum, East Windsor
Watercolor
1. Alexandra Indara, Hamilton
2. Lynn Varga, Hamilton
3. Margaret Simpson, Hamilton
HM – Robert Lowe, Trenton
Works on Paper
1. Eleanor Dock, Ewing
2. Terry Goldstein, East Windsor
3. Frank Pastore, Hightstown
The exhibition also can be viewed here on the County of Mercer website.
The Mercer County Department of Human Services fosters a comprehensive human service delivery system that enhances the health, safety, and quality of life for all residents of Mercer County. The department’s goal is to create an environment of public trust by empowering and strengthening individuals and families, advocating for sound policy, mobilizing resources, and acting as champions for those citizens who are most vulnerable and in need of services.
Through its offices and divisions, the Department of Human Services provides funding to community-based organizations for those organizations to provide direct services to Mercer County residents. The department does not provide direct services to Mercer County residents, but directs Mercer County residents to where they can access services. With this funding, the Department of Human Services complies with procurement practices in accordance with the New Jersey Public Contracts Law 40:A:11-1 et seq.