From Live Chickens to Live Music : 4th Street Fest Helps Redefine Village
September 30, 2009
It still amazes me that my only experience with the 4th Street Art & Music Festival up until last year was the unmistakable rumble of live music reverberating down Second Street during the Jersey City Artist’s Studio Tour. As quickly as it appeared, the following day, it was gone. Something cool was happening in my neighborhood, I just had absolutely no clue to what it was. Perhaps it was the party of all parties, and I was just too uncool to be slid an invite. No matter, there’s always next year.
Last September, days before the studio tour, Mike Macnamera, one of the head honchos with the festival, showed up to our VNA meeting. He introduced himself, and invited the VNA to set up our tent for the festival. I liked this guy, and I was intrigued to see for myself what had for so long eluded me.
It turns out this was no private party, and you don’t need a special invitation to attend. Hell, someone so lacking in cool as myself seemed to fit right in. This thing had everything – great music, food, funky art, and my kids had a blast. And the shocker, I was standing right in the middle of 4th Sttreet, in the heart of The Village. How is this happening?
As the day progressed I quickly realized that Mike and the gang were on to something here. With the demolition of 111 First Street, and the once home to the Jersey City art scene, this cultural epicenter had splintered and found new homes, many of which are the store fronts and commercial spaces right here in the Village.
This, I believe, is a blueprint for the future of The Village neighborhood. The meat and vegetable markets that so notably served the needs of this neighborhood for nearly a century, are nearly all gone now. But that infrastructure of street level store fronts, and even larger commercial spaces remain. The perfect setting for displaced artists to put down roots in which the growth of a community is inevidable.
One such space is owned by artist and cultural pioneer, Frank Pailia. A former turn of the century firehouse, Frank purchased the 4xx Fourth Street in 1988, and his impact on the Jersey City art scene was felt soon afterwards. In 1989pp, in collaboration with several downtown artists, Franc began the very JC Studio Artists Tour that the 4th Street Festival is now a major attraction of. This same group of artists banded together soon afterwards to form Pro Arts, a non-profit group who’s mission is to support and promote local Jersey City artists.
None of Franc’s contributions would have been possible without first having the vision to actually make the leap to move to Jersey City. But why here? For Franc – “I knew in my gut that JC would become an artist’s mecca and boom town in every way. We started the trend.”
Franc credits former Mayor Brett Schundler as “the first mayor to really understand and appreciate what artists can do for a city. This paved the way for what Pro Arts is currently doing by working with city politicians, and pushing the arts agenda towards the front of the line.”
With Jersey City as his backdrop, and Fourth Street as his home, Franc soon put together a group of four artists, and began the city-wide mural project, painting murals, exhibiting, and curating in local spaces. The large Columbus Street mural is one such example.
Though his move from Jersey City to Poughkeepsie, New York has been a gradual one (Franc still maintains a pied -a -terre apartment in the building), the vacancy of his studio space, and the groundwork he layed, set the stage for further cultural growth on Fourth Street.
In 2001, Mike moved in. He set up his home and photography studio, and set up shop.
Collaboration comes in many forms. As we were kicking around ideas last winter for a Village Neighborhood Assn.’s first annual Spring event, location was an obvious concern. Unlike the Van Vorst Park and Hamilton Park neighborhoods, we lacked that physical center and focal point that defines their identities, that being s park. Sure, Mary Benson Park is nearby, but in it’s current condition, and the fact that it’s primary use is punctuated by the baseball field smack in its middle, it was hardly the most ideal location.
Remembering the sense of community I experienced as I stood on 4th Street last fall, I knew exactly who I should call. Mike not only welcomed our event to 4th Street, which grew into the monsterous Village Art and Flea Market, but 4th Street Arts became an official supporter. As steadfast liasian between city agencies, Mike not only helped us secure our neccessay permits and licenses, he became that all important bridge between The Village neighborhood and this emerging art community.
Following the success of The Village Weekend and The Village Art and Flea Market, Mike offered us the opportunity to become an official supporter of this year’s 4th Street Art and Music Festival. I happily agreed. Check out all the details about the festival on their mini site, which is proudly hosted on jcvillage.org
The rebranding of a neighborhood is not a singular event. The historical significance of an area needs to be embraced as a community looks to redefine it’s future.
One moment of last years 4th Street Festival stands out for me personally, and really illustrates the importance of neighborhood identity. At one point during the day i needed to head back to the house for some supplies. As i rounded the corner of Newark and Fourth, two hipsters with tattoos covering 80% of their bodies were approaching – one remarked to his buddy as they weaved their way through the crowd towards the festival- “They call this neighborhood The Village” – I smiled, that was music to my ears.
Left: Actual Village Sign from the 1970s. Right: Bands rock last year's 4th Street Art & Music Festival Festival in Jersey City
It still amazes me that prior to last year, my only experience with the 4th Street Art & Music Festival was hearing the unmistakable rumble of live music reverberating down Second Street on a random weekend afternoon each Fall. As quickly as it appeared, the next day, it was gone. Something cool was happening in my neighborhood - I just had absolutely no clue what it was. Perhaps it was the party of all parties, and I was just too uncool to be slid an invite. No matter, there’s always next year.
In September 2008, days before the Jersey City Artist’s Studio Tour, Mike “Mac” McNamara, one of the head honchos with the 4th Street Festival, showed up at our Village Neighborhood Association meeting. He introduced himself, and invited the VNA to [Read more]
4th Street Festival: October 3rd, 2009
September 26, 2009
Jersey City, NJ—On Saturday, October 3, 2009, 4 Street Arts, in cooperation with The Village Neighborhood Association and in tandem with the Jersey
City Artists’ Studio Tour, will yet again throw the ultimate celebration for creativity—the 4th Street Art & Music Festival. Located at the crossroads of 4th Street, Newark Avenue and Brunswick Street, the Festival will feature an array of local visual artists’ works (from sculpture to paintings to photography); live, interactive pieces; exciting children’s activities; the finest up-and-coming bands New Jersey has to offer; as well as delicious food and refreshing drinks. This year, the Festival is likely to draw more than 1,000 residents, truly bringing the community together while providing unprecedented exposure for businesses and artists alike.
ART
The 4th Street Art & Music Festival will showcase art in all its various formats and in a wide breadth of media.
Highlights include:
• Theme—Festival designer Thomas John Carlson will bring the concept of “growth” to life via painted wall
decoration and vibrant displays using vegetation throughout. In an effort to illustrate the organic control of
space, Carlson will weed the Festival area and replace the unruly plants with real and painted flowers
emphasizing the “gathering” of community, growth of retailers, food we eat (and those who provide it), and
expansion of culture through music and art.
• Art for sale—artisans and visual artists will have pieces for sale, ranging from jewelry to photographs to soft
goods to paintings. See next page for list of participants.
• Interactive & performance art—Called 2 X Four, this portion of the Festival will consist of two interactive art
pieces and two performance art pieces. The interactive portions will feature separate showcases by Kevin
Darmanie and Nyugen E. Smith who will satire to reflect on how historical lineage, personal, and social issues
impacts identity. Simultaneously Angela KaRIOTis will deliver a work offering insight about our collective
histories, greatest ideas, and thinking in new contexts. Another piece will feature an ensemble of musicians from
multiple disciplines interpreting the energy generated by the environment through transfer of sound.
• Live art—Opening the artist’s studio for the public eye, artists ranging from various areas of expertise—from
fine to street—will each paint a wood panel in their own unique style. In December, the works will be exhibited
and sold in the rotunda of City Hall. See next page for list of participating artists.
• Children’s corner—Run by Cara Campoli, this special area dedicated to kids will allow them to let their art
skills go wild with chalk, paint, and more. In addition, there will be face painting from 1-5. In addition, Michael
Napolitano will perform music. Napolitano teaches at The Blue School in NYC, Music for Aardvarks and runs
his own program Preschool of Rock. An advocate of early relationships with music he believes music, song and
rhyme aid in literacy development years before formal schooling.
MUSIC
Starting at noon, attendees will get down to groovy tunes, from folk to rock, played from two Festival stages. Line-up includes (subject to change):
THE VILLAGE STAGE
• Any Day Parade
• Frozen Gentlemen
• In Musth
• Bongo Surf
• Manouche Bag
• Knotworking
• One Foot In
• Thomas Francis Takes His Chances
THE WHITE EAGLE STAGE
• Fairmont
• Miss Ohio
• Beacon
• Una Pong
• Andrew Sullivan
• 2 X Four Orchestra
• Angela KaRIOTis
• Natty Adams
• Land of the Look Behind
• Dancing Tony’s DJ Consortium
• Special guests
In between acts (and throughout the Festival), comedy troupe trip-and-fall will entertain the crowd with finely tuned comedic performances, including; live
sketch comedy, street art, and just hanging out being funny. Based out of Jersey City, trip-and-fall is made up of best friends, compatriots, and all-around
silly duo Sarah Roxanne Shields and Alissa Ahlberg. To learn more about this riot act, visit tripandfallproductions.wordpress.com.
CHARITY
4th Street Arts is pleased to partner with Mission:Remission, a not for profit organization dedicated to cancer research and awareness. Presently they have
three pillars supporting cancer related groups: “Support” benefits Gilda Club, helping those living with cancer, as well as their friends and families;
“Awareness” benefits Maureen Fund, committed to ovarian cancer awareness and education; and “Research” benefitting the Ovarian Cancer Research
Fund dedicated to finding better ways to detect and treat ovarian cancer. Mission:Remission will be hosting a silent auction, featuring artwork and services
including a photo series by Steph Caldwell titled “Portrait Of A Lady” (proceeds from this item will benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation, in support of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month), during the duration of the Festival. For more information, contact Jesse Caldwell at mission.remission@gmail.com.
SPONSORSHIPS
4th Street Arts would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support: Sabrett, Stephen Roth/Prudential, Lucky 7 Tavern, 327 5th Street Corp.,
Metropolis Music, Another Man’s Treasure, Christopher Larsen, JC Tattoo Company, Grove Street Bicycles, LITM, The Little Gym, Eyesore Apparel
The Jersey City Independent, Skinners Loft, Edwards Steakhouse, Made With Love, Hudson County Art Supply, York Street Tavern, Carmen Rosa Bakery, FJB
Comics and Games, Brennan’s Florist, Madame Claude’s Café, 2nd Street Bakery, Abbey’s, Pecarraros, and Carmines.
Information about The Little Gym: A recreational gymnastics and dance center for children from 4 months to 12 years old. Classes include parent/child
motor development, preschool gymnastics, dance, sports skills development, and grade school gymnastics for beginners, intermediate and advanced
students. For more information, visit thelittlegym.com.
ARTISTS & ARTISANS (list may not be complete)
Lau Gallico Klohe, Sue Gerner, Tunde Cseke, Luca Cusolito (Lollibomb Beauty), Veronica Rosas, Christina Cruz, Sharon Harvey, Teri Sanders, Edmund
Derrick, Shanon Dejong, Allison Garguilo (Minor Treat Bakery), Christina Entcheva, Corey Fleming, Kayt Hester, Matt Caputo, Norman Kirby, Mark
Megara, Andrea Morin, Debbie Manville, David Reynolds, Paul Kiesche, Kevin Mccarthy, Joe Russo, Ron Erickson, Lynn Presley, Christine Kimmel, Christina
Allesi, Debbie Mendel, Grayson Bagwell, Frank Palaia, Joe Chirchirillo, Mike McNamara, Thomas John Carlson, Christopher Silk, Doug Mitchell, Jesse A.
Caldwell, The Agitators, Nyugen E. Smith, Mike Mandracchia, Rebecca Feranec, Yvonne Raley Designs , Johanna Wood, Emily August (Go Go Distro),
Megan Gulick, Katherine Ramos (Sweet Ruination), Stefanie Flodmand (Howdy Sailor)
Some artisans featured are members of The Jersey City Craft Mafia, the newest addition to the Craft Mafia family—an international organization aimed at
promoting artists and alterna-crafters on a local level. Members currently include fine artists and photographers, jewelry and accessory designers, a glass
artist, and a beauty goods producer.
LIVE ART PARTICIPANTS (list may not be complete)
Joe Russo, Joe Iurato, Mark Finne, Nathan Lee Pickett, Ellis Gallagher, Cern, Matt Caputo & Norm Kirby, Damon Ginandes, Robots Will Kill, Steve Lew,
Gocha Tzisade, Nicholas Forker, Elmer Quiroz, Ken Bastard, Nico Kwan Phillips, Sean Lugo, Darren Defield, David Cooper, Matthew Okpych
BANDS
• Frozen Gentlemen: Frozen Gentlemen likens themselves to the “good” Bee Gees on amphetamines. They mix dance with rock in a way that gets the
crowd involved physically and emotionally.
• In Musth: This is how In Musth describes themselves—“Riffs that old people can’t hear. Not keen on repeating ourselves. Ever striving to resolve thin lizzy to
ghetto boys, complex machinery to meat ‘n potatoes. We button the top button, tighten our tie and play by the rules in technicolor. Also, for the patient
listener, there’s the fifth amendment. Aftertaste of extra-dimensional consciousness and the fanning tail display of male peacocks.”
• Knotworking: An ever-changing cast of musicians who support the voice and songwriting of Edward Gorch, who’s literate songs come from homes in the
margins of society. The fall 2009 band line-up features a back-to-basics two guitar, electric bass and drums approach.
• Thomas Francis Takes His Chances: TFTHC is a son, a brother. a friend. a lover, a husband, a grandfather. a cousin, a peeper, a doubter, a little engine
that could, a scientist, an inventor, a cat, a gun, a half of a drum, an English muffin, a president, a principle, a saint, a martyr, a human, an animal, an
orator, a listener, an aquarium drinker, an inspiration, a hero, but above all the rest “Our Father,” AMEN.
FOOD
The 4th Street Arts & Music Festival will host a collection of delectable food vendors. Among them Glenn Gilliar will provide his gourmet tasties. About
participating in this year’s Festival, he says “I grew up with many food allergies and had to learn to cook more for necessity than pleasure. I’m a daring eater
and will try almost anything presented to me I haven’t eaten before (as long as I’m not allergic). I love to experiment when cooking but I’ll be featuring my
tried and true selections for the festival. All of the selections will be meat or seafood based. My booth will be more focused on quality rather than quantity.”
SPECIAL NOTE
To support this year’s Festival, 4th Street Arts hosted a Mac & Cheese Bake Off on September 13. Twelve chefs participated, including restaurants and home
cooks, and more than 250 locals came out as testers. This year’s winners included: Judge’s Restaurant Choice Lamp Post Bar and Grill, Judge’s Individual
Choice Judy Nunez, People’s Choice Restaurant Iron Monkey, People’s Individual Choice Rob Castillo, all of whom will enjoy free food and drink at the
Festival, compliments of 4th Street Arts. Special thanks to Star Ledger contributor Pete Genovese, Councilman Steve Fulop, and Tony Susco who judged; and Sam Adams for providing beer and White Star Bar for their support.
Jersey City, NJ—On Saturday, October 3, 2009, 4th Street Arts, in cooperation with The Village Neighborhood Association and in tandem with the Jersey City Artists’ Studio Tour, will yet again throw the ultimate celebration for creativity—the 4th Street Art & Music Festival. Located at the crossroads of 4th Street, Newark Avenue and Brunswick Street, the Festival will feature an array of local visual artists’ works (from sculpture to paintings to photography); live, interactive pieces; exciting children’s activities; the finest up-and-coming bands New Jersey has to offer; as well as delicious food and refreshing drinks. This year, the Festival is likely to draw more than 1,000 residents, truly bringing the [Read more]
Mac & Cheese Raises Cash
September 13, 2009
(Sep 13 2009) I have to be honest with you, when Mac and Marc, the head honchos of the 4th Street Art & Music Festival, mentioned to me a few months ago that they were going to have a Mac & Cheese Bake-off to support the festival, I didn’t quite get it. Wine tasting I understood, but Macaroni and cheese? It sounded like a blast – and you know, it was!
The bake-off drew over 200 people tonight around the corner at 58 Gallery on Coles Street. “Celebs” and politicos abound. Councilman Fulop was one of the judges, along with “Dancing Tony” Fusco, and I even bumped into Mr. One Jersey City himself, [Read more]
“Gipsy Jazz” on Brunswick Street
September 5, 2009
(Sep 05, 2009) They call this style of music in Europe “Manouche”. In Jersey City, Mattias Gustafsson, co-owner of Madame Claude Cafe, and fellow musician Bryan Beninghove, call it “Gipsy Jazz”. As I sit with my eight year old daughter in my very own neighborhood on an absolutely perfect late summers evening, I would call it nothing short of astonishing.
Mattias, along with his wife Alice Troietto, are quietly redefining Brunswick Street since they arrived in The Village nearly 10 years ago. Gone are the pushcarts, meat markets, and fruit stands of Brunswick Street’s past. Streets evolve, some more slowly than others. After decades of seemingly [Read more]
