Nancy Friedman Cohen has a passion for painting, photography, clay sculpting and music throughout her life since she was a little girl, which has enabled her to express her creativity and spirituality.  Her subjects vary from the landscapes, spiritual masks, the body as landscape, people, and magical realism.  She uses a variety of materials including soft and oil pastels, clay, found objects both natural and man-made, paint, and poetry.

As a child, she studied oil painting with a well- known artist in West Orange, NJ.  She also studied nude figure drawing with artist, Joseph Palumbo, MFA, for four years at the Student Art League of New York City.  She received many awards locally for her drawing and paintings at juried and non- juried art shows.

During her studies at Windham College in  Putney, Vermont, Nancy continued to paint landscapes plein air, mixed media, and studied photography with Harold Feinstein.   She had numerous group and individual photography shows in Vermont.

Acceptance into a one- year full time post graduate residency program at the Maine Photographic workshop in Rockport, Maine, enabled Nancy to more fully develop her own unique style and particular interest in landscape photography and painting.   She would often write poetry or compose music on the piano, which would be displayed alongside particular landscape paintings at art exhibits.  Numerous group photography shows in Maine as well as at the International Center of Photography, NYC exhibited her work.

For the past 36 years, Nancy has been painting weekly at an art studio with other artists in Somerville, NJ as well as her home studio, both painting from her photographs of nature as well as on site locations.   She has had numerous group shows with some of her fellow artists at various local venues.  Her paintings were also exhibited and sold for many years at the Mona Lisa Gallery in Maplewood, NJ.
​
Nancy is a member of the Pastel Society of NJ, Art4All Studio student, The National Arts Alliance, the Salve Regina University Alumni Expressive Arts program, and the Franklin Township Visual Arts Committee.  Nancy is a practicing psychotherapist, creative arts therapist, and pianist for the past 36 years in Somerset, NJ.   She brings her experience and understanding of the art making process to facilitate process painting and expressive arts workshops locally for people of all ages, who would like to learn how to unlock and express their creative energies in order to be more playful, self-confident, and connected with the larger community.
It is Nancy’s hope that through her paintings, that you may be inspired with the wonder and sacredness of life and nature, and to preserve and protect our natural world for generations to come. 

Denis' work is on display at the Franklin Township Public Library in April 2016.

From the Artist:
My interest in photography began when I was allowed to use my dad’s Kodak bellows camera with 620 B&W film.  Interest continued in high school where I joined the camera club.  We had access to a Rolleiflex and a darkroom with a Bessler enlarger.  I took B&W pictures for the yearbook and to illustrate stories for the quarterly magazine. The club also took photos of various team sports and portraits of couples at school dances.

When I married I began to document my growing family with an Argus C3 (which I still have} with 35mm Kodachrome slides.  This continued as my family grew to four children and my interests changed to include landscapes and streetscapes.  I used various SLRs from Mamyia and Olympus until I finally switched to digital with an Olympus C2500 around 2001.  I upgraded to my first Canon, the 40D and then the 50D and currently the Canon 6D full Frame.

Now that I am retired my interest in digital photography has increased along with my available time and new Canon lenses   I use my involvement with photo clubs and other meet up groups  to give me the opportunity to follow my interests. 

The Franklin Township Cultural Arts Council welcomes you to come and participate in a facilitated community conversation designed to renew our shared vision for Franklin Township and the role of the arts in making that vision a reality.

Please join us in a casual and comfortable atmosphere as we collaborate and think together with friends and neighbors from across our entire community. We hope to have representatives from all walks of life who are connected to the many diverse groups and interests found in our great Township.

Light refreshments will be served. Casual attire requested.

Details
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 7:00-9:00PM
Location: Franklin Township Senior/Community Center
Address: 505 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873

Sondra Cooper Siegel grew up in Brooklyn, NY.  Her interest in drawing and painting began at an early age when she would sketch the trees and houses in her neighborhood. Over the years, she also became passionate about pottery, and created many pieces that are functional and beautiful

While developing her drawing skills, she turned to watercolor as the medium she felt best expressed what she had in her mind.  In doing that, she studied with Jackie Weighart, a wonderful teacher residing in Somerset County, NJ.

Sondra is an artist whose desire to catalog the world as seen through her eyes, has produced a body of work that goes beyond mere picture making.  Her images are imbued with the spirit and fresh insight, into the beauty of ordinary things that are sometimes taken for granted.  

Her subjects are the things of everyday life that often go overlooked by the casual eye, and force the viewer to slow down, and appreciate the landscape both urban and rural.  Sondra has traveled extensively, and has chosen her subjects from her experience both here and abroad.  She is married and is a Mother and Grandmother.  Currently, Sondra lives in New Jersey with her photographer husband, Marty.

Her work will be on display at the Franklin Township Library.

"What The Health, Mommie?" -- The new book by Dave Street (award winning performer, former punk rocker, recorded lyricist, and produced playwright) takes an inside look at healthcare and the experience Street had navigating through it during his mother's hospitalization. Street will present a dramatic reading/performance of select material from the book, including a song written for his mother at the hospital. He will share insight into how and why he wrote the book and discuss the current healthcare system. An open Q & A session will follow. Don't miss this great literary event-- especially if you or a loved one is treading through the healthcare system. 

For more information about the book, and to see promotional videos, visit www.WhatTheHealthMommie.com

The event will be held in the Lounge at The Better World Market (1743 Route 27 South and Skillmans Lane)

The Franklin Township Cultural Arts Council (FTCAC) seeks to strengthen the Franklin community by bringing our many wonderfully diverse people, groups and interests together through the arts. This year the group has seen huge success in creating new programs throughout the Township. This success has created new opportunities and the FTCAC invites all residents and friends of Franklin to participate in planning and running arts events. Whatever gift you have to share, be it artistic, fundraising, grant writing, accounting, event coordination, marketing, publicity, time, enthusiasm or something else, you are invited to be a part an active and fun organization. 

The Franklin Day Festival held at Colonial Park is a great example of the expanded programs.  The event seemed destined for success from the start with the “buzz” that was felt in anticipation. The festival exceeded all expectations with over 5,000 people attending. There were over 100 exhibitors, 15 live acts and demonstrations including six bands, five great food vendors, crafters, a Township tent and 17 non-profits. There were games for the children and many Township vehicles for them to explore. The planning committee is already planning for next year! Contact them if you are interested in being a sponsor, volunteer, exhibitor or entertainer.

Great new programs are also happening at the new Better World Market venue on Route 27 and Skillmans Lane. Look forward to continued literary, visual and performing arts events in this great venue. Also look for the FTCAC 2015 Calendar featuring gorgeous photographs of Franklin taken by local artists.

The FTCAC is self-sustaining, and relies on volunteers and fundraising to support programs. Free will donations are always greatly appreciated and put right into the broad array of council programs.  The FTCAC is incredibly grateful to all their wonderful volunteers and attendees for making events happen and supporting their work. Special thanks go to Councilwoman Roz Sherman, Evelyn Garcia and the Franklin Day Festival planning committee for their tireless work in creating such a special day for the Township.  They also thank the volunteers, sponsors and the amazing Township staff for supporting the event.

For More Information, please email FranklinCAC@gmail.com or call Michael Steinbruck, FTCAC Chair, at 732-754-5649. 

You can also visit www.FranklinCAC.org or www.facebook.com/FranklinCAC. 
Remember to join our mailing list on our website homepage to stay connected! Thank you!

The Franklin Township Cultural Arts Council and the Franklin Township Library invite you to a highly anticipated presentation by former cultural attaché to both Argentina and Spain, professor of American Studies, and author of fourteen books, Michael Aaron Rockland. The author will share his experience and excerpts from two of his books, including his newest work, "Navy Crazy" (a memoir of a young medical corpsman learning to survive on a locked psychiatric ward for Navy and Marine mental patients in Japan from 1955-57).  An open Q&A session will follow his presentation, along with light refreshments. Visit MichaelRockland.com to find out more about the author and his works. 

Event Details:
Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 1:30PM
Franklin Township Public Library