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UID:27666-1762214400-1768089599@www.alfaart.org
SUMMARY:Exhibition: 2025 NBAS Watercolor and Mixed Media "Between Stillness and Surge"
DESCRIPTION:Exhibition Duration: Friday\, November 14\, 2025 @ 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. \nIn-Person Opening Reception: Friday\, November 14\, 2025 @ 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. \nVirtual Reception: Friday\, November 21\, 2025 @ 6:30 p.m. \nNew Brunswick\, NJ – Alfa Art Gallery is proud to present Between Stillness and Surge\, a dynamic selection of watercolor and mixed media works that explores the shifting boundaries between serenity and momentum in an observation of life\, landscapes\, and the human condition. Featuring a spectrum of artistic voices\, the show moves fluidly between abstraction and naturalism\, revealing the expressive versatility of watercolor in its many forms. \nFrom atmospheric monochromes to airy pastels and richly detailed natural scenes\, a shared sensitivity to the medium’s fluid nature\, where translucency and opacity converge to create moments of both subtlety and impact\, unites these works. These diverse approaches form a visual dialogue in which color\, texture\, and form chart the balance between stillness and movement\, with each artist contributing to a collective narrative — while deeply personal — that offers universal perspectives and invites viewers to immerse themselves in shifting moods\, fleeting landscapes\, and the interplay of control and spontaneity. \nAbout the New Brunswick Art Salon Initiative: \nAlfa Art Gallery utilizes New Brunswick Art Salons to unify the local art community and beyond. Since starting the program in 2010\, Alfa has made a point to include a salon dedicated to showcasing pieces in watercolor\, oil\, photography\, and various mixed mediums. Over the years\, the series has not only exhibited works from established and emerging artists but has made fruitful connection locally and internationally through its successful programs. Within this non-profit organization\, Alfa Art Gallery maintains its mission to uplift artists by providing an open and innovative environment that is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and diverse cultural community. \n2025 NBAS Featured Watercolor and Mixed Media Artists: \nAlaiyo Bradshaw is a Brooklyn-based artist\, illustrator\, and graphic designer. Born in London and raised in Detroit\, she first discovered watercolor as a teenager and has continued developing her art ever since. Bradshaw earned a BFA in Illustration\, Fine Arts\, and Art History from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Visual Journalism at the School of Visual Arts. She also pursued graduate studies in Art History and Painting at Pratt Institute. Her education reflects a commitment to craft\, storytelling\, and visual communication. Her work creates stories through watercolor\, often showing cultural and personal narratives. She draws familiar subjects\, like children’s stories\, dreams\, and cultural symbols\, and places them in new settings to bring fresh meaning. She often works in layers of watercolor \, using color and detail to giver her images depth and character. Today\, Bradshaw is Associate Professor and Director of the First Year Program at Parsons School of Design\, where she mentors emerging artists while continuing her professional work as an illustrator for books\, magazines\, and other publications. Her paintings and illustrations have been features in numerous solo and group exhibitions in New York City. \nAndrew Chalfen is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and musician whose work delves into the intricate interplay of patterns\, color\, and form. Drawing inspiration from aerial views\, cartography\, and architectural renderings\, his creations evoke a sense of rhythm and structure\, emphasizing the haptic nature of art. Chalfen’s artistic process parallels his musical background\, emphasizing repetition\, subtle variation\, and a balance between intentionality and randomness. Often using vivid colors and geometric configurations\, his pieces blur the lines between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art\, inviting viewers into immersive\, meditative experiences. Beyond his visual art\, Chalfen is also a member of the instrumental indie rock band I Think Like Midnight. His work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions across the United States\, receiving several awards\, including the 2018 Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Mid-Atlantic Regional award. \nAprajita Lal is a New Jersey-based painter whose work bridges the gap between art and nature. Lal’s interest in art was sparked as a child when her mother encouraged her to participate in the “All India Camel Color Contest.” The recognition of earning first prize in this competition motivated her to continue to explore her artistic interests. Lal capitalized on her time during the global pandemic\, taking a break from her corporate career to completely dedicate herself to painting for over three months. With the support of her family\, she then began to pursue her art professionally. Lal’s work aims to capture the beauty of nature and create tangible forms of happiness that can be shared with others. Through exploring light\, color\, and movement\, Lal captures the precious moments of peace and life found in nature. Her detailed and vibrant works evoke tranquility\, warmth\, and healing within the viewer. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCassandra Saint-Jean is a Haitian-born artist based in New Jersey whose work explores healing\, liberation\, and the beauty of the human experience. She began painting in 2020 during a period of personal transformation\, after stepping away from a healthcare career. For her\, art became a way to process emotion and reclaim her sense of self. Saint-Jean approaches painting as a nonlinear\, intuitive process that mirrors the rhythms of healing. Rather than following strict techniques or formulas\, her work unfolds naturally\, guided by emotion and presence. Through abstraction and instinctive mark-making\, she creates visual spaces that invite reflection and offer viewers a moment to slow down\, reconnect\, and consider what’s happening within themselves.\n\n \n\nDebra Bernath creates delicate works that examine the intricacies of our natural world. Focusing deeply on her subjects\, she finds inspiration in the layers and colors of nature. Bernath graduated from East Carolina University with a BFA in Textile Design\, where she studied both surface pattern and sculptural/woven and non-woven textiles. Utilizing her degree and heightened ability to break down shapes and textures\, she began creating textiles\, a profession that furthered her love for botanical artwork. Encouraged to share her perspective with others\, she reveals intimate and unnoticed views of the world around us\, creating dream-like compositions of real subjects. Her creativity and passion extend beyond just painting. She is also a photographer\, jewelry maker\, and tactile and energetic therapist who demonstrates the inherent beauty of nature and promotes the harmony between body and spirit. Uniquely composed and extremely detailed\, her work stimulates deep observation and introspection\, reminding viewers of what makes our environment and its living beings extraordinary.\n\n \nGail Wood Miller began drawing at the age of two\, inspired by her mother’s approach to drawing and painting\, a shared love of art that traces back to her grandfather\, who had taught her mother. In school\, Miller often illustrated her story assignments before putting them in words\, which eventually led her to a career teaching writing. After retiring\, she transformed her lifelong hobby into a full-time artistic practice. Her background in writing informs her art\, which often explores change\, memory\, and imagination. Whether the subject is a person\, a plant\, or a landscape\, her work invites viewers to interpret its meaning for themselves. Drawn to watercolor for its spontaneity and movement\, Miller aims to capture not just what she sees but how she imagines it\, inviting viewers to see their surroundings with new appreciation.\n\n \nIndrani Choudhury is a self-taught artist who was a biomedical research scientist for twenty-five years. Born in Calcutta\, India\, she moved to New Jersey and continued to work as a biomedical scientist. In 2006\, she knew what was missing and could return to a childhood passion for painting. Choudhury has featured her paintings at over a dozen juried art shows and galleries throughout New Jersey\, often returning to the Alfa Art Gallery. Choudhury applies watercolors with such expertise that she effortlessly displays the textures that could be made. She paints the world around her\, whether it be a frequented place\, a color\, or shadows. Choudhury is able to communicate through her passion for painting\, which allows her to reflect on how she sees the universe. She is living proof of why it is important to pursue passions and one’s dreams.\n\n \nJ. Jie Li is a New York-based contemporary artist whose work explores the fragile and complex terrain of human experience\, longing\, silence\, and impermanence. Influenced by Zen Buddhism\, Daoist philosophy\, and Schopenhauer’s reflections on desire and suffering\, she works in watercolor and mixed media to express what remains beyond words. Her process brings together figuration and abstraction\, often incorporating calligraphy\, ink\, and layered washes to evoke what she calls “inner weather.” Each stroke becomes part of a quiet search\, a gesture that lingers between memory and stillness. Rather than illustrating the visible world\, her paintings shift attention inward\, toward traces of emotion\, thought\, and presence. They hold space for contemplation\, asking the viewer to slow down and feel.\n\n \nJill Hellman is a New York born\, mixed media artist and a psychotherapist. Hellman displays and sells her work throughout the U.S and abroad. Her process highlights her intuition\, the environment that surrounds her\, as well as her own internal landscape. She has displayed her work at solo and group shows\, mainly in New Jersey and New York. Hellman has participated in many residency opportunities and painting workshops\, taking her around the world\, from New Orleans\, LA\, and Chateaux D’Orquevaux\, Orquevaux\, France. Hellman’s artwork serves as a compass on her journey towards peace in a chaotic and complex life and world.\n\n \nJoel Popadics is a nationally recognized watercolorist known for his atmospheric landscapes and mastery of light. With over 30 years of experience\, his work captures the emotional essence of nature through subtle shifts in color\, light\, and air. A BFA graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York\, Popadics began his career in oil painting before dedicating himself fully to watercolor\, drawn to its spontaneity and expressive potential. His paintings have been exhibited across the U.S.\, including at the National Academy of Art and Design in New York and the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport. His work is held in numerous public and private collections\, and he has received major awards from the Hudson Valley Art Association\, California Watercolor Association\, and New Jersey Watercolor Society. Popadics is the current President of the American Watercolor Society and a leading educator in the field\, teaching at the Ridgewood Art Institute and leading international plein air workshops. He lives in Wayne\, New Jersey\, with his wife and two sons.\n \n\nJudy Levy is a New Jersey-based mixed media artist whose work blends watercolor with ink\, fabric\, and found objects to explore texture\, contrast\, and layered meaning. Originally trained in art education\, Levy holds a BS from the University of Bridgeport and has studied oil painting\, fiber art\, and illustrative drawing at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and with artist Barbara Minch. Levy’s paintings often reflect her lifelong interest in nature and architectural design and her background in sewing and fabric arts. Her unique style incorporates hand-stitched elements and dry watercolor layering techniques. Recent works draw inspiration from her frequent travels to South Africa\, where she supports Ubuntu Pathways and integrates South African materials and motifs into her art. Throughout her career\, Levy has exhibited in more than 30 juried and invitational shows\, including the NJ Watercolor Society\, the Salmagundi Club in New York\, the NJ Center for Visual Arts\, and the Gaelen Art Show\, earning multiple awards for watercolor\, oil\, acrylic\, and mixed media. A former public school art teacher\, she also spent 23 years as a public relations coordinator for a school district and served over three decades as a trustee for the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School.\n\n \nKathleen Wert is a New Jersey-based artist who works primarily in watercolor and graphite\, creating quiet\, emotionally driven interpretations of the world around her. Drawing from a large collection of personal photographs\, she selects images that speak to her through a mix of shape\, color\, and feeling—then edits and reworks them to reflect her own inner response.  After recovering from eye surgery\, a watercolor workshop proved transformative\, revealing a medium that perfectly matched her interest in subtlety\, stillness\, and impermanence. Her paintings invite quiet reflection\, offering space for personal meaning where words may fall short.\n \nLynnette Shelley is an award-winning Pennsylvania artist whose practice is in mixed media animal and nature paintings. Her love for animals and the natural world can be noted throughout her artwork. Shelley’s art is created using a variety of drawing and painting techniques. She often adds multiple layers of ink and acrylic\, sometimes crosshatching\, linear painting\, and incorporated collage elements. Shelley’s nature and animal-packed works often explore life through a lens of fantasy and creativity. The works captivate viewers\, tap into the imagination\, and portray a contemporary take on the world. Shelley’s work has been displayed at a national level\, as well as regionally. Her artwork is in private collections throughout the United States\, Europe\, Canada\, and Australia. In addition to numerous exhibitions and awards\, she has participated in many special projects throughout her career. To mention a few\, she collaborated with Center Stage Arts in Health at Penn State Health and reproduced her works as giclee prints for their programs. Shelley was picked to reproduce her artwork on banners in downtown Rahway\, NJ’s arts district\, and was chosen to have her work included for a “Art Montco Wall” display set inside the King of Prussia Mall. These few special projects are a testament beyond awards and honors\, showing her talent\, artistic merit\, and connection to communities.\n 
URL:https://www.alfaart.org/event/exhibition-2025-nbas-watercolor-and-mixed-media-between-stillness-and-surge/
LOCATION:Alfa Art Gallery\, 108 Church Street\, New Brunswick\, NJ\, 08901\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibition Opening Reception,New Brunswick Art Salon
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260120T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T180000
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UID:27982-1768906800-1774116000@www.alfaart.org
SUMMARY:“Reflections of the Living World” NBAS\, Winter 2026 – Photography Exhibition
DESCRIPTION:Exhibition Duration:  January 20\, 2026 – March 21\, 2026 \nIn-Person Opening Reception: Friday\, January 30th\, 2026 @ 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. \nVirtual Reception: Friday\, February 6th\, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m. \nHere’s the link to the Zoom meeting! \nAbout the Exhibition  \nNew Brunswick\, NJ – Alfa Art Gallery is excited to present our photography exhibition\, “Reflections of the Living World\,” a collection of images that captures the beauty\, vulnerability\, and movement of the natural landscape around us. Each photograph invites viewers to pause and notice the quiet rhythms of everyday life. The exhibition brings together artists with diverse perspectives\, yet all are united by a shared commitment to observing and honoring the world we inhabit. \nAbout the New Brunswick Art Salon Initiative: \nAlfa Art Gallery\, since opening in 2008\, later 2010 hosted New Brunswick Art Salons (NBAS) in an effort to support established and emerging artists. Alfa has made an effort to showcase pieces from all media\, from watercolor\, oil\, photography\, and mixed media. We believe that visual art is a universal form of expression that can bridge cultural gaps and provide a forum where diverse perspectives can be shared and appreciated. Within this non-profit organization\, Alfa Art Gallery maintains its mission to uplift artists by providing an open and innovative environment that is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and diverse cultural community. Alfa Art Gallery has grown into New Brunswick’s Cultural Hub by exhibiting over five hundred artists and by hosting multidisciplinary community events in honor of the visual arts. \nExploring “Reflections of the Living World”:   \n“Reflections of the Living World\,” a New Brunswick Art Salon Photography Exhibition\, unites thirteen artists with varied methodologies and visual approaches. The exhibition examines photography as a tool for reflecting on and reinterpreting our relationship with the world. Alfa Art Gallery invites visitors to engage with images that move fluidly between the natural\, human\, and psychological—where landscapes\, textures\, observation\, and imagination intersect.   \nThroughout the exhibition\, artists examine narrative through both subtle and striking means\, from the quiet patterns and organic rhythms found in nature to more introspective and experimental works that blur the line between the known and the unknown. Some photographs emphasize materiality and surface\, while others reveal emotional depth through fragmentation\, abstraction\, and altered perspectives. Together\, these works form a dynamic dialogue between technique and meaning\, offering viewers a layered and immersive experience that reflects the complexity\, beauty\, and vitality of the living world.  \n2026 NBAS Featured Artists in Photography: \nAlan Chimacoff  is a photographer from Princeton\, New Jersey. With his architectural degrees\, which he received from Cornell and Harvard\, Chimacoff has an expertise in finding abstract and pictorial spaces. He is able to capture the intricate depths in images of architecture\, the city\, and manufactured things. Through intricacy and intriguing compositions\, Chimacoff’s view of the mundane and unusual in non-objective abstraction allows others to see the world from a different perspective through his works. Chimacoff is very proactive in the art world by being a member of Soho Photo Gallery in New York City. He has many collections in national galleries from Los Angeles to Dallas and local exhibitions in New Jersey\, including several solo and group shows. With a strong connection to Cornell and Princeton through being a professor of architecture and even designing buildings for the campuses along with other schools nationwide. In 2019\, he was a recipient of the New Jersey American Institute of Architects Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement Award\, its highest honor.    through his works.   \nArik Gorban  has been pursuing photography since he was 11 years old. Having had over 45 years of experience in the field\, he now produces both fine art-based works and hosts a variety of photography workshops and services. Growing up\, Gorban was surrounded by the art scene as he attended many museums and galleries with his family. His creative process consists of reflecting what he sees in his mind’s eye through pre-visualizing images. Over time\, he was able to take advantage of newer tools and techniques to produce images that express his intentions in a stronger manner. Gorban is an active judge in photo contests\, critiques\, and often exhibits his own photography work. Working in a variety of photo mediums\, such as darkroom photography\, analog photography\, and digital image\,s has led him to numerous photography awards and national and international publications.   \nBarry Rosenthal is a fine arts photographer and sculptor based in Brooklyn\, New York\, with a focus on environmental impact and advocacy throughout his pieces. Starting his professional art career at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton\, Ohio\, studying photography\, which led him into street photography. While photographing the world around him\, Rosenthal noticed more and more things left behind —old toys\, gloves\, and garbage found in natural forms —seeing the battle between the natural and the unnatural. He began collecting these ocean-borne objects\, seeing them in a new light or shadow as pieces to be focused on. These unnatural objects allowed Rosenthal to see both their horror and their beauty\, prompting him to create his series of found-object photographs\, “Found in Nature.” By arranging these found objects by color or utility against dark backgrounds\, making them feel both isolated and unified\, as well as making the viewers feel comfortable with their own role in the fate of these objects and our environment as a whole. One of his most notable pieces from this series is Blue Ocean due to its vibrancy and draw\, allowing this to be his first piece to receive national attention. This series gained Rosenthal a lot of notability; his images can be found in many prestigious museums\, such as the MOMA\, the Springfield Art Museum\, as well as being featured in the New York Times\, National Geographic\, CBS News\, and The Weather Channel\, bringing national and international attention to his pieces and our environmental impact. Most recently\, Rosenthal is working on his sculptural work\, including Sea Goddess\, a wall-mounted sculpture made from found straws\, blue sea netting\, and a large inflatable doll.   \nBrian Hallas is a photographer and digital artist from Shrewsbury Township\, New Jersey. He employs his iPhone to craft colorful and hallucinogenic collages. He experiments with layering and blending techniques to create improvisations that evoke dreams and transcendence. He is inspired by his surroundings and is able synthesize technology and nature into eccentric compositions. Flowers are overlayed onto grand cathedrals and rollercoasters\, and humans become lost in an array of color and texture. Hallas’ pursuit of photography is his most recent artistic development\, as he comes from a background in sound design and performance. His experience within this field informs the stratified and spontaneous nature of his images. Hallas’ works have been shown in museums and galleries\, hang in many private collections in the US\, and have been featured in several online magazines. Hallas provides an escape through immersion in a psychedelic\, yet familiar sublime.    \nFrederick Doerfler\, Jr. is an American digital photographer based near Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania. His work explores the dialogue between the natural and built environment\, often through urban reflections\, architectural abstraction\, and travel landscapes. Doerfler describes being influenced by his work as a physician\, dedicating a similar kind of attention to precision\, pattern\, and narrative to his photographic practice. His photographs of urban architecture defamiliarize everyday edifices through an appreciative lens of their architectural and geometric beauty\, creating symphonic compositions of light\, shape\, and color. Doerfler currently serves as President of the Pittsburgh Photography Club (est. 1885) and Executive Vice President of the Photographic Society of America (PSA).  \nGerald Slota is a New Jersey–based fine artist and photographer known for redefining the boundaries of photography through deconstruction and reinvention. Trained in traditional techniques\, he became fascinated by what happens when images are altered—torn\, burned\, or drawn upon—to reveal new emotional and psychological depths. His fragmented compositions blur the line between memory and imagination\, transforming photographs into intimate visual narratives. Slota’s work has been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the George Eastman House\, Langhans Galerie in Prague\, and Ricco/Maresca Gallery in New York City\, and featured in The New Yorker\, Aperture\, and The New York Times Magazine. He has received numerous honors\, including a Polaroid 20”x24” Grant and a MacDowell Artist Residency\, and created a large-scale mural for the Norton Museum of Art in 2021. For Slota\, art is an act of excavation—each mark uncovers hidden truths. His work finds beauty in fragmentation\, inviting viewers to see how the past lingers within the reimagined image.  \nJacki Dickert is a New Jersey–based fine art and nature photographer whose work celebrates the wonder\, beauty\, and quiet magic of the natural world. Growing up exploring the woods and climbing trees\, Dickert developed an early fascination with nature’s rhythms and hidden details. The daughter of a nature photographer\, she absorbed the art form from a young age\, nurturing a lifelong passion for observing and capturing the world through her lens.A transformative trip to Iceland in 2006 inspired Dickert to pursue photography more seriously\, seeking to share the sense of awe she experiences in wild places—whether in distant landscapes or the familiar woods near her home. Her work ranges from sweeping vistas to intricate studies of patterns\, light\, and texture\, revealing the artistry inherent in nature itself. Through her photography\, Dickert invites viewers to slow down and rediscover the beauty that exists all around them. Her images evoke peace\, wonder\, and gratitude\, reflecting her belief that the natural world offers endless inspiration and healing. Now teaching photography and contributing her art to environmental causes\, Dickert continues to blend creativity and conservation\, using her camera as both a tool for expression and a means to celebrate life’s everyday magic.  \nJeremy Dennis is a contemporary fine-art photographer who lives and works in Southampton\, New York\, on the Shinnecock Indian Reserve. He is an alumnus from both Stony Brook University (BA ‘13) and Pennsylvania State University (MFA ‘16). Dennis is able to use his camera to transport viewers to an otherworldly narrative of oral stories. These narratives include themes of Indigenous identity\, culture\, and colonial assimilation\, and draw from other histories and contemporary experiences. Jeremy Dennis is able to use his photography in order to uplift BIPOC experiences and voices. He also does this through being the founder of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio\, Inc\, whose mission is to uplift Indigenous and BIPOC voices. This non-profit art house is also located on the Shinnecock Indian Reserve. Dennis’ artwork draws on his own personal and communal histories\, utilizing themes of identity\, resilience\, and visibility in his community. His most prominent projects for these themes are On This Site–Native Long Island (2016-ongoing)\, Rise (2018-ongoing)\, Nothing Happened Here\, Stories–Indigenous Oral Stories\, Dreams\, and Myths (2013-ongoing). He is currently on the advisory boards of The Boys & Girls Club of the Shinnecock Nation\, The Bridgehampton Museum\, The Church of Sag Harbor\, WNET Group’s THIRTEEN/WLIW Community Advisory Board\, and Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio\, Inc. Dennis’s most recent award is an Artist to Artist Fellowship from the Art Matters Foundation.   \nJoanne Ross is a visual artist based in the tri-state area. Originally growing up in Queens\, NYC\, she received an MFA in Photography from SUNY Buffalo/Visual Studies Workshop\, an MS in Art Education from Syracuse University\, and a BA in Art Education from Buffalo State College. She uses her photography to capture deeper meanings\, telling stories with each photograph. Ross focuses on cultural commentary\, from climate change to the impacts of war. With her photographs and archival work\, she is able to piece together narratives of identity and the larger impact of the culture that we are enveloped in\, even when we do not notice it. She edits and crops her photos to perfectly tell these stories\, both through highlighting certain objects and obfuscating others. While photography is her main medium\, she has worked with physical objects\, such as old archival finds from the past\, such as a child’s airplane toy from World War II. She has received many awards and participated in many different exhibitions\, both solo and group. Along with this\, Joanne continued to push forward her love of photography and art\, becoming a teacher. She taught photography at the International Center of Photography\, School of Visual Arts NYC\, Rockland Community College\, Ramapo College\, New Jersey City University\, and as a tenured educator in the New Jersey  School System. Her art is able to encapsulate many large social commentaries\, allowing for the audience to better understand the impact of these issues.  \nLisa Saltzman is a NYC-based fine art photographer who draws her inspiration from Impressionist painting\, abstraction\, cubism\, and figurative photography. Saltzman studied and graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her fascination with the human psyche is an inspiration that shines throughout her art as well. Through these inspirations\, Saltzman uses the medium of street photography. She studied this medium at Christie’s and the International Center of Photography. Her street photography is a style that Saltzman has become known for in the art world. When viewers look at her black and white photographs\, they view human emotion and the daily life of NYC. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally\, while receiving several awards as well. These galleries include: First Street Gallery\, Brick Lane Gallery\, Darkroom Gallery\, and LemoArt Gallery. In terms of recognition\, Saltzman has been featured in publications such as Gelatin Magazine\, Art of the Times\, L’Oeil de la Photographie\, and Bellus Magazine.   by. \nMark Aizenberg is an award-winning photographer based in Wynnewood\, PA\, whose work merges artistic vision with scientific curiosity. Trained as a neuroscientist\, Aizenberg explores how the human mind perceives and organizes visual information—a fascination that deeply informs his fine art and aerial photography. His compositions transform everyday landscapes into abstract studies of line\, curve\, and contrast\, inviting viewers to experience familiar spaces with renewed wonder. Aizenberg’s minimalist approach emphasizes simplicity and structure\, using black and white imagery to reveal the hidden rhythms of natural and urban environments.  \nAn active member of the Main Line Art Center and the Main Line Camera Club\, Aizenberg’s work has been featured in exhibitions and publications both nationally and internationally. His photographs—recognized by institutions such as the Philadelphia Sketch Club\, Pennsylvania Center for Photography\, and Wayne Art Center—reveal an enduring commitment to capturing the beauty\, order\, and emotion that arise when art and science converge.  \nPatricia Worley is a New Jersey–based photographer whose passion for photography began in high school and continued to grow throughout her college years\, during which she earned a degree in film and television. After pausing her career to raise her children\, she returned to photography with renewed focus\, studying landscape photography with master photographers around the world. She has traveled to more than 35 countries and most of the United States\, refining her skills and developing a deep appreciation for the ways light shapes the natural world. In addition to her creative work\, she teaches photography\, from camera basics to advanced editing\, helping students cultivate both technical skill and creative vision.  \nWorley’s photography reflects her lifelong curiosity about nature and her sensitivity to light and atmosphere. While her early work explored global landscapes\, her more recent focus has been on wildlife and the night sky. Her Nightscapes series captures the quiet beauty of starlit skies while drawing attention to the growing effects of light pollution. Through her images\, Worley encourages viewers to pause\, look upward\, and reconnect with the wonder of the night\, a reminder of how much of the world’s natural beauty is worth preserving.  \nSteven Kushner is a photographer based in New Jersey who focuses his work on the various aspects of observational photography. Working as a congregational rabbi\, he has always explored his interest in storytelling and continuously strives to better understand the world around him. In doing so\, he seeks beauty and meaning in the mundane\, a theme that runs through his street photography. In his works\, Kushner is drawn to photographing people interacting with their surroundings as if they were subjects within a scene\, using their passive roles as individuals as part of his methodology to contextualize their importance to a larger narrative. He also highlights his keen interest in structure\, design\, light\, and order\, noting that they have been central to his practice since 2017. Throughout his photography career\, he has also participated in various juried shows and won many prestigious awards\, including being selected by the editorial staff of Leica Fotographie International for the prestigious “Leica Master Shots” collection. Also\, in 2023\, Kushner had two images selected into the annual Photography Exhibition of the Ocean County Artists Guild\, one of which even received the award for “Best in Category: Still Life Photography. A year later\, in 2024\, his photography was accepted into the New Jersey Council on the Arts Annual\, hosted at the Montclair Art Museum\, further elevating Kushner’s work to a larger audience and continuing to promote his photography in an institutional setting. Steven Kushner’s photography catalog has been widely celebrated throughout New Jersey and continues to spark new discussions of contemporary street photography through his lens.  \nTuyet Van Truster Born in Paris\, of Vietnamese descent\, Tuyet Van Truster is an instant film photographer currently based in Jersey City\, USA. Her photographic practice first began as a fun family activity and casual pass time\, a hobby which eventually evolved into a burning artistic passion and a love for the tactile qualities and experimental possibilities present in film photography. She describes developing a yearning for the sound of the shutter button\, the rolling out of the image\, and for the mystery\, anticipation\, and excitement of the photo development process. Having a scientific background\, Truster likes to test the boundaries between control and unpredictability. Some images are corroded with different chemicals\, altered by time in order to explore the notions of reverie\, identity\, memory and wonder. Her practice demonstrates the malleability of the photographic medium and the boundless opportunities and meanings that can be expounded from film’s physical manipulation.   \nOur Sponsors 
URL:https://www.alfaart.org/event/reflections-of-the-living-world-nbas-winter-2026-photography-exhibition/
LOCATION:Alfa Art Gallery\, 108 Church Street\, New Brunswick\, NJ\, 08901\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibition Opening Reception,New Brunswick Art Salon
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