September 2019 All Media Exhibition
WHEN: November 8, opening reception Friday, 7-11 PM
WHERE: 89 Main St., Fort Lee
Fort Lee Art Group (FLAG) is marking its inception as a brand-new organization for art and culture in the community with the opening reception of its very first pop-up show.
The debut show’s featured or “Flagship” artist is local creative personality Tony Seker, A.K.A. “Claxon Du Soleil,” an abstract painter whose loud and colorful works of art fit perfectly with his self-created French moniker roughly meaning “blast from the sun.”
Seker is a pillar of the arts community in and around Fort Lee, acting as the vice president of the non-profit organization Fort Lee Artists Guild and showing his work everywhere from The Modern and the Recreation Center to local fairs and festivals throughout Bergen County. Tony’s artistic reach has also extended into the larger metropolitan region, leading to exhibitions in places such as Hoboken, Manhattan, Brooklyn and New York State, and granting him multiple awards from juried shows throughout the tri-state area.
In addition to featuring Tony Seker’s paintings, FLAG will also present the pieces of several other artists in their premiere exhibition, and is still seeking submissions for artwork as well as applications for live musical performances. The Group expects the occasion to attract all kinds of artists and hopes to act as a breeding ground for new and exciting ideas in the future.
However, pop-up art exhibitions and musical performances are not the only attractions that the Fort Lee Art Group has to offer. Its slogan is "Art for Everyone," and it is serious about that claim. The group is dedicated to connecting people and facilitating collaboration between every art form and type of creativity: art marketing, networking events, corporate workshops, individual fundraisers, private auctions, and traveling shops with art, crafts, and gifts from local creators are just a handful of the items on FLAG’s burgeoning catalog of projects and programs available to individuals, small businesses and large companies alike.
And to FLAG, the idea of “Art for Everyone” includes helping both established and emerging artists express their talents and communicate their message to the rest of the world.
"We know it's not always easy to make it on your own," says Doug Rizio, assistant director of the gallery. "In the modern age of smartphones and social media, everyone is expected to spend all of their time doing self-promotion and public relations—but it's hard to be an artist AND an advertiser. So, we want to do it for you."
The featured artists of FLAG get more than just a chance to show their work in public spaces—they also get access to marketing materials and other special services such as the sale of merchandise like posters and prints, the creation of online artist profiles, and the recording of video interviews that let them share their own personal stories to a large audience of viewers.
Of course, one of the most important parts of being a working artist is actually selling work, and the Fort Lee Art Group can do that too. With FLAG’s extensive network of art collectors at its disposal, it will be able connect the makers of art to the buyers of art and give everyone the products or payments that they deserve.
