OCEAN CITY — At the Ocean City Arts Center’s Fall Cocktail Reception Fundraiser on Oct. 17 at Adelene, a pair of well-known sketch artists will be there in tribute to an old boardwalk tradition.
The reception is held to acquaint and reacquaint local residents with all of the offerings at the Arts Center — a “hidden gem” on the second floor of the Ocean City Community Center.
“So many people I meet are astonished to discover there is a beautiful arts center right in the heart of town,” said Maryann Pionegro-Smith, a member of the center’s board of trustees and an organizer of the event. “The Ocean City Arts Center is such a hidden gem.”
Although the Arts Center has been around for decades, many residents still don’t realize it is there offering a wide range of classes and events year-round and art openings in the gallery the second Friday of each month.
“Our mission is to promote the arts for all ages, and that includes visual and performing arts,” she said, noting there is a dance studio on site.
The Community Center also houses the Ocean City Free Public Library, the Ocean City Historical Museum, the Senior Center and the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
“I would tell people if you are visiting the museum, returning a book, or just finished working out at the gym, why not head upstairs and check out the latest exhibit in our art gallery, or see what classes are coming up? You really will be pleasantly surprised,” Pionegro-Smith said.
Why a cocktail hour?
“For many decades, our yearly fundraising event was a large luncheon held off-shore in the middle of the week. It was always a success but after COVID I think the idea waned a bit,” she said. “We felt our patrons might like something fresh and new, back in our own hometown, and right on the boardwalk.”
Being on a Friday night, she added, “It’s great for people who want a nice evening out after the work week is over.”
The cocktail hour is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Adelene in the Port-O-Call Hotel, 15th Street and Boardwalk, Ocean City. Cost for tickets is $50 per person. It includes hors d’oeuvres, signature drinks and beer and wine. The sketch artist portraits are for an additional fee of $20. (Limited slots are available.) For tickets and information, call (609) 399-7628 or go to oceancityartscenter.org.
“In addition to some delicious light fare and prizes, we will also have special signature drinks that showcase some other boardwalk and Ocean City traditions,” she said, “but they’re a secret right now, so you’ll have to buy a ticket to find out.”
Pionegro-Smith has her own personal attachment to the center.
“It really is such a great place to visit and immerse yourself in the arts all year long, even in the dead of winter. There is always something going on. I personally have fond memories of being chosen as the winner for the Arts Center’s logo contest back in 1991, and am honored that my design has been used all these years,” she said. “However, it’s time to refresh our brand, so I’m happy to be serving on our board to help choose a new logo that matches a new era of arts appreciation in Ocean City.”
Those sketch artists
The sketch artists for the evening are Tim Smith and Tony Troy, who offer distinctly different styles.
Having them at the fundraiser is the brainchild of board President Dr. Jack Devine.
“Every summer on boardwalks, promenades and at state fairs across the country there is one ubiquitous presence: the sketch artist,” he said. “The Ocean City boardwalk is no exception to this tradition — and what a tradition it is. With merely a sketch pad and charcoal, these artists can produce a realistic portrait or a caricature in a matter of minutes.
“In a seashore town like ours, these portraits become part of the fabric of our lives — linking residents and visitors alike with a memory of a summer evening on the boardwalk captured forever in ink. Who among us doesn’t have one of these sketches either on display in our homes or tucked away in a closet? These drawings form a thread that unites us in our love for Ocean City.”
He also noted that after years of luncheon fundraisers at country clubs on the mainland, it was time to come back to Ocean City.
“We selected Port-O-Call Hotel because its dining room, Adelene, actually looks right out at the boardwalk, where so many sketch artists have plied their trade,” Devine said. “And we wanted an evening event to allow young working couples to participate.
“I contacted two of the area’s most prominent sketch artists to join in this event. Tony Troy, famous for its murals in the Flanders Hotel, is a much sought after portrait painter on both sides of the Atlantic. And Tim Smith is a self-taught artist whose portraits and seascape paintings have been in galleries and shows throughout South Jersey, including the Art of Surfing Exhibit every summer on the Music Pier,” he said.
Aside from capturing a portrait, Devine said there is another reason for having that feature at the cocktail reception.
“The board hopes that the sketches done at the event will inspire attendees to consider taking up drawing. The Arts Center has several classes and workshops in drawing where students can hone their skills in composition, perspective, use of light and shadow, etc.,” he said. “Pay attention when the artist draws you on Oct. 17 — it may actually be your first art class!”
Devine has a long history with the Arts Center and fondness that predates his long tenure as board of trustees president.
“What I love most about the Arts Center is that it is such a place of joy and happiness,” he said. “The moment you enter the door, your cares and worries just drift away as you are transported into a world of art and creativity. It is completely liberating!”
The cocktail hour is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at Adelene in the Port-O-Call, 15th Street and Boardwalk, Ocean City. Cost for tickets is $50 per person. It includes hors d’oeuvres, signature drinks and beer and wine. The sketch artist portraits are for an additional fee of $20. (Limited slots are available.) For tickets and information, call (609) 399-7628 or go to oceancityartscenter.org.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
