Galerie FoF (Federation of Friends) in Rahway Arts District

Me and my artist brothers and sisters from New York curated very significant monthly artist exhibitions for the City of Rahway First Thursday Arts Festival which was held on every first Thursday of the month for two years in the Rahway Arts District. Here we merged community policing efforts with the Rahway Arts District.  During these art shows, I influenced police officers to attend and engage with the community. This COP (Community Oriented Policing) initiative helped cultivate positive relations with community members and fostered partnership between the police and the community stakeholders. The Mayor of Rahway, then Mayor James Kennedy, and the Recreation Director Anthony Diege Sr., gave us a huge space to hold our exhibitions and supplied us with food and wine for the openings. They also assigned me a city van to transport the artists' artworks from all five New York Boros to N.J. and back. They were very generous and Mayor Kennedy's vision of the Arts District was stupendous. I am a strong believer in the COP philosophy and I also accept art as life as my philosophy and also believe in the transformative power of art. There is no better way to celebrate community partnership then artist exhibitions and these exhibitions that we curated monthly for two years were just as significant as anything happening in Chelsea or the Lower East Side at the time. All of the artists were from New York, Brooklyn Queens and the Bronx and our hard work, coupled with Mayor Kennedy's vision and generosity (and Tony Diege's kindness and help), made it possible to introduce what was happening in the New York Art scene to the Rahway Arts District in N.J. (we were only one of many artist groups and art spaces that exhibited on these First Thursdays).

Me with Robert “Rahway”Zakanitch. Robert is a Rahway born hero of mine. Robert was one of the founders of the Pattern and Decoration movement. His works are held in the MoMA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. He was an honored guest at our very first exhibit. The artists that showed in this exhibit were Ryan Brown, Naho Taruishi, Stewart Stelzer, Kathy Callahan, and myself.

We received good coverage in America Oggi.

Ryan Brown in front of his 48 Hour Line.

Rahway Police officers observing Ryan’s 48 Hour Line.

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Nice little mention from Dan Bischoff in the N.J. Star 

Ledger. The artists in this exhibition was Kenny Rivera

and Roger Carmona.

Work of Kenny Rivera.

Kenny Rivera.

Work of Roger Carmona.

Rahway Police Officers attending our exhibit. From left to right: Billy Opplinger, Dave DeSordi, Charles Sabba, and Billy Eicholz.

One of the openings.

Rachel Frontino’s show.

Linda snd Cathy Csllahan.

Rachel Frontino’s show.

In Rahel Frontino’s East New York art studio.

Rachel Frontino’s exhibition.

Chopper and Larry Cappiello. Chopper makes sculptures out of car parts. Larry was the director of the Arts Guild of N.J. Down the street from our exhibition space.

Chopper Happel and me in front of our space.

In front of our space.

In front of our space during Chopper Happel’s exhibition.

In front of our space.

A really cool Russian Orthodox priest on a skateboard in 

Front of our space.

Linda Lee Nichol’s exhibition and opening.

Linda and her mom.

Linda Lee Nichols.

Performance art.

Min Park.

Opera singer.

Opera singer.

Rachel Frontino: performance art.

Kathy Callahan and Rachel Frontino.

Larry Cappiello and myself.

Performance.

Performance.

Kathy Callahan.

Performance art.

Ryan Brown.

Naho Taruishi.

Linda, Ryan Brown, myself snd Naho Taruishi.

Naho Taruishi and Ryan Brown.

Percormance art.

Ryan Brown.

Me reading poetry during Kathy Csllahan’s performance art.

Kathy Callahan.

Me and Larry Cappiello.