Arts & Entertainment

Artists With Broad Palette of Talents to Receive Awards

Basking Ridge artist Serena Bocchino, Matheny's Arts Access program among those being recognized in 2013.

Seven winners of the 2013 Somerset County Excellence in the Arts Awards — including Basking Ridge artist Serena Bocchino and the Matheny Medical and Educational Center, for its Arts Access program — will be honored at a dinner to be held on Oct. 24.

Whether, like Bocchino, they are artists who also nurture the talents of others, or whether they are musicians, theater folk or dance lovers, there is a wide range of talents among those to be honored. 

The awards program honors individuals and organizations that show exemplary leadership and dedication to the fine and performing arts in Somerset County, according to information from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

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Recipients of each year's awards either live or work in Somerset County. The master of ceremony will be Nicholas Paleologos, executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner on Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Twin Brooks Country Club at 600 Mountain Blvd. in Watchung.

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Tickets are $55 per person and the public is invited to attend. The registration deadline is Oct. 16. 

“The awards dinner provides an opportunity for the community to show its appreciation for the many talented artists, art advocates and educators that are dedicated to promoting the arts in Somerset County,” said Freeholder Patricia Walsh, Cultural and Heritage Commission liaison.

This year’s recipients, Walsh said, have shown "exceptional commitment and dedicated service to the arts, have exemplified talent and professionalism and, most importantly, have been an inspiration to the community."

Contact to attend

Anyone wishing to attend can contact Cultural and Heritage Commission Program Coordinator Kaitlin Bundy at 908-231-7000, ext. 7246 or bundy@co.somerset.nj.us.

This year, the Aspiring Young Artist Award will be presented to James Lin of Bridgewater for excellence in, and commitment to, music performance. 

In the Arts in Education category, Betty DeMonic of East Windsor will be recognized for her love of music and theater and for inspiring talent in students at Franklin High School.

Also, John Anthony Kennette of Somerville will be recognized for fostering a love of theater, film and music, and developing talent in children with autism and learning disabilities.   

In the Arts in the Community category, four awards will be presented:  For Outstanding Vision and Leadership: Serena Bocchino of Basking Ridge will be honored for her exemplary commitment and contribution of time and talent to the arts in Somerset County, and for helping others realize their potential through the arts, according to information from the cultural and heritage commission.

For Volunteerism: Catherine Heldt-Ebel of Middlesex will be recognized for her dedication to the art of dance and her work as an organizer of the Benefit for Brooke to raise funds for a child with a brain tumor. 

For Dedication to Arts Access and Outreach: the Arts Access Program at Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack-Gladstone will be honored for its teachers, art facilitators, staff, board members and volunteers who foster talent in people with disabilities and help them express themselves through the arts.  

For Exemplary Collaboration and Partnership: the Rays Art Project and volunteer Nancy Edwards of Hillsborough will be recognized. Edwards will accept the award on behalf of all the volunteers who contributed to the success of this unique and important collaboration between the medical and arts communities to educate the public on the dangers of sun exposure and skin cancer.

The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and Friends of Somerset County Culture & Heritage Inc. are cosponsors of the awards program.  

An independent panel comprised of professionals in the arts select recipients of the awards.  Members of this year’s panel are Don Esposito, Robert Bouwman, Jan ten Broeke, Janice Haggerty, Mark Else and Ann Osterdale Rosenblum.  

The Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission is committed to making programs and events accessible to all residents, according to information from Somerset County.  

For more information about the awards program or to make arrangements for special accommodations, contact Kaitlin Bundy at bundy@co.somerset.nj.us. or 908-231-7000, ext. 7246.


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