Your Guide to Jersey City Art Galleries

It’s no surprise that the most diverse city in the country is brimming with creativity. Overflowing is the key word as space is always the issue that thwarts the exuberance of local artists in an area where square footage of floor and wall space is at a premium. There is always an incredible array of art events planned for Jersey City artists and art lovers. Galleries large and small host transportable exhibitions, thought-provoking artist talks, moving multi-disciplinary performances, and delightfully inclusive food and news sharing events. Read on to learn about the various art galleries in Jersey City and why they should be on your list of things to do in town.

The Jersey City Art Scene

The welcome that awaits first-timers in Jersey City’s art venues is vibrant and genuine, and stands in stark contrast to stereotypes about artistic elites and gatekeepers to the art world. Gallery directors, curators and gallery staff are likely to greet visitors at the door, swapping first names while exchanging art-infused thoughts on ways to read a portrait, or the magic of capturing movement as a time-trapped meditation on a moment, or perhaps sparking a discussion of colors trending and then evoking an era. Entering alone makes it more likely that the art-loving adventurer will find a friend with their experience of seeing what artists have to say about our times and our place in the world.

Read more: Hoboken-based artists and creators to follow on Instagram

When galleries are in rented venues and subsidized artist studios do not have long-term contracts, the community investment that these artists and arts organizations bring is extremely vulnerable. Jersey City has a well-described history of this struggle between artists who settled in places where they thrived just to get the boot; disrupting, and too often ending, what had been a very good thing.

Civic support

Jersey Town Hall, along with forward-thinking civic leaders and a vast array of local arts workers, are immersed in the heavy lifting needed to ensure that JC becomes an increasingly friendly place for emerging artists. and emerging. We can only hope that the next few decades in JC will see greater stability of the region’s art venues and greater resources for the region’s artists. To that end, Mayor Fulop and the Jersey City Arts Council have provided vital arts infrastructure support in the form of an annual arts and culture grant fund that will begin to make a significant difference (if it is progressive) in the JC art world(s) this year.

We need solidarity. We need to see each other’s creative endeavors and applaud each other for a job well done when our neighbors’ creative output thrills our senses. We need to experience community in some form, preferably one that feels meaningful and driven by intent. Jersey City’s visual arts venues are (right now!) offering open invitations to community events that take a myriad of delightful forms, offering experiences unlike what we’re likely to encounter in our daily routines.

See More: Must-See Art Galleries In Hoboken

Our solidarity, our creativity and our community needs can be met, right now, by the arts scene in Jersey City. They can be met for free, without an exclusive invitation or special knowledge. You just have to go there.

Galleries in Jersey City

What has passed or is a question that requires constant updates. The following is a broad and very partial list of visual art venues to follow for big events. Follow the social media accounts of these arts organizations and join their mailing lists.

Arthouse productions

curious subject | 272 Fifth Street

(Photo credit: curious subject)

deep space | 77 Cornelison Avenue

Gallery Dineen Hull | 70 Sip Avenue

(Photo credit: Gallery Dineen Hull)

Fairs | 926 Newark Ave #T107

(Photo credit: Fairs)

Saint-Pierre University Fine Arts Gallery | 2641 John F. Kennedy Blvd.

(Photo credit: Saint-Pierre University Fine Arts Gallery)

Jersey City School of Art Gallery 313 | 313 Third Street

(Photo credit: Jersey City School of Art Gallery 313)

Lemmerman Gallery at the University of New Jersey City | 2039 Kennedy Blvd.

(Photo credit: City University of New Jersey)

Contemporary Mana | 888 Newark Avenue

Now Project Space | 411 Monmouth Street

(Photo credit: Now Project Space)

Novado Gallery | 110 Morgan Street

(Photo credit: Novado Gallery)

Outlander Gallery | 126 Avenue Monticello

Pro Arts Jersey City | 344 Grove Street

(Photo credit: Pro Arts Jersey City)

Sky Garden Gallery | 150 Bay Street

(Photo credit: Sky Garden Gallery)

SMUSH Gallery | 340 Summit Avenue

(Photo credit: SMUSH Gallery)

Rotunda Art Gallery | 280 Grove Street, 2nd Floor

(Photo credit: Rotunda Art Gallery)

Written by: Sarah Griesbach

Sarah Hermes Griesbach lives in a Newport apartment with a Jersey City zip code, just south of Hoboken Lackawanna Station. She is a longtime museum educator and cultural writer using her location at a crossroads of ferries, trains, subway, light rail, bike paths and walking paths to explore this creative hub. Hoboken Girl gives Griesbach a great excuse to ask questions and seek answers from the countless creative doers, agitators and thinkers that populate our dynamic region. She is always on the lookout for stories about nature, city life, and people who push for a better world.