ART

By Kevin CzerwinSKi

Louise Hafesh saw firsthand how the pandemic took a toll on the Bergen County arts community. The Cliffside Park resident and renowned artist watched as galleries, theaters and musical venues closed, one right after another, leaving those who painted, performed and sang without a vehicle to share their talents.

The worst of the pandemic appears to be in the past now and as the world returns to a sense of normalcy, those in the arts community have reemerged, providing patrons with the type of calming nourishment of which they were deprived for more than a year. Hafesh decided she wanted to be part of that reintroduction and rebirth and that’s why she participated in the second annual Arts Amble, a three-day event that took place in nearly two dozen towns across Bergen County in June.

The Arts Amble brought together scores of artists, performers, venues and businesses in an effort to allow artists of all types, ages and abilities to showcase their talents over the course of three very entertaining days and evenings. The venues ranged from concert halls and bars to parking lots and driveways but the message at each site remained the same – these works and performances are important.

“Artists just didn’t have the opportunities they may have had in previous years,” Hafesh said. “The arts community needs to have the supporters in the community to branch out and work together for the benefit of all. Arts are the heart and soul of the nation whether its writing, theater or dance. “They are tough fields to get into, especially during COVID. There were so many artists struggling and some are still not quite out of the woods. People right now are looking at food and gas issues and the thing that is lowest on the totem, I would imagine, is to go out and buy art. This is a way of boosting the arts. You have so many talented people in Bergen County, let’s just have them stand up and be counted and have people think of art as something that is joy and beauty.”

Hafesh, who is a native of Liverpool, England, is an award-winning contemporary realist painter whose work has been featured in the National Arts Gallery in New York City. Her latest series, “Messages of Hope,” features angels and was painted during the pandemic. She said these works are designed to provide hope and inspiration, not only for her but for others. Four of those paintings were at an exhibit in Ridgewood during Arts Amble.

“They represent hope and looking forward,” she said. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We are coming out of it [the pandemic] now so it all coincides.”

It was through her work that Hafesh met Carolyn Enger, an international concert pianist and Steinway artist. Enger purchased one of Hafesh’s paintings and the two formed a friendship. They worked together on Arts Amble and are planning on a collaborative effort that will be featured at The Black Box Performing Arts Center in Englewood.

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Enger had to adapt when the pandemic hit and, for the most part, she adapted well. She practiced at her Englewood home and during the summer of 2020 began playing the piano with her windows and doors open, providing the neighborhood with a bit of a respite during what had rapidly become a trying time. She invited neighbors to bring over chairs and encouraged them to sit on her lawn and listen to her play.

“The last two years I’ve been giving concerts on my lawn,” said Enger, who grew up in Tenafly. “During the pandemic I spent so much time practicing, especially in 2020. Emotionally and psychologically, it was a relatively easy time for me during social isolation.

I was home practicing and surrounded by beautiful music. I opened my doors and windows and played concerts and it went very well. For Arts Amble, I thought my lawn could be a venue and I could give a concert so that’s what we did last year.

“During COVID it was impossible to book concerts because all the venues were closed. I was able to perform and also did virtual concerts but after a while, people got tired of being on zoom and their computers all the time. It was just a stopgap measure. We are social beings and art is our highest way of connecting with each other, I think. It’s like houses of worship, they are both in the same league. It soothes the soul. Art makes people better.”

Arts Amble certainly provided the right vehicle to allow the arts back into the lives of so many.

The Heel the Soul benefi t was held at Montammy Golf Club. For more information, visit www.englewoodhealthfoundation.org.

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