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- On May 1, event organizer Emma Waring with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and Cherry Hill African American Civic Association welcomes attendees to the first outdoor Author and Artist Expo. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- The annual Author and Artists Expo on May 1 was attended by Officer Anthony Amato (left to right), Assemblyman Bill Spearman, Councilwoman Michele Galkow, Sangeeta Doshi, Delta Sigma Theta chair and Cherry Hill African American Civic Association member Emma Waring, Mayor Susan Shin Angulo and Officer Andrew Spell. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
More than 40 artists and authors from South Jersey and Philadelphia gathered at Croft Farm Arts Center on May 1 for the first in-person Author and Artist Expo in two years, and its first outdoors.
The event was a joint effort between Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, the township and the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association. It featured music and food and the chance to meet and buy from local authors and artists.
“We wanted to showcase local authors and artists because they go unnoticed, and there’s a lot of talent in South Jersey and we really wanted to showcase what we have in our own backyard,” said Joanne Ceaser, president of South Jersey Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.
“ … We need to support them,” she added. “Especially post-pandemic – a lot of them didn’t have a venue or time to show their wares.”
While past expos were held at the Cherry Hill Public Library, the number of creators involved has doubled since the event began in 2016, so planners decided on an outdoor setting. Some artists also had live painting demonstrations.
Philadelphia illustrator and fine artist Terrill Johnson’s painting showed two people hugging each other. Called “Fire in My Bosom,” it was inspired by the pandemic.
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- Terrill Johnson, a Philadelphia artist, was inspired by the pandemic to create this painting titled “Fire in My Bosom.” (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- Philadelphia resident Terrill Johnson stands with a painting called “Esperanza” or Overjoyed. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
“The longing for human contact, the longing for human interaction outside of the internet … ,” he noted. “Once we find out our loved ones are still with us, it’s like that embrace. When (people/music/culture) were lacking, it affected my work and how I looked at things.
“But it took me in a different direction,” Johnson added, “and that’s why my work looked colorful, because I was pushing for that positive energy.”
Event attendees could circle the courtyard and stop inside the various studios that make up the arts center to see 3D artists with more tangible art like sculptures made of paper mache and jewelry. One of the studios housed members of the Society for Poets of Southern New Jersey.
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- Atlantic City resident Raymond Tyler displays his pieces “Sky” and “Jazz at 1 a.m.” at the Author and Artist Expo on May 1. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- Deptford artist Damon Bain specializes in portraits. Bain explains that the paintings take varying lengths of time to create–the portrait of the woman in red took two to three days, but the one of the young boy took closer to thirty days. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- Sicklerville author Tracy Fowler (right) with her daughter Charis explains that her autobiography, “After You Have Suffered a While”, is titled after the Bible verse 1 Peter 5:10, which reads, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- Cherry Hill author Haleh Resnick’s Think Again series challenges readers to think outside the box and reimagine concepts, from different perspectives. She was inspired by her work with diversity and hopes the book can be used in curriculum to encourage these kinds of ideas. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
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- Cherry Hill sculptor Yolanda Lorenz poses with paper mache skeletons in various yoga poses at the Author and Artist Expo on May 1 at Croft Farms Art Center. (EMILY LIU/The Sun)
In the main barnhouse were rows of authors with books on display, including autobiographies, poetry, children’s titles and devotional books. Cherry Hill author Haleh Resnick’s children’s series “Think Again” was designed to encourage kids to think outside the box. In one book, the same character appears in varied contexts to represent different things.
“I think that it’s something we all need to remind each other of every single day, to look at things from a different perspective and appreciate everything that everyone brings to the table,” Resnick noted. “And that’s what this does.”
“We all have similar stories, and it’s so important to share them so we can grow and heal together,” said Philadelphia poet Se Williams, who grew up in Camden. Her poetry book is based on how being fatherless impacted her childhood.
Cherry Hill continues to showcase local artists with its Art Blooms Juried Art Exhibit, also at Croft Farm Arts Center. It will continue through May 15.
