As part of a year-long commemoration of its 125th anniversary, Mount Saint Dominic Academy (MSDA), the all-girls, private Catholic college preparatory school in Caldwell, is hosting an open house celebrating the artistic talents of its students, alumnae and women of West Essex community. “Opening Doors to the Sights & Sounds of the Arts”, taking place on Sunday, October 22 from 1 to 4 p.m., is an exhibition of fine and performing arts on display throughout the school’s Rosary Hall and Doris M. Byrne Performing Arts Center located at 3 Ryerson Avenue in Caldwell. The event is free and open to the public.
The fine art on display will feature work by MSDA students and alumnae alongside work by women from the surrounding towns, including Verona. Media on display will include works in oil, watercolor, pen and ink, photographs, acrylic, sculpture and more. The performing arts showcase will feature performances by MSDA alumnae as well as a live painting exhibition by Caldwell resident Lisa Palombo.
“For the past 125 years, we have been building creative minds of the future here at Mount Saint Dominic Academy,” said Sister Fran Sullivan, head of school. “We are thrilled to be showcasing not only the amazing work of the women of the Mount student and alumnae community, but also the wonderful creative talents of the women of our surrounding towns. We hope our friends and neighbors will join us on October 22 to celebrate the talents of so many local women and help us build an even stronger bond between the Mount and our local community members.”
Ria Maqsudi, owner of the Wade Max Gallery in Montclair and Manhattan, will be curating the exhibit. Judges for the exhibit include Morgan Peck, MSDA alumna and valuations administrator for Sotheby’s; Renee Powley, former registrar of the Montclair Art Museum; and award-winning photographer Marilyn Stevenson.
Artists who will be exhibiting include Verona residents Mary Byrne, Karen Collins and Ann Taylor; Mount Saint Dominic alumnae Grace Barrett ’17 (Caldwell), Sister Donna Ciangio ’67 (Caldwell), Nicole Denise ‘00 (South Orange), Norah English ’72 (Bay Head), Catherine O’Brien ’17 (Roseland), Lenore Schleuning ’75 (Roseland), Krystyn Wypasek ’12 (New York City), and Veronica Yankowski ’92 (Bloomfield); as well as artists from other surrounding towns: Caldwell — Rita Marie Cimini, and Lisa Palombo; Englewood — Patricia Malarcher; Essex Fells — Lauren Barretti, Louise Hatch, Anne Smith and Karol Sullivan; Fairfield — Sue Weinberger; Montclair — Joyce Korotkin and Jennifer Moses; North Caldwell — Marsha Henry; Parsippany — Donna Read; Totowa — Anna Macaluso; West Caldwell — Carol Crump; and Woodland Park — Mira Mitrova.
For more information, visit the Mount Saint Dominic Academy website.
