The Elephant In The Room

The Elephant In The Room

An Ode to Lucy the Elephant which was founded on the same year as the James, 1880. Making it a travel destination for families from the tri-state. Stories told by neighbors say that before families returning home they would stop at the James to get their Salt Water Taffys. Also, “The Elephant In The Room” is a representation of TRFE, an artist collective that me and fellow ARTerior artist Anthony “Seper” Torcasio proudly represent.

Medium: Office Paper, Latex paint and Spray paint.

Christian “TAMEARTZ” Rodriguez

@tameartz | info@tameartz.com

The Waiting Room

The Waiting Room

Here you sit in a window … a world between worlds. Welcome to the waiting room, the portal between past and future.

KNOMAD

@knomad.art | knomadcolab.com

Sweet Atlantic City

Sweet Atlantic City

After seeing the old photos left behind in the taffy warehouse, it made me think of my grandparents who met in Atlantic City while my grandfather was training the diving horses on the beach. I imagined them in love and enjoying salt water taffy on the boardwalk during simpler times.

As an upholsterer for the Atlantic City casinos, it was important for me to incorporate sewing techniques and furniture design to create the feeling of nostalgia that everyone who has grown up here has felt at some point in time. 

I wanted to keep my pieces as true to Atlantic City history as I could, so most of the fabric used in this space is vintage dead-stock textile sourced from a local casino-hotel. The chairs are antiques while the ottoman, hearts and mirrors are all custom-built. 

Heather Shawne

@dyingbreedac

The Orange Loop

The Orange Loop

The Orange Loop is named after the section of the Monopoly board looping around New York, St. James and Tennessee Avenues.  Once an eyesore it is now becoming a destination just off the AC boardwalk. My art concept gives a fun “Mr. Rodgers “ trolly ride peek  at this new neighborhood of local restaurant & eateries, a beer hall, BBQ pit, a coffee shop and community minded studios.

Helen Clymer “Painted Lady Studio”

Sewing & Us

Sewing & Us

The installation depicts the narrative of the relationship between a woman, her sewing machine, and her grandchild. Conceicao Duarte is my grandmother who has spent her entire life as a Seamstress after being taken out of school at the fourth grade level. Her life has circled around constructing garments from material to a finished product to support her family as they built a life in Portugal, then restarted in America during the 80's. I grew up spending sick days from school curled up in a cane-backed chair in her store front, listening to the repetition of needle and thread as my mother and grandmother altered clothing for customers.

My vision for the installation is to transform a space to this familiar memory curled up in a chair to a moment of honoring her legacy. The two main points of focus are her old sewing machine and a portrait of her hanging from the ceiling that is printed on fabric and embroidered. Between the two points, the continuous stream of thread moves from the sewing machine bobbin into a chaotic, but organized, web and transforms into the materials used to embellish the portrait of Conceicao. By utilizing materials to connect both points, a juxtaposition between an industrialized object, process of production, and a moment of honor are shown in one connected thought.

The personal connection between machine and portrait comes from my personal exploration in sewing garments for my own healing following the death of my grandfather, Conceicao's husband. My healing comes from a skillset she depended on to provide for her family.

Danielle Adelaide

@danielle.adelaide.art | @danielle.adelaide.art | danielleadelaide.com

Nostalgia is Fleeting

Nostalgia is Fleeting

     Nostalgia can be tainted. There is a struggle to balance then and now. Oftentimes, we look back at once seemed to be simple pleasures, but are now iconic. We will look back 20 years from now, or even less, and reach for nostalgia. Is it an escape from the present, or is it pushing against the negative past and putting pleasures of the time on a pedestal? 

     When I was younger, I believed the world used to be black and white, and at some point in time, the world turned color. With no familiarity of the world before, only the current moment seemed to have color. Then, the world was overly saturated, in your face with neons, brightly colored toys, candies, magazines, marketing. At some point, we look back and feel dullness in the present. The world seems to lose color. 

     Nostalgia is a look in the past to bring color to the present, but in time, we'll seem to long for this current moment. Color always exists. Good memories, even in the bad exist and can be found. The past is no better than the present. 

     Find Color.

Annaliese Sylvester

@annaliesesylvester | annalieseart.com

Dear Tooth Fairy

Dear Tooth Fairy

Our piece is a recollection of the childhood excitement over the tooth fairy. 

We made this piece as a family because it was a joyous part of raising our children and we wanted to share with viewers the fantasy and innocence of this experience. 

Cara, John & Maya Vaughn

@Caralina_creates | @dangerous_cherub

The Candy Parlor

The Candy Parlor

“The Candy Parlor, a tribute by Miko Beach to his late father, draws inspiration from shared moments of movie-watching and candy indulgence. Nostalgia takes center stage as Miko incorporates a vintage 90s TV and VCR, creating a space that feels like a personal sanctuary for his dad. The blend of colorful elements with dark undertones evokes a captivating fusion of gothic and Candyland aesthetics. Painted canvases of cherished candies, adhesive sprinkles, and hand-painted pink, candy-like text add a unique touch. Stepping in evokes a sense of returning to the magic of cherished childhood memories.”

Miko Beach

Pop-Drip

Pop-Drip

Jade

The Stare Well

The Stare Well

Blacklight reactive installation inspired by neon nights in Atlantic City and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where nothing is as it seems and dreams become reality.

Tabitha Brown (Andromedia Art)

@deepseeded777