Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Valley Arts District to Celebrate 10 Years

Above: The former Berg Hat Factory, which will become the Hat City Lofts.

Orange, New Jersey: The 10th Anniversary of the Valley Arts District in Orange and West Orange will be celebrated this week. The district encompasses several blocks near the Highland Avenue New Jersey Transit Station that were formerly part of an industrial region known as the Orange Valley. 

On Thursday, May 14th, a ribbon cutting ceremony with HANDS, Inc. will take place for The Powerhouse at 557 Nassau Street in Orange, a century-old building that will now house four new commercial tenants. Following the ribbon cutting, a groundbreaking will be held for the Hat City Lofts, which will bring condominiums and commercial art space to the former Berg Hat Factory. After the groundbreaking, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 400 South Jefferson Street in Orange for the new Kelli Copeland Lofts, an apartment and arts studio building. A ribbon cutting will also be held for the ValleyArts Creative Co-op, and tours will be available. On Thursday evening, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, an opening reception will be held at the Firehouse Gallery, located at 580 Forest Street, for the Open Orange art exhibition. On Friday, May 15th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, the ValleyArts Art Walk will be held. Participants can take a walking tour of the neighborhood starting at the Firehouse Gallery, and visit six galleries and take guided tours. Maps will be available. Tours and live demonstrations will be available at the ValleyArts Creative Co-op on Saturday, May 16th from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and the Arts Unbound 24-Hour Art Marathon will be held at 544 Freeman Street on Saturday and Sunday.

Send story ideas, letters to the editor, and photos to placenjwebsites@gmail.com.

Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
Like us on Facebook - Essex County Place
Click here to advertise on PlaceNJ.com, starting at just $49.