2023 Memorial Day Issue

Art is the Same in Every Language
26
Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO
If art is a universal language, then the hundreds
of current and past members of the Art
Association in Roxbury have been speaking the
same creative language since 1965.
The art association was founded by members
of the Roxbury Woman’s Club as a community
service project. Forty people showed up for
the first meeting, which was held at the First
Presbyterian Church of Succasunna.
The group has been meeting monthly since
then, moving from the church to various other
locations in the township. The group is currently
meeting back at the church on the first Tuesday
of every month.
Not bound by the geographic borders of
Roxbury, the association has been attracting
professional and amateur artists—and nonartists—from
all corners of northern New Jersey.
By 1991, when the association celebrated its 25th
anniversary, the group was 140 members strong.
Today, there are 50 members but not all are
active, said former AAR President Annette Lange,
62, whose mother was an original member of the
group.
One of the longest-serving members is Carol
Manochio, 81, who has lived in Succasunna
for 53 years and joined the association in 1973,
when it was a well-established club filled with
artists who wanted to meet with other artists.
Her participation ebbed and flowed, she said,
depending on family commitments.
“Each time I had a baby, I stopped coming,”
chuckled the mother of four. Manochio, who
works with watercolors and oils, has been a
steady member since 2003 and said she is most
fascinated by the group’s camaraderie.
Since its inception, the association’s focus has
been on sharing knowledge from across multiple
mediums, giving members a chance to be
exposed to other artists’ techniques, styles and
procedures.
At each meeting, demonstrations are offered by
a well-known local artist of watercolors, pastels,
oils or any other medium. With craned necks and
intense interest, members often ask pertinent
questions as the artist goes through the process
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
of creating a piece of art. It’s what distinguishes
this group from other art groups, said Joan
Thomas, association secretary. Demonstrators are
paid from the association’s yearly membership
fee of $35.
“It’s a great learning experience,” said Wendy
Stamer, 76, of Sparta, a former AAR president
who started with oils and watercolors. Stamer,
who is known for Sussex County landscapes,
began painting in 1980. “You can pick up tips,
whether you are a beginner or a professional.”
Carol Kouba, 70, from Fredon, another past
president, agrees.
“I learn something from every demonstration,
even though I may not use that medium,” said
Kouba, who works in oil, pencil and Japanese
marbling and said she enjoys the exposure of a
new technique of art at each meeting.
“I found that the people in the group are very
supportive of other artists. In some settings, it
isn’t always that way, but people in this group are
supportive.”
That support can also be found in the
association’s biannual critiques. Twice a year,
members welcome the opportunity to have their
works critiqued, once by an outside professional
and another time by one another.
“I find the critiques valuable,” said Thomas.
“Everyone is very honest but in a helpful and
uplifting way.”
During its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, the
association was equal parts art association and
social club. Not only did the group enjoy field
trips to museums and galleries but also organized
dinner dances and social events. The 25th
anniversary celebration was a formal masquerade
ball that attracted “a good amount of people,”
said Lange.
But in recent years, with membership waning
and those remaining getting to a certain age, the
association has come to a crossroads of sorts.
In 2022, the bylaws were rewritten, which
would allow club duties to be spread among
more members, said Lange.
“We’re in that mode to make it less structured
and easy to volunteer, giving smaller tasks to
more people,” said Thomas, 67. She, along with
all other club officers, will be taking turns running
meetings and keeping the club organized and
viable, she said.
That includes keeping the meetings available
on Zoom.
“Before COVID, all we did was meet face to
face and it was sometimes difficult to get people
to sit down because everyone was so social,”
said Thomas. “COVID and Zoom took that away.
Now that we’re hybrid, live and Zoom, it’s been a
challenge to get everyone to come back.”
On average, she said, each meeting attracts
about 20 people in person with a handful joining
on Zoom.
One of those who attends regularly is Kate
Paccioretti, a painter who splits her time between
her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and her
childhood home in Jefferson Township. At the
urging of family friend, neighbor and artist
Irene Spratt, Paccioretti and her mother, Ginny
Paccioretti, joined the art association about a
year ago.
At 33, Kate Paccioretti is the youngest member
and has taken on the role of vice president,
tasked with recruiting new members.
“You don’t need to be a practicing artist to be
a part of this club. You don’t need a portfolio
to become a member. If you like to see art, talk
about art or see the demos, you can become a
member. It’s about the appreciation of art,” said
Paccioretti.
Her mother, who works full time in a local
school system, is a prime example.
“When I am retired, I look forward to having the
time to focus on my own artwork,” said the elder
Paccioretti, 68, who was accepted to art school
out of high school but chose another path. “Every
time I go to a meeting, I’m more encouraged to try
to start doing something again. I haven’t shown