COOLVINES features Brooklyn Oenology wine tasting w/ Alie Shaper.

HOWDY NEIGHBOR! There is no disputing the benefits of and satisfaction from the practice of obtaining ones goods and services from local sources. Sometimes, one only needs to get over the river and through the woods to find treasures of the palate. In this case, Alie Shaper and Brooklyn Oenology made the hop, skip and jump into Westfield's (NJ) COOLVINES location for the second of three "in-store" meet-the-artists-and-wine-tasting events on June 15th.

Featuring wines with names like Social Club White, Shindig and Motley Cru, Brooklyn Oenology Winery (pron. ‘EN-ology’, or simply ‘BOE’), is a locally focused winery based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn founded in 2006 by winemaker Alie Shaper.  BOE works to bridge the creative culinary, agricultural and art worlds by crafting award-winning regional wines from NY State grapes, and by displaying the work of New York City artists on the bottle labels.

There was a modest but steady flow of people who dropped in to sample some of Brooklyn's finest wines, and featured artists Lyman Dally and Tara O'Leary were in attendance to represent and support the artwork in the accompanying exhibit "The Intersection Of Art And Wine".

Once again, many thanks must be given to Hank Zona (TV host of "The Grapes Unwrapped") for his ceaseless collaborative energy and vision, and to Cheryl Rush, Lauren Ramos and Damon O'Gara at CoolVines for their unwavering hospitality and warmth in hosting "The Intersection Of Art And Wine" exhibit and related in-store events.

One last in-store event is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday June 29th, from 6-9pm, featuring artist and winemaker André H. Mack and his MOUTON NOIR WINES.

COOLVINES is located at 127 Central Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090 / ph. 908.232.5050 / coolvines.com

Brooklyn Oenology President and Winemaker Alie Shaper.

Winemaker Alie Shaper of Brooklyn Oenology pours BOE samples for TV host Hank Zona, artist Lyman Dally and designer Brenda Schwartz.

(l-r) Artist Lyman Dally, TV host Hank Zona, BOE President Alie Shaper and artist Tara O'Leary.

(l-r) TV host Hank Zona, BOE President Alie Shaper and COOLVINES staff Cheryl Rush, Lauren Ramos and Damon O'Gara.

Artist Reception Saturday June 16, 2012 @ 5p-9p for "ROBERT CENEDELLA CLASS FROM THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK OCCUPIES GAS GALLERY AND STUDIO" - Presented by GAS Gallery And Studio | Curated by Elizabeth Carol Winchester

Artist Reception: Saturday June 16, 2012 | Time: 5 pm - 9 pm
Exhibit Dates: June 11 - July 28, 2012

This art exhibit is a collaboration with artist and curator Elizabeth Carol Winchester and Robert Cenedella, artist and educator at The Art Students League of New York, and showcases artwork created by fourteen selected students from Mr. Cenedella’s painting class. The exhibit will be on view June 11 through July 28, 2012, with an Artist Reception scheduled for Saturday June 16th, from 5pm to 9pm.

As part of GAS Gallery And Studio’s “EMERGING ARTISTS” program, this exhibit is designed to showcase the work of talented artists who may have not yet exhibited in a modern gallery setting and provide them with real world exhibit experience while introducing their work to a contemporary and new audience of art lovers and art critics alike.

Featured artists include: Akiko Asanuma, Robert Dickerson, Renee Fineberg, Wendy Lax, Val Mannino, Lucas Melo, Fred Mendelsohn, Ursula Mur, Yuri Ohara, Yasuaki Okamoto, Aleksandar Pilipovic, Gil Podorson, Jeff Tocci and Elizabeth Carol Winchester.

Founded in 1875 by artists and for artists, The Art Students League of New York has been instrumental in shaping America's legacy in the fine arts. Many renowned artists have honed their skills at the League, which is dedicated to sustaining the great tradition of training artists. Today, more than 2,500 students of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels, study at the League each month.

Since 2010, GAS Gallery And Studio has been bringing unique and diverse art and event programming to the greater New York metropolitan area, specifically the Maplewood and South Orange communities of Northeast New Jersey, just a thirty-minute trip from New York City.

Robert Cenedella

Robert Cenedella is a master of pictorial satire and fantasy, justly celebrated for his paintings revealing all aspects of big-city life. As part of New York’s art community for over three decades, he paints everything and everybody from cameo likenesses of celebrities to those of the common man. His pictures of subways, symphonies, sports arenas, street scenes and drinking establishments are quintessentially New York.

He has had one-man shows throughout the United States and Europe. His first Berlin exhibition, In Search of DADA, was in 1994, and coincided with the George Grosz Centennial Exhibition at the National Galerie in Berlin. He returned to Germany in October 2006 for a one-man retrospective at the Otto-Nagel Galerie, also in Berlin. His renowned mural of the original Le Cirque restaurant in New York City, Le Cirque, the 1st Generation, was recently installed at the restaurant’s new location on East 58th Street. Other notable murals include Mi Casa, Su Casa for Bacardi International; Tony’s World, commissioned by the late Tony Randall for former League model Heather Randall; and his Absolut Cenedella commissions. These can be seen on his website: rcenedellagallery.com.

For more information about The Art Students League of New York, visit their website at theartstudentsleague.org/Home.aspx. 

Wine Tasting & Exhibit Event #2 - "THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND WINE" hosted by CoolVines (Westfield)

Tomorrow night, Friday June 15th, from 6p-9p, CoolVines in Westfield (NJ) will be hosting the in-store Wine Tasting and Art Exhibit Event #2, featuring Alie Shaper of Brooklyn Oenology, as part of the ongoing exhibit "THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND WINE".

Hosted by COOLVINES and presented by GAS Gallery And Studio and Hank Zona of the Grapes Unwrapped.  THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND WINE exhibit is a unique collection of Wine-themed art that will thrill art and wine lovers alike.

Don't miss the festivities Friday June 15th, from 6p-9p featuring a tasting with Alie Shaper, President & Winemaker, of Brooklyn Oenology who will be introducing us her remarkable wines. BOE works to bridge the creative culinary, agricultural and art worlds by crafting award-winning regional wines from NY State grapes, and by displaying the work of New York City artists on their bottle labels.  Also, meet the artists and collaborators of the event!

Wine Tasting and Art Exhibit Event #3 is the last and final in-store event scheduled for Friday June 29th, from 6p-9p at CoolVines in Westfield (NJ), and is scheduled to feature artist and oenologist ANDRE H. MACK of MOUTON NOIR WINES.

COOLVINES is located at 127 Central Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090 / ph. 908.232.5050 / coolvines.com