8th Annual Festival Features International 3D Chalk Artist, Unique Interactive Events and a Junebug Sculpture on which Visitors Can Sit! 

May 18, 2015: The 8th annual Metuchen Junebug ArtFest kicks off on Friday evening, June 5thfrom 6:00 – 10:00 pm with an enticing line-up of open air art exhibits, interactive events and live performances throughout the streets downtown Metuchen. Event dates for 2015 are June 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th from 6:00 – 10:00 pm on Main Street.

Community members of all ages are invited to feast their eyes on a spectacular array of arts and crafts in oil, acrylics, watercolors, photography, sculpture, glass, precious stones, and textiles – as well as rock and jazz musicians, dance performances and open mic sessions at various locations.

This year’s Junebug will feature a renowned chalk artist and window gallery competition:

  • With the help of a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign, the Junebug planning committee was able to invite Anthony Cappettoa renowned sidewalk chalk artist who specializes in the art form of 3D illusionary street painting. He will create a fun, whimsical and interactive piece featuring his version of a Junebug, which will be designed in front of Borough Hall over a 3 – 4 day period for completion and unveiling on Friday June 12th.
  • Juried Window Gallery Competition– Downtown Metuchen businesses will host a series of storefront window displays showcasing the work of established artists throughout the month of June. Visitors are invited to tour the galleries and vote for “People’s Choice,” and “Best Designed Exhibit.” All voting will be done digitally via the Junebug Mobile App – or, if you are an iPhone user, via the link to the ballot (http://tinyurl.com/juneBugWindows). Two museum curators will review the exhibits and award a “Best 2-D Artist” and “Best 3-D” Artist. Voting begins opening night and continues through Thursday, June 18. Awards will be announced Friday, June 19.
  • Old Franklin Schoolhouse Shed Mural – Three professional artists will paint a large mural on the shed behind the Schoolhouse throughout the month of June. The public is invited to watch them create their larger than life painting incorporating their unique styles and create their own artwork alongside them.

Friday, June 6th – Opening Night Interactive Events:

  • 7:00 pm –Junebug SculptureUnveiling on Main Street in front of the Metuchen Savings Bank; graphic arts educator and illustrator Lauren Rabinowitz (Lauren the Cartoon Goddess) has fabricated this year’s sculpture from recycled materials, and it is also interactive (visitors can sit on it!). The annual Junebug sculpture presides over the month-long event, and its unveiling signals the official start of the ArtFest.
  • 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Preschool of Rockat Borough Hall (+ sign language interpreter)
  • 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Lollipop Land Live Musicfrom The Toscano Family Band
  • 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Richard Reiter Drum Circleat the Senior Center
  • 6:00 – 9:00 pm – Bringing Art to Life– Join instructors from the Academy of Art of Highland Park as they demonstrate a range of drawing techniques and media . . . with some face painting thrown into the mix
  • 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Community Preschool Student Art Show@ the Old Franklin Schoolhouse

Friday, June 6th – Opening Night Live Performances:

  • 6:00 – 7:00 pm @ Main Stage – Metuchen High School Bands
  • 6:00 – 9:00 pm @ Metuchen Public Library – The Write Stuff Writers’ Workshop
  • 7:00 – 8:00 pm @ Hailey’s Harp & Pub – The eMKays– Jazz/Blues/Folk/Rock
  • 7:15 – 7:45 pm @ Main Stage – Kinova Alponse– Gospel
  • 8:00 – 8:45 pm @ Main Stage – The Rollbacks– Latin/Jazz/Rock
  • 9:00 – 9:45 pm @ Main Stage – Foxtrot– Rock/Pop/Grunge

“Created by artists, for artists, the Junebug draws several hundred visitors to downtown Metuchen NJ and transforms our vibrant community into a month-long celebration of the arts,” stated Junebug Planning Committee chair, Melissa Schuhmann. “Our entire community comes together for this one-of-a-kind event, which grows with each passing year in the number and variety of artists and visitors from all across central New Jersey and neighboring states.”

The “Brainy Boro” – Metuchen NJ – has been a mecca for artists of every discipline for more than a century. Sponsored by the Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce and the Metuchen Cultural Arts Commission, the Junebug ArtFest reflects the Borough’s commitment to nurturing all forms of creativity. The Junebug is just one of the ways Metuchen is working to maintain its status as the “Gateway to the Arts” in Middlesex County.