ANNUAL MEMBER EXHIBITS
Location: Oyster Point Hotel, 146 Bodman Place, Red Bank
Deadline: July 27, 2026
Exhibition: September 4 - November 2, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, September 11, 4:00 - 6:00pm
The 2026 Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Feast
Monmouth Arts invites the creative community of Monmouth County to submit works that explore the theme of FEAST as part of the organization’s annual member exhibition, to be held at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, September 4 - November 2, 2026, with an opening reception on Friday, September 11, 6-8:00pm. The deadline to submit is July 27, 2026.
With FEAST we ask artists to explore the aesthetics and implications of abundance, desire, and consumption. Inspired by the rich visual language of historical still life painting—decadent tables, ornate objects, and symbols of status—the exhibition invites artists to reinterpret these traditions through a modern lens.
We seek work that examines themes of indulgence, consumer culture, ritual, identity, appetite, inequality, pleasure, and longing. Artists are encouraged to consider both literal and metaphorical forms of consumption: what we crave, what we value, and what shapes our relationship to material and symbolic abundance.
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We welcome diverse perspectives and mediums, including painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, textile, and photography. We look forward to an exhibition that expands this conversation and brings new meaning to the idea of the feast.
FEAST will be guest curated by Tova Navarra, an award-winning artist, writer, and educator. She is the author of more than 30 books, including New Jersey Artists Through Time and the forthcoming New Jersey Masters: A New Legacy of Visual Arts. Tova has exhibited extensively throughout the Northeast, including solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, while continuing to contribute to the region’s cultural landscape as a juror, curator, photographer, and writer.
Monmouth Arts is pleased to be returning to the Oyster Point Hotel on the Navesink River in Red Bank for this year’s group exhibit. The Oyster Point is one of Monmouth County’s most celebrated venues for art and gatherings, featuring exhibits and an innovative artist in residence program.
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​About Charles Sills
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Now in its ninth year, the Monmouth Arts annual member exhibit was renamed in 2022 in memory of Dr. Charles Sills, who was a painter, sculptor, collector, and supporter of the arts. He retired from his role as the Chief of Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch in 2000. His work has been shown at many galleries in Monmouth County and he won awards from New York's Allied Artists of America as well as Knickerbocker Artists.
Caryl Sills next to Charles Sills' sculpture at the 2025 exhibit: Seen & Unseen
PAST EXHIBITS
The 2025 Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Seen and Unseen
Monmouth Arts invited the creative community of Monmouth County to submit works that explore the theme of Seen & Unseen as part of our annual member exhibition, on display at Monmouth University’s Pollak Gallery in West Long Branch. Seen & Unseen is a call for artists to look more closely—not only at our surroundings but also at the inner landscapes we carry. It’s an invitation to recognize the presence and power of what is often left in the shadows. Through painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, the exhibition invites both artists and audiences to consider: What do we overlook in our daily lives? What deserves to be remembered? And how do the spaces we inhabit reflect the spaces within us?​​ Seen & Unseen was guest curated by Vaune Peck, founding Director of Monmouth University’s Center for the Arts. For three decades, Peck has led the Center’s comprehensive programming in the performing and visual arts, bringing a dynamic range of cultural experiences to the community.
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The Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Terra Incognito (An Unknown Land)
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The 2024 Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit, Terra Incognita (An Unknown Land), invited participating artists to reflect on the unknown within their creative practice—whether a recurring subject, an elusive theme, or an aspect of their process that remains unresolved yet compelling. The exhibit was curated by George Bates, a nationally and internationally recognized artist known for his work in public art, fine art, and private commissions. Formerly based in New York and now living in the Asbury Park area, Bates brought a thoughtful perspective to the show’s theme. Presented by Monmouth Arts, the exhibition was hosted at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, a celebrated venue on the Navesink River known for its vibrant support of the arts and its innovative artist-in-residence program.
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The Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Reinvention
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This exhibition examined the theme of Reinvention and its relation to art, creativity, community, and our professional and personal journeys. The act of reinvention may bring a sense of renewal, a focus on sustainability, or be a simple act of giving new life to an object or idea. All of the exhibited art is the work of 44 Monmouth Arts members, who represent the creative, vibrant spirit of Monmouth County.
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Monmouth Arts was pleased to host the curated group exhibit in the Long Branch Arts and Cultural Center, a historic bank building that experienced its own reinvention when it was transformed into a gallery and community space in 2021. The exhibition was guest co-curated by Tara Collins, an area artist with deep connections to the arts community.
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The Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Belonging
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This exhibition was an exploration of how our community imagines and celebrates a collective vision of Belonging. Through art we can tell new stories and further important conversations that enrich our sense of community. These connections can help us transcend crises, empower and connect us. All of the art is the work of Monmouth Arts members, who represent the creative, vibrant spirit of Monmouth County.
Monmouth Arts was pleased to be showcase the exhibit in the Center for Visual Arts Gallery at Brookdale Community College. The exhibition was curated by Elisa Elorza, CVA Gallery Coordinator.
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Journey
In recognition of our 50th Anniversary, Monmouth Arts is reflecting on the journey we’ve been on over the past half-century as well as where we’re headed. Journey is a group exhibition to be held at Monmouth University’s Pollak Gallery. This exhibition will showcase works that express Journey as it relates to the artist’s experiences. Where have you been and where are you going? Contributing artists are all current members of Monmouth Arts.
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Monmouth University's Pollak Gallery
400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch
December 2, 2021 - January 27, 2022
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Sanctuary
Sanctuary is a virtual group exhibit of Monmouth Arts members with a physical pop-up exhibit to be held in December at 10PRL, an arts and events space in Long Branch. For some, “sanctuary” may not be a physical structure or shelter but a community or a representation of what makes an individual feel safe or protected from the outside world. This exhibition expresses the experience of sanctuary as it relates to the artist's world, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
10 PRL
515 Bath Ave, Long Branch
December 7, 2020 - January 2021
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Out of the Blue
An eclectic collection of local artwork
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Out of the Blue is a showcase of artwork by 40 members of Monmouth Arts, including everything from drawings to paintings to sculpture, from the fantastical to the emotional to the photographic. Held in the Bungalounge, the bar and gallery of the Bungalow Hotel in Pier Village, this show is a visual celebration of our creative community. The opening reception was a big hit. Read more on our Artzine.
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The Bungalounge @ Bungalow Hotel, Pier Village
50 Laird Street, Long Branch
November 7, 2019 - January 24, 2020
Structure
Interpretations of human-made structure through the perspective of painting, drawing, photography, and more.
This group show of Monmouth Arts members, put together by Guest Curator Bart Lentini Photography, will be installed at the Upper Gallery of the historic Spring Lake Community House & Theatre, located at 300 Madison Avenue, Spring Lake.
The Upper Gallery @ Spring Lake Community House & Theater
300 Madison Avenue, Spring Lake
December 1, 2018 - March 22, 2019