Gotham FC Broadway Night at Sports Illustrated Stadium
May 16 @ 7:30 pm
Gotham FC will host its first-ever Broadway Night, featuring Honor Joy Savage, who plays Christie in the new musical Joy, performing the National Anthem, and Alyssa Fox, who stars as Elphaba on Broadway in Wicked, lighting the ceremonial pregame torch at the start of the match. Eight Broadway shows will be tabling at Fan Fest before the game with fan giveaways, including: & Juliet, Aladdin, Book of Mormon, Death Becomes Her, Hell’s Kitchen, Operation Mincemeat, Six, and The Lion King.
Keep Creating Art Wellness Center Moving to New Space in Montclair’s Lackawanna Plaza
Life is stressful. Now more than ever, it is important to have outlets to relieve and manage stress and promote well-being. Singing, playing a musical instrument, cooking, and making art are creative ways to release tension and support an artistic mind. Keep Creating Art Wellness Center at 408 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair provides art classes for everyone, combining the importance of mental health with their passion for making art. Read more to learn about Keep Creating Art Wellness Center, its founders Nancy Iovino and Raul Barcelona, and its new space in Montclair's Lackawanna Plaza.
About Keep Creating Art Wellness Center
Keep Creating Art Wellness Center is located at 408 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair. The founders, Nancy Iovino and Raul Barcelona, created the non-profit art studio to be inclusive to people of all abilities and all levels of art and art exposure. The center has adult, teen, and youth classes, which include Art For The New Artist, Open Studio Evenings, Fashion Portfolio classes, sewing, and special events. There are also classes available for the Division of Development Disabilities (DDD) program. Options are one-to-one or group classes. Students can take Digital Photography, Sketching, The Drawing Club, and Creative Expressions, just to name a few.
The Montclair Girl experienced the Art for New Artists Class. It was joyful and embracing, and the painting inspired us.
Read More: 17 DIY Spots in Montclair + Essex County for Crafty Activities
Meet the Founders
Nancy Iovino, founder and executive director, has worked in the arts for over twenty years. She earned a degree in art and illustration from Syracuse University and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design. Locally, Nancy has worked with the Montclair Art Museum, the Montclair Institute of Life Learners, KAP Arts, Studio Montclair, and the Montclair Library. She is a teacher at heart, passing on her love of art and its deep connection to our well-being.
Photo Credit: Mayor Dr. Renee Baskerville
Dr. Raul Barcelona, Ph.D, director of the art center, focused his studies on the relationship between well-being and filmmaking, which was the subject of his Ph.D. His work spans the digital space, graphic design, filmmaking, photography, and painting. Raul was a professor of digital arts for several art institutes and colleges, and his work has been featured in Sundance, the Berlin International Film Festival, HBO, and PBS. Currently, he teaches neurotypical and neurodivergent students of all ages.
The Mission
Nancy and Raul wanted an intimidation-free, all-inclusive space with a fun, light-hearted atmosphere. They believe that art making is very important for well-being and creativity. Nancy told The Montclair Girl that the opposite of anxiety is creativity, and when a person is creating, it is a healing space for the brain.
Raul explained that the healing power of creating art can reduce the stress of everyday life. They are proud to have the studio rooted in Montclair and continue to build an art community as diverse as the town's residents.
The Montclair Girl met Amanda Anastasia, an artist and student of the center, who has been studying with Nancy for three years, but has been creating art for far longer than that.
Amanda has had exhibitions at the center featuring her paintings and teaches paint-and-sip classes. She inspires everyone at the studio and has a personality as beautiful as her art.
You can follow Amanda and her art journey on Facebook here.
The Keep Creating Art Center's New Space
Photo Credit: Eric Ortiz
This summer, the Art Center will move to a light-filled, high-ceiling, generous space in Lackawanna Plaza in Montclair. The new center will be on the ground floor, allowing more visibility and opportunities to connect with the community. It is ADA approved and will have wheelchair accessibility.
New programs will be launched, including more digital classes. The center will focus on connecting the community with creativity and art making.
A fundraiser is planned for Thursday, May 15th, at Fitzgerald's 1928 in Glen Ridge to offset the cost of moving, renovating the ample space, and growing the program.
See More: Hoboken’s 2025 Spring Arts + Music Festival Happening on 5/18
For more information about the fundraiser and ways to donate, click here.
Follow the Keep Creating Art Wellness Center on Instagram here.
To stay up to date on the latest Montclair + Northern New Jersey news, follow @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok, sign up for our newsletter that shares the top stories in your inbox here, and check out our events calendar.
