Peter Trippi

Holmdel, NJ-- September 13, 2009 marks Holmdel’s sixth annual Bayonet Farm Art and Music Festival, including the festival’s much-anticipated plein air painting competition and juried art show with works from local artists, photographers, sculptors and potters.  The judges for this year’s competitions include special guest Peter Trippi, editor of the national art magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, and James Yarosh, owner of the nationally-recognized James Yarosh Associates fine art gallery in Holmdel. Yarosh, who also served as judge for the 2008 festival, invited Trippi to co-judge this year’s event after meeting him at a Washington D.C. museum show featuring the three generations of Russian paintings from the renowned Kugach family, whose works have also been featured at Yarosh’s gallery.  “I’m so pleased that Peter has graciously accepted my invitation to co-judge this year.  “News of his attendance has created an even greater level of excitement about the festival and has encouraged even more artists to participate”, said Yarosh.

As editor of Fine Art Connoisseur, Trippi is uniquely qualified to judge the competition.  Fine Art Connoisseur, a premier fine art publication, was previously known as Plein Air magazine.  Fine Art Connoisseur is the national companion publication to Artist’s Advocate which connects artists with galleries.  As an authority on 19th century art and co-founder of the scholarly journal Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide (www.19thc-artworldwide.org), Trippi’s monograph on renowned artist J.W. Waterhouseis considered the leading authority on the Victorian painter and Royal Academician.  In addition, Trippi curated a Waterhouse retrospective for the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands.  The retrospective will visit London’s Royal Academy in June 2009 and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in October 2009.  Trippi also serves on the Board of the Historians of British Art. 

As a special event leading up to the September festival, Yarosh’s gallery will feature a month-long  Bayonet Farm-themed show in the display windows and interior shopping spaces at Garmany, a 40,000 square feet luxury retail clothier located on Broad Street in downtown Red Bank.  “I was asked to judge last year’s plein air competition based on my gallery’s representation of Russian plein air artists.  It was such a lovely event, on such a uniquely beautiful property, that I wanted my gallery to help with the promotion of this year’s event.  Bayonet Farm represents a part of history that many members of the community would like to see preserved, and I think the Garmany show is a wonderful way to raise the public’s awareness of both Bayonet Farm and the artists who find inspiration in its natural beauty,” said Yarosh. 

James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery, located in the Design and Fine Arts Building in Holmdel, features artists from The Moscow School of Realism, including the Kugach family, Zabelin, Kosnichev, Yatsenko, Smirnova , Brusilov and others.  The gallery also features Non-Conformist art of the former Soviet Union in addition to other international artists.

Yarosh has received national critical-acclaim for his presentations of Russian fine art collections, early recognition of significant art movements, and for representing original works created by New York City and New Jersey regional artists.  In addition to serving as a guest judge for the Bayonet Farm Art and Music Festival’s plein air competitions, Yarosh participates in various charity designer show houses, including Kips Bay in New York, and  Cape May, Twin Maples, and Stately Homes by the Sea in New Jersey, and his gallery has achieved “In Circle” status for significant contributions to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center.   

Bayonet Farm’s rich history in the arts makes it a fitting venue for an arts festival.  Laura Harding, arts patron and great granddaughter of financier Jay Cook, purchased the property in 1936 intent on preserving the natural beauty of the property while maintaining the elegant lifestyle she enjoyed.  Born in Philadelphia and raised in Rumson, Ms. Harding’s debutante ball was attended by scions of the Rockefeller family and other prominent members of society.  Ms. Harding then briefly pursued an acting career where she met and became life-long friends with Katherine Hepburn. Later, Ms. Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were regular guests at Bayonet Farm.  Ms. Harding’s appreciation for the arts is evident throughout the property, including “paint combing treatments” by noted Works Progress Administration artist Allen Saalburg and two horse head sculptures that adorn the brick wall surrounding a small pool built for her beloved Weimaraners.  Ms. Harding named the property Bayonet Farm after discovering a bayonet in a chimney during extensive renovations which transformed the modest early 19th century farmhouse into an elegant country estate. 

In 1985, Holmdel Township purchased the property, which had expanded through several land purchases to over 140 acres, for $1.6 million with funding assistance from Green Acres.  Under the terms of the sale, Ms. Harding retained life rights to the property and included stipulations designed to preserve and conserve open space.  Ms. Harding and her sister, Catherine, donated an additional 90 acres of farmland across the road with similar life rights.

Today Bayonet Farm hosts a number of art and cultural events, including summer concerts, art workshops, stargazing events and the annual arts and music festival in September.  Bayonet Farm’s 240 acres of rolling farmland, woodlands and streams make it the perfect venue for painting en plein air while the juried art show provides a venue for both plein air and studio artists to exhibit their work.  Throughout the day, the Red Barn provides a venue for performing artists such as the Monmouth Civic Chorus, Brookdale Jazz Quintet, and Celedon Youth Ensemble, which will perform a Chinese opera this year.

Holmdel Township is able to offer these events through the hard work of a group of dedicated volunteers.  The Bayonet Farm Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Joni Charles and Phyllis Ameduri, advises the township on the use and preservation of the farm.  With the support of Holmdel Township, they are creating a non-profit organization to run year round programming at the farm to advance the cultural, historical and environmental heritage of Holmdel and its surrounding region through educational programs, exhibitions, performances, recreation and other related activities.  “The mission of the festival is to celebrate the arts as well as to raise public awareness of Bayonet Farm as we prepare to become a non-profit,” says Charles.  “We are thrilled to have two such prominent art experts judging this year’s competition.  Their participation will draw in artists and patrons who have yet to experience the tranquility and beauty of Bayonet Farm.  We know from experience that once someone visits, they’ll be back.  Bayonet Farm has that kind of effect on people.” 

The 2009 Bayonet Farm Art and Music Festival is set for September 13, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Bayonet Farm located at 41 Middletown Road in Holmdel, NJ.   Sponsors of the event include the Bayonet Farm Advisory Committee and the Holmdel Department of Parks and Recreation, with additional help from the Monmouth County Arts Council through funding from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the County Historical Commission, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information please call the Holmdel Office of Parks and Recreation, (732) 946-2820, ext. 1225 or email Joni Charles at bayonetfarmart@aol.com.

James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery, located at 55 East Main Street in Holmdel, is open Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. and by appointment weekdays and evenings. For further information, please contact James at 732-993-5278 or visit the gallery’s website at www.jamesyarosh.com, to register for e-card updates on gallery show announcements or to inquire about an appointment of service.