NJATA Juried Art Show

Welcome to the 2025 NJATA Juried Art Show!

This is NJATA's first juried art show. Below, you will find submissions from 16 different artists in the New Jersey Art Therapy community. The show will be judged by art therapists Eden Flora and Sarah Delli Colli, who will select one piece as the Judges' Honorable Mention award. NJATA members will have the opportunity to vote for the Best in Show award.

Congratulations to all of the artists!

Elissa Arbeitman

Premium Grade Tempera Paint on Paper

3ft x 6.5ft

2024

Blushing Warrior emerged through the Seven Guiding Principles of Process Painting including: Not Knowing, Listening, Respecting, Following the Energy, Dealing with Difficulty, Not Interpreting, and Completion. Each brushstroke became a dialogue with shame, fear, and the reclamation of vulnerability as power.

Blushing is an exposure; red cheeks, sweaty palms, the body betraying the desire to hide. In this work, blushing is exposed AND sits as a crown. The marks, loops, and radiating lines trace the path of endless anxiety. The headpiece symbolizes the mind’s will and wish to stop the blushing while at the same time experiences a sense of tenderness towards it for the sensitivities it feels and the heightened awareness it brings.

The imagery of the heart, throat, and eye of rays speaks to the body’s intelligence; the scar on the cheek holds the blushing history, the throat both swallows and releases truth, the eye's rays reach outward once the old story quiets. Through the doing and the sharing of this painting, what was once shame is transmuted into energy reclaimed, emotion witnessed and self honored.

BLUSHING WARRIOR

Traci Bitondo

Oil and cold wax medium on canvas

16 x 20 in.

2024

“Tender Colony” was created during my first painting class in years, a reminder to make space for my own creative work. Using oil and cold wax, I experimented with new colors and textures, pressing ferns from my garden into the surface to root the piece in personal landscape. The clustered mushrooms suggest quiet resilience and shared growth—reflecting how healing and creativity can re-emerge when we give ourselves permission to return, explore, and begin again.

Tender Colony

Courtney Puciata Borzotta

Flowers in Vase

Flowers, a Close-Up

These pieces were created with oil pastel, a material familiar to me though far from mastered. Over the years my work has become materials driven rather than subject driven. Exploring and expressing emotions and experiences through materials is a crucial part of my process. The richness, heaviness, and movement of oil pastels allow me to go deeper with each layer and color change. The easy and often unexpected blending and color transfers by the material is a practice in watching what shows up and sitting with the unexpected.

Woman Outside

This piece is loosely based on a collage I created piecing together different magazine images. Using watercolor crayons, I was able to sketch and blend, a process that allows for feeling various levels of control. I enjoy the mystery of this piece, as the final image leaves me with more questions than answers.

Donna Caputo

The Warmth Within

Mixed media - Photography on Granite

7 x 5.5 x 1

2025

The Warmth Within invites viewers into a quiet woodland path bathed in the golden light of autumn. Captured during a peaceful walk through the woods, this image reflects a moment of stillness and connection—a place where the world felt gentle, grounded, and whole. The soft glow filtering through the trees wrapped everything in warmth, illuminating not just the forest but something deeper within me.

The pathway, covered in fallen leaves, reminded me of the simple comfort found in nature’s rhythms—the steady earth beneath my feet, the hush whispers of the wind, and the soft glow of light and color. It was a moment of calm recognition: that peace often lives in the spaces we step into with open hearts and quiet minds.

The photograph is mounted on granite, whose natural colors, veins, and patterns echo the textures of the forest. The stone’s strength and durability provide a grounding foundation, enhancing the sense of permanence and tranquility that the scene embodies.

Where the Water Listens

Mixed media - Photography on Granite

Size - 5.25 x 3 x 1

2025

Where the Water Listens captures a moment of quiet reflection—a lone swan gliding across still waters, its image mirrored in gentle ripples. The scene is hushed and contemplative, as if the world itself has paused to listen.

In this peaceful space, I was drawn to the dialogue between the swan and its surroundings—the rhythm of movement and echo, the way the water received each subtle gesture and returned it with grace. It reminded me that silence, too, can hold great depth; that even in solitude, there is connection and understanding.

Mounted on granite, the photograph gains a sense of grounding and permanence. The natural stone, with its intricate veins and colors, echoes the organic patterns of water and light, giving the piece both strength and serenity.

Where the Water Listens is a meditation on presence, gentleness, and the quiet communication between self and nature—a reminder that peace is not found in noise, but in stillness.

After the Storm

Mixed media - Photography on Granite

9.5 x 6.5 x 1

2025

After the Storm captures a waterfall at its most powerful—photographed just after a storm when the waters were high and raging. At the time, I was navigating several personal challenges, and the scene resonated deeply with me. The phrase “when it rains, it pours” reflected both the external and internal turbulence I was experiencing.

Creating this piece became a therapeutic process—a way to release, reflect, and find calm amid chaos. Watching and photographing the rushing water allowed me to externalize the emotions I was carrying and to see them transformed into movement, light, and sound.

The image is mounted on granite—a hard, enduring surface whose natural colors, patterns, and veins complement the energy of the waterfall. The stone’s unique texture and durability provide a strong, grounding base for the photograph, reinforcing the themes of resilience and renewal.

Abbien Ciucci

The Space Between

Acrylic Paint, Ink, Rubber Stamps on Board

2024

This piece was created using many layers as a way to explore the artist's identities of professional and mother. Created during a time of transition, this piece examined a sense of separation between these identities and looked to highlight "the space between". Using circles and other shapes, the artist looked to create movement in the piece, further emphasizing a sense of push and pull. The artist hopes that this piece evokes a sense of wonder from the viewer (as she contemplates this herself) - when and will the shapes (or identities) reunite?

Julia Fernandez

Just Pretend You Don’t See Them

Oil on canvas

3' x 6'

2025

Just Pretend You Don’t See Them is inspired by the striking amounts of houselessness I have seen in major cities. Though this is a major issue across our entire country, we continue to criminalize those living in extreme poverty and almost completely ignore their existence. The term unhoused refers to those who don’t have a place to live. The term homeless refers to people with no sense of community or visibility, something our society projects onto this population as a result of fear or ignorance. The contrast between the bright city skyline and the unidentifiable figures below shows a world that refuses to provide basic resources to all people, and shines light on the uneven distribution of wealth on a national and global scale.

The piece was created with oils on a 3’ x 6’ canvas (2025), with a palette knife for the cityscape and brushes for the figures. The use of the palette knife expresses feelings of frustration at the cyclical nature of poverty and houselessness. The use of the brush for the figures conveys a gentleness when dealing with the human form, though we may not necessarily view them as human at all.

It Begins with You

Watercolor on paper

14” x 20”

2025

It Begins with You is a monochromatic watercolor recreation of the moment Rosa Parks stands up for herself by sitting at the front of a bus in Montgomery, 1955. It is moments like these that sparked significant change in our country through empowerment and refusal to back down in the face of injustice. I created this piece as a reaction to the enraging actions of federal budget cuts in response to DEI initiatives. In a world over 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement, it is devastating to actively watch our nation actively step backward after so much progress has been made. I hope this piece can remind people where we came from, where we are headed, and that it takes effort from all of us to rise to the occasion and do what is right.

The use of watercolor and the piece being monochromatic is ironic for its message, reinforcing the message of seeing things in black and white. The challenge of watercolor is that it is hard to control, which mimicked a feeling of powerlessness in our political context. However, if you are patient, strong, and determined, the material can work the way you expect it to. This is a representation of how society can band together to push our nation forward rather than watch it recede.

Confronting my Identity

Pastel on Bristol paper

11” x 17"

2025

Confronting my Identity is a cultural self-portrait for my cultural and social diversity class. When starting this cultural self-portrait, I originally had no idea what to do. The me depicted on the left is bright and bursting with color. This illustrates that even though I don’t speak another language or have a plethora of traditions, my heritage combined with my experiences and desire to continue learning is part of my makeup. The me on the right depicts how I tend to see myself when discussing culture- that I am devoid of interest and don’t really have much to offer or say when discussing cultural traditions. Though I originally found this to be more embarrassing/shameful, I now see it as the possibility to learn and even absorb experiences of people I am around or even work with in the future. Having a sort of “blank slate” can give me room to grow and become more vibrant when I can truly listen to the differences of others around me, as well as take more interest in my heritage.

The piece is made with oil and chalk pastels on 11” x 17”Bristol paper. The pastels gave me the opportunity to do a lot of blending and mixing. This demonstrates the interconnectedness of identity, as well as how impressionable our identities are to our external environments and the people we interact with.

Renee Folzenlogen

I am a color line

Oil on Panel

April 2024

I am an American woman of Chinese, Volga German, French, Welsh, Irish, and Polish descent, with family here since before the American Revolution. In 1952, my parents’ marriage was illegal in 16 states. I am living their American dream, healing the color line, day by day.

Mending America, One Stitch at a Time

A collective work created by The Menders Art Collective

Fabric, thread, beads, paper, paint, ephemera

75” x 103” x 6”

Spring 2025

Since early times, people have used narrative textiles to respond to cultural events, remember loved ones, celebrate joy, and promote social justice. Art therapists Renee Folzenlogen, Daniele Kaplan, and Genaya Palmer conducted a series of 4 workshops comprised of writing, discussion, and textile work centered on the question, “What does America mean to you?”

Over a period of four months, these cloths were stitched into a symbolic American flag which we call "Mending America, One Stitch at a Time." The template of the flag, representing our democracy, provides structure and an orderly framework, so that each voice can be heard and truly seen, rather than dissolving into chaos or conflict. Fourteen women, ages 30 to 70, worked shoulder to shoulder, hearing each other without judgment, making adjustments, problem solving, finding joy, and creating beauty. We are proud of what we have accomplished in this piece, and what it represents: inclusion, honesty, believing in ideals, while looking squarely at America's faults and shortcomings as we approach 250 years. In our cloth you will see themes of immigration, social justice, inclusion, cultural identity, grief, anger, pride, and faith. Creating our piece, and hearing responses from the community, engender a sense of agency, empowerment, and most importantly, hope, for ourselves and for the future of our country. Special thanks is due to professional quilter Tamara Bogdonava who guided us diligently throughout the finishing process.

The artist statement map is featured here.

Maddie Highland

This Will Never End, Right?

Canvas, Monoprint, Acrylic, Paint Chips

2025

This painting, titled 'This Will Never End, Right?', captures growing anxieties about our spiritual connection to nature in an industrialized world. The title reflects a quote fromThe Overstory, a novel which warns of deforestation. Monoprints were created on a gel plate and then meticulously cut into individual branches and leaves. Paint was applied on top of the cut out elements to form a richly textured surface that speaks to the lush growth of old forests. Gold tinted paint was applied over the river at the base, emphasizing the copper waters of New Jersey's Pine Barrens. Overall, this work continues a personal theme of recognizing the importance of nature. My hope is that this piece allows the viewer to consider their own role in protecting nature.

Daniele Kaplan

Winter Blues

Fiber Arts

2025

With towering trees bereft of their colorful leaves, and frozen ground unwelcoming to planting and rejuvenation, winter seems like the season of death, causing many to develop “winter blues." Yet the bareness and inhospitality of winter allows us to open our eyes to the essence of an unadorned landscape and revel in its beauty. It’s that aspect of winter that I try to capture in this piece, turning “winter blues” on its head by imagining a pristine landscape blanketed by snow, with little white buds poking through, reflecting the march of time.

Hanshu Ma

Bedtime Story (Series)

Oil pastel

2024

Free hand drawings from subconscious. The drawings serve as visual traces of an unfiltered dialogue between body and psyche, where spontaneous movement of the hand becomes a channel for unarticulated emotions. Instead of resolving into fixed meaning, they remain open fields for projection, reflection, and reinterpretation.

Alissa Paulison

(Round red one with big eye in the center)

Peering Down the Rabbit Hole

Oil on canvas

2025

This piece examines perspective as a continuous state in which individuals exist both as participants in and observers of their own experience. This duality alters perception of reality, exposing the nuanced layers of consciousness and self-awareness.

(Yellow red and blue one with four eyes and line work)

Eye See

Oil on canvas

2025

This work explores the dynamic relationship between human sensory perception and environmental stimuli, framing perception as the processing of energetic information through light, shape, and form.

(Blue purple hands)

Ego Fragmentation

Oil on canvas

2025

This piece explores the fragmentation and deterioration of perceived solid form, exposing the intricate realities beneath the mind’s assumption of stability and permanence.

Elaine Shor

Changing World 1, oil, 2023

Changing World 2, oil, 2024

Changing World 3, oil, 2025

This painting is part of a series addressing how climate change has effects on all people and at every scale of human experience. Our environment influences all aspects of our lives, including our interactions with each other. Some groups of people, the very young and the very old, are especially vulnerable to the changes happening around the globe. How will humans respond to these changes? More people will be impacted in many ways, including experiencing death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The results are disruption of food supplies, increases in diseases and mental health issues. Will we remain strong and be able to unite to overcome these challenges or lose sight of our commonality to the detriment of our existence?

Sarah E. Siering

A Mother

Watercolor

2025

I became obsessed with updates from Palestine, sharing information across social media, trying to get others to bear witness as I felt compelled to do, but really I was just screaming into the void. I saw this video of a young mother, holding the clothes of her twin babies who had been obliterated by a bomb. As she was interviewed she kept holding the clothes up to her face and breathing in the last scent of her children.

I was helpless in the face of her colossal pain. But when there’s nothing else you can do, you can still paint. As the folds of the mother’s headscarf emerged on the paper, I reflected on how Western Christian culture reveres the Virgin Mary and fears the Muslim hijab. The pain of one mother is assigned a greater value than the pain of another. In A Mother this distinction is blurred. It is equally plausible that the image reflects Mary at the crucifixion of her son as it is a Gazan mother clutching onesies in pink and blue.

Meet the Judges

Eden Flora

Eden Flora received a BFA in Fabric Design from the University of Georgia and a MPS in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute. Eden delights in creating and is thankful to be the artist behind her business, Eden W Flora Art. She is a Registered Art Therapist and contracts her work at an Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. Eden resides in Oxford, Mississippi with her family.

www.edenwflora.com

@edenwflora on Instagram