June 10th, 2024
June 3rd, 2024
This week’s featured artist at the Gallery is Amita Kumar!
May 28th 2024
This weeks featured artists at the Raritan Township Art Gallery is Mary Lou Thomas!
May 10, 2024: Raritan Township Historic Committee
Our Tribute to Richard Stothoff (July 23, 1934 – March, 15, 2024)
It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of our township historian, Richard Stothoff, on March 15, 2024. Dick was an endless resource of the development of Hunterdon County and Raritan Township since its inception in 1837. He was always willing to share his knowledge of various buildings, homesteads, and farms. He was also an owner of some of the most exquisite Township properties, including the Governor John Reading House.
Dick always had the time to share his knowledge and encourage us in the Historic Committee of Raritan Township, to learn more of the historic details of our area and preserve that knowledge for future generations. He was also a consummate gentleman, always pleasant in his interactions with us and the community. Our Historians group will forever miss him. He was a kind, gentle soul and we were blessed to have known him.
1838 Student Postcard Contest winners announced. Details link here.
Raritan Township Historian Ray Simonds honored for environmental commission service. Details link here.
Raritan Township 2024 Calendar! Original artwork of local artists paint en plein air and photography. Details link here.
October 10, 2023 Paint Plein Air Art Exhibit and Marketplace
Rescheduled to November 5, 2023 at the Raritan Township Municipal Building (Courtroom), Noon to 4 PM with online marketplace.
A slideshow of paint en plein air artwork and photography from the Carmelite Monastery is shown below:
Helene Mazur “Looking Out” 
Helen Lee Meyers “Carmelite Monastery” SOLD 
Marianne Holcombe “August Day at Carmelite Monasterey” 
Jeff Newman 
Jeff Newman SOLD 
Jeff Newman 
Jeff Newman 
Mary Lou Thomas “View from Mt Carmel” 
Rhyta Rounds “Welcome” SOLD 
Rhyta Rounds “From the Skylight” SOLD 
Helen Lee Meyers “Carmelite Monastery View” SOLD 
Angela Marie Franco “Signpost” SOLD 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Joel Van Horn 
Rhyta Rounds “The Flag” 
Rhyta Rounds “At the Chapel” SOLD 
Rhyta Rounds “Resting in the Shade” 
Rhyta Rounds “The Bells” 
Julie Cavallaro “Crape Myrtle at the Carmelite Chapel” SOLD 
Julie Cavallaro “View from the top” 
Jeff Vaccarella: “Blessing inside Carmelite” 
Christine Auriemma: Monastery First View 
Cindy Bender: Carmelite Monastery View 
Cindy Bender: Carmelite Monastery Gate 
Joel Van Horn: Madonna 
Rhyta Rounds “Approach to the Monastery” SOLD 
Rhyta Rounds “Walking Home” SOLD
May 26, 2023 Paint en Plein Air Event
The Raritan Township Local Historian Committee is working with Art Venture NJ to celebrate the 185th Anniversary of the Township.
Raritan Township is celebrating its 185 Anniversary this year, having been chartered by the State Legislature as a Township in 1838.
In preparation for Community Day, scheduled for September 24th this year at Lenape Park, 12-4 PM, the Township Historians have invited local artists of Art Venture NJ to paint en plein air at various historic homesteads and farms throughout the township, April through August of 2023. Artworks, in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen/ink, charcoal, photography or other medium, will be on display at Community Day by the artists working with the local historians.
To date, several locations within the Old Clinton Road Historic District have been painted by the artists with additional locations planned soon. The South Branch and Reaville Historic District have also been included during the past few months. More events are planned for July and August.
Here we highlight several artists with their individual work paint en plein air setups which they bring to each participating event. While many of the works are not yet finished, they are exceptional examples of their respective mediums.
The artworks contributed by the artists will be displayed at Community Day and each site will be memorialized by the historians with details from historic maps and site surveys. The Raritan Township Historic Committee paint en plein air event is a tribute to our region’s agricultural heritage.
Events are usually scheduled for Saturday mornings, beginning at 9 AM and ending early afternoon, and occasionally scheduled during the week. Typically, 6-8 artists are pre-registered for each event through the Art Venture group.
Updates of the paint plein air will be posted by the Township Historians. Township residents and local artists interested in participating in the paint en plein air program are invited to contact the Secretary of the Raritan Township Historians, Kerry Rhea, at KerryARhea@gmail.com or artists can contact Prem Kumar of the Art Venture group at prem@ArtVentureNJ.com.
History1838 Raritan Township NJ 