Toricos, what's up? I love you, the home-made ice cream, and the staff. But you're going light on the scoops. I just paid five bucks for a thimble of chocolate ice cream. What gives? I may have to start frequenting the shady joints in Journal Square. Is this just an unfortunate coincidence or is this new policy? Has anyone else noticed a difference?

"In general, I was looking for input on what's out there, what's going on, who's doing good work, etc."

An incomplete list of artists I respect, admire and support in Jersey City, Newark, and the region:

Agitators Collective:
http://agitatorscollective.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agitator_aaa/
http://agitatorscollective.com/

Margaret Murphy:
http://www.margaret-murphy.com/

Michelle Loughlin:
http://www.woolpunkstudios.com/Site/HOME.html

Mark Dagley:
http://www.markdagley.com/

Roger Sayre:
http://www.rogersayre.com/

Jim Pustorino:
http://www.universechild.net/pustorinopaintings

Nyguen Smith:
http://www.nyugensmith.com/

Beth Gilifilen:
http://bethgilfilen.com/

Sara Wolfe:
http://afonline.artistsspace.org/view_artist.php?aid=3687

Scott Taylor:
http://www.vandanyc.com/artists/taylor/01.php

Jon Rappeleye:
http://www.baileygallery.com/artists_02.cfm?fid=109

Mauro Altamura:
http://registry.whitecolumns.org/view_artist.php?artist=252

_GAIA
http://www.gaiastudio.org/

Hiroshi Kumagai:
http://www.gaiastudio.org/

Dahlia Elsayed:
http://www.dahliaelsayed.com/bio/

Andrew Demirjian:
http://www.andrewdemirjian.com

Ryan Roa:
http://ryanroa.com/

A quick list of museum + galleries in Jersey City I support:

Jersey City Museum:
www.jerseycitymuseum.org

Abaton Gallery (Mark Dagley + Lauri Bortz)
http://www.abatongarage.com/

Victory Arts Projects aka Victory Hall:
http://victoryartsprojects.org/

Lex Leonard:
http://www.lexleonardgallery.com/info.htm

58 Gallery:
http://www.fifty8.com/

Curious Matter:
http://curiousmatter.blogspot.com/

A list of galleries in Newark, NJ I respect and admire:

Rupert Ravens Contemporary:
http://rupertravens.net/

Gallery Aferro:
http://rupertravens.net/

City Without Walls:
http://www.cwow.org/

Paul Robeson Gallery:
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/artgallery/index.html

Aljira:
http://www.aljira.org/

Jersey City has a wealth of artists and art enthusiasts. However, the city does not have the commercial foundation/interests to fully support and sustain professional artists.

That being said, there are several institutions dedicated to cultivating and supporting the artist community. Here is a brief list: Jersey City Museum; Gallery 58; Curious Matter; Victory Arts; The Garage; NJCU; Jersey City Cultural Affairs; Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs; Heights Arts Initiative; CASID.

Jersey City Museum is a great venue to see contemporary art. The museum is located on 350 Montgomery Street. Rocio Aranda, Curator, does as exceptional job organizing exhibitions, and cultivating a diverse range of talent. In addition to the exhibitions, the museum has a series of public programs that are geared to artists, art enthusiasts, and community.

Gallery 58 is a gallery in downtown Jersey City that has been featured in The New York Times and New York Magazine. Orlando Reyes, Gallery Director, has curated top shelf talent. Billy Miller organized a great show last spring, and Endless Boogie played a hot set in the back.

Curious Matter is an exhibition venue for contemporary visual art located in downtown Jersey City. Curious Matter strives to foster dialogue among artists at all career stages with a calendar of regular exhibitions.

Margaret Murphy curates the exhibition space The Garage in the Heights. She features emerging and mid career artists from NYC to Jersey City.

Midori Yoshimoto curates wonderful exhibitions at NJCU in Greenville. She scored a major coup last year, and organized a series of screenings of Yoko Ono's work. In addition to the screening, Ms. Ono presented a lecture.