The focus of this little paper of ours is and will always be about all things local to South Jersey, just like its name implies. But on the intro page of this issue, we had to venture a little further south – all the way down to Clarkesville, Georgia.
In this edition we decided to turn our attention to the arts, and primarily visual art and the artists who make it in South Jersey.
But our interest in art, and in many ways the road to us starting this paper, began during a road trip back in 2020, even though we didn’t know it at the time.
We were still feeling the effects of the pandemic, but things were starting to open up a bit so we masked up, loaded the minivan with ALL the hand sanitizer and we hit the road.
The stated reason for the trip was to spend Thanksgiving with my folks in Florida, but the side quest was to stop at as many quirky roadside attractions along the way as possible.
Our most memorable stop was without a doubt the World Famous SamG Land in Georgia.
The property is an immersive art environment created by artist Sam Granger, though he’d probably hate having his place stuck with that label. SamG Land is Granger’s home and studio, and one giant gallery to display his work.
It’s all tucked in the woods behind a gas station, and while I can only speak from my own experience, the place is pure magic.
The feeling I had there that day can only be described as a childlike lightness. At every turn, around every corner, behind every tree, there’s a bit of Sam’s art, some piece of himself, of his sense of humor, all on display for anyone who journeys back to visit him.
Sam was there that day when we stopped by and he couldn’t have been more wonderful. He spent time with us, showed us around and was particularly great with the kids.
We left with a few “souvenirs,” as Sam likes to call the art he has for sale at SamG Land, but we also left with the feeling we’d made a new friend and had a newfound appreciation for the arts.
It’s not that we didn’t like art before that day, but when you get the chance to physically immerse yourself into the mind of a mad man (and I mean that in the absolute best possible way), it can truly change your perspective.
Our visit there showed us the importance of self-expression and the need for putting something positive out into the world. And while we would never consider ourselves artists for what we’re doing here, we do create this paper each month with that exact intention.
Our travels to discover art and artists to feature in this issue took us to every corner of South Jersey, and we definitely found some of that same childlike wonder, along with community empowerment, public engagement and a whole lot of fun. We hope you enjoy those ”art” stories and everything else we have in store for you this month.
We know we’ve only scratched the surface on the examples of art to be found, admired and enjoyed in South Jersey and we’ll be making it a regular part of our mission to bring you even more of it in each issue.
So, thank you to all of the wonderful artists who shared their works with us for this edition, and while we won’t be changing our name to The North Georgia Local anytime soon, we have to also say thank you to the World Famous SamG for showing us the way, and the world’s largest grit!