Big Buzz For MCAW as the Hive Opens In Chester

The Morris County Arts Workshop officially opened their Hive in Chester on Saturday, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that has been creating an appropriate amount of buzz over the last few months.

Part gallery, part performing arts center the Hive is part of MCAW founder Jane Shatz's dream to provide a place for all in the community to have a space to create and experience art.

The ribbon cutting in the Chester Springs Shopping Mall was the latest step in a series of leaps for MCAW. Their origami crane project and evening with Jim Breuer are only two of the recent programs the center has been involved in.

Saturday's crowd of art patrons young and old began the day with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Chester Township Mayor Bill Cogger and Chester Borough Mayor Bob Davis, who stood alongside Shatz and Billy Andrews, a representative of Ramco-Gershenson Properties who own the Chester Springs Mall.

MCAW's string ensemble serenaded the crowd and were joined soon by Allen Won on jazz saxophone. The day continued with a pottery demonstration, gallery previews, live art painting, crafts, fencing, robotics, storytelling and a wine and cheese reception.

Founded in 2003 by Jane Shatz, a Juilliard School of Music dance alumna and Chester resident, the Morris County Arts Workshop (MCAW) is a non-profit group created to nurture and promote the love for the arts in children of all ages.  The program is community based and offers a wide variety of classes from musical instrument lessons to voice to painting to yoga to language and martial arts.  Classes are currently held in Chester, Mendham and Mount Olive public schools as well as The Hive in the Chester Springs Shopping Center on Route 206 in Chester.  There are two sessions per year which culminate with a special Showcase performance and art display in the fall and spring.  In addition, MCAW runs five weeks of summer camp for pre-kindergarten to age 15.