16 Spring 2017 mattersmagazine.com 17 galleries on their own. She is quick to demystify the role of the front-desk staff and explains that visitors should feel comfortable going into any gallery and asking for press releases and price lists. While you may not be buying a $200,000 stone bathtub anytime soon, it’s fun to know what the pieces sell for, not to mention their titles and descriptions. The goal of every tour is best summed up by Drafta’s business tagline: “curated tours of unmissable work,” and despite the casual pace and manner of every visit, Drafta does extensive research before going on the road. “I might visit 25 to 30 shows before I whittle it down to a short list,” she explains, “The truth is, the shows in Chelsea and the Lower East Side can be hit or miss; having someone Paul Chan is a 41-year-old American artist, writer, activist and publisher born in Hong Kong and raised in Nebraska. He is the recipient of the 2014 Hugo Boss prize and is included in the collections of major museums in the U.S. and abroad. Below: Madonna With Childs, 2016.All images courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York Above: Paul Chan, Pentasophia (or Le bonheur de vivre dans la catastrophe du monde occidental), 2016 (detail). Below: Paul Chan, Baigneurs Sans Rien, 2017, Both images courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York. do the research up front is incredibly beneficial.” As a stepmother to two teenagers, Drafta often visits the galleries with her husband and sons, and wants to encourage whole families to try out her Art Gallery Circuit. Her private family tours (for children over 12) are meant to give children a sense of what art can be made of, and expose them to a new place “that is kind of hidden in plain sight.” Both “art-curious” and “art-serious” can benefit from Drafta’s tours, which she runs every Thursday at 2 p.m and on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. To learn more, visit Art Gallery Circuit at artgallerycircuit.com. Joanne Fisher is a freelance writer and editor in South Orange whose most frequent art gallery questions are “Why?” and “What is it?” Jody Lee Drafta of Art Gallery Circuit Below: Jorinde Voigt, The Shift (Song of the Earth) I-VIII, 2016, © Jorinde Voigt. Courtesy David Nolan Gallery, New York. Complimentary Design Services Monday - Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5, Sunday Closed 908-688-9416 thedecoratingstore-tme.com at terminal mill ends The Decorating Store BLINDS • REUPHOLSTERY • DRAPERY • SLIPCOVERS • FABRIC NEW FURNITURE • CUSHIONS • FLOORING • DECORATIVE HARDWARE • BEDDING • FABRIC • BLINDS • REUPHOLSTERY BLINDS • REUPHOLSTERY • DRAPERY • SLIPCOVERS • FABRIC NEW FURNITURE • CUSHIONS • FLOORING • DECORATIVE HARDWARE • BEDDING FABRIC • BLINDS • REUPHOLSTERY SALE 20% OFF All Fabrics, Blinds, Shades & Plantation Shutters 30% OFF New Custom Catalogue Furniture Sales do not apply to labor or previous orders Sale Ends June 30, 2017 We’ve MOveD! 711 Mountain Ave. Springfield, NJ   Former  Maplewood    Resident     James  Poulos     Writes  a  poetical  study  about   silence.     Read   brooklynwind   by  James  Poulos   available    on  Amazon  and  Kindle   AS SEEN IN 2 0 1 1 5 TOP DENTISTS 2 0 1 5 Kevin F. Muench, DMD, MAGD 140 Maplewood Ave, Maplewood 973.763.2221 | MuenchDental.com | Enjoy Life with the Smile You Deserve From esthetics to implants, we offer the latest and finest in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. Don’t wait until retirement, start improving your life today! Our practice provides preventive dentistry for your entire family. We specialize in Implant, Sleep and TMD Therapies.