Township Unveils Portrait of NFL's O'Hara

The visage of NFL Pro Bowler and Hillsborough High School alum Shaun O'Hara joined Hillsborough's public art gallery Friday as his portrait was unveiled at the opening of the Hillsborough Cultural Arts Commission's ninth Annual Fine Art and Photography Exhibit.

The exhibit opened with a collection of works by area students and adults, which were judged by professional artists. Awards were presented for the judge's first, second and third place choices, as well as honorable mentions.

But it was O'Hara's appearance that captivated the crowd. A player known as much for his off-the-field charitable efforts as his outstanding performance on the field as a center for the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants, O'Hara joked about only being in the municipal building once before... for a court appearance.

"It was just a traffic violation," he said.

He said he remembers thinking there wasn't much to do in Hillsborough when he was in high school, stopping by the Bagel Bop or heading to Angelo's Pizza for some slices.

But he said high school kids today have more opportunities, and he praised the high school students who participated in the art show for their commitment and passion to their craft.

"I think when you look around this room, that's really what reflects back, when you look at the paintings and the photographs, is the passion," he said. "That's something I admire most in people."

O'Hara noted the passion for painting exhibited by Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School senior Jackie Lin, last year's student fine art winner and the artist chosen for the year-long mentoring program with artist Kevin Murphy culminating in the portrait.

He said she spent "countless hours as she sat staring at my ugly mug" for the portrait, which will be added to the portrait gallery in the municipal courtroom which includes Peter Biondi, Doris Duke, Olympian Joetta Clark-Diggs and turn-of-the-century opera singer Anna Case Mackay.  

The winners of the judged exhibit were:

Fine Arts

High School

• First: Dan Hincapie "Untitled"
• Second: Elizabeth Feusse "It's Off Balance"
• Third: Kyndra Moser "Assault"
• Honorable mentions: Zikun Zhang ("Mercury's Messenger"); Jenelle Bharrat ("Red flats"); SoYoung Chun ("Identity portrait"); Andrew Prescott ("John Lennon"); Kendra Moser ("Self"); and Komal Bhasale ("Freedom").
• Judges' Choice: Ana Hagel ("Boot"); Maya Weagley ("Love of Feet").

Adult

• First: Grace Cheung "Open Road"
• Second: Chris Stuart "Clown face"
• Third: Thomas Nusbaum "Oranges and Pears"
• Honorable mentions: Erica Gavzy ("Mask"); Kim Munis ("Tambourine Girl" and "Pelt Merchant of Cairo"); Chris Bonnell ("Clown fish"); and Rich Mog ("Pacific Rim").
• Judges' Choice: Jackie Ferrentino ("Broken Doll" and "After Rockwell"); Andrea Gianchiglia ("Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder"). 

Student Open

• First: Zoe Zylowski "Grace"
• Second: Jackie Lin "Great Migration"
• Honorable Mention: Echo Chen ("Untitld"); Ashley Wu ("Cherub"); Ann Wang ("Immersed in Nature"); and Ben Chen ("Landscape").
• Judges' Choice: Allen Yang ("Psyche"); Don Tyson ("Jumper"); and Zoe Zylowski ("The Line").

Photography

Student

• First: Marta Goraczniak 
• Second: Ali Fung 
• Third: Jackie Mattaliano
• Honorable mentions: Shannon Kyle, Rachel Shafer. 
• Judges' Choice: Kacey Pepe, Stephanie Aleo, Rachel Gallic

Adult

• First: Valerie Chaucer-Levine
• Second: Johnny Perna
• Third: Wayne Domkowski
• Honorable mentions: Banu Dogan, Barb Frankenfield, Paul Marvuglio.
• Judges' Choice: Rafal Goraczniak, John Feist, Paul Marvuglio