Freehold Art Gallery

Our Story

Freehold Art Gallery is located in Historic Downtown Freehold Borough, New Jersey, which was the historic halfway point for stagecoaches between New York City and Philadelphia, about an hour drive from either city.

Our Mission is to feature all mediums of art from both emerging and established local New Jersey artists, select works by artists from around country and the world, as well as prints, historic maps, photographs, documents, and other unique pieces.

The Freehold Art Gallery has four show spaces on the second floor of the former J.J. Newbury Co. Department Store. These unique gallery rooms blend the traditional 19th century salon styles inherent to the space with the needs of a contemporary art gallery, creating an elegant but modern atmosphere for artists to display their work and for you to host your small event or function. We are a BYOB and offer catering services from many of the local restaurants. We also offer live music, artists talks and other public events.

The Main Gallery: Showcases the wide array of local talent native to Freehold, Monmouth County, and New Jersey alongside works by artist from throughout the United States and around the world.

The Central Gallery: Features eight (8) curated exhibits per year aimed to highlight specific themes or artists and to inspire and expose our patrons to a wide range of art styles and forms.

The Lounge Gallery: Features specialty exhibits aimed to highlight specific themes or artists and to inspire and expose our patrons to a wide range of art styles and forms.

The Reception Hall: Contains our prints, our historic maps, photography and documents, as well as some larger pieces, framing display, and CD’s of local musicians.

We hope the Freehold Art Gallery will serve as a hub for the artistic community of Freehold and beyond, as well as a gathering spot for the community as a whole.

Who we are-
Curator: Jilltrude Barba – An active artist for more than 40, years Jill earned degrees in English and German from Trenton State College. As a young woman her interest in art and painting was always present and Jill has developed a style with landscapes known for their enthusiastic realism in both oil and pastel.

Jill has continued to study art with may known artists including Susan Winter of New Jersey, portraitist Ed Hicks of New Jersey, and the well-known New Jersey/New York feminist artist Grace Graupe-Pillard, whose works can be found in the collections of the Newark Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

In 2004 Jill founded the Blind Squirrel of Art, lecturing and demonstrating to artists techniques for unblocking their creativity.

Jill was a member of the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission (2006-2008) and Curator of the Arc of Monmouth’s Red Horse Gallery (2012-2015). She is currently the Treasurer of the Freehold Art Society, an exhibiting member of the Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury, NJ, and a founding member of, and Board of Director for, the Freehold Borough Arts Council.

Proprietor: Jeffrey J. Friedman – Studied art under famed New York artist Dorothy Zilka in high school and was a winner of the Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival in 1990. Jeff earned degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York, studied Economic Theory and European History as an associate student at Trinity College of Oxford University, Oxford England, and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Widener School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware.

Jeff worked in Washington, DC and Trenton, NJ for various politicians and political committees in a number of capacities between 1999 and 2006 and thereafter returned to Monmouth County to pursue his own passions. He was a member of the Freehold Borough Historic Preservation Commission (2009-2012) and served on the Freehold Borough Master Plan Subcommittee (2011).

Jeff currently serves as President of the Freehold Borough Arts Council, Board of Director of the Freehold Center Management Corporation/Downtownfreehold.com, Board of Director of the Downtown Concert Series, Co-Chair of the Freehold Municipal Alliance, Member of the Park Avenues School Safety Committee, and the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Monmouth County Historical Association.

What we do – Retail
Consign and sell original painting, sculptures, jewelry, glass works, etchings, photographs, and more by talented local, regional, and international artists. We also deal in historic maps, photographs, documents, and other unique pieces.

What we do – Events
Art shows and art show receptions.
Poetry readings, book readings, and spoken words.
Unique and elegant space for any small event;
Lectures, meetings, conferences, receptions, office holiday parties, and team building;
Group outings, wedding showers, surprise parties, girl’s nights out, and more.
Catering and drink packages available through our local catering partners.

What we do – Services
Commercial and residential art coordination; we will work with your designer to find what or who you need for all your art needs.
Special order, commission, and contract work.

What we do for artist
Consignment, promotion, representation.