Village Green’s Spotlight series aims to help the residents of SOMA — or MapSO — get to know their neighbors better. Village Green asks the questions; the Spotlight personality does the rest! Read more Spotlights here.
Artist Nettie Thomas
Name?
My name is Nettie Forné Thomas. The spelling of my name for my art signature is NETTE, spelled without the letter “i”.
What town do you live in, and how long have you lived here?
I live in Maplewood and have lived here since 1975 — 49 years.
SOMA or MapSO?
MapSO.
What do you do?
I am an exhibiting visual artist and a retired art educator and administrator.
Why do you live/work/interact here?
Having lived in Maplewood for so much of my adult life I interact here because it is my life and environment.
What was it about MapSO that made you choose to move here?
My husband and I chose to move here after looking in several areas close to our two family home in the Weequahic section of Newark, NJ. I did not want to travel too far to the school where I was teaching, Weequahic High School, and we wanted a one family house with ample outdoor living spaces.
If you could say one nice thing to the residents of SOMA/MapSO, what would it be?
In my 49 years here, there have been eleven new neighbors in the houses directly next to me, six on the left and five on the right. They have all been friendly and helpful. They exemplify what I would say to MapSO residents: continue to treat one another as good as you treat the neighbors you have gotten to know personally.
What’s your favorite place to hang out in MapSO and why?
My favorite place to mingle with other people in Maplewood has always been the 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. The events bring together so many people interested in the arts.
What’s your favorite summertime treat?
My favorite summertime treat is ice cream. It has always been an enjoyment that conjures up all the good circumstances that revolve around it, such as walking down to Maplewood Village with my granddaughter to buy our favorites and walking back home while enjoying it.
If you had to choose, would you go to the mountains or the beach for vacation?
The beach would be my ideal place to vacation. I enjoy not only being in the water, but also the beauty of the waves as far as you can see.
What is your favorite MapSO tradition and why?
My favorite Maplewood tradition is the July 4th activities. We would get the ‘all events’ pass and enjoy the whole day from the circus to the fireworks.
Who were your heroes (and they can still be!) growing up?
My favorite heroine is Gladys Barker Grauer. Gladys opened the first art gallery in Newark. It is especially noteworthy that it was a black artist gallery and prior to that there was only the Newark Museum as a place to see art. Gladys and her husband Sol Grauer provided the groundbreaking foundation for so many of the local artist galleries and venues that followed her. She was considered the matriarch of Newark Arts and had a momentous celebration of her life at the Newark Museum when she died in 2019.
If you had to choose between the following: invisibility, the ability to fly, or always finding a parking space in MapSO – which would it be – you can pick only one.
I would choose the ability to fly, which by the way could also be likened to invisibility because you could exist beyond the realm of the average populace. But the main attraction would be the opportunity to traverse the world far and wide and experience the sensation of space and movement.
Nettie Thomas’ work can be seen at W.O.W.: Women’s Outstanding Works’ Visionary Featured Artist Nette Forné Thomas
