STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Malissa Priebe threw a birthday party and invited a few hundred of her closest friends Saturday night.
The occasion: Art Lab turned the big 4-0.
"This is pretty significant in the non-profit world because there's a lot of pettiness out there," said the hostess clad in a floor-length black maxi-dress that perfectly reflected her bohemian, welcoming vibe (she paused mid-quote to hug Laura Jean Watters and Craig Manister as they entered the venue).
"But the connections that exist here, on a human level, counteracts all that," the director of Art Lab for 15 years added, cracking a winning smile. "It's the antithesis of it."
The party took place at the school and gallery space in Building H on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Livingston.
It hasn't been easy, but they're "still here creating. Still here expressing. We've persevered and survived for 40 years against all the forces that oppress and censor and stigmatize."
There was plenty of food, drink, live music (check out those photos of Patrick DeCicco playing the xylophone in the gallery above), a champagne toast, a public art wall, raffle baskets and Steve Worth Photography's funky photo booth (complete with celeb-inspired masks and props).
The star attraction: In celebration of the milestone, Art Lab selected works by a diverse cross-section of associated artists to display.
The warm, inviting event was intentionally thrown as a "party, not a hoity toity gala." The $40 ticket was geared to allow more walks of life to participate. But it's that inclusive vibe that can make it so hard for Art Lab to exist.
"Because art is not sexy. We aren't a health issue. We're not global warming," she says, her eyes welling up with passion. "They say we're not humanitarians -- but we are. Because if art doesn't exist we cease to be human."
And as more arts programs get slashed from state and school budgets, Priebe said Art Lab is more crucial than ever before.
"If children aren't being taught art in public schools it's important that we have this as a venue," she said. "And it needs to be funded as a program accessible to all. These are valuable tools of expression that can keep kids communicating and out of areas that can do them harm."
-- The 40th birthday exhibition runs through May 1. Regular gallery hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about classes, check out ArtLabSI.com.