PARAMUS, N.J. – Almost one year after Hurricane Sandy, local residents will convey their experiences through art during an upcoming exhibition in Gallery Bergen, the visual arts exhibition space at Bergen Community College’s main campus in Paramus.
The mixed-media show, “Sandy: Artists Respond to a Once and Future Superstorm,” will be on view from Tuesday, October 1 to Wednesday, December 4. A public reception, with live music from the College’s jazz ensemble, will take place Tuesday, October 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the gallery, located on the third floor of West Hall at Bergen’s main campus, 400 Paramus Road.
Conceived, co-curated and organized by Bergen professors Suzaan Boettger and Marriott Sheldon, the exhibition features the photographs, paintings, prints, assemblage and video of 13 diverse area artists. Visitors can share recollections of living through Hurricane Sandy via a communal memory wall as part of the exhibition.
“The works of art, both descriptive and evocative, call up memories of experiences, personal feelings and collective responses to the superstorm,” Dr. Boettger said. “Yet, they are united in their engagement with threats to the ecological environment.”
To complement the exhibition, four educational events – all open to the public free of charge – will take place:
- Exhibition Reception
Tuesday, October 15
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Gallery Bergen
- Panel Discussion with Artists
Tuesday, October 22
12:20 – 1:40 p.m.
Pitkin Education Center, room A-104
- Curator's Tours of the Exhibition
Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, November 7
12:20 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Gallery Bergen
- Lecture by Julie Reiss, Ph.D.: “Global Connections: Artists at the Venice Biennale Address Climate Change
Tuesday, November 12
12:20 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.
Pitkin Education Center, room A-104
Gallery Bergen was established in 2007 with the opening of West Hall, the home of Bergen’s visual arts department. For more information, directions and additional photos of the exhibited work, please visit: www.bergen.edu/gallerybergen.
Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu) based in Paramus is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling nearly 17,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields.