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Black Women’s Mural Raises Awareness About Black Suffragists, Celebrates Black Voices, and Sparks Community Pride

Black Women’s Mural Raises Awareness About Black Suffragists, Celebrates Black Voices, and Sparks Community Pride

Carolyn M. Brown
Article, Visual Arts, BIPOC Voices

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a prominent journalist and activist who fought tirelessly for women’s right to vote even though she is often left out of historical conversations about the women’s suffrage movement. Today her image graces a mural located in the heart of downtown Englewood, New Jersey, on the east-facing wall of the Women's Rights Information Center building at 108 W. Palisades Avenue.

“The Black Women’s Mural: Celebrating Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood” is meant to celebrate the achievements of Black women who paved the way for civil and women’s rights as well as serve as a beacon of pride and hope for young girls, Black women and the community-at-large in Englewood. 

The mural, painted by Black-Iranian visual artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, also features Dr. Josie Carter, an original member of the Women's Rights Information Center's board of directors; a group of Black women activists protesting segregation at the city's Lincoln Elementary School; Hali Cooper, a Black Lives Matter protester; and Kia S. Thornton Miller along with her daughter Toni Michelle Miller, a ninth grade student at Bergen County Technical Schools. 

Two River Theater Aims at Racism, High Art in "Living & Breathing"

Two River Theater Aims at Racism, High Art in "Living & Breathing"

Jesse North & Dave Tavani
Video, BIPOC Voices, Theater

What happens when life imitates art too literally? Lots of drama. Two River Theater is presenting the world debut of “Living & Breathing,” a world premiere play by Mando Alvarado. This new play examines the world of high art, racial identity, and a friend group that’s ready to buckle. Jersey Arts goes to rehearsal in Red Bank to learn more from the team behind this new show.

Shakespeare Theatre of NJ Highlights Two Plays by African-American Playwright Alice Childress

Shakespeare Theatre of NJ Highlights Two Plays by African-American Playwright Alice Childress

Gina Marie Rodriguez & Dave Tavani
Theater, Video, BIPOC Voices

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents two one-act plays, “Florence” and “Mojo: A Black Love Story,” by Alice Childress Oct. 26 to Nov. 13 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, New Jersey.

Childress (1916-1994) was an actress and a founding member of the American Negro Theatre in 1940 before becoming a groundbreaking playwright. She is often acknowledged as the only 20th-century African-American woman to have written, produced and published plays for four decades.

The Theatre has a mission to integrate education and learning into its endeavors to promote a culture of enlightenment.

“Florence,” written in 1949, explores the issues of female empowerment, interracial politics and working-class life. “Mojo: A Black Love Story,” written 1970, captures the love between a man and a woman once married yet still deeply committed to each other.

Correspondent Gina Marie Rodriguez speaks with Director Lindsey Smiling, “Mojo” actress Darlene Hope and costume designer Patrice Trower about what Childress' work means to them and the theater community.

Cultures and Kin Clash in Family Drama "Her Portmanteau" at George Street Playhouse

Cultures and Kin Clash in Family Drama "Her Portmanteau" at George Street Playhouse

Jesse North & Dave Tavani
Theater, Video, BIPOC Voices

A story about a mother and her daughters, split by cultures. In “Her Portmanteau,” a George Street Playhouse production on stage at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Oct. 11 — 30, we follow a Nigerian-American family trying to reunite amid the stark differences of lifestyles and values when relatives are spread across continents.

Correspondent Jesse North is at rehearsal in New Brunswick to talk with the creatives bringing this family to life on stage.

A ‘Circle of Black Artists’ is, at Long Last, Receiving Recognition in Princeton

A ‘Circle of Black Artists’ is, at Long Last, Receiving Recognition in Princeton

Ilene Dube
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

A selection of Black artists from the Greater Princeton Area, long overlooked, is finally getting its due thanks to a group of collectors who recognized and preserved the body of work and two ambitious curators.

Retrieving the Life and Art of James Wilson Edwards and a Circle of Black Artists, on view at the Arts Council of Princeton Oct. 14 – Dec. 3, is celebrating the intertwined lives and stories of James Wilson Edwards, Rex Goreleigh, Hughie Lee-Smith, Selma Hortense Burke, and Wendell T. Brooks. The exhibition kicks off with a panel discussion, “Art Collecting as an Act of Love,” Oct. 14, 4-5 p.m., featuring the lenders to the exhibition and moderated by curators Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold Ponder.

The Montclair Art Museum Holds an Indigenous Peoples Weekend

The Montclair Art Museum Holds an Indigenous Peoples Weekend

Carolyn M. Brown
Festivals, Film, Music, Article, BIPOC Voices, Kids & Family

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) will honor the artistry and contributions of Indigenous peoples with a series of workshops, performances and art-making activities with an Indigenous Peoples Weekend Oct. 7 – 10.

The Lenape are the Indigenous people of New Jersey and MAM is inviting adults, children and families across the state to join them in recognizing Native American history and heritage here in Lenapehoking (homelands of the Lenape).

Move Over, Tea Sets – Ceramic Artists of Color Respond to the World of Today

Move Over, Tea Sets – Ceramic Artists of Color Respond to the World of Today

Ilene Dube
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

Roberto Lugo: The Village Potter, is on view at Grounds For Sculpture through January 8, 2023. Kudos to the Hamilton-based sculpture park for getting Lugo, a hot phenom who has been featured at "Hyperallergic" no fewer than three times in the past few years.

Grounds For Sculpture describes his work as a reimagining of traditional European and Asian porcelain forms and techniques with a 21st-century street sensibility, creating multicultural mash-ups.

In addition to the works created by Lugo is a smaller exhibition on the mezzanine level that he curated. It is worth a visit on its own.

A concurrent exhibition of contemporary works in ceramic, Fragile Earth, can be seen in the Domestic Arts Building. It is curated by the Color Network, a group whose mission is to advance people of color in ceramics.

“For the Culture, By the Culture” Exhibit Spotlights 19 Local and National Black Artists of Influence

“For the Culture, By the Culture” Exhibit Spotlights 19 Local and National Black Artists of Influence

Carolyn M. Brown
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

In celebration of Art in the Atrium’s 30th anniversary, the Morris Museum and Art in the Atrium (ATA) present the exhibition, For the Culture, By the Culture: 30 Years of Black Art, Activism, and Achievement. This exhibition brings together prior ATA-featured artists in a group retrospective that spans 30 years and spotlights local and national Black artists who are masters of their craft and who have contributed to Black culture by creating impactful works.

"You Just Need to Create and Let the Work Have Its Own Life Afterward" – An Interview with Visual Artist Caren King Choi

"You Just Need to Create and Let the Work Have Its Own Life Afterward" – An Interview with Visual Artist Caren King Choi

Rachel Fawn Alban
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

New Jersey-native Caren King Choi’s solo exhibit at Gallery Aferro, "Drawn In," showcases two different bodies of work. Meticulously crafted from thousands of tiny stickers, her “Red Portraits” depict friends and family members, while her playful “Mom Doodles” illustrate the ups and downs of parenthood.

With Contributions to Theatre, Literature, Visual Arts, and Social Justice, Rhinold Ponder’s Impact Can be Felt Throughout Central New Jersey

With Contributions to Theatre, Literature, Visual Arts, and Social Justice, Rhinold Ponder’s Impact Can be Felt Throughout Central New Jersey

Ilene Dube
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “We Shall Overcome” proclamation, Ponder’s current exhibition, Overcoming: Reflections on Struggle, Resilience, and Triumph, is on view at the Arts Council of Princeton through March 5. The paintings provoke reflection of the resilience of Black people in a continuing struggle for recognition of their humanity and demand for human rights.

Every Blanket Tells a Story and Every Stitch is a Unique Voice in the World of Seneca Nation Artist Marie Watt, On View at the Hunterdon Art Museum

Every Blanket Tells a Story and Every Stitch is a Unique Voice in the World of Seneca Nation Artist Marie Watt, On View at the Hunterdon Art Museum

Ilene Dube
Visual Arts, Article, BIPOC Voices

A citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Marie Watt continues a tradition in Indigenous art, weaving topics such as Indigenous matriarchies and the profound interconnection between people and the earth into her work. On display at HAM, “Companion Species” include textile pieces assembled from panels of cloth embroidered during sewing circles.

"Radio Golf" Returns to Two River Theater, Continuing the American Century Cycle Legacy of Plays

"Radio Golf" Returns to Two River Theater, Continuing the American Century Cycle Legacy of Plays

Carolyn M. Brown
Theater, Article, BIPOC Voices

Under the direction of Obie Award winner Brandon J. Dirden, the critically acclaimed production of Radio Golf is back at Two River Theater after being forced to shut down early in its March 2020 run. Radio Golf is the 10th and final play of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, a series of plays documenting the African American experience throughout the 20th century.

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