Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli, Solitary, instant coffee on paper bag, 15 x 11 inches
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- On Friday, November 1, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) will open its newly renovated gallery spaces with a series of exhibitions featuring artwork made by individuals impacted by the criminal legal system in New Jersey and the United States broadly. These exhibitions, which will run through January 26, 2025, will explore the vital part art plays for system-impacted individuals, enabling self-expression, agency, and advocacy.
On display in VACNJ’s Main Gallery, Something to Hold On To: Art and the Carceral System sheds light on the vision, ingenuity, and hard-earned creativity of individuals, family members, and collaborators impacted by the United States carceral system. Many of the works in this exhibition give visual form to the experience of being incarcerated—the stark conditions, isolation, dehumanization, and loss of agency, while others are strident statements about societal and racial injustices All artists featured in this exhibition have ties to New Jersey, including Antionette Stephen, Cheryl Chen, Chris Wilson, the Contraband Scholars under the guidance of JD McGuire, Davi Russo, Gilberto Rivera, Jared Owens, and Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli.
The Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Gallery will feature Ojore Lutalo: When Justice is Not Served, a collection of collages created by New Jersey-based artist Ojore Lutalo over the past 30 years. Lutalo was sentenced to prison for 28 years, 22 of which were spent in solitary confinement, and his original pieces were created to document the psychological hardships and physical abuses he endured while in prison. His more recent work, created after his 2009 release, details his experiences with racial profiling, wrongful detainment, and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic in prisons and jails.
Cheryl Chen, Prison Cell Sketch featured in “From the Inside”, 2022, pen on paper, 8.5 x 11 inches, courtesy of All of Us Publishing
Reentry, Reestablished, Renewed, which will be featured in the Marité & Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery I, showcases work developed through a photography workshop led by Erik James Montgomery, in collaboration with NeighborCorps Re-Entry in Highland Park, New Jersey, a social service organization providing support services for recently released individuals from Middlesex County Jail. Ten system-impacted individuals used cameras and photography equipment to produce film and digital images and explore visual storytelling. Each participant worked with Montgomery to compose a self-portrait at a personally relevant site that they identify with in their life journey as a returning citizen.
The second-floor community gallery will feature, Perceptions Reimagined: Art from the Women at Edna Mahan an exhibition of work created by incarcerated artists at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility (EMCF) who are students in Raritan Valley Community College Professor Cara London’s art class. The students created these artworks during class and on their own, and the resulting artworks were previously displayed at the EMCF Art Show this past spring. These artists are participants in the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons program (NJ-STEP), a voluntary program that enables incarcerated people to earn college credits. The artists featured in the exhibition are: Abdul-Kha'leef Kamila Carson, Briann Lindsey, Trystal Lozada, Ashley Romero, and Denise Staples.
To support these exhibitions, VACNJ will hold several public programs throughout the run of the exhibitions. On Wednesday, November 6, from 7:00pm–8:00pm, VACNJ will host “The Impact of Justice: Stories of Mass Incarceration as told by System Impacted Individuals” a one-night event where speakers will share their stories allowing us a glimpse into the lives of those who have been impacted by the criminal legal system. On Wednesday, January 15, from 7:00pm -- 8:0pm, VACNJ will host, “The Road Home: The Journey from Incarceration to Re-entry" where curatorial advisor, Tamar Montuma will moderate a panel discussion with experts in the criminal legal field in New Jersey. Audience members will learn about the challenges faced by individuals re-entering their communities from incarceration and current advocacy efforts in the criminal legal space. On Sunday, January 26, from 2:00pm -- 4:00pm, the Art Center will hold a Last Look event, open to the public, for a final viewing of the exhibitions and informal discussions with exhibiting artists.
Contraband Scholars under the guidance of JD McGuire, The Things that can be Learned, 2020, digital print, dimensions variable
These exhibitions are organized by Tamar Montuma and Kristen Evangelista with assistance from Rachel Tramposch. An advisory committee was convened to develop this project and members include Ashanti Jones, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; Tamar Montuma, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Austin Morreale, NeighborCorps Re-Entry; and Tia Ryans, Forcing Out Recidivism Through Education.
For more than 90 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been exclusively dedicated to viewing, making, and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization, the Art Center’s renowned Studio School, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youths, families, seniors, and people with special needs every year.
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, NJ. Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday, 10:00am–8:00pm; Friday & Saturday, 10:00am–5:00pm; and Sunday, 11:00am–4:00pm. Please call 908.273.9121 to confirm holiday hours.
Davi Russo, Frame 60. 2007 from the series “Picture Time,” 1987–2007, Polaroid, 3.5 x 4.2 inches, courtesy of the artist
Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided by the Wilf Family Foundations; New Jersey State Council on the Arts; and the Art Center community of supporters.
These exhibitions were made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Wilf Family Foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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