NJCU Galleries To Present LENTE LATINE/LATIN LENS In Featured Hispanic Heritage Month Programming

New Jersey City University (NJCU)'s Visual Arts Gallery will open a unique group exhibition of the work by 13 Latinx photographers, focusing on capturing their communities through their camera lens, when the exhibit launches on September 24, with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m., highlighted by an artist talk from 5-6:30 p.m.

Entitled, Lente Latine/Latin Lens, the exhibition explores diverse perspectives, stories, and artistic expressions within the Latin American community and its diaspora. All artists are based on the East Coast of the United States.

The exhibition is part of NJCU's robust Hispanic Heritage Month programming on campus from September 15-October 15, 2024, and celebrates significant contributions of Latinx creators to American culture. The exhibition will remain on view until October 31. 

Curated by the photographer Natali Bravo-Barbee, the exhibition highlights these artists' exploration of their ancestral roots, cultural identity, and diasporic communities through varied photographic techniques. 

Featured artists (with their cultural origins) are Manuel Acevedo (Puerto Rico), Carlos Alejandro (Catalonia/Puerto Rico), Lizzy Alejandro (Puerto Rico), Jacqueline Herranz Brooks (Cuba), Monica Flores (Mexico), Juan C. Giraldo (Colombia), Orestes Gonzalez (Cuba), Cesar Melgar (Peru/Colombia), Qiana Mestrich (Panama/Croatia), Josefina Fernandez Moran (Argentina), William Riera (Cuba), Gabriel Garcia Roman (Mexico), and Dakota Santiago (Hondouras/Puerto Rico/Spain). Many of these artists will be attending the opening reception and will talk with attendees about their work.

On October 4, the exhibition will also participate in the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour from 5 to 8 p.m., inviting members of the public. 

The art exhibits will be held at the Visual Arts Building Gallery, located at 100 Culver Avenue on campus. Gallery hours for both are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and by appointment, by emailing gallery@njcu.edu.

For further information, visit the njcu.edu/gallery.

About the Curator:

Natali Bravo-Barbee (born, Córdoba, Argentina) creates works that bridge the boundaries of photography and installation sculpture. Bravo-Barbee continues to document the world around her via photography, as she has since the age of 15, when she first looked through a lens. A process-oriented photographer, she incorporates alternative processes such as cyanotype into her practice to explore the range of what is possible within her image-based practice. She has curated zines and worked behind the scenes curating and assisting curators; this is her debut as curator.

About NJCU

New Jersey City University is a comprehensive public regional institution of higher learning located in Jersey City, N.J., dedicated to the development of our students, our city, our communities, and our state. We are a game-changing force for our students and have been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation improving their upward economic mobility. In fact, NJCU has been ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and Top 10 in the nation in the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index for 2023. Whether enrolled in one of our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs at our three locations, NJCU students have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey.

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