Are you concerned about flooding from the Hackensack River? Attend the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation- ArtsBergen initiative’s Flood Theater Community Workshop to raise awareness about the devastating effects of flooding along the Hackensack River. Join us to share your flood story and to create a quilt square for a public artwork, Flood Theater. The interactive workshop takes place on Wednesday, March 29 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Oradell Borough Hall on the top floor located at 355 Kinderkamack Rd. in Oradell, New Jersey.
Attend a community workshop on Mach 29 to develop a public artwork to raise awareness about the flooding along the Hackensack River. The public may share their flood story and create a “Quilt Square” for this public artwork.
The workshop is free. Furthermore, Oradell and New Milford residents and anyone affected by or concerned about flooding from the Hackensack River may attend. RSVP to attend the workshop by sending an e-mail to artsbergen@nnjcf.org.
Founded in 1998, the NNJCF focuses primarily on the environment, arts and culture, public health, education, civic engagement and philanthropy. Notably, the Foundation received one of only five grants co-sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The grant pairs artists specializing in environmental topics to create art installations on specific sites in the state’s coastal zone. The NNJCF’s ArtsBergen project also plans to produce a public artwork raising awareness of the devastating impact from Hackensack River flooding.
Flood Theater
The public artwork, Flood Theater, created by artist Juliacks, includes a metal sculpture inspired by the North Jersey applique quilts of the 18th and 19th centuries. The imagery of these metal screen quilts will also be created collaboratively at the workshop. Participants create paper cut applique patterns that together tell a story about the flooding. In addition, these paper-cut patterns become translated into a storytelling metal screen. Upon completion, the artwork will be installed next to the Oradell train station.
Furthermore, this artwork is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the New Jersey Coastal Management Program, Department of Environmental Protection – in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Artist Juliacks
Juliacks, an award-winning transmedia artist, makes books, films, installations, paintings, tapestries, comics, performances and events. Furthermore, she created fiction across mediums exhibiting, performing, screening and existing in a range of venues in New Jersey, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Sweden. Juliacks also developed the hybrid comic book, Architecture of an Atom.
ArtsBergen
The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative, a regional arts alliance, works with various stakeholders. These stakeholders encompass artists, arts organizations, businesses and municipal leaders. They use the arts to shape the social, physical, cultural, and economic identity of communities. ArtsBergen also uses creative placemaking, a community-led, arts-driven approach to increase vibrancy and spur economic development. In addition, creative placemaking builds capacity among residents to take ownership of their communities.
ArtsBergen offers a range of services in creative placemaking. Furthermore, the initiative partners with municipalities to facilitate creative teams. This trailblazing initiative develops public art and creative placemaking plans. It also directs and manages public art projects to preserve and express community culture. For further information, contact artsbergen@nnjcf.org.
