METUCHEN – The Metuchen Arts Council is joining with the Metuchen Human Relations Commission to schedule virtual Community Conversations around the issues highlighted in 2021 Windows of Understanding Public Art Project.
The second in the series of virtual Community Conversations will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 on the topics of Public Health and Trauma & Recovery.
The Windows of Understanding Project is a joint project of the New Brunswick Community Arts Council, Mason Gross School of the Arts, the Highland Park Arts Council, the Metuchen Arts Council and the Metuchen Human Relations Commission. The initiative unites local artists, organizations and businesses to promote compassion and awareness around social justice issues impacting local communities.
The belief of the project’s creators is that through visual language, artists can communicate methods of understanding in powerful ways that cut across cultural boundaries, according to information provided by the Metuchen Arts Council.
For the issue of public health, artists Dominique Brancato, Luciana Mallozzi and Lauren Rabinowitz have been asked to create art that illuminates the mission of the Metuchen First Aid Squad.
Likewise, for the topic of Trauma & Recovery, artists Janice Fried, Martina Hanna and Amalya Sherman have been asking to create art inspired by the mission of Women Aware which provides services to survivors of domestic violence.
Then, on April 21 in observance of Earth Day, Edison Greenways Group and artists Laura Curtis, Maja Opacic and Mickey Waring will explore the issue of climate change.
All Community Conversations will start at 7:30 p.m. and can be accessed via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/MetuchenHumanRelationsCommission/.
In addition to the Community Conversations, the Metuchen programming for the Windows of Understanding Project will include an exhibition in the Metuchen Public Library Gallery of all the art discussed in the community discussion.
A virtual exhibit will also be mounted and available for viewing from the Metuchen Arts Council website at www.metuchenartscouncil.com.
The project launched on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 18 as a way of paying homage to Dr. King’s legacy.
Programming in New Brunswick and Highland Park will include virtual poetry readings, screenings, educational workshops and panel discussions around social justice themes that will complement the visual displays in storefronts and public spaces throughout the run in New Brunswick and Highland Park through Feb. 28.
For more information on Windows of Understanding, including a complete list of featured organizations, participating storefronts, and a full calendar of free events, visit www.windowsofunderstanding.org. On Instagram at @windowsofunderstanding, #weseethroughhate.