(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College’s Arts & Design department will present THE FUTURE IS, an exhibition showcasing the work of 10 artists who address topics of current social and community issues, August 31-September 30, in the Art Gallery at the College’s Branchburg campus.

The show is being curated by RVCC Adjunct Professor Lydia Grey Barnes, who will present samples of her own work alongside the work of nine artists she has selected for this exhibition. The opening, which includes a live performance and artists’ talk, will be held Friday, September 9, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibition focuses on works that address current social issues, in order to inform the audience and inspire them to consider possibilities beyond their current understanding. Each selected artist is responding to one specific social issue. Their work opens discussions in accessible and insightful ways for both arts and non-arts audiences to consider new perspectives on these topics. 

Subject matter covered by artists in the show include water and the environment, internet freedom vs. censorship, elder care, incarceration, recycling, race, disability and accessibility, immigration, body sovereignty, indigenous representation, gun violence, and health care.

Exhibiting artists include: Alisha B. Wormsley, Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Jeffers, Port St. Lucie, FL; Jonathan Leiter, Staten Island, NY, Joyce Yu-Jean Lee, New York, NY; Lauren Rosenthal McManus, Lambertville; Paul Rucker, Richmond, VA; Rebekah Taussig, Kansas City, MO; Sonia Garcia, San Antonio, TX; Vivian Vassar, Staten Island, NY; and Lydia Grey, Somerville.

Gallery hours are Mondays, 3:00pm-8:00pm; Tuesdays, 10:00am-3:00pm; Wednesdays, 3:00pm-8:00pm; Thursdays, 10:00am-6:00pm; and Fridays, 1:00pm-4:00pm. For further information, contact Arts & Design, 908-218-8876.

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey. You follow the RVCC Art Gallery Instagram feed for more information.

IMAGES: (Top to Bottom) “FIREWALL” by Joyce Yu-Jean Lee; interactive online installation, New York, NY, 2016; “The Future is Accessible” by Rebekah Taussig; digital photography, 2017; “There Are Black People In The Future” by Alisha B. Wormsley; billboard, Goethe Pop Up, Kansas City, 2020; “Middle Delaware – Musconetcong Drawing” by Lauren Rosenthal McManus; natural pigment on MDF, installation view, 2017