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Jersey City Free Public Library hosts "Far East" Exhibition

originally published: 05/20/2022

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Jersey City Public Library celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May. Originating in 1977. Artists were invited to submit works in which they interpret the “Far East” theme and join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success. 

Artists accepted for this group show will have the opportunity to see their selected images printed large on vinyl with their name, title of work, media of their original art, and Instagram handle or website. Show opens to the public on Saturday, May 21, 2022, hosted by the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association at Hamilton Park, Brunswick, Grove, 6th, and 9th Streets, Jersey City, New Jersey. This event is outdoors, free, and open to the public.  Far East public art exhibition will close at the end of July 2022. This public art exhibition can be viewed at anytime. 

The artists chosen for this exhibit are from Bangladesh, China, Denmark, France, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Poland, Spain. Thailand, Tibet and the United States: Abimalec Barreras, Alexandra Buxbaum, Alexis Rotter, Ana Reynolds, Anh Nguyen, Antonius Kho, Catalina Aranguren, Chrisya Enriquez, Crystal Letters, Czech, Eka Pramuditha, Elaine B. Chao, Janhavi Firke, Kevin Lim, Lisa Rousselot, Mahedi Anjuman, Megha Sood, Moolee Bunnag, Peter Gagnon, Poramit Thantapalit, Ratna, Saara Herne, Sachin Choudhary, and Yuri Bacas Hosaka.

Celebrating the opening of AAPI Heritage Month and the Far East Group Show at Hamilton Park on Saturday, May 21, 2022 are performances by the Taiko Masala Drum Troupe, Crystal Letters, Megha Sood and Summer Dawn by In Full Color and Susan Justiniano | Rescue Poetix, participating Walk Bye artist and Jersey City poet laureate 2021-2022.

AAPI encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

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Founder of Walk-Bye, Catalina Aranguren, has always been inspired by the power of art to transform and connect us. The pandemic has allowed for her to share her artwork virtually in other countries including Sweden, UK, Hungary and Spain. Art has become a way to continue to connect to others during a time when we all feel so suddenly disconnected from the outside world. The human element is severely missing, what we all really need right now — connection to others outside the virtual.

We want to take a moment to recognize that Walk Bye operates out of Jersey City, New Jersey which sits proudly on the traditional and unceded lands of the Lenape people. We offer our respect to the elders both past, present, and future. 

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A department of the Jersey City Free Public Library, the JCFPL Community Awareness Series (CAS) presents music concerts, especially jazz and gospel, to the public; hosts in-person forums on current events; and offers music lessons for children, young adults, and adults. CAS was initiated in 1977 at the Miller Branch Library, in cooperation with the Spirit of Life Ensemble.

CAS presents monthly programs at the Miller Branch, as well as some programs within the Jersey City public schools, providing cultural performances and workshops to students. The department documents many of its programs on video on its YouTube channel.

Over its 40 years in service, the wide scope of the Community Awareness Series has changed, but CAS proudly continues to present jazz and gospel performances, two mainstays of African American culture, and cultural and educational programs to students, especially music education.

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In Full Color (IFC) is an award-winning organization that empowers women of color and other BIPOC of marginalized genders through education and the arts. We do this by: Addressing social, racial and feminist issues; Creating opportunities for artists in multiple media; Empowering BIPOC to become their best selves; And doing whatever else it takes to uplift the marginalized communities we serve. Above all, we offer BIPOC creators a unique platform to tell their stories and perform work written for them, by folx like them, or even themselves! -- an elusive level of realness we call Authentic Representation.

We also prioritize queer, disabled and other similarly marginalized sub-populations of POC. We create opportunities for artists in theater, education, literature, visual art, music, comedy, dance and other fields.

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The Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA), formed in 1975, works to effectively serve the interests and needs of the residents of the Hamilton Park neighborhood. Our purpose is to: Provide a forum for members to report, learn about, consider, take positions on, and act on issues of local concern, including all downtown Jersey City, and, where appropriate, the entire city and state; Serve as members’ liaison to other organizations, to government agencies and others; Provide advocacy and representation to the residents of the Hamilton Park neighborhood; Foster community among residents of the area; Promote a cleaner and safer neighborhood; and Assist in upgrading Hamilton Park, Enos Jones Park, and their immediate environs.