(ORADELL, NJ) --  The community is invited to attend the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) - ArtsBergen's unveiling of the public artwork, "Flood Theater", and also participate in the creation of a part of its installation.  The event is free-of-charge and takes place on Sunday, August 27 from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at the field next to the Oradell Train Station, located at 400 Maple Avenue across from the Farmer's Market in Oradell, New Jersey.

The installation of "Flood Theater" commemorates and explores the devastating impact of floods along the Hackensack River in Oradell, New Milford, and nearby municipalities, while also raising awareness about strategies to use to address future flooding and climate change.  The program features a talkback session with artist Juliacks about the process of creating "Flood Theater" and the live painting of a mural by artist Lissanne Lake on a rain barrel.  In addition, helpful tips will be provided to residents about what they can do to mitigate flooding, such as the benefits of rain barrels.  The Oradell Environmental Committee and the New Milford Environmental and Energy Commission will also have tables with information about their work. The freshly painted rain barrel will be given away through a free raffle at the end of the event.

Taking a cue from comics and 19th century paper theaters, the audience will create word-collages operating as voice balloons for the figures and the "Flood Theater" stage.  These word collages, similar to a word poll, will highlight community members' feelings and thoughts about the impact of flooding in Oradell and New Milford.  Ultimately, their contributions will become a part of this public artwork.

Residents Involved in Flood Theater's Creation

Artist Juliacks' new work features a metal sculpture inspired by the North Jersey applique quilts of the 18th and 19th centuries.  She incorporated community members' stories and artwork created previously at a public workshop into the artwork.  Participants created paper cut applique patterns that together tell a story about the flooding.  These paper-cut patterns are translated into the sculpture.

Juliacks, an award-winning transmedia artist, makes books, films, installations, paintings, tapestries, comics, performances and events.  She created fiction across mediums exhibiting, performing, screening and existing in public space, museums, galleries and festivals in New Jersey, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Sweden among others.  Juliacks also developed the hybrid comic book, Architecture of an Atom.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the NNJCF, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, focuses primarily on the environment, arts and culture, public health, education, civic engagement and philanthropy.  The Foundation was one of only five organizations in the Garden State selected to receive a grant co-sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts pairing artists specializing in environmental topics to create art installations in specific sites in the state's coastal zone.  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.

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups to improve community life.  Through collaborative partnerships, regional problems are identified and resolved.  Opportunities are discovered and explored by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services and resources.  The Foundation's primary areas of work are the environment, arts and culture, public health, education, civic engagement and philanthropy.

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, who use the arts to shape the social, physical, cultural, and economic identity of communities.  Creative placemaking, a community-led, arts-driven approach, is used to increase vibrancy, spur economic development, and build capacity among residents to take ownership of their communities.

ArtsBergen is the only initiative in Bergen County, New Jersey offering a range of services in creative placemaking.  The initiative has partnered with multiple municipalities facilitating creative teams, developing public art and creative placemaking plans, and directing and managing public art projects to preserve and express community culture.

PHOTOS BY RYAN HUBAN