Cuba by Jacqueline Herranz

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- New Jersey City University (NJCU) presents a Panel Discussion: Latin American Art and Politics on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 from 5:00pm-7:00pm. The event will take place in the Visual Arts Building Auditorium (100 Culver Avenue in Jersey City) and be available on Zoom as well.

This panel will feature the four artists in the exhibition --Jacqueline Herranz-Brooks, Tenjin Ikeda, Katherine Miranda, and Felix Morelo, who will discuss their works and practice as they relate to political perspectives. With curator Atim Annette Oton's moderation, they will examine how socio-economic/political contexts impact their work.

Click here to register for the panel discussion. Admission is free. Zoom access can be requested after registering.

Jester Cube by Felix Morelo

Jacqueline Herranz Brooks is a queer writer and educator from Havana, whose creative journey has been shaped by her rich heritage and personal experiences. Currently residing in New York, Jacqueline seamlessly weaves her identity into her work, utilizing the medium of photography and text to craft fictional stories. With a profound understanding of the complexities of decolonization and survival, Herranz Brooks delves deep into her Cuban roots, exploring the history and struggles of her native land. 

Tenjin Ikeda is an Afro-Puerto Rican artist born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At a very young age, he learned the importance of tradition and heritage from his mother. He taught himself how to draw at an early age and was hooked. He has been seriously making art for more than 30 years using the various mediums of painting, sculpture, and printmaking. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York first focusing on graphic design and ultimately Fine Arts where he felt more freedom to express himself. It was at the Art Students League that he discovered printmaking, which has been his focus for more than 20 years. “It is my desire to continue to visibly show the richness of my ancestry to the world.”

Katherine Miranda (they/he) is a Latinx, non-binary artist born, raised and based in the Bronx. Drawing from their Mexican, Puerto Rican and American heritage, they use discarded objects to create work that acts as a reflection, an investigation and an homage to their history and ancestry. Miranda is currently a 2023 Create Change Fellow with The Laundromat Project as well as an Artist-in-Residence at Governors Island with BronxArtSpace from August 1 to October 31, 2023. They have been awarded several other fellowships including the Artist in the Marketplace Fellowship with The Bronx Museum of the Arts (2022) and the New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship with Wave Hill Gardens (2021) where they held their first solo show, "I Answer Back".

Felix Morelo is a Colombian/American artist based in New York City. He is a painter, sculptor, printmaker, book maker, and a performance and street artist. Morelo studied Painting at Parsons School of Design and drawing at The Art Students' League in New York City. His artwork has been shown locally in New York City at locations including Lehman College, Blackburn Printshop, BRIC Rotunda Gallery, Howl Happening, and AAA3A Gallery. He is represented by Artist Abbey Gallery in Truth or Consequence, New Mexico, and Mique Gallery in Tokyo Japan.

The exhibition is split between two galleries: The Visual Arts Gallery, located on the ground floor of the Visual Arts Building (100 Culver Avenue) and the Lemmerman Gallery, located in room 323 of Hepburn Hall, the gothic-style building facing the main gate at 2039 Kennedy Boulevard.

This exhibition is part of the NJCU Hispanic Heritage Month and is supported by the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies.