“Haunted House Trope” by Jeremy Dennis, metal print photograph, 2019

(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present EDGE + CENTER, an exhibition showcasing the work of eight Indigenous American artists, from January 22 through February 19, 2025 in the Art Gallery at the College's Branchburg campus.

The show is being curated by RVCC Adjunct Professor Lydia Grey Barnes. The opening, which includes a live performance and artists’ talk, will be held Friday, January 31, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. This event is free of charge and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The artists in the exhibition come from across Turtle Island, which is the term for North America or Earth used by some American Indigenous people. They create work using humor and drama, inspired by history, politics, environmental concerns, family ancestry, and current social issues. From video and photography to painting and printmaking, each artist has their own creative approach to Indigenous heritage, cultural identity, and how it fits into contemporary life.

“distance” by Sydney Frances Pascal, video still, 2022

Exhibiting artists in EDGE + CENTER include: Lynne Allen, Brookline, MA (Lakota); Jeremy Dennis, Southampton, NY (Shinnecock); Edgar Heap of Birds, Oklahoma City, OK (Cheyenne); Sky Hopinka, Brooklyn, NY (Ho-Chunk/Luiseno); Caroline Monnet, Montreal, PQ, Canada (Anishinaabe/French); Sydney Frances Pascal, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Lilwat); Patrice Hall Walters, Pendleton, OR (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla); Layqa Nuna Yawar, Newark, NJ (Kichwa-Kañari).

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.

Lydia Grey Barnes, Somerville, NJ (Mohegan), will initiate a performance at the opening reception on Friday, January 31 that will be available for audience participation throughout the exhibition.

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.

“Tea Time” by Jeremy Dennis, metal print photograph, 2018