(HAWTHORNE, NJ) -- On Saturday, September 24th, from 4:00pm – 6:00pm, the County of Passaic is hosting an opening reception for My Own Witness: Rupture and Repair, by Donna Bassin, an award-winning photographer, artist, author, and filmmaker, Texture in Nature, by Susan Zulauf, a New Jersey based artist, and a travelling exhibit from New York University entitled: Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture. Additionally, two installations from a recent exhibit will be on view, In Cemento Veritas, by Mario Loprete and Sonic Peaks, by Payton MacDonald. All exhibits will be on display from Saturday, September 17th – Sunday, November 27th at the Passaic County Arts Center at the John W. Rea House. 

My Own Witness: Rupture and Repair explores the human desire for reconciliation in the wake of social fractures. Bassin’s work has appeared in numerous group exhibitions from New York City to Los Angeles. Her photographs have also been commissioned for book covers and private collections. 

“My art is influenced by my work as a clinical psychologist, and my experience working with war veterans, and at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan,” said Bassin. “I use art to explore the creative edge of collective loss, grief, mourning, and transformation.” 

Susan Zulauf's 'mark of the artist' is exemplified in Texture in Nature, her work is reminiscent of Fauvism, a method of painting that features vibrant expressionistic and non-naturalistic application of color that briefly thrived in Paris as early as 1905. 

“Nothing gives me more pleasure than layering my paints, papers, foils, and stencils on canvas to see what appears,” said Zulauf. “What starts as my vision can completely change to a happy surprise when I start painting. Beautiful textures appear in nature. A voluminous cloud, fields bent by the wind, the texture of a leaf, all add to the layers of nature’s beauty I try to create.” 

NYU’s Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture unveils and evaluates the stereotypical depictions of ethnic groups in U.S. popular culture. This exhibit provides a historical framework about these images which span from movie stills - to comic books - to tabloid cartoons. This roving presentation aspires to inform and encourage dialogue regarding the effect of labels on both individual and nationwide views. 

The Passaic County Arts Center at the John W. Rea House opened in June 2019 and is open year-round Wednesday – Sunday 11:00am – 5:00pm. Entrance to the Arts Center and galleries is free. Those interested in showcasing their works can submit proposals on a rolling basis.  No registration is required to enter the galleries. Masks are required.