HCCC Department of Cultural Affairs Presents the Work of Jesse Wright in ‘Teacher as Artist’ Exhibition

Exhibition highlighting the teacher-artist’s work opens January 30; a reception is scheduled for March 1.

 

January 30, 2019, Jersey City, NJ – At a time when individuals are divided by physical boundaries and sociopolitical issues, educator and artist Jesse Wright’s portraits seek to champion making connections, promoting empathy, and considering one another’s stories.

The Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Department of Cultural Affairs invites the community to view Wright’s work in the newest “Teacher as Artist” exhibition from January 30 through March 30, 2019. His work will be displayed in the College’s Gabert Library at 71 Sip Avenue in Jersey City and North Hudson Campus Library at 4800 Kennedy Boulevard in Union City. A reception with the artist will be held on Friday, March 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the HCCC Dineen Hull Gallery Atrium, which is located on the sixth floor of the Gabert Library Building. There is no charge for admission to the exhibition or the reception.

Jesse Wright teaches at the Goldman Sachs Student Art Program in Jersey City and Eastern Christian High School in Haledon. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Wright draws upon his background in painting and commercial design, as well as his humanitarian work to explore spiritual connections underlying daily experience through his mixed media painting, printmaking, and video. Wright’s blended visual styles also reference his Jamaican American heritage. His work has been presented in galleries, universities, and museums throughout the tri-state area.

The portraits in this “Teacher as Artist” exhibition were inspired by Wright’s humanitarian work at underserved and disenfranchised communities – orphanages, medical centers, schools, and displacement camps – in Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Uganda, and the United States.

Curated by HCCC Cultural Affairs Director Michelle Vitale, the “Teacher as Artist” solo exhibitions throughout the year celebrate the creativity of Hudson County educators who are also local artists.

The HCCC Department of Cultural Affairs’ 2019 Spring calendar of events features an array of visual and performing artists, exhibitions, and programs. They include ice sculpting, literature, yoga, art history, poetry and prose, folkloric dance, and more.

The HCCC Gabert Library is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The HCCC North Hudson Campus Library is open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More information may be obtained at https://www.hccc.edu/community/arts/index.html, by emailing Cultural Affairs Director Michelle Vitale at mvitaleFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE, or by phoning 201-360-4176.