Carteret Celebrates Black History Month with Faces of Freedom Exhibit

Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman has joined with the Carteret Historical Committee and the Central Jersey Arts Council (CJAC) in announcing that the Faces of Freedom exhibition will be on display from February 5th through February 14th in celebration of the Black History Month. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, February 5th from 7pm to 8:30pm at the Blazing Star Cultural Arts Center with general public hours for the exhibit during the week from 1pm to 4pm, on Saturdays from 12pm to 3pm, and Sundays from 2pm to 5pm.

The exhibit will display featured artwork of local artist, Jacqueline Baker, whose work recognizes leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks. Jacqueline places these leaders alongside great cultural figures like Bob Marley and Billie Holiday. Her first painting, “Standing Strong” portrays a black woman who refuses to give up her faith and dreams despite undergoing hardship. Strength through adversity is a consistent theme throughout Jacqueline’s work and is often interwoven with direct examples from black history spanning slavery, the civil rights movement, and present-day.

“We are honored to display Jacqueline’s work at the Blazing Star Cultural Arts Center,” said Lindsay Erben, Executive Director of Central Jersey Arts Council. “When you look closely at her paintings and read the labels, you realize that there is more there than meets the eye. Every piece of artwork has a story to tell about the artist’s personal life as an African American woman as well as her connection with Black History in general.”

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements of black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The story of Black History began in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the U.S. Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976.

In addition to this exhibit, CJAC is holding weekly events at the Carteret Public Library called “Art and Story Time.” The program will be dedicated to Black History Month during February. Teens from the Pathways Program will organize and lead these public workshops in efforts to educate younger children through creative ways. Pathways is a school based youth services program which offers an array of services and experiences that assist in keeping our youth safe and healthy while successfully transitioning to adulthood.

“We’re fortunate to have such a talented group of teens that are giving back to the community through the arts program,” Mayor Reiman added. “This is just one of many examples of how we’re promoting the arts town-wide. We are happy to have made this commitment and to financially support CJAC and their educational opportunities here in Carteret.”

“Art and Story Time” is held every Thursday at 6pm in the children’s section of the Carteret Public Library.

For more information, contact Central Jersey Arts Council at info@centraljerseyartscouncil.org.

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