Curatorial Narrative and Atmosphere
The exhibition "HOME HERE," curated by NJCU alumna Lucy Rovetto (BFA ’91), is a site-specific installation that transforms the gallery into a fluid exploration of history and memory. Bringing together eleven Jersey City-based women artists- including Laia Cabrera, Nicole DeMaio, Isabelle Duverger, Jaz Graf, Katelyn Halpern, Jin Jung, Pat Lay, Tina Maneca, Cheryl R. Riley, and Jennifer Roberts- the show functions as a "continuous flow." Unlike traditional galleries where works are isolated, here they overlap and interact, mirroring the way memories bleed into one another. The exhibition also honors Ward Mount, a foundational figure in the NJCU Art Department, creating a bridge between the 1940s and the present. The narrative suggests that "home" is not a static place, but a living, evolving collection of voices and shared experiences.
Featured Artwork 1: Tina Maneca, COMFORT IS AN ACTION II
The first work I chose to focus on is Tina Maneca’s COMFORT IS AN ACTION II. This installation utilizes a corner of the gallery to create a domestic scene that feels both familiar and unsettling. Maneca uses textiles and soft materials to construct a space that looks like a sanctuary but carries a "thorny" emotional weight. I chose this work because it redefines "comfort" from a passive feeling to an active, laborious process. By using stitching and fabric, Maneca engages in what bell hooks describes in our readings: "The home was a place where one could resist the impact of white supremacy and patriarchal domination." For Maneca, the act of making a home is an intervention- a way to claim agency over one's private environment in a chaotic world. This resonates with my life as I navigate the balance between public expectations and the need for a private, self-made refuge.
Featured Artwork 2: Jennifer Roberts, Family Album, Lost (& Found)
The second work is Jennifer Roberts’ Family Album, Lost (& Found). Roberts utilizes found objects and mixed media to create a "neo-impressionist" landscape of memory. The piece evokes a sense of wistfulness, using physical remnants of the past to trigger an internal dialogue about childhood and identity. I was drawn to this piece because of its tactile nature; it feels like looking through someone’s attic and finding a piece of yourself. This work acts as an activist intervention against the "speed" of modern life, which often forces us to forget our roots. It requires what art historian Jennifer L. Roberts calls "the power of patience," or a mode of "patient passage" to truly understand the depth of the objects presented. This connects to my own perspective on art as a tool for slowing down and honoring the small, personal histories that make us who we are.
Personal Response and Conclusion
I chose these specific works because they represent the two "poles" of the exhibition: the labor of creating a home (Maneca) and the emotional weight of remembering one (Roberts). The exhibition succeeds in its goal of making the "home" visible within the institutional space of a gallery. The artists, who curated their works to flow into one another, demonstrate that our individual stories are never truly separate from our neighbors'. By honoring the legacy of Ward Mount while highlighting contemporary women’s voices, HOME HERE serves as a powerful reminder that history is not just in books- it is under our feet and in the objects we keep.
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