In Discussion: Walking as a Radical Act to Be Held at Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

On Sunday, April 30th the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will present a panel "In Discussion: Walking as a Radical Act." This talk, featuring five artists and writers, will look into the act of walking today.

The discussion will be moderated by artist, writer and critic Christina Kee. Kee currently works with The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation and has been a frequent moderator for the New York Studio School Evening Lecture Series. Joining the discussion will be William Helmreich, author of The New York Nobody Knows, Walking 6,000 miles of the City; David Rothenberg, philosopher and musician and author of Why Birds Sing; visual artist Simonetta Moro whose work explores psycho-geographies and our relationship with place; and the exhibiting artist Matt Jensen.

"Walking as a Radical Act" is one of several events held in connection with the Art Center's Spring 2017 exhibition Park Wonder: Rediscovering Northern New Jersey Landscapes by artist Matt Jensen. Jensen spent over 120 hours walking four New Jersey landscapes including Watchung Reservation, the Passaic River Waterway, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and Gateway National Park, Sandy Hook Unit. The exhibition is the culmination of these walks and will include images and objects that Jensen gathered while exploring these landscapes. The exhibition is funded by a National Endowment for the Arts "Image Your Parks" grant. The exhibition opens on Thursday, April 20th.

Director of Education and Community Engagement Sarah Walko notes, "Through the experience of working with this artist, we came to wonder more deeply about the act of walking and what it means today. Are we walking less because it is not fast enough for the pace of our world? Are pre-determined routes necessarily safer? And a question relevant to the current political climate - what is the effectiveness of walking as a form of protest/tool for change?"

The discussion will begin at 3PM and will be followed by a Q & A and reception. The event is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.artcenternj.org.

For more than 80 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been dedicated to viewing, making and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization and accredited by the American Alliance for Museums, the Art Center's renowned studio school, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youth, families, seniors and people with special needs every year.

Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Walter V. and Judith L. Shipley Family Foundation, the Wilf Family Foundations and Art Center members and donors.