WW5: Ah, Motherland!

A Wonder Women project presented by _gaia and hosted by New Jersey City University
March 4 – March 25, 2010

New Jersey City University
2039 Kennedy Boulevard
Gilligan Student Union Building
Art Gallery – Room 120
Jersey City, NJ 07305
For directions visit www.njcu.edu

Opening Reception– Thursday, March 4th 4:30-8:30p.m. *Fado performance 6:30pm
Closing Reception and Artist Talk- Thursday, March 25th 7:00-9:30pm
Gallery hours by appointment contact rmoreira@njcu.edu or (201) 200-2269

Artists: Christine da Cruz, Pamela-Cleo Godard, Giana Gonzalez, Willa Goldthwaite, Anjelika Krishna, Lizette Louis, Roxana Marroquin, Holly Pitre, Sonali Sridhar, Agnieszka Wszolkowski

Curated by Doris Cacoilo and Renata Moreira

New Jersey City University is pleased to host WW5: Ah, Motherland!, the culminating exhibition of the Wonder Women Residency Project presented by _gaia. The residency invited artists and curators from the New Jersey/New York area to participate in a six week program that would engage them in discussions about their work, feminism, (im)migration, identity construction, human rights, and culture.

WW5: Ah, Motherland! created a collective dialogue and artwork that explored the dynamic issues of emigration and (im)migration into the United States. As the projects came into focus, it became clear that notions of home, family, culture, and heritage are as as fluid and rich as the work being created. The exhibition illustrates a collective journey to determine the participants’ knowledge of (im)migration, as well as to set a new standard of living with cultural relatedness and awareness. Each project represents a personal struggle with (im)migration and it’s effect on identity. Anjelika Krishna drapes her heirloom saris to create new representations of self and identity that includes a merger of east and west. Sonali Sridhar explores technology, tradition and design in “Odhni,” a traditional Indian textile that harnesses solar energy.

Other artists explore notions of body and memory. Holly Pitre uses essential elements of salt and water to illustrate change, erosion and a personal typography of identity. Roxana Marroquin’s “In my Skin” uses photography to merge her body with landscapes of memory. Giana Gonzalez and Christina da Cruz both approach a revisiting and reframing of their cultures with their work exploring Portuguese Fado and Panamanian Carnavale. In the exploration of Motherland many of the artists focused on mothers and the inheritance of culture and identity through family. Willa Goldwaithe reinvents the japanese noren inspired by her grandmother. Lizette Louis and Pamela Godard both create portraits of mothers via woodburning and video, respectively, and Agnieska Wszolkowski collaborates with her mother in “Gobelin” in order to explore her own Polish culture and traditions of craft and artmaking.

WW5 coincides with the Feminist Art Project. The purpose of the Feminist Art Project is to bring public attention to the significant and continuing impact of women and their art on all aspects of contemporary art practice, highlighting their international influence, and guaranteeing their inclusion in the cultural record, past, present, and future.

_gaia is a collective of women, for women, for the making of textiles, clothing, printmaking, painting, architecture, music, film, photography, science, the performing arts, writing, environmental, social and political activism: all things which color the lives of the women involved. We actively promote and support the work of local women artists while developing programming to reach out to and help emerging artists in need of studio space, facilities and resources. In our pursuit of awareness we also concentrate on activism, from issues in the local community to global issues affecting the lives of women.

Sponsors: Division of Student Affairs, Division of Academic Affairs, Office of the Dean of Students, Office of Campus Life, Speicher-Rubin Women’s Center, Alumni Relations, Art and Design Association.

PRESS CONTACT: Doris Cacoilo 201-386-0486 info@gaiastudio.org

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Please come out to our 2nd exhibition of last year’s residency projects this Friday!!
WW$ MONEY MONEY MONEY
A Wonder Women Exhibition
Friday, January 29, 2010
7:00pm – 10:00pm

Lex Leonard Gallery
143 Christopher Columbus Drive, suite 2
Jersey City, NJ

2010 Exhibition for WW5: Ah, Motherland! will be hosted by New Jersey City University on March 4th, 2010
Details TBA

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2009
WW$: MONEY MONEY MONEY!!
March 13 – April 2, 2009
Opening reception: Friday March 13, 7-10pm

ABC No Rio
156 Rivington Street
New York, New York 10002

Gallery Viewing Hours:
Wed 4-7pm; Th 4-7pm; Sun: 1-3pm

Important Dates:
Sunday, Feb 8 – materials due for exhibition binders. (two sets of the following: artist’s statement, resume, 3-4 8.5 x 11″ color images of previous work)

Sunday, Feb. 22 – cards available for pick-up at ABC No Rio. All of the artists that want to pick up the cards in NY, can go to ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street on Sunday between 2-5.  The cards will be in the hallway, under the table with all of the flyers.  If you have any issues, give Vandana a call at 347-282-6444.  If you cannot make it on Sunday between 2-5, let Vandana know and you can schedule another time during the week.  The building hours are varied so this can be on a case by case basis.

Otherwise cards will be available at _gaia Tuesday, Feb 24th 1-9pm or contact Doris for other times.

Thursday March 5th 6-9pm Painting/fixing-up the gallery

Sunday, March 8 – 1pm – work drop-off and meeting at ABC No Rio.

Tuesday, March 10 – 1-10pm – Installation at gallery.

Friday, March 13 – 2-6pm – Set-up for reception.

7-10 pm – Reception!!!

Gallery Sitting Schedule for WW$

March 15 Sunday noon-3pm INSTALL Doris, Vandana, Pollie
March 18th Wednesday 4pm-7:00pm  Andrea, Christina
March 19th Thursday 4pm-7:30pm DE-INSTALL Hanna
7:30-10pm Settlement Game Night, plus Cobb Salad! Mary and Pollie
10 -10:30 DE-INSTALL (v)

March 22nd Sunday noon-3pm INSTALL Holly, Doris
March 25th Wednesday 4-7pm  Melissa
7:30-10pm Settlement Game Night, plus Cobb Salad! Mary and Pollie
March 26th Thursday 4-7:30pmDE-INSTALL **Economy Panel event is cancelled** Hanna, Christina

March 29th Sunday noon-3pm INSTALL Michelle /Pollie (Doris is traveling)
April 1st Wednesday 4-7pm  Melissa, Sarah
April 2nd Thursday 4-7:30pm FINAL DE-INSTALL  *** Closing Party *** Michelle, Sarah, Holly, Doris, Pollie