Clinical Director Carmen Hernandez will represent Women Aware as the Metuchen Arts Council joins with the Metuchen Human Relations Commission to host the second in a series of virtual Community Conversations that will take place Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. on the topics of Public Health and Trauma & Recovery. These are among the issues highlighted in the 2021 Windows of Understanding Public Art Project.

The Windows of Understanding Project is a joint project of the New Brunswick Community Arts Council, Mason Gross School of the Arts, the Highland Park Arts Council, the Metuchen Arts Council and the Metuchen Human Relations Commission. The initiative unites local artists, organizations, and businesses to promote compassion and awareness around social justice issues impacting local communities. The belief of the Project’s creators is that through visual language, artists can communicate methods of understanding in powerful ways that cut across cultural boundaries.

For the topic of Trauma & Recovery, artists Janice Fried, Martina Hanna and Amalya Sherman (see image -“Bloom”) created art inspired by the mission of Women Aware, the state-designated lead domestic violence agency for Middlesex County, NJ, whose mission is to promote the safety and self-sufficiency of individuals and families affected by domestic violence in Middlesex County. Women Aware has been serving the community for more than 40 years. Likewise, for the issue of Public Health, artists Dominique Brancato, Luciana Mallozzi and Lauren Rabinowitz created art that illuminates the mission of the Metuchen First Aid Squad.

All Community Conversations start at 7:30 p.m. and can be accessed via Facebook live at https://www.facebook.com/MetuchenHumanRelationsCommission/.

In addition to the Community Conversations, the Metuchen programming for the Windows of Understanding Project includes an exhibition in the Metuchen Public Library Gallery of all the art discussed in the Community Discussion. A virtual exhibit is available for viewing from the Metuchen Arts Council website at www.metuchenartscouncil.com. The project launched on Monday, January 18, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a way of paying homage to Dr. King’s legacy.

Programming in New Brunswick and Highland Park will include virtual poetry readings, screenings, educational workshops and panel discussions around social justice themes that will complement the visual displays in storefronts and public spaces throughout the run in New Brunswick and Highland Park through February 28, 2021.

For more information on Windows of Understanding, including a complete list of featured organizations, participating storefronts, and a full calendar of free events, please visit www.windowsofunderstanding.org. On Instagram at @windowsofunderstanding, #weseethroughhate.

Support for Windows of Understanding 2021 has been provided by:

Middlesex County; the New Brunswick Cultural Center; Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts; Rutgers University Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement; Highland Park Arts Commission; Metuchen Arts Council; and New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.