The Reflections & Expressions project: We are focusing on the cultural heritage of the Central and South American communities in our area through two-year multi-faceted programming featuring exhibitions, educational activities, artist residencies, conferences, rituals, music, and dance performances. This project is part of the WheatonArts Creative Community Connections initiative, inaugurated in 2004 to inspire meaningful conversations about perceptions of the past, challenges of the present, and the notions of life, aesthetics, and spirituality—all interpreted through arts. It is designed to bring about understanding, appreciation, and engagement in our region’s extraordinarily diverse population’s arts, traditions, and cultures.
The Central and South American communities in New Jersey represent various diverse cultures, sometimes even within their countries of origin. They were formed gradually over time through past and recent immigration. Today, they contribute a variety of art forms and traditions to the multi-cultural landscape of our state. Our primary focus is on arts and cultures associated with Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina.
We collaborate with partners, local communities, and various artists working in traditional and contemporary art forms. They offer different reflections on cultural heritage and multiple forms of artistic expression that provide the vehicle to engage our audiences in a dialogue about cultural heritage and shared humanity. Major highlights of our 2022 fall program include a major exhibition, an artist residency, a festival, a community arts project, and virtual events.
2022 Fall Program Schedule:
EXHIBITION
Threads of Time & Wisdom:
Chilean & Guatemalan Fiber Arts
Down Jersey Folklife Center at WheatonArts
April 1—November 14, 2022
FALL FESTIVAL
HalloWheaton: Remembering Our Ancestors
Event Center at WheatonArts
Saturday, May 7, 2022, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
VIRTUAL EVENTS
Virtual Conference – Living Traditions: Communities & Cultures of Central & South America
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 11 & 12
Wheaton Conversations: A Window to Andean Traditions: Music & Instruments from the Andes Mountains
Thursday, December 8 at 6 p.m.
Calendario del programa 2022:
EXPOSICIÓN
Hilos del Tiempo y el Saber: Arte Textil de Chile y Guatemala
En exhibición en el Centro Folklife de Down Jersey en WheatonArts
Del 1 de abril al 14 de noviembre de 2022
OTOÑO PRIMAVERAL
HalloWheaton: Recordando a Nuestros Ancestros
Event Center en WheatonArts
Sábado, 29 de octubre, 12 p.m. a 4 p.m.
EVENTOS VIRTUALES
Tradiciones Vivas: Comunidades y Culturas de América Central y del Sur
Viernes, 11 de noviembre y Sábado, 12 de noviembre
Una ventana a las tradiciones andinas: Música e Instrumentos de la Cordillera de los Andes con Pepe Santana
jueves 8 de diciembre de 2022
The Down Jersey Folklife Center is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and WheatonArts, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
This Down Jersey Folklife Center project series edition was made possible by grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional project support is provided by the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
