Join us for our speaker series, Artist in Action, as we talk with regional artist Nyugen E. Smith, a first-generation Caribbean-American interdisciplinary artist and educator based in Jersey City, NJ.
Through performance, found object sculpture, mixed media drawing, painting, video, photo, and writing, Nyugen deepens his knowledge of historical and present-day conditions of Black African descendants in the diaspora. Trauma, spiritual practices, language, memory, architecture, landscape, and climate change are primary concerns in his practice.
Nyugen holds a BA, Fine Art from Seton Hall University and an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been presented at the Museum of Latin American Art; Peréz Art Museum; Museum of Cultural History, Norway; Nordic Black Theater, Norway; Newark Museum; and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; among others. Nyugen is the recipient of the Leonore Annenberg Performing and Visual Arts Fund, Franklin Furnace Fund, Dr. Doris Derby Award, and Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant.
Curated and moderated by Áine Mickey, in partnership with the Seward Johnson Atelier.
Discover the local art community of Hamilton and Trenton, NJ at Grounds For Sculpture with an in-depth look into their creative practice, technique, and histories. This gathering will feature a new artist each month sharing their perspective in conversation with the public.