SLAVERY: A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
PAINTING SERIES BY CHRISTOPHER FABOR MUHAMMAD
and
AN HISTORICAL EXHIBIT BY THE AFRICAN SHORE MUSEUM
ON VIEW AT PCCC BROADWAY GALLERY
ARTIST RECEPTION: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Join us to view two special exhibitions and meet artist Christpher Fabor Muhammad at a reception on Thursday, February 29 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the Passaic County Community College Broadway Gallery at Broadway and Memorial Drive in Paterson, NJ. The event will include performances by Victor Marshall of Marshall Hand & Drum and the African Dance Lady, Audrey Davis-Dunning. Admission is free.
The exhibitions explore the issue of slavery in the Paterson/Passaic areas through a dramatic series of paintings by Mr. Muhamma depicting the daily life of slaves in this part of New Jersey. Informative posters from the African Shore Museum elaborate on the little known issue of slavery in this part of the country.
Mr. Muhammad is a Paterson native, who overcame the challenging environment of an upbringing in an urban city housing development. He attended Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick and the NJ Institute of Technology, where he studied architecture.
His commitment to making a difference in his community, however, led him to a teaching career. He taught at Paterson’s International High School, John F. Kennedy High School, and School No. 5. Along the way, he received a master’s in education from Caldwell University (2008) and became a professor at William Paterson University (2018). He has recently been inducted into the Rutgers University African American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame.
Mr. Muhammad founded his own company, Creative Force, Inc., to produce after-school programs, paint & sip parties, and a single-panel cartoon (SPC), Amerikids, which address illiteracy and miseducation. He organizes annual small Black-owned business bazaars, youth entrepreneurship contests, and a specialized museum for the history and culture of Black Patersonians. He is the director of the nonprofit, “Arts Reforming Communities,” which focuses on creative placemaking with such beautification projects as wall murals and gardens. Also, he has spearheaded mural projects for educational institutions in Los Angeles. Muhammad intends to continue his global creative placemaking mission and expansion of the Amerikids brand into other areas of media, culture, and merchandise.
Pictured: The Blacksmith by Christopher Fabor Muhammad.
The exhibition is on display until April 3, 2024. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. This program is made possible by funding from the NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the arts, and the Passaic County Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs.
