(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 8, 2018

MAHWAH, N.J. — The Women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, an exhibition by Lisa Levart, opens on Thursday, March 1, in the Potter Library Gallery at Ramapo College. There will be an opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibition continues on view through April 30.

On April 26, the artist and the women portrayed will offer a panel discussion/visual talk at 7 p.m. on the Sharp Theater Stage. (This is being scheduled to a previous cancelled date)

A work-in-progress, documentary film about the project by Myles Aronowitz will be screened as well.

Lisa Levart has been creating alternative photographic portraits of women embodying poetic myths for well over a decade. This exhibition is a creative collaboration between the artist and women from the Ramapough Lenape Nation to uncovered long forgotten Lenape myths. Using these re-remembered sacred stories as a foundation, artist Lisa Levart uses a technique of collaging image layers — metal, wood, water and concrete — into the images and then individually hand painting them with an encaustic medium of Beeswax and Damar Resin. The applied wax alters the final images, blending contemporary and ancient portraiture across the expanse of time.

The artist states the following about her work:

“It is my belief that when we reach back into the early myths and stories of all cultures, we often have more similarities than differences. By sharing these contemporary re-interpretations of the First Nations’ mythology, I hope that viewers will gain a deeper mindfulness of our collective heritage, as well as an appreciation for the different traditions that have had an impact on the Hudson Valley. The goal of this project is to reflect our unique community, bring more awareness and visibility to the indigenous women of the land we all call home and serve as an agent of change.”

Levart’s work has been shown in numerous galleries and public venues including the Luna Stage Theater, SOHO Photo, The Hopper House, Alternative Museum, Burden Gallery, Art in General, Rockland Center for the Arts, Pomona Cultural Arts Center, SOHO20, Edwin Zollar Gallery at Penn State University, the Kiek de Kok Photography Museum in Talinn, Estonia, and is in the collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC.

This project is made possible with funds from the DeCentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the Arts Council of Rockland. The Potter Library Gallery is located on the main floor of the Library on the Ramapo College campus. Gallery hours can be found at https://www.ramapo.edu/library/library-hours/

For more information, please contact Sydney Jenkins at 201-684-7147. Photo: Lisa Levart

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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