|
Credit: Nick Romanenko
Jorge Daniel Veneciano, director of
Rutgers-Newark’s Paul Robeson Center Art
Gallery, hopes to build on the
university’s vision to create arts
programs that tap into the cultural and
social interests of the Newark
community. Veneciano, who previously
served as curator of exhibitions for the
Studio Museum of Harlem, sees parallels
between Harlem and Newark, which, he
says, is on the edge of achieving
recognition for the strides it has made.
|
Assuming the role of director of Rutgers-Newark’s Paul Robeson Center Art Gallery is a natural progression in Jorge Daniel Veneciano’s career. The New York City resident has established a strong reputation for building urban-based community arts programs in both Harlem and Los Angeles, and he sees the city of Newark as the perfect canvas upon which he can help create the next burgeoning cultural arts community.
“What attracted me to this position is the view of the administration that the gallery will not only serve the university community, but also the community at large,” Veneciano said. “I come from a community arts background in Los Angeles, and I enjoy the challenge of reaching out to a wider audience.”
Veneciano, who started his position in July, comes to the Newark campus from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he taught “Issues in Contemporary Art” for the past four years. Prior to that, he served as curator of exhibitions for the Studio Museum of Harlem. There, Veneciano launched major retrospectives, such as “Norman Lewis: Black Paintings, 1946-1977” (co-organized with Ann Gibson), and cutting-edge exhibits, such as “Flip, Funk and Fantasy” and “The Listening Sky: An Inaugural Exhibition of The Studio Museum in Harlem Sculpture Garden.”
The latter exhibition was a significant milestone for the museum and the African-American artistic community, representing one of the first museum sculpture gardens dedicated to African-American art in the nation.
Veneciano sees many similarities between Harlem and Newark, and hopes to build on the university’s vision of creating programs that extend beyond the campus’ borders into the greater Newark community. “Newark feels to me to be on the edge of achieving recognition for the strides it has made and the arts scene that continues to prosper within the city,” Veneciano said. “I would love to play a part in helping it gain the recognition it deserves.”
Although many of his ideas are still in the conceptual stage, Veneciano hopes to launch at least one major annual public symposium that will tap into the social and cultural interests of the community. He has plans to pursue an exhibition on the class politics of food (the gallery is close to the campus center’s cafeteria) and would like to offer a program called “Howl at 50: Allen Ginsberg, Beat and Bebop” to pay tribute to the Newark native’s work. He envisions public programs where students in Rutgers-Newark’s visual and performing arts program will work with students of all ages in Newark public schools.
Veneciano also believes a relationship between the gallery and Newark’s cultural institutions and private galleries can blossom and prosper. Presenting expansive exhibitions at multiple sites within the city is one of his primary goals. “During my time in Harlem, we organized an exhibit in three different venues which included the Studio Museum, the Bronx Museum and the Caribbean Cultural Center,” Veneciano noted. “Similar exhibitions in Newark can only serve to enhance our profile and that of our partnering institutions.”
Veneciano holds a master of fine arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He recently completed his doctorate on cultural democracy in American modernism in the department of English and comparative literature at Columbia University.
He traces his interest in art back to his youth in California. He remembers that while driving with his family, he would pass by a large mural depicting the stages of the animals’ fate before they would reach their final destination at the slaughterhouse. Ever since that time, the social significance of murals has drawn his attention.
Before becoming a curator and instructor, Veneciano served as a contributing art critic for several publications, including Art Journal, Afterimage, Art Issues and L.A. Weekly. “I noticed that many local magazines didn’t cover African-American or Chicano art,” he said. “I felt a need and was always willing to go to areas where other reporters would not go. I try to bring this quality to my work as a gallery curator.” He served as exhibitions and education curator for the City of Los Angeles’ Cultural Affairs Department before moving east.
|
