EPIC Art Gallery open tonight
SPARTA. The public is invited to join Norwescap and youth artists at Sparta United Methodist Church.
Sparta /
| 27 Feb 2024 | 07:12
Art on display at the EPIC Gallery opening. (Photos by KP Boisseau, Norwescap)
Guada Jacob and Pastor Shea Maultsby.
From left are Mark Valli, Norwescap chief executive; Scott Paul; Guada Jacob; Brittany Barthelemy; and Rose Magny.
Dianna Morrison speaks with attendees at the EPIC Gallery opening.
The EPIC Art Gallery, which held its first exhibit at Norwescap’s Sussex Borough Community and Cultural Center on World Peace Day in November, is on the move.
It will be open from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Sparta United Methodist Church, 71 S. Main St.
The public is invited to join Norwescap and youth artists there for an evening of dialogue and artistic expression. There will be light refreshments.
About six months ago, to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech and its relevance to current times, Norwescap established “EPIC - Building an Anti-Racist World through Education, Participation, Intention and Courage.”
Funded by a Martin Luther King Foundation grant, the program is geared to youth in Sussex County.
The EPIC program empowers teens to confront racism through education, dialogue and original artworks. It welcomes low-income youth facing racism in their school or community as well as fellow students who choose to be actively anti-racist.
The program launched in the fall, when local artists partnered with Norwescap to present four guided sessions, beginning with MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, followed by in-depth conversations with the participants about the meaning of the speech, how to respond to racism, ways to promote racial equality, and a commitment to the Norwescap anti-racism pledge.
The teens went on to create works of art that expressed their attitude toward racism, their experience with King’s movement, and their hopes for a world based on equality and equity.
The exhibit will travel throughout Sussex County, including stops at Atlantic Health, Newton High School, Sussex County Community College and a Juneteenth event at Memory Park in Newton.
For information, contact Dianna Morrison at morrisond@norwescap.org or 973-862-6680.