Art with heart: Mason Gross students highlight community organizations through county art project

The 6th annual Windows of Understanding community art project recently kicked off across several locations in Middlesex County, according to the project's website.

The art project features works by 22 artists that highlight various local organizations and their efforts to foster a better community. The artists' works will be on display in windows throughout New Brunswick, Highland Park, Metuchen and South Plainfield until April 1, according to the website.

Cassandra Oliveras-Moreno, the administrator of Communications and Collaboration at the Mason Gross School of The Arts and Windows of Understanding's co-founder, said the public project is a creative means to counter the hostility and divisions in the current media landscape.

She said Windows of Understanding strives to include artists from various backgrounds and showcase art to convey messages about social issues that hold significance in local communities.

This year, Windows of Understanding will emphasize the issue of community wellness and its foundation for other areas of social justice such as food equity, she said.

Since the project's inception in 2018, Mason Gross has partnered with the art councils of neighboring cities, including New Brunswick and Highland Park, Oliveras-Moreno said.

Mason Gross's Department of Art and Design hosts resources and training workshops for Windows of Understanding artists and more than half of the artists involved with the project are affiliated with Rutgers, representing University departments from Social Work to Theater.

"We hope that those who experience the art or attend a Windows of Understanding event will be moved to action — whether that means seeking out help or helping to support these institutions," Oliveras-Moreno said.

The Zimmerli Art Museum has hosted the Windows of Understanding receptions each year and feels privileged to support the project's goal of encouraging people to participate in the arts, said Theresa Watson, public relations and communications coordinator at the museum.

"Windows of Understanding has become an important convener in the community, bringing together individuals and groups who may not otherwise connect, even though they share common interests and goals," Watson said.

Vanessa Nuckols, a Mason Gross first-year student, said she learned about Windows of Understanding from her professors and decided to participate in it for the first time.

She said she created an art piece about sexual violence for the Middlesex County Center of Empowerment and two other pieces on the topic of mental health for the Satellite Exhibition.

Nuckols said she has presented her art in public spaces since childhood and now aspires to use her work to effectively communicate important social justice issues to the public.

"A mentor once told me, 'Art has the power to initiate powerful conversations,'" she said. "It is crucial that we continue to use art to address social justice issues, as it has the power to shape culture."

Rutgers students who engage in the Windows of Understanding events can contribute to meaningful dialogue and their own self-growth through involvement with local community causes, she said.

Nuckols said students could also help foster an inclusive environment at the University by spreading awareness to a larger audience about the issues that surrounding communities face.

Laurie Granieri, the director of communications at Mason Gross, said Windows of Understanding exemplifies the most positive part of the relationship between Rutgers students and local community members.

"It can be tempting — even at a place like Rutgers — to hop on a campus bus, complete your assignments and forget that you're actually an integral part of this wider community," Granieri said. "So when Windows of Understanding comes around every year, I see the collaboration as a rich opportunity for our artists to truly connect with their neighbors, to create something new, to see their city with fresh eyes."