Fall Exhibitions to Open at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey on September 19

Close-up of an abstract sculptural arrangement made from assorted natural and artificial materials attached to white paper cups. The objects include porous rocks, foam, sponge-like fragments, Styrofoam, and earthy-toned stones in shades of brown, white, gray, and muted turquoise. The textures range from rough and jagged to smooth and rounded, creating a clustered, coral-like appearance on a wooden surface with other similar sculptures blurred in the background.Summit, NJ (August 27, 2025)—From September 19, 2025, through January 18, 2026, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) brings ecology into focus across three exhibitions that move from the material excess of daily life to the marshes of our coast to re-mapped geographies. Featuring artists whose work engages with environments in and around New Jersey, these projects consider how shifting conditions shape lives and invite visitors to connect more deeply with the ecosystems that surround them.

All That Consumes Me, on view in the Main Gallery, brings together Angeles Cossio, Carolyn Lambert, Joshua Marquez, Lina Puerta, and Marion Wilson, whose use of found and reclaimed materials examines how everyday overconsumption impacts the world around us.

In the Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Gallery, Cecile Chong's upcoming installation, _other Nature – Marshland Tales, continues her exploration of the fraught relationship between humans and the environment. In this new iteration, Chong turns her attention to New Jersey's wetlands, with a particular focus on cattails as both material and metaphor. Her research traces the ecological and cultural significance of these reed-like plants, which have long been integral to the region's terrain.

The Marité & Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery I features This Was Always a Place, a solo exhibition by Andrew Harrison. Through archives, maps, and embodied movement, Harrison explores altered geographies—dwelling between rupture and repair—and argues for memory, myth, and imagination as essential tools for reshaping the world.

Events

  • Opening Reception: Friday, September 19, 6:30–8:30 PM
    Light snacks and refreshments will be served. A special sound activation by Joshua Marquez begins at 7:30 PM.
  • Art to Table: Thursday, September 25, 11 AM
    Enjoy an intimate, small-group tour of the fall exhibitions with Curator Jordan Horton, followed by a prix fixe lunch at Summit House Restaurant + Bar. Details at artcenternj.org.
  • Closing Thoughts: Sunday, January 18, 2–4 PM
    A final look and panel discussion with featured artists on themes across the season's exhibitions. Light snacks and refreshments will be served.