MCCC Arts

Trenton, N.J. – Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG) will showcase works by Tamara Torres in the exhibit "La Feminista: Soy Yo?" The show runs from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Wednesday, April 4. The community is invited to a reception and artist talk with Torres on Wednesday, March 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. The talk starts at 6 p.m.

JKCG is located in MCCC's Trenton Hall, 137 North Broad Street, across the street from the James Kerney Building. General JKCG hours are: Mondays, 11:30 to 2:30 p.m.; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The gallery's director and curator is Michael Chovan-Dalton, coordinator of the MCCC Photography program.

Torres, a Trenton native, survived abuse, discrimination and homelessness, and has used her art as a platform for disadvantaged women worldwide. Her Puerto Rican heritage has also influenced her photography, which has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, London and Rome.

Chovan-Dalton observes that Torres' project dives into feminism across cultures and generations. “It is an attempt to bridge the different experiences and identities within the feminist movement through dialogue,” Chovan-Dalton said. “In our current climate filled with great politicized anger and debate over the harassment and abuse of women, and equity for women in the workplace, Torres examines a foundational element of the current social, economic, and political struggle that can be a source of both strength and division among those seeking to be heard.”

Torres' exhibit combines photography and video as she explores interpretations of feminism. “I am collaborating with grandmothers, mothers, and daughters from different cultures, locally and around the world, taking portraits and video of them as I pose the question: ‘What does feminism mean to you?’”

She admits that feminism meant little to her in her youth. “I didn't fully learn about the word and its meaning until my 20s, and I still questioned whether ‘feminism’ was meant for me or only for those women who were already privileged in this world,” she said.

Torres says she approaches the concept with the goal of changing perceptions of racism, women’s rights, and injustice. “If my art can change one person's outlook, that is the first step towards changing a generation.”

More about Torres and her work is available here.

More information about JKCG and upcoming shows is available on the JKCG website at www.mccc.edu/JKCgallery.

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Artist Tamara Torres

"Pink Sneakers" by Tamara Torres