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The Heldrich Hotel and Conference Center opened in March 2007 in downtown New Brunswick and is the centerpiece of Monument Square where George Street and Livingston Avenue meet. The proximity of the Mason Gross School of the Arts and two theaters makes the area the arts center of New Brunswick and the surrounding region of the state.
During the planning phase, The New Brunswick Development Corporation decided to capitalize on the arts location of the new building and make it a showcase for art. To fulfill this goal, Devco invited the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions to create a gallery for temporary exhibitions in the spectacular Heldrich lobby space outside its ballroom.
Utilizing such a non-traditional space fits well with current thinking about how to include culture within a broader context. Dana Joia, the former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts often spoke about the importance of finding ways to give arts and culture a more central role in American life. Using the Heldrich space for exhibitions is a unique educational opportunity. It exposes art to a whole new audience, those members of the general public who might not regularly attend art events.
Those who don’t know a lot about art, especially work being produced today, often feel uncomfortable visiting museum and galleries because they fear they won't understand what they see. By experiencing contemporary art in a safe and familiar environment such as the lobby of the Heldrich they become comfortable with art. Especially when the presentation of the art is visually attractive and the signage is clear and easily understood, those who happen upon the work are stimulated to seek out more art elsewhere. They have a truly exciting educational experience by being exposed to new ideas and experiences that enrich their lives.
Since its inception in 1986, over 300 artists-in-residence have collaborated with Brodsky Center master printers and papermakers at its state-of-the-art facilities across the street from the Heldrich. Its enormous holdings are constantly added to as new artists come to produce work at the center. This continuously replenished collection is regularly drawn from for exhibitions at the Heldrich Center and elsewhere. It includes work by such renowned figures as the South African artist and activist William Kentridge, Faith Ringgold, perhaps the preeminent African American artist of our time, Fred Wilson who represented the United States in the 2003 Venice Biennale, and many others. New Jersey artists include Sandy Skogland, Willie Cole, and Kiki Smith, daughter of New Jersey based sculptor Tony Smith, as well as 120 other New Jersey artists.
The Brodsky Center organizes at least four exhibitions per year at the Heldrich. It has already brought an amazing array of nationally and internationally renowned artists to the space in the past years. The center’s first exhibition coincided with the dedication and grand opening of the building in March 2007. It was a show of tapestries by the prominent California artist, June Wayne. Wayne is famous for having brought about the printmaking renaissance in the United States in the second half of the 20th century through establishing Tamarind Lithography Workshop, known for introducing important artists to printmaking and trained printers. Wayne gave her art estate to the Brodsky Center several years ago. It is valued at $5 million and it was the largest gift ever received by Mason Gross School for the Arts up to that time. Wayne's magnificent tapestries filled whole walls at the Heldrich and were seen by the 1,200 area residents who attended the grand opening ceremony as well as the many visitors who came afterward.
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About the Brodsky Center
