INFORMATION FOR
A day-long conference focused on the City of Paterson as seen through and experienced by a variety of artists and writers will be held at William Paterson University in Wayne on Friday, April 13, 2018. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Atrium Building on campus. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
Sponsored by William Paterson University’s Paterson Metropolitan Region Research Center, the conference will bring together a broad spectrum of participants and attendees, including writers, filmmakers, artists, musicians, historians, and educators, to discuss the city’s vibrant cultural and artistic contributions.
The program begins at 10:00 a.m. with the screening of All That Lies Between Us, a documentary film about the life and work of the Paterson-born poet, Maria Mazziotti Gillan. Produced and directed by the filmmaker Kevin Carey, in collaboration with Passaic County Community College faculty member, writer, and photographer Mark Hillringhouse, the film chronicles Maria Mazziotti Gillan’s life and career as an artist and educator. Kevin Carey will be present to introduce the film, which will be screened in the Atrium Auditorium.
Following the screening, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., a panel discussion will be held on visual arts and poetry in and about Paterson. Moderated by Kristen Evangelista, the director of the William Paterson University Galleries, the panel will include poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan, writer and photographer Mark Hillringhouse, and renowned Paterson artists Chris Fabor Muhammad and Gerald Slota.
The University will celebrate the launch of the book Paterson Lives, edited by faculty members George Robb, professor of history, and Stephen Hahn, professor of English, beginning at 12:45 p.m. The book contains entries on more than 50 famous Patersonians, written by Robb, Hahn, and 13 other contributors including William Paterson faculty, librarians, and alumni, as well as the Paterson Public Schools and Passaic County Department of Cultural and Historic Affairs. The project is an outgrowth of a collaboration between Robb, Hahn, David Cubby of the Paterson Historical Preservation Society and Jack DeStefano and Bruce Balistrieri of the Paterson Museum in presenting a series of lectures in fall 2017 in celebration of the 225th anniversary of the founding of the City of Paterson in 1792. Copies of the book will be available for purchase; refreshments will be served.
The afternoon session will include a panel on music and the performing arts in Paterson, from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m., convened and moderated Carol Frierson-Campbell, professor of music, and David Philp, assistant professor of music. Panelists will include Rahsona Elder, founder and president, Inner Faith Performing Arts Center; Elizabeth Moulhtrop, program director, Paterson Music Project; Nicholas Rodriguez, director, Inner City Ensemble; Dominique Taylor, music producer; and Dale “Skip” van Rensalier, minister of music, First AME Zion Church.
The event will conclude with a celebration and recognition of the work of students and faculty of Grade 3 in Paterson Public School No. 12, featuring exhibits of the students’ work, Water Fair and Paterson Falls, led by Elizabeth Brown, professor of literacy and social science education, Julie Rosenthal, professor of literacy and science education, and Anissa Martin-Conyers, teacher, Grade 3, Paterson School No. 12. In addition, students from social studies and history classes at the Academy for Health Sciences (HARP) will present posters on historical figures from Paterson.
04/08/18
