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PRODID:-//Gadzook Labs//Gadzook University · Princeton University//EN
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UID:acp53449@princeton.campustown
DTSTAMP:20261009T200349Z
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261115
SUMMARY:Gallery opening: The Experience 
LOCATION:Lower Level Gallery
DESCRIPTION:Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM\n\nThe Experience\n\nby Martryce Roach
 \n\nOn View: November 14 – December 12\, 2026\n\nOpening Reception: Satur
 day\, November 14\, 3-5pm\n\nin the Lower Level Gallery\n\nExhibition Sta
 tement:\n\nThe Experience connects right now to the period from 1916 thro
 ugh 1970\, when millions of African Americans journeyed North and Midwest
  from the Jim Crow South\, changing the landscapes of major cities across
  the country and shaping American culture. These paintings and pastel dra
 wings invite viewers to reflect on visual stories that preserve our memor
 ies and inform of the collective\, lasting impact of the Great Migration.
 \n\nRoach has created surrealistic landscapes that incorporate elements o
 f blues music\, environment\, and cultural folklore into her works to por
 tray layers of endurance\, resilience\, and creativity evident throughout
  the journey of African American people. “This exhibition celebrates how 
 we unite to navigate through the burdens\, use music to energize ourselve
 s and overcome\, and how we can spark change\,” she says.\n\nAlthough man
 y African American families can trace their histories back to the Great M
 igration and the social fabric of this country is largely influenced by i
 t\, the story is not widely discussed in the classroom\, Roach observed. 
 She didn’t learn about it as a historical movement until college and late
 r explored a more personal connection. Her great grandmother travelled fr
 om Virginia to New York City in the 1930s to become a beautician and sent
  money back home until her grandmother and other family members could joi
 n her in the north.\n\nAbout the artist:\n\nRaised in New Brunswick\, Mar
 tryce Roach is a self-taught artist with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public He
 alth and Africana Studies and a Master’s Degree in Social Work.  Roach’s 
 style is marked by her mix of history\, musical references and geometric 
 shapes assembled to tell surrealistic stories about human experiences and
  relationships.  In 2021\, she was named Curator’s Choice by Pro Arts in 
 Jersey City.  In 2022\, she was awarded the Mid Atlantic Arts Individual 
 Artist Fellowship Grant through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
   Also in 2022\, she was commissioned by the Meyerhoff Alumni Association
  to visually capture the life story of University of Maryland Baltimore C
 ounty former President\, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski.  In 2023\, Roach complete
 d an artist residency with ArtCrawl Harlem on Governor’s Island\, NY. Her
  pastel drawing\,”Facing the Future Together\,’’ was licensed by Newark L
 iberty International Airport\, where a massive\, mural-sized image of it 
 was displayed digitally in Terminal A from 2022 through 2023. In 2025\, R
 oach was the Public Art and Community Engagement Mural Ambassador for a 2
 40-foot mural installed at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New
  Brunswick and she installed a PSE&G mural honoring the legacy of Lebby J
 ones on Nye Avenue in Irvington\, NJ\, as a part of a collective public a
 rt project called Legend’s Way.  Her last solo exhibition\, Patterns: Peo
 ple in Transition sold 14 new pieces in 2025 at Akwaaba Gallery in the no
 rtheast.  Several of Roach’s works\, including oil paintings and pastel o
 n paper\, have been acquired into permanent museum collection. In 2026\, 
 Roach has completed two new public art projects in the State of New Jerse
 y\, and is currently working on a third which addresses environmental jus
 tice and hope for tomorrow.  Her most recent mural\, Created Equal\, was 
 commissioned by the Arts Council of Princeton\, and is currently on displ
 ay on Spring Street in the city.\n\n“To me\, life is filled with twists\,
  blocks\, turns and waves. How we swerve through those changes tells a po
 werful story and makes for a magical visual. Working with cultural experi
 ences as source material\, my practice serves as visual storytelling\, co
 nnecting viewers with familiar environments\, shared narratives\, and lay
 ered feelings.” – Martryce Roach\n\nMore info: https://artscouncilofprinc
 eton.org/event/gallery-opening-the-experience/
URL:https://princetonu.gadzooklabs.com/e/acp53449
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