Walk-Bye, Jersey City support local female artists through new exhibit

Catalina Aranguren, founder of Walk-Bye by Argia Photography, will present her latest collaborative outdoor art project in partnership with the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs. The exhibit will be unveiled on Thursday, May 6th at 6PM in City Hall Plaza at 280 Grove Street in downtown Jersey City.  

The show was the brainchild of Jersey City City Council President Joyce Watterman, Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, and Councilwoman Denise Ridley. They invited Aranguren to create a Walk-Bye event specially focused on local female artists for the closing ceremony of Women’s History Month. Aranguren invited artists to participate which resulted in submissions by 41 artists and two poets—all of which are included in the exhibit. Inspired by the diverse mix of women and their experiences, she titled the exhibit “The Women,” creating a logo made of the word “woman” in the 18 languages of the 43 participants.     

“The quantity and quality of talent that emerged during the open call was incredible,” said Aranguren. “It is a true mark of the diverse and truly inspiring artists that call themselves residents of Jersey City. I’m thrilled to present their work at City Hall.”

The exhibitions comes with a specially curated music playlist. The playlist for "The Women" is compiled by the participating artists and serves as complementary media—a sort of experimental musical impression of the theme of the exhibit—the playlist with songs in different languages, and from different generations and genres, is an integral element of the force and ferocity of the exhibited pieces.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3gQtXVHkg8UxGuAeA7kHF3

The show is the seventh installation in Aranguren’s series of outdoor community art exhibits in Jersey City. Walk-Bye has sought to create opportunities for Jersey City residents to display and view local artwork in a safe manner during the Covid-19 pandemic. Past exhibits include outdoor shows in June and October of last year held in various Jersey City parks. She has also hosted two shows with Welcome Home, a local refugee support organization, to commemorate Human Rights Day, International Human Solidarity Day and World Refugee Day. In February, she has also exhibited “Group Show - /ˈradək(ə)l/—What seems like an end is really a beginning” with the Congregation B’nai Jacob in Jersey City.  

For more information on the exhibit and artists, please follow @Walk_Bye on Instagram.