The Potential Project: 21 Stories of Trenton

Bentrice Jusu

June 14 – July 16, 2022

Opening Reception: June 18, 6-8pm

Curatorial Statement

Designed by Trenton-based multimedia artist and activist Bentrice Jusu, the Potential Project uses storytelling, visual art, photography and digital media to start a new conversation: to honor the stories and lives of those we have lost to violence, and to imagine our community healing. The idea grew out of Bentrice’s own experiences with violence, including the loss of people she loved, and the lack of resources available to residents to process and prevent the cycle of trauma.

Since 2020, Bentrice and the team of five contributing artists (see bios) have been working with Trenton community members who have chosen to share stories of a loved one lost to violence. Bentrice and the creative team have been creating original work – portraits, poetry, visual collages, videos, dance, music – inspired by those stories. Bentrice is curating these original materials into augmented reality (AR) multimedia collages. The collage that illustrates the potential of each lost individual can be viewed by scanning their portrait with the Artivive app. The yellow square that appears throughout the project’s materials – in portraits, video art, and (soon) physical installations around Trenton – illustrates potential: the potential of those lost, and the potential all of us have to make a better city.

The exhibition at Artworks is the first public launch of this project. It will include 20 portraits of people lost to violence (drawings/paintings by Bentrice Jusu, see attached samples) along the walls of the gallery. Each portrait will have a unique AR multimedia collage attached to it that features the work of the other participating artists. Gallery visitors will be able to see the multimedia by downloading the free Artivive app and scanning the portrait with their phones.

Multimedia work that will be featured in the AR collages includes:

Original poetry set to original soundscapes by Hana Sabree
Original poetry by Terra Applegate
Original dance movements choreographed by Jennet Jusu
An original song and music video by Big Ooh!
Documentary video footage by Diego Gordon

The opening event will include the artist Ras live-painting a portrait of Se’Quoya Bacon-Jones, a nine-year-old girl whose recent death shook the Trenton community – the 21st story in the series. We also hope to include some live performances by the participating artists listed above.

The exhibit honors the possibility of what each person featured might have been – the explosive, creative potential they had and their impact on those who knew them. It also challenges us all to join our own potential in creating a city where lives are no longer cut short by violence – where each person can heal, grow, live, and thrive at their full potential. The project will grow after the exhibit with additional stories, physical installations in community locations tied to the stories, and, we hope, in other communities as well.

For more information on this project, please click the links:

www.potentialproject.art

The Potential Project – WHYY Interview

DOWNLOAD THE ARTIVIVE APP FROM GOOGLE PLAY

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