Artist as Activist

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum

Presents 

ARTIST AS ACTIVIST

the New Jersey State Council on the Arts 

2025 ARTS ANNUAL ARTISTS

GLASSBORO, NJ – Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum is excited to announce the participating artists who will be included in the 2025 New Jersey Arts Annual for Fine Art, presented in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, opening Saturday, June 7th, 2025, 4 -7 pm.

Our esteemed jurors, Brittany Webb, Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), and Dejay Duckett, Director of Curatorial Services, African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) selected artists from over 300 entries and include:  

Catherine Allen, ShinYoung An, Ellis Angel, Donna Bassin, Kristian Battell, 

Kirstin Demer, Laura Frazure, Ellen Hanauer, Sam Horowitz, Christopher Lopez, Chanika Svetvilas, Hui Tian, Ylvia Asal, Michael DalCerro, Adam Gustavson, 

Tony Khawam, Krystle Lemonias, Jazlyne Sabree, and Alan Willoughby,

Artist as Activist presents work that are artistic responses to the concept of activism. The selected artists use their creative practices to challenge societal norms, raise awareness, and inspire audiences to engage critically with the world around them.

The works address a broad spectrum of urgent topics—including human rights, environmental stewardship, racial equity, health and well-being, and political engagement.

Rather than employing overt or reactionary tactics, these artists adopt a more nuanced approach. Their work invites viewers to engage with complex issues on their own terms, promoting personal reflection and dialogue rather than prescribing a singular viewpoint.

Some artists employ humor to disarm and draw in the viewer, while others use ambiguity or conceptual forms to allow multiple interpretations. Scale is also used deliberately, amplifying the urgency of the challenges we face collectively.

Ultimately, this exhibition presents art as a vehicle for advocacy—illuminating injustices, proposing alternatives, and envisioning change. Through emotion, experience, and truth, these artists seek to cultivate empathy, spark conversation, and inspire action.

The New Jersey Arts Annual is a unique series of exhibitions highlighting the State’s visual and performing artists. In partnership with major museums around the state, one exhibition takes place each year, alternating between host institutions. These exhibitions are open to any artist currently living or working in New Jersey. The Arts Annual series is sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. Since 1984, the New Jersey State Arts Council has co-sponsored the prestigious Annual in keeping with its mission to encourage and foster public interest in the arts, promote freedom of expression in the arts, and to facilitate the inclusion of art in every building in New Jersey. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts: The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.  

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum serves as a vibrant cultural destination for South New Jersey, serving the surrounding region. With a mission to provide a platform for discourse on best practices in contemporary art by professional artists, curators and scholars, the museum presents interdisciplinary art exhibitions, panel discussions, guest curatorial projects, and other public programming. As part of the largest university in South Jersey, the museum is committed to cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages dialogue between exhibiting artists, students, faculty, the general public, and other cultural institutions. Year-round programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The gallery is located at 301 High Street in Glassboro, NJ. Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday, 10 am to 5 pm; Thursday – Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm. Directions can be found on the gallery website. Free parking is available in the Mick Drive parking garage across from the gallery. For information, call 856-256-4521 or visit www.rowan.edu/artgallery.