Paterson public art exhibition honors immigrants who helped shape North Jersey
The five installations created by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz will remain on display outside Paterson City Hall through October 30.
A new public art exhibition is on display in Paterson, highlighting the stories, struggles and contributions of immigrants and migrants who helped shape North Jersey.
“Carriers of Light and Labor” features five installations outside Paterson City Hall, each telling a different story — with connections to places including Ecuador, Palestine, Syria, Senegal and the American South.
One of those stories belongs to Dr. Joseph Fulmore Sr., who came to Paterson in 1964. Fulmore grew up in South Carolina during segregation and later became a longtime educator and civic leader in Paterson. He said he only discovered later in life that his ancestors came from Senegal.
Seeing his story featured in the monument was an emotional moment for Fulmore.
“It makes me feel that my work and all the stress that I went through was not done in vain,” he said.
The exhibition is part of a larger Rutgers University project funded by a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Fund. The project explores New Jersey’s immigrant labor history and aims to highlight stories that historically have been underrepresented in public monuments.
Rutgers Professor Tim Raphael said Paterson was chosen because of its role in New Jersey’s industrial history and its diversity today. He said the project also focuses on the role immigrant labor continues to play in the state.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said the city was a natural fit for the installation.
“Paterson was founded by an immigrant,” Sayegh said, referring to Alexander Hamilton. “We are New Jersey’s most diverse city.”
The Rutgers team set out to explore New Jersey’s immigrant labor history through public conversations with immigrant communities across the state.
In North Jersey, the team held six public dialogues and worked with artist Michelle Angela Ortiz to turn those conversations into artwork. The project ultimately focused on Paterson, Newark and Jersey City, with the monument placed outside Paterson City Hall.
Raphael said Paterson was chosen because of its important role in the Industrial Revolution and its diversity today. Alexander Hamilton identified the Great Falls as a source of power that could help transform the area from an agricultural economy into a manufacturing center.
The location also puts the new monument in conversation with three existing monuments in the City Hall plaza — all honoring prominent white men in Paterson’s history.
Ortiz created the five-part installation to offer a broader perspective on the people and communities that helped build the city.
The five installations will remain on display outside Paterson City Hall through October 30.
The project also includes public discussions, an upcoming conference and plans for a statewide exhibition and book documenting the work.
