Near Anniversary Of Ida Floods, Public Art Reveal Will Inspire Discussion Of Strategies

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — An art exhibition will open at a train station in Bergen County on Sunday, meant to both depict and raise awareness about the devastating flooding in North Jersey, particularly Bergen County.

Flooding in North Jersey has proven fatal in the last several years, and has been blamed on four causes, including development, outdated infrastructure, and extreme weather caused by climate change. READ MORE: Why Is NJ Flooding Getting Worse?

In fact, Bergen County saw 37 bridges damaged by Troical Depression Ida's flooding in September 2021.

The public is invited to attend an installation of the exhibit on Sunday starting at 12:30 p.m.

The artwork for the public exhibit, entitled "Flood Theater," will not be revealed until Sunday's event.

Flood Theater is meant to awareness about flooding in municipalities along the Hackensack River.

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF)-ArtsBergen is running the event at the field next to the Oradell Train Station, at 400 Maple Ave. across from the Farmer's Market. It will run from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

It "commemorates and explores the devastating impact of floods along the Hackensack River in Oradell, New Milford, and nearby municipalities, while also raising awareness about strategies to use to address future flooding and climate change. The program features a talkback session with artist Juliacks about the process of creating 'Flood Theater' and the live painting of a mural by artist Lissanne Lake on a rain barrel."

In addition, helpful tips will be provided to residents about what they can do to mitigate flooding, such as the benefits of rain barrels. The Oradell Environmental Committee and the New Milford Environmental and Energy Commission will also have tables with information about their work.

The freshly painted rain barrel will be given away through a free raffle at the end of the event.

Taking a cue from comics and 19th century paper theaters, the audience will create word-collages operating as voice balloons for the figures and the "Flood Theater" stage. These word collages, similar to a word poll, will highlight community members' feelings and thoughts about the impact of flooding.

Meanwhile, hurricane season has begun to swell, with Tropical Storm Franklin and other storms currently swirling in the Atlantic.

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative, a regional arts alliance, works with various stakeholders.

ArtsBergen is an initiative in Bergen County, New Jersey offering a range of creative services. The initiative has partnered with multiple municipalities in facilitating creative teams, developing public art and creative placemaking plans, and directing and managing public art projects to preserve and express community culture. For more information about the ArtsBergen initiative, visit www.nnjcf.org/artsbergen/.