Public Invited to Create 'The Big Weave' at Olsen Park

The community is invited to install a public art piece together at the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's (NNJCF) ArtsBergen initiative's 'The Big Weave' on Saturday, May 4 (rain date May 11) from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The weaving takes place at Oscar E. Olsen Park, located at 157 West Main Street in Bogota, New Jersey. This artistic endeavor represents the final phase of the project, The Path of Us: A Public Art Fence Weaving.

People of all ages -- children, teenagers, and adults -- are welcome to help install the community developed fence weaving to beautify Oscar E. Olsen Park. Attendees meet other community members and can bring family and friends to make their mark on a semi-permanent public art piece on display for a year. The Path of Us, a large-scale weaving, will follow the fence at Oscar E. Olsen Park on West Main Street before the Lt. William C Ryan (USMC) Memorial Bridge (formerly the Midtown Bridge) in Bogota. Participation is free. Good-will donations are welcome to defray the costs of the installation. Free parking is available in the park's lot.

Participants may join the fun any time and stay, as along they want. Weaving can be done standing or sitting, and community members may bring a stool or chair to sit on while weaving.

Connection Between Hackensack River and the Communities

“The path represents the people of Bergen County in the past, present and future. Made from plastic ribbons woven into the chain link fencing, white zigzag lines connect diamonds forming frames for the participants’ weavings. Blue zigzag lines represent the Hackensack River. The design highlights 3-D printed tokens created at the Bergen Makerspace to embellish the 'path'. The project shows the connection between the Hackensack River and the communities it flows through -- the people, history, values, animals, natural terrain, and architecture," said Danielle De Laurentis, Associate Director, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

Art Joins the Environment

The Path of Us: A Public Art Fence Weaving project is done in collaboration with the Borough of Bogota and Bogota Beautiful in celebration of Earth Day. This fun opportunity combines the arts and the environment to beautify the area and enhance the quality of life in Bergen County. Public artist Katherine Daniels assists participants in creating the weave.

The Big Weave culminates community members' participation in the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's ArtsBergen initiative's Connect the Dots workshops held on February 25 and April 11. Participants established the project theme and designed individual weavings and 3-D printed and laser cut tokens to embellish the fence.

This program has been made possible in part by a grant administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs from funds granted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

For further information about the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, contact nnjcf@nnjcf.org or call 201-568-5608.