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Welcome to the Center for the Visual Arts CVA Gallery

Welcome to the CVA Gallery. We are Brookdale Community College’s academic art and design gallery, located in The Center for the Visual Arts building on the Lincroft Campus in Monmouth County New Jersey.

In Purpose

Sponsored by Monmouth Arts, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners

 

Exhibition: April 7 – May 1

Gallery Hours: April 7 – May 1

Monday – 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday – 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday – 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Thursday – 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday – Closed

PROGRAMMING
Chalk It Up! Chalk the space with doodles and notes between the CVA Gallery exhibit, In Purpose and the Wellness Center student exhibit.
April 10, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
April 15, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chalk in the gallery, tea in the Wellness Center.
April 17, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chalk in the gallery
April 22, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chalk in the gallery, tea in the Wellness Center
April 24, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chalk in the gallery
April 29, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chalk in the gallery, tea in the Wellness Center
Design Lecture Series: Sustainable Design with Rhonda Babb
April 23, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Closing Event: 
Artist meet-and-greet reception with commemorative broadsheet giveaway
May 1, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (3:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Wellness Center)

The CVA Gallery at Brookdale Community College, supported by the Visiting Artist Program, is proud to present In Purpose, a thought-provoking exhibition at the CVA Gallery, with a companion installation at the Caroline Huber Holistic Wellness Center. Sponsored by Monmouth Arts, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, this dual exhibition explores the powerful intersections of art, design, and personal wellness.

Opening April 10, two exhibitions will celebrate the art of printmaking across Brookdale’s campus. In Purpose, on view at the CVA Gallery, features work by acclaimed printmakers Rhonda Babb and Bill Brookover, alongside members of the American Color Print Society and selected student works. A sister exhibition at the Wellness Center will showcase screen-printed posters created by Brookdale students, inspired by Admiral William H. McRaven’s motivational book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… and Maybe the World.

The project is a collaboration between Brookdale’s Global Citizenship Project’s Big Read, Professor Barbara Barrella’s Reading classes, and the Visual Arts Department. Students selected quotes from Make Your Bed that spoke to their personal growth and wellness, then translated those insights into original screen-printed designs during a two-day workshop led by Babb and Brookover.

“This project exemplifies the kind of immersive learning that sparks lasting impact,” said Art Faculty Member and CVA Gallery Manager and exhibit curator Elisa Elorza. “By combining reflective reading with hands-on artmaking, students discovered not only a new medium, but also a deeper understanding of their own values and voices.”

The student work will be displayed alongside Babb’s vibrant screen prints—focused on social justice, sustainability, and activism—and Brookover’s architecturally influenced prints exploring geometry, color, and texture.

On April 23, artist Rhonda Babb will present a lecture on Design & Sustainability. The exhibition will conclude with a closing reception and artist meet-and-greet on May 1, where attendees can receive a commemorative broadsheet giveaway.

The exhibitions also feature an interactive chalk art event to connect both locations and encourage student participation across campus.

“This collaboration has reminded us that creating art is not an insular experience,” said Summer Deaver, Director of the Caroline Huber Holistic Wellness Center. “It’s the interdependence between the individual creating the work, their life experience, and the process of finding one’s voice.”

Student Participants:

Danni Sterman (Fine Arts, South Brunswick); Emma Craven (Fine Arts, Old Bridge); Jeremy Egberts (Fine Arts, Ocean Grove); Jaime Queen (Undecided, Wall); Paige Larson (Graphic Design, Long Branch); Sofia Beylin (Graphic Design); Lily Lehotsky (Interior Design, Middletown); Alli Keeling (Interior Design, Old Bridge); Alyssa Shann; Kylie Hernandez (Architecture, Old Bridge); Zakk Merullo (Photography, Freehold); Laura Garces (Graphic Design, Howell); Alexandra Lopez (Undecided, Freehold); Ella Blackmore (Public Health, Holmdel); Lexsa Murray (Radiology, Old Bridge); Lia Silverstein (Theater, Middletown); Jada Alvarado (General Science, Hazlet); Anya Boiarchuk (English Major, CVA Gallery intern, working on the broadsheet archive project); Allyson Panton (CVA Gallery intern/volunteer on the broadsheet archive project); Gabby Camargo (CVA Gallery student worker and exhibit install); Vivinia Nieves (CVA Gallery student worker and exhibit install); and Emma Weatherspool (Design Department Ambassador).

The mission of Brookdale Community College’s CVA Gallery is to provide free and equitable access to transformative art, design, and related programming. As an academic gallery within Monmouth County’s only open-access institution of higher education, the CVA Gallery serves as a foundational and impactful part of the community, offering inspiration and enrichment to all.

Visit the CVA Gallery website for updates on additional information and programming for this exhibit at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/center-for-the-visual-arts-gallery/ or email Elisa Elorza at eelorza@brookdalecc.edu for appointment or inquiries.