In Purpose

In Purpose

Exhibition: April 7 – May 1

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

The CVA Gallery at Brookdale Community College, supported by the Visiting Artist Program, proudly presented In Purpose, a thought-provoking exhibition at the CVA Gallery, with a companion installation at the Caroline Huber 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, the dual exhibition explored the powerful intersections of art, design, and personal wellness.

Opening April 10, two exhibitions celebrated the art of printmaking across Brookdale’s campus. In Purpose, featured 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 showcased 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 was 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 was 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 presented a lecture on Design & Sustainability. The exhibition will concluded with a closing reception and artist meet-and-greet on May 1, where attendees received a commemorative broadsheet giveaway.

The exhibitions also featured 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).