New Jersey aviation history celebrated in multi-disciplinary exhibition

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall University’s Walsh Gallery presents “Learning to Fly: A Celebration of Flight and Exploration.” The exhibition commemorates several major anniversaries occurring in 2017, including the 80th anniversary of both Amelia Earhart’s disappearance and the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, as well as the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957. The exhibit will run from Jan. 17 through March 10. There will be an opening reception Thursday, Jan. 26, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Using both historical objects and contemporary art, “Learning to Fly” will examine major themes within aviation history including flight as innovation, power, competition and entertainment while also exploring New Jersey’s impact on aviation history using these landmark events. Artifacts from the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame, Cradle of Aviation Museum, Navy Lakehurst Historical Society, Newark Public Library and the university’s archives will be featured in the show alongside artwork by Ellie Irons, Dan Phiffer, Greg Leshe, Winifred McNeill, Timothy Pickerell, Chad Stayrook, Lizzy Storm and Sara Sun. Curators Derek Butler and Kathlene Williams invite visitors to examine the tremendous role that flight has played in society over the last century.

“Flight is something that we take for granted today, but it was once a new frontier that inspired mankind to innovate and compete,” Butler said in a press release. “The aviator turned into a celebrity as flight made its way into our popular culture during the 1930s. Aviation has played a role in political power as well, especially during the Cold War when the ‘space race’ inspired a new generation to look beyond the skies and into space. We want to highlight the role that flight has played, not only in New Jersey’s history, but in a wider context that has made it such an integral part of our society today.”

In conjunction with the exhibition, a pop-up museum will take place inspired by the connections individuals make with flight and exploration in their daily lives. The pop-up museum is a temporary exhibit created by visitor participants. Visitors are invited to bring an object, memory or souvenir that relates to the theme of flight and exploration. Objects will be on display for one day as part of the temporary museum. This program will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the University Center Living Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Walsh Gallery is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Seton Hall University is located at 400 South Orange Avenue in South Orange. For more information, visit www.shu.edu/walshgallery.

  Seton Hall University, Walsh Gallery