"That zero panorama seemed to contain ruins in reverse, that is—all the new construction that  would eventually be built. This is the opposite of the ‘romantic ruin’ because the buildings don’t  fall into ruin after they are built but rather rise into ruin before they are built. I am convinced  that the future is lost somewhere in the dumps of the non-historical past; it is in yesterday’s  newspapers…in the false mirror of our rejected dreams. Time turns metaphors into things, and  stacks them up in cold rooms, or places them in the celestial playgrounds of the suburbs."  

-Robert Smithson, The Monuments of Passaic, 1967 

Working with Smithson’s account, We are the River examines how contemporary artists are  inspired by, interact with, and interweave their own stories into the complex history of our  New Jersey rivers. From ecological disaster to personal accounts to community building,  artists will reflect on the significance of our rivers as not only a resource but as shared space  of experience. Using Smithson’s “exploration”, the exhibition will address the past, present  and future of the rivers that once brought life but now threaten the very communities they  help build.