From the Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture:
On Sunday, February 2, 2025, the Township of Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture celebrated the opening exhibition of “Ancestral Call” with featured artist Danielle Scott, curated by Nette Forné Thomas, and with the live performance of Janétza Miranda.
The celebrated exhibition marked the launch of the Township of Maplewood’s Black History Month festivities, which include more than 20 artistic, cultural and educational events and activities hosted by non-profit, community and business partners throughout the month.
“Ancestral Call” features more than 20 artworks that dive into the exploration of ancestry, identity, and history. Through layered textures, found objects, historical documents, and photography, Scott’s work presents hidden stories of resilience and heritage. Each piece acts as a spiritual dialogue, inviting viewers to feel, reflect, and listen to the “ANCESTRAL CALL.”
The creation of this series of work is the subject in Scott’s PBS American Masters Series documentary, “Danielle Scott: Ancestral Call”, directed by Sonia Kennebeck and Tetiana Anderson, which follows the multi-racial, mixed-media artist as she risks her own well-being by exposing herself to the intergenerational trauma of the Atlantic Slave Trade. In the series, Scott traces her ancestors’ lives for a greater purpose: creating art that exposes the wretched pain and intense beauty of the era while guiding her audience through an experiential journey.
Danielle Scott, Nette Forné Thomas, Mayor Nancy Adams, and Andrea Teutli
Scott’s documentary based on this body of work has been nominated for the Outstanding Short Film Documentary (Film) category in the 56th NAACP Image Award Nominees, which celebrate exceptional Black excellence across film, television, music, and literature.
“I created this work to allure and to create thought provoking dialect. I want viewers to get absorbed in the work and to feel it as I do. I want the work to be a perfect rendering of emotion and a spiritual tugging of the whole self,” Scott said.
Scott spent more than 20 years of her career as an oil painter and in 2018, her career shifted unexpectedly as she walked the streets of one of her ancestral homelands, Cuba.
Danielle Scott
“It was my first time in the country, yet as I slept and woke, and walked, and worked, I felt a tug at my core that was both foreign and familiar. The rich art that lined the streets and walls powerfully depicted the story of Cuba’s culture and history, reflected the times and the people, in a way tugged at my soul. The art and I were in communion, my ancestors’ powerful voices whispering to my soul, their stories written into the walls. I was home,” Scott said.
With this revelation, Scott decided to put aside her paintbrush as she felt the urge of needing more than paint.
“I needed paint and paper, texture and color, objects lost and objects found, metal and cotton. I needed to deconstruct and reassemble. I needed to cut and cover and color and crown. I needed to listen and to learn to speak in a thousand mediums to tell the stories that I now heard all around me, everywhere,” she said.
“Ancestral Call’ has previously been exhibited in the following galleries and museums:
- Gallery Aferro in Newark – October 2022
- New Jersey University – January 2023
- Monmouth Museum – September 2023 (Museum debut)
- MOCADA Museum of Contemporary African Art – May 2023
- 1978 Arts Center in Maplewood – February 2025
- Upcoming: Morris Museum – February 2025
The first screening of the film will take place on Sunday Feb. 16 at 1:30 pm at Morris Smithsonian Museum, at 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown NJ.
The 56th NAACP Image Award Winners will be announced later this month, streaming live Friday, Feb. 21, at the Creative Honors Ceremonies on NAACPImageAwards.net, and on Saturday, Feb. 22, during a two-hour live TV special, airing at 8 p.m. ET on BET and CBS.
Deputy Mayor Malia Herman, Committee Person Victor DeLuca, Mayor Nancy Adams, Danielle Scott, Committee Person Deborah Engel, Committee Person Dean Dafis, and Assemblywoman Garnet Hall
“Ancestral Call” is curated by Nette Forné Thomas, who previously served as an arts educator and arts administrator in the Newark Public School system and has been the elected President of Pen and Brush since 2010. Nette is an artist, teacher, and arts administrator whose work has been exhibited in major African American shows, on college campuses and in regional museums.
“Ancestral Call” is showing at the 1978 Arts Center, 1978 Springfield Ave., Maplewood, N.J., every Saturday and Sunday until March 2. The closing reception will be held on Sunday, March 2, from 2-5 p.m.
Visit Maplewood Black History Month 2025 website for event updates.
Janétza Miranda
