The J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD Gallery) is honored to present The Architecture and Art of Belonging exhibition featuring a wide range of works by a founding member of NJIT’s School of Architecture, Troy West, RA. The work on display will include the drawings, sculptures, and architectural projects of the late Troy West. The exhibition explores how the works of West connect to and enhance a sense of community through principles of sustainability, neighborhood engagement and local activism. Beyond academics, West was an architect, artist, and community activist who chose Newark as inspiration and a platform for advocacy. He designed housing projects and other community amenities with sustainability and neighborhood involvement as founding principles. West would sketch and plein air for hours becoming a fixture in the Ironbound and downtown Newark. He gathered metal and wood from his walks around town, making sculptures of what was found on the street and in abandoned buildings. His art and architecture became an expression of belonging to the community he loved.
Troy West -The Architecture and Art of Belonging will open to the public on Monday, February 6, 2023 with a reception, live entertainment, and light refreshments from 5-8 p.m. at the HCAD Gallery located on the second floor of Weston Hall, NJIT campus (on the corner of MLK Blvd. and Warren St., Newark). The exhibition will close on Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 5-8pm specific event to be determined.
HCAD Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with additional times by appointment only. HCAD Gallery is located on the second floor of Weston Hall, NJIT campus (367 Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102). For more information about the exhibition, please contact HCAD Gallery Curator, Matt Gosser at: mlg2@njit.edu
About the artist:
Troy West (1935-2022) was born in Pittsburgh and began practicing architecture and art in the late 1950’s, with a specialty in community design advocacy. He relocated to Newark, NJ in 1973 to become one of the founding faculty at the NJIT school of architecture. Throughout his career he focused on affordable housing, sustainable landscape design and artists housing. His art practice included drawing, painting and sculpture which interfaced and informed his architecture work.
About the J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design:
The J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) is comprised of the School of Architecture and the School of Art + Design. HCAD offers undergraduate degrees in architecture, digital design, industrial design and interior design as well as graduate degrees in architecture, infrastructure planning, and urban systems. The Hillier College of Architecture and Design is a comprehensive design school located in a comprehensive research university. By studying design here, our students have ample opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and interdisciplinary collaboration.
