The Morris-Jumel Mansion opens a new exhibition, History Now, by Washington Heights artist, Rose Deler, featuring a selection of large-format, black and white film portraits depicting the residents and architecture of one of New York’s most historic – and unexplored – neighborhoods, the Jumel Historic District in Washington Heights.

On view from January 13 to April 3, 2022 during the museum’s public hours, Friday to Sunday from 11:00 – 5:00pm

History Now features twenty photographs, fifteen contemporary digitally-printed portraits taken using 4” x 5” and Roliflex medium format film cameras and select photographs from a family photo album dating from 1901 of the Ettlinger Family, who lived on 162nd Street. In executing this project, Deler was inspired by the neighborhood’s rich history as a residential area and she began reflecting on the numerous families who have lived here since the Ettlinger’s time. Deler states: “History Now is my preservationist effort. In one hundred years, we will be the faces of our neighborhood’s past.” The artist hopes that the images will resonate with New Yorkers and represent the timelessness of the city and its neighborhoods.

This exhibition will be on view from January 14 to April 3, 2022 during the museum’s public hours, Friday to Sunday from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The museum will host a virtual artist talk as a part of the museum’s Virtual Parlor Chat program series on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 7:00 PM and a community open house on Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, with free community art workshop from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, followed by a meet-and-greet with the artist from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. For tickets and information, visit www.morrisjumel.org/current-exhibition

This exhibition is presented as a part of Surroundings: A Pop-Up Exhibition Series featuring the work of local artists who each reside within the former boundaries of the Morris and Jumel family estates. This exhibition series will further Morris-Jumel’s exploration of the connections between the past and the present as these artists reflect upon the museum’s mission and local communities. This series features three exhibitions of the work of Felipe Galindo Feggo (Portraits of My Community, on view October 7, 2021 – January 2, 2022), Rose Deler (History Now, on view January 14 – April 3, 2022), and Andrea Arroyo (Solidarity: Images for Social Justice, on view April 14 – June 5, 2022).

Image credit: 433 W. 162nd Street, Giclée print on archival fiber paper, 2021. Courtesy of Rose Deler.