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College of Human Development, Culture, and Media

College of Human Development, Culture, and Media Sparks Dialogue and Unity with inaugural “One College, One Exhibition”

Attendee raising hand at a conferenceOn October 8, the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM) is launching a new signature initiative, entitled, One College, One Exhibition (OCOE). This program aims to unite the CHDCM academic community through shared engagement with a curated art exhibition, one that speaks to core values of the College and Seton Hall’s historic Catholic identity and mission.

Nearly a year in the making, Bryan Crable, Ph.D., founding dean of the CHDCM, is excited to see this initiative come to life. “Our College’s strength is our unity-in-diversity,” Crable said. “And, given the fantastic series of events linked to the exhibition, our community is highlighting critical intersections among the arts, communication, education, leadership and mental health — our key fields.” He added, “I invite the College, University, and surrounding communities to help us celebrate Americans, past and present, who persevere, struggle and sacrifice in order to tell the truth, courageously and faithfully, in compassionate service to their communities, with love and with purpose, and hopeful for a brighter, more just future for all.”

This inaugural OCOE will feature the series, "Americans Who Tell the Truth," a portrait series created by award-winning artist Robert Shetterly. The portraits, selected by the CHDCM community, illuminate the ongoing struggle to realize America’s democratic ideals and model the commitment to act for the common good.

Although he began the series more than twenty years ago, Shetterly notes that the works and subjects continue to speak to contemporary audiences. “Designing the political and ethical architecture for a democratic society was a thrilling and daunting creative enterprise for the founders of this country,” he reflected. “Their words still sing to us. Living up to the moral and empathetic demands of that architecture has proved to be an altogether different task. These portraits are meant to honor people who courageously insisted — and insist today — that the highest values and ideals exist equally for everyone. The portraits encourage us to act likewise. That struggle defines us.”

Events that are part of OCOE will span the month of October 2025, with fifty of Shetterly’s portraits on display across campus and in partnership with the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC). The campus launch of the exhibition will be presented at 5:30 p.m., October 8, at Walsh Library, second floor, with a CHDCM-commissioned composition performance by the Chamber Choir titled, “Truth Be Told.”

For more information about OCOE, including a full schedule of events, click here.

Categories: Arts and Culture

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