Our community's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic takes center stage in one of three new summer exhibitions opening at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University next week. The shows celebrate both Atlantic City's enduring spirit and the creative vision of contemporary artists working across multiple mediums.
"Documenting Resilience on Atlantic Ave" opens Friday, July 11, 2026, offering an intimate look at how local small businesses weathered the pandemic shutdown and emerged on the other side. Through photography and oral histories, the exhibition captures storefronts and the voices of business owners who kept our community's commercial heart beating during unprecedented challenges.
The exhibition represents a collaboration between Stockton University faculty and students. Christy W. Goodnight, assistant professor of Business Studies, interviewed the businesses and storefronts with help from students in one of her classes. Christina Walley, a Visual Arts adjunct faculty member, photographed the owners and stores along Atlantic Avenue, working to highlight both the positive and negative aspects of the pandemic experience.
Among the featured businesses is Dock's Oyster House, with Executive Chef Stephan Johnson representing one of the community pillars that persevered through the crisis. The exhibition runs through September 24, 2026.
Joining the pandemic documentation project are two exhibitions showcasing distinctive artistic voices. Philadelphia-based artist Jim Brossy brings his "crackpot realism" to the Arts Garage, working with an unconventional palette of materials including tar, latex, cement, wax and string alongside traditional mediums like acrylic, pastel, pencil and oil. His approach creates surfaces that carry both literal and figurative weight.
Brossy earned his bachelor's degree in Visual Art from Rutgers University in 1979 and a Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1999, building a career that challenges conventional artistic boundaries.
The third exhibition, "Earth and Sky," features the multidisciplinary works of Thomas Murray, a Rowan professor whose artistic journey has taken him across continents. Murray has completed residencies in Assisi, Italy, at Artestudio Ginestrella and in Puebla, Mexico, at Arquetopia, where he received an honors residency. His solo exhibitions have appeared at the Morean Arts Center in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art in Texas.
While the pandemic resilience exhibition opens July 11, both Brossy's and Murray's shows open Saturday, July 4, 2026, running through October 3, 2026.
The community is invited to celebrate all three exhibitions at an opening reception on Saturday, July 11, 2026 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Noyes Arts Garage, located at 2200 Fairmount Ave. in Atlantic City. Admission is free, and the event offers a chance to experience the breadth of artistic expression on display while connecting with fellow art enthusiasts.
The Arts Garage maintains regular hours Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 6:00pm. For more information, call 609-626-3805.
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Karen Johnson
With over 30 years of news experience in major markets like Los Angeles, Denver, and Columbus, Karen now covers our area for South Jersey NewsBeat. She also brings her articulate and conversational news delivery to WOND radio listeners every weekday. Her background includes work with the NBC Radio Network, and she thrives in fast-paced news environments.
