---

Lifelong Asbury Park artist Charles Trott lives by one edict – Before we were Europeans, Asians, Africans or Americans, we were humans.

The retired arts educator will unveil his latest project, Cuba and Puerto Rico – Two Wings of the Same Bird, from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Asbury Park Library, located 500 First Avenue. The exhibit, held in recognition of Hispanic History Month, will culminate with a 6 p.m. presentation on the cultural contrasts and comparisons given by the artist.

Trott, who may be best known locally for his murals at the Westside Community Center, Boys and Girls Club, and most recent Asbury Park Day banner, spent years teaching art education in several school districts across the State, including Newark. The 1969 Asbury Park High School graduate has also donned his Langford Street home with a mural.

He taught art in Bermuda and was an artist in residence for the Bureau of Prisons in Miami, and in similar capacity for Monmouth Museum, the New Jersey Department of Education, the Monmouth County Parks System, and with Seton Hall’s Upward Bound program.

The Pratt Institute graduate’s current projects include a traveling exhibit entitled DIA [Diasporic Images of Africa]. The project has led him across the globe, from Cuba to Egypt.

“It is a series of illustrations, combined with photographs, slide and oral presentations which show the influence various African societies and civilizations had, and have, on the development of countries and cultures worldwide,” he has said. “I use images, symbols, words and numbers to tell this story. These are visual interpretations based on historical research executed by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan and others.”

DIA spotlights iconic ancient monuments, musical instruments, dance, spiritual practices and architecture, using Trott’s extensive research of the Olmec, Taino, Yoruba, Moor, Dogon and Anasazi as a cultural backdrop.

“My work serves as a means to an end,” he has said. “The means, is to use the arts, as a catalyst for re-examining historical and scientific facts. And in the end, bring a more accurate portrayal of our history to the public.”

Trott also was among those who participated in the local Call to Collaborate event held in January by the Creative New Jersey initiative.

His presentation at the Asbury Park Public Library is a 2 year long continuation of exhibits based on national cultural celebrations. They include, but are not limited to, Hispanic History Month, Indian Heritage Month, African American History Month, Women’s History Month, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In linking back to his DIA initiative, Trott said he makes a conscious connection to African heritage simply because most are not aware of the continents connection to most civilizations. 

“The purpose of these exhibits is to promote and keep in the vision and memory of the people here in the United States our various histories,” he said. “I find that we, here in America, don’t know much about one another, and we know even less about those who come from somewhere else. We need to look at these so called minority groups because they are not a minority.”

The Hispanic Heritage Library Exhibit will run through Oct. 15.

———————————————————————————————————-

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---