Visit “Once She Dries,” a Jersey City based Puffin Grantee

March 27, 2023

Once She Dries is an installation-performance about coral reefs and climate change, created by Jersey City artists Nancy Cohen and Meagan Woods, in collaboration with SMUSH gallery. The show follows the journey of Coral as she navigates an unstable climate, which threatens to dry her reef and endanger the world as we know it.

Upon entering the installation, visitors are surrounded by panoramic paper loops which evoke shifting weather conditions at sea, and are invited to move throughout the space and sit within the three dimensional forms which resemble sub aquatic coral structures. The multimedia show features looped recordings of video montage and text, accompanied by piano, vocals, and violin. Once She Dries was made possible through collaboration with artists and musicians Kourosh Ghamsari-Esfahani, Casper Leerink, Xinyue Liu, Amanda Sum as well as a Puffin Foundation climate/environmental arts-related grant in 2022.

More Info About the Show

Once She Dries runs from March 3rd – April 2nd, 2023.

The exhibition will include a closing event on April 2nd. SMUSH Gallery is wheelchair accessible and will have large print librettos available. Please email with accessibility requests.

Gallery hours: Thurs. & Fri. 6-9pm, Sat. 12-6pm, Sun. 2-6pm, and by appointment. Once She Dries loops every 30 minutes, beginning on the hour and half hour.

Story: Meagan Woods
Installation: Nancy Cohen
Video projections: Xinyue Liu
Piano + Sound Engineering: Casper Leerink
Violin + Sound Editing: Kourosh Ghamsari-Esfahani
Vocals: Amanda Sum

Thank you to Puffin staff member Sebastian LaBarbera for compiling this summary after visiting the installation.