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Thursday, January 29, 2026
The Galleries at Kean is proud to present Paper Trails on view from January 28 to May 1, 2026 in the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery
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The Galleries at Kean Presents
PAPER TRAILS by Laura Shabazz
The Galleries at Kean is proud to present Paper Trails on view from January 28 to May 1, 2026 in the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery at Kean University (Nancy Thompson Library, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, New Jersey).
Through painterly, representational collages composed entirely of salvaged print materials, Laura Shabazz transforms discarded paper into layered works that explore memory, sustainability, and traces of human thought and gesture. Torn fragments of books, magazines, and ephemera--once carriers of words and ideas--are reassembled to create compositions that exist between imagination and visual experience.
Based in Bernardsville, New Jersey, Laura Shabazz is a self‑taught collage artist whose practice began serendipitously when an overflowing recycling bin became the catalyst for a new artistic direction. Her years working in a library inspired the use of rescued books alongside magazines and other found papers. Embracing imperfections such as torn edges, stains, and handwritten marks, Shabazz treats each work as an improvisational act; one that honors narrative, memory, and material reuse.
Shabazz has received numerous accolades, including Best in Show from the New Jersey Art Association and People’s Choice awards from Farmstead Arts and the Rockland Arts Festival. Working exclusively with found paper, she creates one‑of‑a‑kind works that celebrate storytelling while foregrounding sustainability.
Paper Trails is presented as part of the Galleries at Kean Spring 2026 exhibition season, highlighting contemporary artists whose practices engage with history, culture, and visual storytelling.
The Galleries at Kean will host numerous public events in conjunction with the Paper Trails exhibition. Hear from Laura Shabazz at the Paper Trails Artist Talk on Wednesday, February 4 from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the Nancy Thompson Library. Celebrate the exhibition at the opening night reception, also on Wednesday, February 4 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery. Both events are free and open to the public, but advance registration is encouraged. Visit galleries.kean.edu/news-
Tickets for Paper Trails, and for all of exhibitions with the Galleries at Kean, are "Pay As You Wish". Patrons can choose to pay as little as one dollar to access the exhibition, keeping the arts afforable and accessibile to everyone. Visit galleries.kean.edu/exhibitions to purchase tickets.
ABOUT THE GALLERIES AT KEAN
The Galleries at Kean present more than a dozen exhibitions each academic year across six on‑campus galleries, showcasing professional artists, traveling exhibitions, faculty projects, and student work. Through exhibitions and public programs, the Galleries advance education, foster dialogue, and amplify diverse voices across art, history, and culture. Information regarding gallery exhibitions, events and education programs can be found at galleries.kean.edu.
ABOUT KEAN UNIVERSITY
Kean University, New Jersey’s urban research university, is a national institution of higher education recognized for its diversity, innovation and the social mobility of its graduates. Designated an R2 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Kean ranks among the top eight percent of U.S. universities for research and doctorate production. Founded in 1855 as a teachers college, Kean has evolved into a thriving research university that supports students as they persist to graduation, give back to their communities and launch successful careers. Kean’s six colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate programs, six doctoral degree programs and more than 70 options leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications, across a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, Toms River and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, as well as Kean Online, the University provides students of all backgrounds an affordable and accessible world-class education. Learn more at kean.edu.
Laura Shabazz, Eye See You, 2025, salvaged magazines, image courtesy of the artist.
#laurashabazz#keenuniversity#sunstormfineartmagazine#sunstormfineartmagazine.com
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Matt Damon, the anti-Davos & more from the Swiss alps Plus: Meet the Aussie billionaire bucking Trump on climate & more AI/human musings
Matt Damon, the anti-Davos & more from the Swiss alps
Plus: Meet the Aussie billionaire bucking Trump on climate & more AI/human musings
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⛷️A drive ski-by Davos update ⛷️ (stay ‘til the end for an actual ski shot)
🎥 At Axios House:
Matt Damon courts Davos set to partner with Water.org: Read and watch
Emerald AI CEO Varun Sivaram on AI and energy
Energy Impact Partners Founder Hans Kobhler on cleantech
Colossal Biosciences co-founder on conservation and de-extinction
Conservation Fund’s Larry Selzer and The Nature Conservancy’s Jennifer Morris on how nature is persevering
Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle on trade and energy
Novonesis CEO Ester Baiget on persisting sustainability
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I typically cover the energy that powers our lives — but for one night in Davos, I focused on the energy within us as humans. Lose that, and nothing else matters.
It felt like stepping into an oasis of authentic connection amid a gathering otherwise dominated by AI obsessions, geopolitical power plays and economic hierarchies.
As Calm CEO David Ko wrote: "No networking theater. No agenda chasing. Just leaders sitting together, sharing honestly. What unfolded was deeply human."
We even ate a healthy meal optimized for sleep and recharge.
As AI reaches deeper into our lives, experiences like this reinforce my belief that we need more moments centered on our humanity. Here’s to more authenticity — in real life and on platforms like this.
More Davos by photo
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Meet the Australian billionaire bucking Trump on climate
DAVOS, Switzerland — Australian mining executive Andrew Forrest is emerging as one of the world’s few top business leaders willing to publicly and loudly buck President Trump on climate change.
Why it matters: The broader business community is largely staying quiet in the face of Trump’s aggressive moves in a number of areas, including on clean energy.
Driving the news: Forrest is the CEO and founder of Australia-based Fortescue, one of the world’s largest mining companies.
“Even the most selfish political leaders know that there are boundaries to everything,” Forrest said on the main stage at the World Economic Forum, which took over Davos last week.
“We risk being those business and political leaders who knew of the planet’s limits, and crossed them anyway.”
The intrigue: Forrest convened three private meetings with between 20 and 50 CEOs to talk about the topic on the sidelines of the official proceedings.
“I’m a lone ranger here, and they’ve chosen to let me stand alone,” Forrest told Axios in an interview, when asked about other attendees.
Forrest says the fact that he’s not American gives him more latitude to speak up. He said other CEOs are largely staying the course on cleantech investments and climate — but they’re not saying that publicly.
“They fear retribution,” Forrest said. “That’s not the way to run a country.”
Read the full story in Axios.
What gives energy leaders pause on AI
Covering the energy demands of AI while increasingly using AI feels like a strange form of immersion therapy.
Why it matters: We’re all humans first, and only then journalists, founders, philanthropists or experts. And AI is fast reshaping how we work, think and find meaning.
Catch up fast: This is a followup to my Finish Line article on this topic. It’s taken on additional currency with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s warning this week of the imminent “real danger” that super-human intelligence will cause civilization-level damage absent smart, speedy intervention.
Driving the news: I’ve begun asking interviewees to drop their talking points and answer as humans: How are you using AI, and what worries you?
“I’m certainly most scared about the loss of meaning in human life,” said Varun Sivaram, founder of startup Emerald AI. He is referring to the loss of reason to do economically useful work, which gives people initiative in life.
Some people may see AI as helping liberate them from their jobs, Sivaram said, instead spending their time just seeing art and music.
“But a lot of people don’t want only that right, right? And I really worry about that a lot for the human soul,” Sivaram said.
Reality check: Others emphasize agency over inevitability.
“I think what’s missing in this conversation is the idea we have agency. We get to make choices,” said Mike Schroepfer, former CTO of Meta, now a founder of cleantech venture capital firm Gigascale Capital.
For example, he said: he can choose not to use GPS to preserve his sense of direction.
“I have faith in people to make good decisions about it and figure it out as we go along,” he said.
The intrigue: Getting people to truly open up has been hard. Some retreat to safe language; others invoke children or grandchildren as a proxy for deeper unease.
Inside the room: In a live interview last fall with philanthropist Bill Gates at Caltech, he responded with humor that carried an uncomfortable truth.
“Someday the AI is going to say to me, ‘Hey, stop messing around trying to eradicate malaria. I’m so much smarter than you. You just go play pickleball, and I’ll get back to you.’ And I’m going to be a little disappointed, like ‘Oh geez, I’m not that good at pickleball, ‘ “ Gates told me.
Read the full article in Axios.
Nordic ski, Swiss style!
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Patrick Heide Contemporary Art , As Long as it Takes On view until 7 March 2026
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