EDITOR’S LETTER JCM Industrial Dreamscapes

IT’S HARD TO PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT. What exactly is so seductive about the metal, machines, grillwork, gears, cranes, and containers that are the lifeblood of our industrial past—and present?
Our cover story, “Industrial Artistry,” attempts to capture the mood in images.
In our story about the Tug Pegasus Preservation Project, Pam Hepburn says the romance of tugboats comes from the work they do. “Work” may be the operative word to explain the allure of things industrial—form following function, which has been the signature principle of industrial design for the last century.
From firehouses to factories, the theme of industrial artistry threads its way through this issue like a latticed span on the Pulaski Skyway.
Through August 23, the Jersey City Museum will feature “Industrial Strength: Precision and New Jersey,” which touches on the subject of art and the rise of American industry.
If you want more obvious beauty, check out Glenn Garver’s abstract paintings in our new department, “The Studio.” Given the enormous popularity of the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour, we’ve decided to visit a studio in each issue.
Another new department, “If You Ask Me,” gives various members of our community a chance to have their say. We kick off with concierges answering the question, “What’s doing in JC?”
In yet another installment of our “Beyond the Boom” series, Assata Wright’s “The Wealth Gap” examines the two Jersey Cities. At one edge of that gap are folks who have the means to golf in our town. Bill Schu readies us for the biggest event of the summer—the PGA tourney at Liberty National.
Our “At Home” department gets a new treatment this time around. Instead of a home, we visited a neighborhood whose new condos and galleries are giving it a new sense of community.
Seems like yesterday when explorer Henry Hudson entered what would become New York Harbor, but it was 400 years ago this September, and folks in Hudson County have planned many events to mark the anniversary.
Don’t forget to visit hudsonreporter.com to post your comments on stories in JC Mag. You may even agree with some of my coworkers who think I’m nuts, not only for loving the Pulaski Skyway but the pockmarked panorama beneath it.
Good, bad, or ugly, your thoughts are welcome.

JCM WINS AN AWARD

Jersey City Magazine’s Queen Latifah cover was awarded second place for “Packaging the News Product, Special Issue” from the New Jersey Press Association. Editor in Chief Kate Rounds, Art Director Jennifer Martiak, Senior Designer George Fedor, and photographer Shawn Roche teamed up for the win.

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