Immaculata University will host a reception to kick-off an exhibit of Duffy’s Cut paintings by artist Fred Danziger at Gabriele Library Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until the end of February and is free and open to the public.

The six paintings that will be featured depict the 1832 events at Duffy’s Cut; the works had previously been featured in Sam Katz’s Urban Trinity documentary.

“These paintings perfectly convey the essence of the Duffy’s Cut story,” stated Dr. William Watson, professor of history at Immaculata University and director of the Duffy’s Cut Project.

“Fred Danziger has captured that moment in time in 1832 when Chester County was both a center of the American Industrial Revolution and of anti-immigrant and nativist sentiment.”

The Duffy’s Cut Project is an ongoing archival and archaeological search into the lives and deaths of 57 Irish immigrants who came to America in June, 1832 to work for Philip Duffy on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Within six weeks, all were dead of cholera and possibly violence, and were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern known today as “Duffy’s Cut.”  The Duffy’s Cut site is near the campus of Immaculata University where the Duffy’s Cut Museum is located.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pa, Danziger trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His art work is shown in galleries in Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, as well as Malvern’s Gallery 222.

“When I was asked to do these paintings by Urban Trinity director Andrew Ferrett, he asked me to enable the viewer to ‘be there as it unfolds,’” Danziger explained. “The pieces are all done from that point of view. To now show these paintings, with the actual artifacts from the events and in such close geographical proximity, is an extraordinary opportunity to add understanding to such a significant historical event.”

For more information on Duffy’s Cut, visit http://duffyscut.immaculata.edu/