Author: huntercollegeart

Acts of Art in Greenwich Village

November 7, 2024 – March 29, 2025
Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Gallery
Hunter West Building
132 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065

Public Opening Reception – RSVP HERE
Thursday, November 7, 6-8pm

The Hunter College Art Galleries are pleased to present Acts of Art in Greenwich Village, the first comprehensive account of the six-year history of Acts of Art, a gallery dedicated to showcasing the work of Black artists in downtown Manhattan.

Benny Andrews, James Denmark, Reginald Gammon, Harlan Jackson, Nigel Jackson, Ben Jones, Loïs Mailou Jones, Dindga McCannon, Enid Richardson Moore, Ademola Olugebefola, Ann Tanksley, Lloyd Toone, Frank Wimberley, Hale Woodruff

Founded by artists Nigel Jackson and Patricia Grey in 1969, Acts of Art was first located at 31 Bedford Street and later moved to 15 Charles Street in the West Village. In 1971, the gallery mounted Rebuttal to the Whitney Museum Exhibition, the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition’s strategic response to the Whitney’s concurrent Contemporary Black Artists in America. That same year, the gallery hosted the inaugural exhibition of the Black women artists collective Where We At. Before Acts of Art closed in 1975, it presented one- and two-person exhibitions by twenty-six different artists, and numerous group exhibitions. Acts of Art in Greenwich Village centers Acts of Art and its director’s curatorial vision, tracing the gallery’s exhibition history as it intersects with other histories of Black art and artists in New York—and with formations like the BECC, Where We At, and the Weusi Artists. Installed in Hunter College’s Leubsdorf Gallery, the exhibition features artworks from the late 1960s and 1970s by fourteen artists with close ties to the gallery, a number of which were first shown at Acts of Art. 

Curated by Howard Singerman, Phyllis and Joseph Caroff Professor of Art History, with Katie Hood Morgan, Chief Curator and Deputy Director, and with MA and MFA students enrolled in the Advanced Curatorial Certificate Seminar. 

This exhibition is made possible by The Leonard A. Lauder Exhibition and Catalogue Fund Endowment. The exhibition’s catalogue has been supported by a grant from the Wolf Kahn Foundation and the Emily Mason and Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation on behalf of artists Emily Mason and Wolf Kahn.

 

 

Amy Sillman

Zabar Visiting Artist Lecture

Wednesday, October 23, 7pm

Flex Space at 205 Hudson

Andrea Blum: ROOTS/ROUTES
2nd Floor Flexspace, 205 Hudson Street (at Canal St.)
New York, NY 10013
Wednesday, October 9, 7–8:30pm 
RSVP

Join us at 205 Hudson’s Flex Space on Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm for a lecture presented in conjunction with current exhibition Andrea Blum: BIOTA. The presentation will cover Blum’s works made for public spaces throughout the United States and Europe beginning in the 1970s, as well as more recent works including sculpture, video, and digital images. A conversation with exhibition guest curator Jenny Jaskey and a Q&A will follow the talk. RSVP at the link HERE.

The lecture will be held in the 2nd floor Flex Space at the Hunter MFA Building (205 Hudson Street), which is accessible by elevator through both the gallery and the main building entrance. Staff will be present to guide visitors. For questions about accessibility, please email hcag@hunter.cuny.edu. A recording of the this event will be available on the exhibition website following the discussion. 

Andrea Blum: BIOTA is on view through October 26. 205 Hudson Gallery is open Wednesday–Saturday, 12–6pm. All Hunter College Art Galleries events are free and open to the public.

Suzanne McClelland
Judith Zabar Visiting Artist / Fall 2024
Artist Lecture
September 18, 7pm
Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
47-49 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
RSVP to: spevents@hunter.cuny.edu

Andrea Blum: BIOTA presents the culmination of a 40-year body of work by New York-based artist—and former Hunter College art professor—Andrea Blum. Designed as a tableau vivant, the exhibition includes sculpture, video, and images that center on constructions of the natural world and relations between humans and non-humans. An illustrated monograph to accompany the exhibition will be published in early 2025. 

Andrea Blum: BIOTA is guest curated by Jenny Jaskey and organized by Katie Hood Morgan, Chief Curator and Deputy Director, Hunter College Art Galleries. Graduate curatorial fellows: Haley Kane and Antonia Oliver.

This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the Arthur and Carol Kaufman Goldberg Foundation To-Life Curatorial Workshop Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the Red Painters Fund, Jill Brienza, Agnes Gund, Jane Katcher, and other private donors. The publication has been supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the Estate of Tony Feher, and a grant from the Wolf Kahn Foundation and the Emily Mason and Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation on behalf of artists Emily Mason and Wolf Kahn.

SAVE THE DATE
Andrea Blum Public Lecture: October 9, 7pm   
2nd Floor Flexspace, 205 Hudson Street (at Canal)
New York, NY 10013
RSVP Here
        
Andrea Blum will speak about her work from the 1970s to the present, covering works for the public space throughout the United States and Europe, as well as more recent works including sculpture, video, and digital images. The talk will be followed by a conversation with guest curator Jenny Jaskey.    

Davis is a Brooklyn-based painter best known for paintings and works on paper that resemble multilayered maps with encoded narratives.

Born in Baltimore, MD, Davis received her BFA degree from Pratt Institute, and her MFA degree from Hunter College. Her paintings have been exhibited across the United States and in Europe. She is currently represented by Miles McEnery Gallery (New York), Jenkins Johnson Gallery (San Francisco & New York) and The Mayor Gallery (London).

In Memoriam
Michael Edward Berube
November 10, 1957 – May 15, 2024

The Hunter College community mourns the loss of our friend and colleague Michael Edward Berube, a beloved faculty member and alumnus, who died at the age of 66 after a brief but heroic battle with lung cancer. Michael was part of the department and our community for twenty years. He began his BFA here in 2004, earned his MFA in 2010, and began teaching in the department in 2012. Michael taught ARTLA 101 Introduction to the Study of Visual Experience and was part of the team who helped to reconceive our introductory studio course as ARTLA 201 Art Foundations: Seeing, Thinking, Making, inaugurated in 2015. He also taught Special Topics in Collage. Across the decade he introduced hundreds of students to a newer, deeper way of thinking about art and to the Studio Art major at Hunter. Despite the aggressiveness of the cancer that finally took his life, Michael continued to teach through as much of the Spring 2024 semester as he could, meeting his class into his very last weeks. I want to acknowledge the support his longtime ARTLA 201 co-teacher, Katerina Lanfranco, gave him and his students in these past few weeks.

In 2010 Michael was awarded the prestigious Graf Travel Grant, which allowed him to immerse himself in the art and culture of Italy. His favorite cities, Rome and Venice, deeply inspired him and influenced his work. The above image is from his research trip to Venice. As an artist, Michael explored the realms of maximalist aesthetics, camp, and beauty.

Michael was an early member of the artists’ collective Openings, a vibrant and diverse community of artists working in a variety of media, and a founder of its curatorial program.  Reflecting his personality and his teaching, the collective emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and camaraderie. From 2011 on, Michael wore multiple hats at Openings; not only was he an exhibiting artists member, he also was part of the collective’s core governing body and its senior curator, working with visiting artists and curators and organizing the annual group exhibition. His curatorial work often included exhibitions of Hunter College faculty and alumni, reflecting his deep connection to the community.

Most of Openings’ exhibitions and events take place in a space provided by The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, the founding church of the Paulist Fathers, on the Upper West Side, where a solo show of Michael’s art is in planning for this coming fall. Michael asked that there not be a funeral or memorial service; instead, this exhibition will be an occasion of celebration of his life and work.

Openings’ vision statement reads: “Connections between creativity and transcendence foster meaningful conversations that have the potential to unite individuals and promote community.”

In addition to his visual art career, Michael had an earlier career in performance and music. Under the pseudonyms Michael London and Audrey White, he was a central figure in the 1980s East Village Pyramid Club and wrote and recorded music.

Michael was a cherished teacher known for his ability to connect with and mentor students from diverse backgrounds and interests. His fastidious application of theory and technique, combined with his rich anecdotes of the 1980s NYC downtown art scene, enthralled his students. He often shared stories of rubbing elbows with iconic figures like Andy Warhol, providing a unique and personal perspective on the New York art world.

The Hunter College community extends its heartfelt condolences to Michael’s family, friends, and all who were touched by his presence. Michael died in peace with family and friends and visits from his dog Shadow, who is now re-homed with his sister.  Remembrances and condolences can be shared on his Facebook page: Michael London Berube.

A photo of Michael Berube in his MFA studio.

Any inquiries related to acquiring and exhibiting Michael Berube’s artwork can be emailed to: anthony.santella@gmail.com

Part III

Formula for a group

May 17 – 26
Opening Reception: May 16, 6–9pm

Rachel Fäth
Shayna Miller
Noah Pica
Allie Taylor
Demetrius Wilson

The 205 Hudson Gallery is open daily from 10–7pm during the run of each exhibition. Inquiries should be directed to: tlaun@hunter.cuny.edu

Hunter College Spring 2024 BFA Degree Exhibition

May 9 – June 8, 2024

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, May 9th, 5–7pm
The Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Gallery
Hunter West Building, 132 East 68th Street
Gallery Hours: Tues–Sun, 12–6pm

The Hunter College BFA Program and the Hunter College Art Galleries are pleased to present the Spring 2024 BFA Degree Student Exhibition at the Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Gallery, opening May 9 and on view through June 8. The exhibition will feature works by Peter Ayala, Jarrett Esaw, Sarah Lou Haddad, Natalie Hernandez, Dianna Hu, Frankie Tejada Lizardo, Mario Daniel Martinez, Alex Perloff, Maria Fernanda Rivera, Noelle Salaun, and Sara Shaw.

Please join us for an opening reception with the artists on Thursday, May 9, 5-7pm. 

Learn More

The gallery is free and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-6pm.  The gallery entrance is located on the south side of 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. Closest subway is the 6 train at 68th Street Street/Lexington Ave. If you have any accessibility concerns or questions, please email us and we will be happy to assist.

ARTIST LECTURE AND CONVERSATION WITH THIERRY DE DUVE

Event postponed

RSVP to: spevents@hunter.cuny.edu

Suzanne McClelland has exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad since the early 1990s. Her practice includes large-scale paintings, works on paper, and books. These often extract fragments of speech or text from various political or cultural sources, explore the social, symbolic and material possibilities that reside within language, and celebrate the physicality of speech and sound. McClelland parses such issues as the limitations and malleability of communication, the impact technology has on interpreting information, and the mechanics of translation. Her works are infused with social commentary, underscoring the way in which language itself is gendered and politicized by its context.

McClelland is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery, NYC. She has participated in the 1993 and 2014 Whitney Biennials and has been the subject of solo presentations at The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Amy Smith-Stewart; The University of Virginia Museum of Art, curated by Jennifer Farrell; and The Whitney Museum of American Art, Philip Morris branch, curated by Thelma Golden. Her paintings are held in numerous public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Yale University Art Gallery, The Albright-Knox Gallery, and The Walker Art Center. Awards and residencies include Guggenheim Fellowship, PS1/ Clocktower Artist Residency, Nancy Graves Foundation Grant, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Anonymous Was A Woman Award, Lab Grant Residency with Dieu Donne Paper mill Lab Grant, Visiting Artist with UrbanGlass and Resident Artist in 1999 and 2022 with Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture where she has served on the board of governors since 2000. Recent publications include the monograph “Suzanne McClelland: 36-24-36” with an essay contribution by Thierry de Duve, published by team (gallery, inc.) distributed by D.A.P.

ABOUT THE JUDITH ZABAR VISITING ARTIST PROGRAM
In November 2007, Hunter College received a generous commitment to establish the Judith Zabar Visiting Artist Program Fund. The Fund has allowed Hunter to bring a series of internationally recognized artists to campus to work directly with students in the MFA program, in master classes, critical seminars, and private tutorials, providing students with the unique opportunity to interact with top practitioners in the field. Zabar Visiting Artists also present public lectures where they discuss their work, engage in conversation with members of Hunter’s faculty, and with Hunter’s broader student community and the general public. Past Zabar artists have included: Vito Acconci, Janine Antoni, Polly Apfelbaum, Julie Ault, Kevin Beasley, Robert Barry, Dawoud Bey, Tania Bruguera, Patty Chang, Mel Chin, Peter Doig, Charles Gaines, Alfredo Jaar, Emily Jacir, Joan Jonas, Jeff Koons, David Lamelas, Glenn Ligon, Sharon Lockhart, Marie Losier, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Christian Marclay, Kerry James Marshall, Tracey Moffatt, Wangechi Mutu, My Barbarian, Gabriel Orozco, Laura Owens, Sondra Perry, Elizabeth Peyton, Paul Pfeiffer, William Pope L., Walid Ra’ad, Yvonne Rainer, Doris Salcedo, Shahzia Sikander, Cauleen Smith, Frances Stark, Fred Tomaselli, Nari Ward, Carrie Mae Weems, and Stanley Whitney.