Oct. 24, 2004
September 2004 (Bayside) – Queensborough Community College is nearing completion of the $5.5 million renovation project of its Art Gallery. The project, led by Marco Martelli, an internationally known company that specializes in historic restoration, includes the installation of museum-quality lighting, security and environmental controls for storage of the permanent collection, additional exhibit space and an art research library. The project also restored the original design elements of the QCC Art Gallery, which is housed in the historic 1920’s Oakland Building, formerly the Club House for the Oakland Country Club.
A vital humanities resource for the College, the borough of Queens and surrounding communities, the QCC Art Gallery will re-open on October 24, 2004 with the sole U.S. exhibition of An American Odyssey, 1945-1980 [Debating Modernism]. The noteworthy exhibition, curated by Stephen Foster, will showcase works from some of the most significant artists of the 20th century, including: Jim Dine, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Andy Warhol, George Segal, Sol Le Witt, Mark Rothko, Richard Pousette-Dart, Louise Nevelson, Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell and Roy Lichtenstein.
This unique survey of works from public and private collections will examine American art post World War II and its relationship to modernism and competing art movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Post-Painterly Abstraction, New Realism, Assemblage and Environments, and Minimalism. Specifically, the exhibition will examine the strategies by which artists representing different positions attempted to define a new relationship between art and society. Many of the exhibition’s featured artists lived and worked in New York City.
“We are entering a new era for the arts on our campus. The Gallery is our invitation to the community and to our students to explore with us the full depth of the cultural programming right here at QCC,” said Dr. Eduardo Marti, President of Queensborough Community College.
Presented in collaboration with the Circulo de Bellas Artes, a highly respected cultural institution in Madrid, Spain, An American Odyssey opened in April 2004 in Madrid to much acclaim and next travels to Salamanca, Spain and La Coruņa, Spain before arriving at Queensborough Community College in October 2004.
“An American Odyssey represents our continuing commitment to forge international partnerships such as this with Circulo de Bellas Artes” said Faustino Quintanilla, QCC Art Gallery Director. “The show reflects the depth of our Gallery’s program and our hope to reach diverse audiences throughout the borough and on our own campus.”
The QCC Art Gallery’s permanent collection focuses on three primary areas: works of contemporary American artists, works of Hispanic artists and works representing the art of Africa. Other highlights of this impressive and eclectic collection include works by several distinguished American women artists; Danny Lyon’s photo chronicles of the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee’s civil rights efforts (1962-64); the archives of the David Herbert Gallery; and the Wyppenswah Collection (a photographic documentation of the American Indian presence on Long Island). The QCC Gallery also houses an extensive research library, which is a pivotal part of the Gallery's commitment to serve the community by supporting its educational outreach efforts.
The renovation project was funded solely by public dollars, including the Queens Borough President’s Office, the Dormitory Authority of New York; Empire State Economic Development Corporation; the American with Disabilities Act and others. Beginning, October 24, 2004, the gallery will be open free to the public on Tuesday and Friday from 10 to 5 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday from 10 to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.; and closed on Monday. It is located at 222-05 56th Avenue in Bayside; free parking is available. For further information and directions, visit www.qccartgallery.org or call (718) 631-6396.
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