February 18–April 9, 2017
Opening: Tuesday, February 21, 6:30–8:30pm
Hunter College Art Galleries
205 Hudson Gallery
Canal Street entrance between Hudson and Watts
New York, NY 10013
Curated by Jocelyn Spaar and Sarah Watson
“With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one—but no one at all—can tell you what to read and when and how.”
–Doris Lessing
For its spring exhibition, the Hunter College Art Galleries will transform the 205 Hudson Gallery into a library made up of works centering on the notion of family and community in a very broad, inclusive sense, whether that pertains to one’s biological or chosen family, artistic or literary lineage, intellectual community, virtual network, or neighborhood. The library will function as a gathering space to host readings, screenings, performances, meetings, and workshops.
In addition to the library and reading room, this exhibition will present several film and video works related to this inclusive interpretation of family including installations by Joey Carducci, Kevin Everson, Barbara Hammer, Shigeko Kubota, Sondra Perry, and Bryan Zanisnik.
Committed to cultivating conversations by a multiplicity of voices to create an open and inclusive space for dialogue and engagement with art, the gallery has invited artists, small presses, libraries, and organizations to collaborate in the creation of this exhibition to interrogate the concept of family across various selections of printed matter.
The library will include selections from Archipelago, ARTBOOK|DAP, Blonde Art Books, Ediciones Popolet, Melville House, Miniature Garden, New Directions, Primary Information, Purgatory Pie, Roof Books, Seven Stories Press, Small Editions, Song Cave, Stonecutter, Ugly Duckling Presse, Verso, Wendy’s Subway, Word Up Books, and others. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, there will be opportunities to learn more about these presses and organizations and to purchase books and other ephemera.
Our hope is that the exhibitionwill evolve and expand through the creativity, intellect, insight, diversity, connectivity, and power of all who occupy the space.
About the Hunter College Art Galleries
The Hunter College Art Galleries, under the auspices of the Department of Art and Art History, have been a vital aspect of the New York cultural landscape since their inception over a quarter of a century ago. The galleries provide a space for critical engagement with art and pedagogy, bringing together historical scholarship, contemporary artistic practice, and experimental methodology. The galleries are committed to producing exhibitions, events, and scholarship in dialogue with the intellectual discourse generated by the faculty and students at Hunter and serve as an integral extension of the department’s academic programs.
Widely regarded as one of the leading art programs in the country, Hunter College’s Department of Art and Art History serves both undergraduate and graduate students, offering an undergraduate major in Art, a BFA and an MFA in Studio Art, and an MA in Art History. In its 2012 rankings of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” U.S. News & World Report ranked Hunter’s Master of Fine Arts program 13th and the painting and drawing program seventh in the nation.
For more information please call T 212 772 4991, or email [email protected].
