Contemporary African American Art Exhibition to open at OSilas Gallery at Concordia College New York

OSilas Gallery at Concordia College New York is pleased to announce Young, Gifted, and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art. This exhibition of African American art is drawn exclusively from the highly regarded private collection of Bernard I. Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi and will be on view from September 24 through December 7, 2019. An opening reception featuring remarks by Mr. Lumpkin will be held in OSilas Gallery on Tuesday, September 24 at 7 pm.

Young, Gifted, and Black is co-curated by writer and critic Antwaun Sargent and collection curator and artist Matt Wycoff. The exhibition showcases works in a variety of mediums by emerging African American artists, such as Jennifer Packer, Kevin Beasley and Eric N. Mack, alongside works by established artists, such as Mickalene Thomas, Kerry James Marshall and Kara Walker, who have paved the way for the younger generation.  Mr. Sargent explains, “The show takes its title from Nina Simone’s song ‘To Be Young, Gifted and Black’ (1970), a soulful anthem written to commemorate the life and work of playwright Lorraine Hansberry and to champion generations of African Americans.”

Although many works in the Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection have been lent to museums over the years, Young, Gifted, and Black is the first stand-alone public exhibition curated exclusively from this exceptional collection. The exhibition features over 40 important early–career works created during the last 35 years.

Both the opening reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public. OSilas Gallery is located on the campus of Concordia College, 171 White Plains Road, Bronxville, in the Donald A. Krenz Academic Center on the second level of Scheele Memorial Library.  Free and ample parking is available on campus and is accessible via entry on Concordia Place off of White Plains Road.

Gallery hours are Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday 12 pm – 5 pm, Thursday 12 pm – 7 pm, Saturday 2 pm – 5 pm and by appointment by contacting Executive Director Elizabeth Vranka at elizabeth.vranka@concordia-ny.edu. Please see osilasgallery.org for more information about exhibitions, special events and programs.

OSilas Gallery integrates the visual arts into the cultural and educational life of the Concordia College campus and surrounding community by providing quality exhibitions and programs that are diverse in style, content and media; memorable, thought-provoking and spiritually enriching; and of artistic originality, integrity and excellence.

Image: Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Blue Dancer (detail), 2017. © Tunji Adeniyi-Jones 

About OSilas Gallery at Concordia College

The OSilas Gallery at Concordia College is founded to serve the visual arts and the liberal arts programs at Concordia College, to integrate visual arts into the life of the campus and local communities by providing quality experiences in the visual arts diverse in style, content, and media, memorable, thought provoking, and spiritually enriching of artistic originality, integrity and excellence. To achieve this goal, the OSilas Gallery organizes exhibitions, slide lectures, and gallery talks; produces educations programs and materials, including exhibition catalogs, brochures, and cards; integrates gallery events with the visual arts and program at Concordia College and offers a gallery course and gallery internships; integrates gallery events with other academic disciplines, and initiates interdisciplinary projects, and explores other innovative ways of integrating visual arts into the life of the campus and the community. Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12 p.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Open Thursday until 7:30pm Special Hours during student and summer exhibitions