New York After Dark (1975-1985): The Photography of Cal Swanson

New York After Dark (1975-1985): The Photography of Cal Swanson

On View through March 5

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 12pm-5pm
Thursday: 12pm-7pm
Saturday: 2pm-5pm
By appointment and group tours, please contact Executive Director, Elizbeth Vranka

The exhibition includes over 50 dramatic black and white portraits of the denizens of New York City circa 1975-1985.

At the time the photos featured in New York After Dark were taken, Cal Swanson was a young man following his passion for photography.  In the evenings he would take the train from Eastchester to Grand Central Station and wander the streets of Midtown.  Approaching strangers with faces he found interesting, Swanson used his unique vision to tell whole stories through the expressions of his subjects. These stunning black and white photos perfectly capture the diversity and spirit of New York during this gritty time in the city’s history.

Mr. Swanson, a resident of Rye, developed over 300 photographs from this ten-year period (he has over 1,000 negatives).  Surprisingly, he has kept the photographs in storage boxes in his closet for over 30 years.  New York After Dark is his first major solo show and the first time that most of the photographs featured in the exhibition have been on public view.  OSilas Gallery is pleased to note that Mr. Swanson is an alumnus of Concordia Junior College (Class of 1971), the all men’s two-year college that became Concordia College New York.

This exhibitions has been curated by Lauren Rosenblum (Scarsdale, NY), currently pursuing her Ph.D at The Graduate Center, City University of NY. She has held curatorial positions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among other institutions.

About the OSilas Gallery
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 parking is available on campus and is accessible via entry on Concordia Place off of White Plains Road. For more information on exhibitions and a full listing of gallery events, please see osilasgallery.org.

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.