Reception held for Historical Commentaries

The Castle Gallery hosted an opening reception for Historical Commentaries on Sunday, May 5, to coincide with The College of New Rochelle’s annual Strawberry Festival.

The show, which opened April 23, runs through June 23, and presents the work of artists who address notions of history on both individual and societal levels.

The artists are Suyeon Na, Lynn Cazabon, Victoria Crayhon, Jennifer Crupi, Cara DeAngelis, Dean Landry, Daniel Ludlow, So Yoon Lym, Kamal Al Mansour, and Joe Meiser.

Reception and discussion held for We The People

Journalist Rico Washington and photographer Shino Yanagawa, who created the “We The People: The Citizens of NYCHA in Photos + Words” photojournalism project now on exhibit in the Gordon Parks Gallery, held a reception on Monday, April 29, at the College’s John Cardinal O’Connor Campus in the South Bronx.

The special event was attended by more than 75 faculty members, staff, and students from all six of the School of New Resources campuses. The reception and discussion that followed were videotaped by a film crew from BronxNet News.

Washington and Yanagawa were interviewed extensively by a reporter from the cable network. School of New Resources Dean Darryl Jones, JOC Campus Director Samuel Lilly, and Castle Gallery Director Katrina Rhein, as well as students attending the reception were also filmed by BronxNet News.

Washington said the project is inspired by the documentarian works of Jacob Riis, Gordon Parks, and Ruiko Yoshida. “Our aim is to explore and challenge the stigmas and stereotypes associated with blacks and Latinos in New York City’s public housing community,” Washington said.

Beginning in 2009, Washington and Yanagawa, both former residents of housing projects themselves, facilitated a series of candid interviews and photo shoots throughout New York City. With interviews and photographs of over 50 current and former residents, the artists aimed “to lift the ubiquitous cloak of darkness cast over the city’s housing projects,” Washington said.

The exhibit includes interviews and photos with notable former NYCHA residents such as Emmy Award-winning news reporter and Young Lords founder Felipe Luciano, seminal hiphop icon Afrika Bambaataa, acclaimed photographer Jamel Shabazz, and author/cultural critic/filmmaker Nelson George.

Following introductions by Dean Jones and a brief presentation of their work by Washington and Yanagawa, the artists answered a series of insightful questions from the students, many of whom live today in projects or are former residents.

The students compared and contrasted their own experiences, told stories of the living conditions in their neightborhood, and articulated why living in their communities was not the stereotype perceived by others. Many SNR students and former residents even today still call their NYCHA project home.

Learn more about the exhibit

Opening reception for We The People

An opening reception for We The People: The Citizens of NYCHA in Pictures + Words took place Saturday, February 23, at the Gordon A. Parks Gallery, on the ground floor of the School of New Resources John Cardinal O’Connor Campus in the South Bronx.

The exhibit, a collaboration between journalist Rico Washington and photographer Shino Yanagawa that, via interviews and images, seeks to debunk the myths around the people who live in the New York City Housing Authority’s buildings.

Learn more about the project here. It will be on display through May 5.

College receives rare set of Ansel Adams photographs

The College of New Rochelle announced today it has received a gift of a complete Museum Set of photographs by renowned American photographer Ansel Adams. The Museum Set — which includes 75 signed photographs — is one of approximately ten complete Museum Sets of Mr. Adams’ photographs believed to be in existence.

The Museum Set donated to the College is a compilation of Mr. Adams’ life work with photographs of landscapes, including his classic “Moonrise,” as well as photographs of famous American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. The collection was recently appraised at $2.5 million. The College will unveil 15 framed and signed photographs from the Museum Set at its Annual Gala on October 11.

Castle Gallery Director Katrina Rhein and President Judith Huntington pose with Ansel Adams’ “Moon and Half Dome.”

This gift was made by Caryl Horwitz, a former faculty member at The College of New Rochelle who donated the collection in memory of Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly, former president of the College who died in 2009. Mrs. Horwitz served as Director of the Graduate Art Department of The College of New Rochelle for many years until retiring in 1986. Her late husband, a successful business executive and avid art collector, acquired the Museum Set in the early 1980s.

“We are thrilled to announce this major gift of photographs by Ansel Adams, one of the world’s most celebrated photographers. We are deeply grateful to Caryl Horwitz for this rare and extraordinary gift. This is a fitting tribute to Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly,” said Judith A. Huntington, President of The College of New Rochelle.

“It is a true joy and a genuine honor to have his Museum Collection added to The College of New Rochelle’s art collection. We are an extremely fortunate institution to have received such a kind gift from the Horwitz family. I look forward to displaying the entire collection in the near future,” said Katrina Rhein, Director of the Castle Gallery.

The idea for the Museum Set dates back to 1978 when Ansel Adams was approached by a gallery owner in California with the concept for what was to become the Museum Set Edition of Fine Prints. Originally, it was conceived as a master set of 2,500 prints created from 75 images selected by Mr. Adams. Although he was able to complete a substantial number of the prints, Mr. Adams died in 1984 and the project was never finished.

Plans are under way to exhibit selected prints from the collection at the College’s Castle Gallery. The Ansel Adams Museum Set adds to the College’s collection of photographs that includes works by Gordon Parks.

“It is a profound compliment that Caryl chose CNR to be the beneficiary of this extraordinary gift. There were many other institutions she could have chosen. Clearly, it is indicative of the extraordinary influence and inspiration Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly had on so many,” said Ms. Huntington.