CCNY joins Harlem Sculpture Gardens exhibition

Harlem’s first large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibition has added The City College of New York to its roster of sites when it opens in May 2024.

Harlem Sculpture Gardens will be displayed in three uptown parks: Morningside, St. Nicholas and Jackie Robinson. The City College will contribute to the exhibition with a number of acquired sculptures the college owns along with works of art on its campus grounds, including the statue of College founder Townsend Harris, a bust of Abraham Lincoln in Shepard Hall’s Lincoln Corridor, and four of Fletcher Benton’s Folded Square Alphabet Letters.

“City College has a long history of collaborative partnerships with artists and cultural institutions, with works showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian,” said Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations Dee Dee Mozeleski, who is also executive director of the Foundation for City College and senior advisor to President Vincent G. Boudreau. “We are thrilled to participate in this exhibition and hope to excite people by  showcasing some of the lesser-known works of art across our campus community.”

The transformation of these historic parks and the landmark City College campus is the result of a collaboration of the West Harlem Art Fund and the New York Artists Equity Association, working collaboratively with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, local community boards and neighborhood groups.

“Harlem has had many great sculptors who have lived here, from Charles Alston, Augusta Savage and Richmond Barthé to, most recently, Valerie Maynard,” said Savona Bailey-McClain, executive director of the West Harlem Art Fund. “Harlem Sculpture Gardens helps to expand that tradition with new artists engaged in fresh thoughts and perspective.”

“Since 1947, NYAE has supported the professional aspirations of emerging artists from underserved communities via exhibition opportunities, funding and education,” said Michael Gormley, executive director of New York Artists Equity. “NYAE's public art practice, recently funded by NYSCA, expands upon this tradition of diversifying access to the arts by staging projects in the community for the community hence re-positioning art and uniting makers and viewers as inclusive and collaborating change agents for the greater good.”

About the West Harlem Art Fund
The West Harlem Art Fund is a 25-year-old public art and new media organization. WHAF seeks opportunities for artists and creative professionals throughout NYC and beyond wishing to showcase and share their talent. The West Harlem Art Fund presents art and culture in open and public spaces to add aesthetic interest; promote historical and cultural heritage; and support community involvement in local development. Our heritage symbol Afuntummireku-denkyemmtreku: is the double crocodile from West Africa Ghana which means unity in diversity. 

About New York Artists Equity Association
New York Artists Equity Association was founded in 1947 to promote opportunities for artists and address economic issues affecting American artists. More than 160 leading American artists of the 1940s founded the organization, including Will Barnet, Thomas Hart Benton, George Biddle, Paul Cadmus, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Leon Kroll, Jacob Lawrence, John Marin, Louise Nevelson, John Sloan and the first President Yasuo Kuniyoshi. These diverse artists were all clear on one point -- they had to band together to establish and protect artists' economic well-being. 

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi (now Lightcast) puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.