'Harlem Art Then and Now: A Celebration of Community and Contemporary Art,' Exhibit opens Friday, February 7 at the Harlem State Office Building

New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced a new exhibit, “Harlem Art Then and Now: A Celebration of Community and Contemporary Art,” will open February 7 at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building. The exhibit opens during Black History Month and pays tribute to community art by exhibiting selections from the State’s Harlem Collection alongside works by contemporary Harlem artists from outside the collection. Information on the exhibit can be found here.

The exhibit is the result of a collaborative effort among OGS, The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the International Agency for Minority Artist Affairs, and the Harlem Arts Alliance. The free exhibit will be on view to the public from noon to 7 p.m. each Friday in the Powell Building’s second-floor Art Gallery and Community Room through March 27, 2020.

An opening reception will be held in the Art Gallery and Community Room from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12.

“Harlem Art Then and Now: A Celebration of Community and Contemporary Art” will feature 25 works of art — paintings, sculpture, and mixed media — including seven from the State’s Harlem Art Collection. Community art helps to illustrate the history of a neighborhood that only its residents can tell. It also helps to create bonds and influence society. The exhibit includes examples of the many styles of American art and demonstrates how past works serve as foundations for future art movements.

“Harlem Art Then and Now” is the second in a series of revolving art exhibits marking the return of the New York State Harlem Art Collection to the public for the first time since the mid-1990s.

The State’s Harlem Art Collection was conceived in 1976 to draw the public’s attention to art that celebrated the contributions of the Harlem art community. In the mid-1990s, most of the collection was moved into storage in the basement of the building to make way for exhibits of works by local contemporary artists and student artists in the community.

In 2019, “Harlem Roots,” the first in the revolving series of exhibits opened and began the process of reintroducing the public to the collection with select pieces by artists who made significant contributions within their communities and the larger art world.

The Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building is located at 163 West 125th Street in Harlem.