Author Description

Lehman College Art Gallery presents Part II of the exhibition Eco-Urgency: Now or Never. The presentation at Lehman, Or Never, is both speculative and reflective, treating our ecological crises as a cycle that repeats itself endlessly. Here, artists examine the resonant patterns of history that have shaped and led us to our current moment alongside possible and causal futures. The presentation at Lehman complements Part I of the collaborative exhibition, Now, at Wave Hill, which brought together artists looking at the urgency of the present moment, raising awareness through a holistic approach to understanding our ecological crises, including overlapping social, political, and environmental concerns.Unfolding over a period of eight months, the two exhibition venues and related public programs present research across multiple seasons. The work of several of the artists in the show will appear in both venues, deepening the connections between the two galleries. Both parts of the exhibition investigate a series of overlapping thematic inquiries that preoccupy artists today. Artists at Lehman College Art Gallery: Vanessa Albury, Samantha Box, Nicky Enright, Rachel Frank, Alicia Grullón, Allison Janae Hamilton, Mary Mattingly, Alexis Rockman, Francesco Simeti, SPURSE, Will Wilson, Natalie Collette Wood and Ken + Julia Yonetani. Eco-Urgency: Now or Never is co-organized by Wave Hill and Lehman College Art Gallery, The City University of New York, and is curated by Bartholomew Bland, Gabriel de Guzman, Jesse Bandler Firestone, Eileen Jeng Lynch and Deborah Yasinsky. The curatorial concept for the exhibition was initiated with Jennifer McGregor, former Director of Arts at Wave Hill. Each venue will create a catalogue devoted to the Now or Never portions of the exhibition and will include essays and entries about each artist by the contributing curators.