Contact: Noreen Haider
Telephone: 212-832-7605
Email: nhaider@graceinstitute.org
Through December 22nd, 2003 Grace Institute at 1233 Second Avenue (64th - 65th St.) in Manhattan is hosting Vintage New York, an exhibition of over 100 etchings, engravings and other graphics about New York City's history in its first 100 years since 1898, when its five boroughs were joined into a single city. Founded by W. R. Grace, twice mayor of New York City, Grace Institute itself first embarked upon its mission of providing tuition-free, practical job training in a supportive learning community for underserved New York women of all ages and from many different backgrounds in that same year.
Early in 2003, as a part of its effort to champion the arts, the institute started a program of one to two month exhibitions of work by artists or photographers in their hallway gallery. A number of shows of work by individual artists have been held here since the start of the program, but this is the first time the institute has hosted a major traveling exhibition that has been in museums and other cultural centers. Originally created by The New Rochelle Council on The Arts to celebrate New York City's centenary, Vintage New York has traveled the metro New York area in the past five years and has been in galleries and other locations in Westchester, Montauk, New Jersey and at Hofstra Museum.
New York City's history in the century portrayed in Vintage New York coincides almost identically with the history of Grace. The exhibition first includes replicas of dozens of engravings that were used to illustrate newspapers such as Harper's Weekly and Leslie's Magazine in the late 19th century, before photographs were used in print media. Next, the show includes over 30 original copperplate etchings by Leon Dolice (1892-1960), an artist who devoted 40 years of his life to artwork about New York City landmarks and neighborhoods; and finally: photos from magazines and private collections show scenes from the city's history in the latter part of the past century. Over a dozen images from the exhibition and more detailed information can be seen at Sharon Silvia's About Art, on the NY history info pages, and at Vintage New York's own web page.A pre-holiday benefit sale of prints of New York City scenes, along with some 500 prints of other antiquarian and modern subjects is being held in conjunction with the show; with all profits going to benefit Grace Institute. The sale features both original and replica prints at wholesale prices of from $10. to $250.
Vintage New York was funded in part by a grant from The Michael and Helen Schaffer Foundation, and is available for loan at no charge to organizations, corporations, educational institutions, galleries and others who may have a use for it as a cultural resource. More information on Grace Institute can be obtained by contacting Noreen Haider at 212-832-7605 or by email. Dates on availability of the exhibition for loan can be obtained from The New Rochelle Council on The Arts at 212-529-2025 or by emailing us.