About
The Longwood Arts Project is a flagship program of the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA). Founded in 1981, it was one of the first alternative gallery spaces in The Bronx and to this day maintains its pioneering focus on artists whose traditions and cultural practices are underrepresented by mainstream venues. The Project derives its name from its original location, at PS39 on Longwood Avenue. From 2003 to 2024, the gallery was located on the campus of Hostos Community College. In September 2024, the gallery will be located at BCA Headquarters at 2700 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461.
History
Initiated by the BCA in 1981, the Longwood Arts Project was founded in the former Public School 39 at 986 Longwood Avenue in The Bronx. The school was closed due to attrition of school-age children in the district at that time when the area was devastated physically and economically. Community leaders turned the unfortunate closure into an opportunity to help stabilize the neighborhood by developing it into a multi-service building for city agencies and nonprofit organizations as its tenants.
BCA was an integral part of the transition in the neighborhood from literally being the poster child for late ’70s urban decay to what is actually an inspiring story of the rebirth of a community. The many blocks of new and rehabilitated homes are on sites where old tenements were torn down or left to fall apart. This building, located in a section of the South Bronx, has seen an incredible rise of new low-income housing to go with wonderful new parks and baseball fields.
Longwood Arts Project occupied 10 rooms on the second floor of the Longwood building from 1981 to 2002. From the onset, most of the rooms were turned into artist studios that were available as part of the Scholarship Studio Programs or at a subsidized rental fee. Past Resident Artists include Ernesto Pujol, MacArthur Award Winner Pepón Osorio, along with Tim Rollins & Kids of Survival (K.O.S.). In 1985 under the direction of artist Fred Wilson, the Project established the Longwood Arts Gallery with a strong commitment to presenting works by contemporary local, national, and international artists in its thematic and solo exhibitions. In 1991 a second gallery was created to focus specifically on Bronx-based artists. The exhibition program at the Gallery has addressed the urban condition, national and cultural identity, immigration, violence, racism, urban space, the environment, local Bronx history, and street and popular culture.
In the autumn of 2002, the PS 39 building at 965 Longwood Avenue was converted back into a school administered by the NYC Board of Education. In advance of the likely expansion of educational services at our longtime home, BCA made a strategic decision to find a new space, and develop new alliances with some old friends. In 2003, the Longwood Arts Project relocated and established a new exhibition program known as the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos. Our partnership with the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture was located on the campus of Hostos Community College at 450 Grand Concourse.
After more than two decades of successful partnership, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA)’s Longwood Arts Project and its visual arts space, the Longwood Art Gallery, will no longer be housed at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College starting September 2024. The College has expressed their desire to move in a new direction regarding the use of the space. BCA plans to conduct its 2025 Longwood Art Gallery Season of exhibitions in the gallery of its newly renovated and fully accessible HQ, a 7,300 square foot light-filled facility in Westchester Square.
Read More
Longwood Arts Project Advisory Committee
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem
Multidisciplinary Artist
Abigail DeVille
Multidisciplinary Artist
Luis Stephenberg
Curator, Visual Artist
Natalie C. Wood
Curator, Visual Artist
Longwood Art Gallery
The Longwood Art Gallery predominantly showcases artists of color, women and LGBTQIA artists. Its exhibitions explore Bronx history, intersectional Bronx cultures, and social justice issues facing our communities. The gallery also offers programs for youth and adults that encourage dialogue and explore exhibition themes in greater depth.
After more than two decades of successful partnership, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA)’s Longwood Arts Project and its visual arts space, the Longwood Art Gallery, will no longer be housed at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College starting September 2024. The College has expressed their desire to move in a new direction regarding the use of the space.
Longwood @ Governors Island
In 2024, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) announced the launch of the Longwood @ Governors Island Residency Program, a BCA/Longwood Arts Project effort that makes free studio space available to under-represented and under-resourced Bronx visual artists.
Longwood @ Governors Island furthers BCA’s mission to create connections between local artists and others outside The Bronx, while addressing the need for affordable studio space.
2024 Longwood @ Governors Island Residents:
Odalys Burgoa
Michelle Frick
Woojin Lee
Haley Robinson
Youth Engagement Program
In 2018, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) launched its much-awaited Youth Engagement Program at Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos. This initiative seeks to increase Bronx youth’s awareness of local arts while encouraging youth to embark on a life of ongoing culture engagement they can relate to. Activities are free, age-appropriate, and created by professional teaching artists to foster critical thinking, interviewing and public speaking skills.
For appointments, please contact Longwood Art Gallery at 718-931-9500 ext 22, or click here
