An Unstoppable Force

Margaret Rose Vendryes - Celebrating the African Divas and a Life in Art

The York College Art Gallery celebrates the life of its longtime Director, Dr. Margaret Rose Vendryes, by proudly presenting a selection of works from her African Diva Project. Dr. Vendryes served York College and the larger Jamaica and Queens community in an ever-expanding number of roles (department chair of Performing and Fine Arts, a published art historian, artist, performer, educator, curator, gallerist) with a verve and energy that seemed bottomless. Vendryes wrote the definitive biography of artist Richmond Barthé and was a longtime board member of the Leslie Lohman Museum.

As gallery director, she was a consummate collaborator, constantly working with other arts organizations to widen the reach of the gallery’s efforts. Partners include No Longer Empty, Jamaica Center of Art & Learning (JCAL), the Queens Museum, Kings Manor, and Queens Council on the Arts. During her tenure, the gallery hosted both professional and student artists in dozens of exhibitions. She helped to establish the Southeast Queens Biennial in 2018 and the Jamaica Summer Artist Residency in 2022.

The exhibition includes a selection of never-before-exhibited drawings and a video tribute combining studio interviews, performance footage, and clips from years of artists' talks and panel discussions held at the gallery.

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 10 am - 4 pm

Always free & open to the public