Apollo New Works

From The Victoria to The Village:
A Visual History of Black Creative Spaces

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Gallery Opening & Talkback

Celebrate the opening of The Apollo’s Victoria with this visual exploration of Black artists and creativity from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Photographer and gallerist Alex Harsley’s exhibition details the visual history of Black creative spaces in NYC.

Curated by Harsley’s daughter Kendra Krueger, From The Victoria to The Village: A Visual History of Black Creative Spaces includes stunning photography and documentary footage including Harsley’s rare colored photographs of The Jewel Box Review at The Apollo in the 1950s alongside other iconic moments at The Apollo and around Harlem then moving downtown, and everywhere in between.

This exhibition showcases Black art collectives, individual artists at work in their studios, and the camaraderie of Black artists throughout their communities. Click here to learn more about the 4th Street Photo Gallery.

Following the gallery opening at 6:30pm in The Apollo’s Laura & Frank Baker Gallery, stay for an intimate talkback at 7:30pm with curator and author Halima Taha. RSVP is required, space is limited.

The gallery exhibition opens on February 1, 2024 and will be free and open to the public through April 26, 2024. Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 6pm

From The Victoria to The Village: A Visual History of Black Creative Spaces is a part of The Apollo’s Winter 2024 season and commissioned as a part of The Apollo’s New Works initiative. Apollo New Works is generously supported by the Ford Foundation with additional funding from The Mellon Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

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Tickets & Important Information

RSVP for Talkback

Gallery Exhibition is free and open to the public. Talkback RSVPs open January 25th at 12 noon.

This event will take place at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria located at 233 W. 125th Street, Third Floor (between Adam Clayton Powell & Frederick Douglass Blvd).

Please contact The Apollo Box office at [email protected] or (212) 531-5305 if any other special assistance is required for your visit.

ABOUT APOLLO NEW WORKS:

The Apollo New Works initiative expands upon The Apollo’s mission to support the creation of new work by Black artists. The multidisciplinary emerging and established artists who the organization has commissioned and provided space, time, and resources will create, develop, and present work across The Apollo stages, including The Apollo’s Victoria Theater, which will serve as the main incubation space.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Alex Harsley

Alex Harsley

Photographer and gallerist Alex Harsley is a record keeper and holder of stories. He has curated The 4th Street Photo Gallery and The Minority Photographers non-profit since the early 1970’s. His own reportage style of photography started in 1958 as the first Black photographer for the New York City District Attorey. Since that time he has continued to capture the true intimate moments and personality of New York City. His collection contains the historical lineage of musicians, politicians, street folk, landscapes and neighbors from the 1950’s through the present day. His documentary medium includes film, digital photography and digital sound and video.

Kendra Krueger

Kendra Krueger

Kendra Krueger is an interdisciplinary educator, researcher and curator.  She has worked with her father, Alex Harsley, since 2015 as a manager, archivist and curator. During that time she has co-curated Entanglements at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture and The First Light from Darkness at Pioneer Works. She has also collaborated with numerous other artists and collectives in developing installations, dance & music performance work, and educational workshops that incorporate themes of science, nature and personal transformation. She also works as a STEM educator and program manager at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Program where she co-founded a program called the Community Sensor Lab as a space for do-it-yourself environmental sensing and data literacy.

Halima Taha

Halima Taha

Halima Taha, an art professional with expertise in curatorial, art advisory, appraisal, and strategic planning, is renowned for her groundbreaking bestseller, Collecting African American Art: Works on Paper and Canvas. This pioneering work validated fine art, printmaking, and photography by Americans of African descent as valuable assets in the marketplace. Her book served as a PBS membership incentive, surpassing fundraising goals threefold. Taha’s contributions laid the foundation for the first international African-American auction category at Swann Galleries in 2008 and encouraged major museums to actively pursue African American art collections. A passionate arts advocate and professional speaker, Taha holds degrees from Sarah Lawrence College and New York University, along with USPAP compliance and memberships in ArtTable and the College Art Association. Her diverse experience includes co-owning a NYC gallery, directing the Gordon Parks Gallery, and curating for Scott Kaplan Gallery.