Queensborough's Art Gallery To Debut Tanzanian Art Show on February 22

Queensborough Community College will debut an exhibit of 150 pieces of African art at its Bayside-based gallery later this month.

Shangaa: Art of Tanzania is the first exhibition of its kind in the United States. The show, which will kick off at 6 p.m. on Feb. 22 at Queensborough’s art gallery, includes carvings, sculptures and paintings.

“The richness of the show offers a window into a world of African art that is rarely seen,” said Faustino Quintanilla, executive director of the gallery. 

The 150 pieces will highlight how the nation’s art work is used to channel healing, embody authority, mark initiation into adulthood, address the spirits and celebrate life and competition, he said.

“The attention paid to African carvings, sculpture and paintings from Tanzania has not always enjoyed the same high profile in museums and galleris as that accorded to the more prominent arts from other African countries,” said Gary Van Wyk, a guest curator for the exhibit and a member of the advisory council for Queensborough’s art gallery.

The exhibit will also include objects from the gallery’s permanent African art collection, such as its recently acquired Makonde masks.

The Tanzanian exhibit, which was put together by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Senior Exhibit Designer Michael Lapthorn, will travel to the Portland Museum of Art in early June and remain on display there through late August.

Queensborough Community College’s art gallery is located at 222-05 56th Ave.