'The Body Politic' Long Island Biennial

The Heckscher Museum of Art is presenting “The Body Politic: Long Island Biennial,” the juried exhibition featuring works by contemporary artists from across Long Island. The show runs September 14 through January 19. The museum received 762 artwork submissions from 313 artists, and for this year’s edition, the applicants were tasked with submitting work that engaged with contemporary social, cultural or political issues. The exhibition features 78 works by 60 artists, including three from the East End.

“There was artwork submitted addressing every theme you could think of: homelessness, addiction, immigration, global warming, voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and different on-going wars,” said juror Patricia Cronin, a sculptor and artistic director of the LGBTQ+ VR Museum as well as a professor of art at Brooklyn College. “It was impressive and inspiring to learn how deeply Long Island artists really care about the world right now and express it in their art.”

The exhibition encompasses a variety of media, with styles spanning abstraction to hyperrealism, including sculpture, painting, photography and more. The East End artists included in the show are RJT Haynes of East Hampton, Monica Banks of East Hampton and Gail Postal of Montauk.

“We remain committed to sharing inspiring and thought-provoking new art with our visitors,” said Heather Arnet, the museum’s executive director and CEO. “‘The Body Politic’ will resonate with the entire community given the diversity in artists and the universality of the important themes in their work.”

The Heckscher Museum of Art is located in Heckscher Park in Huntington in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit heckscher.org for information.