Artists in the City
An Introduction

Debra James Senior Vice President New York University

Over its 15-year history, the Faculty Resource Network at New York University has presented programs in the creative arts. These have included seminars on the art of film, workshops in creative writing and individual exhibits of Network artists' works. Artists in the City: The Legacy of the Faculty Resource Network, which runs from June 7- July 7, 1999, at the Cinque Gallery in New York, however, marks a new stage in our program development. For the first time, we have the opportunity to showcase a group of outstanding artists--Arthur Bacon, Louis Delsarte, Arturo Lindsay, Marcelo Novo, and Charles D. Rogers--who are affiliated with Network-member historically Black colleges and universities, and who each have participated in Network programs. We especially are delighted that this exhibit will demonstrate their legacy not only as artists, but also as teachers and mentors, through a continuous-loop video of the work of five student artists they have worked with over the years. Noteworthy as well is the Network's collaboration in this project with two New York City institutions: the Cinque Gallery, founded by acclaimed African-American artists Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, and Ernest Crichlow, and located in the historic SoHo art district in Manhattan; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, one of the premier national venues for African and African Diasporic visual art.

Artists in the City is an important exhibit for many reasons. It epitomizes the Network's focus on programming that expands our understanding of a range of historical and social issues through the portrayal of diverse narratives and perspectives, as the artists, like Network faculty participants in general, represent a range of backgrounds and experiences. Artists in the City also underscores the Network's commitment to the intellectual and creative development and enhancement of faculty members. Through the interviews with the artists in this catalogue, conducted by curator and organizer Adrienne Klein, you will be able to glimpse the creative journey each artist has undertaken; through the beautiful works in the exhibit, you will see these journeys realized. What comes through above all are the common links these artists share, their deep and abiding humanity, as well as their ability to represent the richness of life and its: possibilities through the media of visual art. I am sure you will enjoy this catalogue and the exhibit, and the many journeys that constitute Artists in the City: The Legacy of the Faculty Resource Network.