On February 10, the Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College unveiled its newest exhibition: “Legends: Athleticism in Asian/American Art.” The exhibition displays artwork across mediums by “a diverse multigenerational group of 16 individual artists and the Chinatown Basketball Collective,” according to Goldwin-Ternbach Co-Director Louise Wenberg. 

“[The exhibition] explores the intersections of art and sports through the work of Asian and Asian American artists, using an expansive definition of roles to foreground individual voices and the transnational concerns shaking the earth of these contemporary practices,” said Exhibition Curator Jayne Cole Southard. 

Ms. Southard also discussed her inspiration behind selecting this topic in her speech. “I formally received an invitation to pitch this show while recovering from a running-related surgery last spring. This exhibition simultaneously emerged while teaching a true slam dunk of a class at City College of New York last spring, called ‘Art in Sports,’” she said. 

Through highlighting Asian Americans in sports, Ms. Weinberg said,the exhibition is “the first of its kind in New York City, offering a mirror for students and community members who might not have previously engaged with a museum setting.”

Many of the works displayed in the exhibition explore the unity that stems from engaging in sports together. This can be seen in a particular painting that showcases two young boys playing a game of basketball together in the Yunnan province of China.

The exhibition not only displayed paintings related to basketball, but it also displayed 3D works such as those depicting famous basketball players in the National Basketball Association.

Those who spoke at the event connected the exhibition back to the mission of the Godwin- Ternbach Museum, which holds over 7,000 pieces and artifacts. According to the museum’s website, their mission is to organize “cultural exhibitions and programs of contemporary and historical significance for the diverse audiences of Queens and the metropolitan region— students, faculty and public alike.” 

Ms. Weinberg highlighted this mission statement when discussing the works showcased in the exhibition, sharing that the overall goal of the exhibition “aligns with [the Godwin-Ternbach Museum’s] institutional mission to bring arts to visitors and foreground readers.” 

“We’ve got like fifty different individual artworks and this connection between athletics and art is very individual and unique,” Ms. Southard told The Classic. “I think that can parallel just how we approach each other in life.”

In her opening speech, co-director of the Goldwin Ternbach Museum Maria Pio expressed her gratitude for the faculty and students that worked on and attended the exhibition. She said, “[Their continued efforts] help fulfill [The Godwin-Ternbach Museum’s mission] as a teaching museum and a place for learning, innovation, and discovery.” 

“It always takes me by surprise, and I get to see the talent, and I get to see the work that’s displayed,”said the Dean of QC School of the Arts, Simone Yearwood at the event.  

Furthermore, numerous people have and still are donating their artwork pieces to the gallery, which “continually support [the] exhibitions”, said Ms. Pio. 

The exhibition will run through May 14 and is free and open to the public from Monday to Thursday, and on two Saturdays per month.