50 Years of the Zuccaire Gallery: Celebrating History in Contemporary Art

For 50 years, the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, located in the Staller Center for the Arts, has brought experimental and contemporary art to Stony Brook's campus, from the early versions of video and sound installations to shows featuring Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo and the Guerrilla Girls.

The exhibition, 50 Years of Art at the Zuccaire Gallery, celebrates that history with a retrospective show honoring the years of collaboration and growth.

Archival photographs, catalogs, videos and more are on display tracing five decades of contemporary art. The exhibition highlights the artists who have shaped the gallery and how their art brought the broader Stony Brook University community together since it opened its doors in 1975.

"It was really exciting to look back at the whole history," said Karen Levitov, director and curator of the Zuccaire Gallery for the past 12 years. "It isn't siloed in its own little gallery. It's part of the conversation about global issues, personal issues, the environment; it has something powerful to say."

Alongside floor plans and posters, the show gathers documentation of past exhibitions focused on feminism, queer visuality and Black and Indigenous artists from the 1960s and 70s. Levitov said assembling the material highlighted for her how consistent that mission - to shed light on overlooked communities - has been.

"When I look back, it looks like there have always been those kinds of shows," she said, noting a "real focus on female artists," during the 70s. "We've had that intention since the beginning, and I'm really proud to continue that legacy."

The exhibition also traces where the gallery is headed. Upcoming projects delve into the relationship between art and science in the study of climate and environmental issues. Levitov described these efforts as a way to move beyond simply illustrating an issue.

"It's not really art about climate change as much as this idea that art is part of how we can look at benefiting the environment," she said.

The anniversary display also emphasizes the role of the gallery on a university campus: a resource. Entry is free, and the space regularly hosts MFA thesis shows, undergraduate exhibitions and faculty art. In the past year, the history, anthropology and writing departments have hosted visitations of students to the space.

"Once they get their foot in the door, they realize, 'Oh, this is awesome…I can come back, and it's free. I don't have to know anything about art to enjoy it," Levitov said.

The show works to situate the gallery within the broader Staller Center structure, which was built 50 years ago as a hub for art, music and theater. Levitov said that context is what helped shape how she approached the exhibit. She included material that documents the building itself, including early images of the Staller Steps before they were completed.

The involvement of students remains central to the gallery's programming every year. This year's MFA thesis exhibition, which currently occupies one half of the gallery, features a large-scale installation using ceramics and natural materials.

The thesis will be followed by the annual undergraduate show, which typically includes 30 to 50 student artists working in a range of media. Levitov said that fusion is intentional and reflects how she wants the community to engage with the gallery. A graduating MFA student "going out into the world as a professional artist can see themselves in the same light as the professional artists who have shown here over the years," she said.

As the gallery celebrates its 50th year, Levitov hopes to continue to honor the past while encouraging more students to be a part of the story. For her, the future depends on keeping the space experimental, accessible and rooted in connection and change.

-Lily Miller