Dr. Emily Verla Bovino and Performing and Fine Arts Day

Dr. Emily Verla Bovino, the coordinator of the Art History program at York College since 2023, has been assembling an archive for the public art collection since her arrival. The Art History program was established under Chair Professor Margaret Rose Vendryes as stewards of York’s public art, continuing the work initiated by President Milton G. Bassin when he created the York College Fine Arts program.

^{Dr. Emily Verla Bovino, Artist Sherese Francis of the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance and York College student DeShauna Carr prepare for PFA Day.
(Photo by Professor Maki Hajikano)}

“I’ve been guided to this work by artist and art historian Margaret Rose Vendryes, who I never had the opportunity to meet, but who's always on my mind. Like Dr. Vendryes, I'm also an artist and art historian, and I respect the special partnership that she established for York with the artists of the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance (SeQAA), a group that she co-founded,” said Dr. Bovino. “I also admire her work creating the Southeast Queens Biennial, an event that takes place every two years that we've been working on transforming into a triennial. SeQAA artists have been generous supporters since I joined the program, especially Rejin Leys, Damali Abrams, Shervone Neckles, Lisa Wade and Sherese Francis, so I also feel guided by them, and I'd say I feel guided by York students, of course!”

Dr. Bovino has gathered documents from campus records and obtained additional materials through the Freedom of Information Law requests to support her incredible work. She is currently collaborating with the CUNY University Archivist to process these records. Her detailed research is being developed into a peer-reviewed article for submission to multiple journals. A related book project is also in progress and a chapter from this book was presented at the College Art Association’s annual meeting last year. “Professor Linda Grasso and colleagues in the York College Faculty Publication Workshop have been an important resource in this work. I'm especially interested in the way the art was selected through committees, not only the Committee for Campus Environment of the Faculty Senate, but a Community Art Committee that was chaired by Warren Marr III, former editor of the NAACP's magazine The Crisis, who served on the Art Commission of the City of New York and founded the Amistad Research Center. I love the story of York alum Daisy Bernard who served on the Community Art Committee and made important contributions to the college as a whole,” said Dr. Bovino.

“As a person who had been part of neighborhood committees that mobilized to ensure the brick-and-mortar campus would still get built during the cuts of the New York City fiscal crisis, she also saw the importance of art. We owe her so much! I think you can see why I was moved to tell this story and get working! Research still needs to be conducted in artist archives at the Smithsonian, the Amistad Research Center and the Getty Research Institute. The artists who created public art for York College are highly respected and their papers are preserved for research across important institutions, so I can learn so much more about each work than what we currently know.”

Dr. Bovino worked tirelessly to secure funding from the Auxiliary Foundation for the ‘Caring for Catlett’ project in partnership with artist Shervone Neckles of the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance. The project focuses on a sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett, which is located in the York College Library. Dr. Bovino and Neckles have initiated work with librarian Jessica Jackson to ensure the sculpture’s preservation. They propose returning the piece to its original location, where it will be better protected. The plan includes placing the sculpture on a stronger pedestal, shielding it for preservation, and positioning it within a reading area to enhance accessibility for visitors.

“We were awarded $10,000 for the Caring for Catlett project with SeQAA artist Shervone Neckles; $5,000 from the Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative for Graduate Student Research Assistant, Laura C. Suárez Rodríguez; and around $10,000 for Roving Reverie, the Art History Program's project with four SeQAA artists and our Spring 2025 CUNY Dance Initiative artist-in-residence for PFA Day on April 1,” said Dr. Bovino. “Each academic year, the CUNY Dance Initiative supports us with residencies for two artists who are interested in our public art and in designing interdisciplinary dance workshops for York students. The Provost, Derrick Brazill, has also been a mentor. He offered to meet with faculty members interested in applying for a CUNY Research in the Classroom grant so we could share our ideas and think about how to best structure our applications. I'm pleased to share that the Art History program was awarded $10,000 to work with students on working on archiving, conservation planning and artist engagement programming with guest experts.”

The Provost’s Strategic Initiatives Fund Grant for Roving Reverie, part of Performing and Fine Arts Day, centers on three major commissions by artists Martin Puryear, Houston Conwill, and Sam Gilliam. The event is scheduled for April 1 from noon to 2 p.m. in the atrium.

Dr. Bovino is currently applying for a $100,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant to support project planning for the conservation and programming of all 11 public art pieces on York’s campus. “Thanks to the Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Fellowship that Professor Buxenbaum and I were awarded for work with Suárez Rodríguez, I was able to work on two proposals: the NEA grant and another that requests $75,000 from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation,” said Dr. Bovino. “These works were commissioned through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York/CUNY Construction Fund. The artists represented in this collection include Stephen Antonakos, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Marta Chilindron, Houston Conwill, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt, Al Loving, Martin Puryear, Frank Stella, and members of the Long Island Black Artists Association, James Brown and Doris Price. One of these works, created by Marta Chilindron, was demolished by unknown parties.”

Dr. Bovino’s external grants are part of her 2024-2025 CUNY Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies Initiative Fellowship. This initiative is preparing to launch its Ph.D. program in Fall 2026. Through her research, conservation efforts, and programming, Dr. Bovino is working to document, preserve, and promote York College’s public art collection.

“We appreciate Interim President Claudia Schrader seeking support for York's public art from elected officials. Our public art is a community resource important to artists and residents in our neighborhood. We're fortunate to have it and the Art History program is proud to be its steward,” added Dr. Bovino.