The Heckscher Museum of Art is pleased to present the The Body Politic: Long Island Biennial, the prestigious juried exhibition featuring works by contemporary artists from across Long Island.

The museum received 762 artwork submissions from 313 artists. For this year’s edition, the applicants were tasked with submitting work that engaged with contemporary social, cultural, or political issues. The result is a compelling museum-wide exhibition that features 78 works of art accepted by 60 artists.  The artists chosen represents the breadth of communities across Suffolk and Nassau counties including Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, and Carle Place.

The exhibition encompasses a remarkable variety of media, with styles spanning abstraction to hyperrealism, including sculpture, painting, photography and more.

“We remain committed to sharing inspiring and thought-provoking new art with our visitors.” said Heather Arnet, executive director & 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.”

Now in its eighth edition, the 2024 Long Island Biennial is curated by Meredith A. Brown, consulting curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum.

The art was selected by jurors Ian Alteveer, Beal Family Chair of the Department of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Patricia Cronin, sculptor, Artistic Director of the LGBTQ+ VR Museum and Distinguished Professor of Art, Brooklyn College; and Grace Hong, Assistant Director, Galerie Lelong & Co.

“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 war,” said Cronin. “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.”

Visitors will also be treated to a diverse program of events to coincide with the exhibition. Several Long Island Biennial artists will be in the galleries on select Sundays throughout the exhibition, as well as participating in Huntington Art Walk, Lunar New Year, and other cultural and community events. Visit Heckscher.org.