Fort Gansevoort will be welcoming an exhibition titled Recollections of Rondo by Minnesota-based duo Melvin Smith and Rose Smith. A curated selection of portraits painted by Rose and collages of urban scenes, along with architectural models created by Melvin, will be featured in this presentation. Formed in the 1990s, Rondo documents the artists’ memories of civic life in the vibrant African American Rondo neighbourhood of St. Paul as it existed before the building of the Interstate 94 highway in the 1960s. The Smith’s ongoing grand opus memorializes a distinctive community disrupted by the impact of eminent domain. Instead of relying solely on photographs or other archival sources, the Smiths use their memories of place and personage to examine and preserve a beloved they call Rondo.
The exhibition will run from November, 2023 until January, 2024.
