Heckscher Museum of Art: ‘Just Powers: Long Island Biennial 2026’, featuring 73 Works / thru September 13th

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The Heckscher Museum of Art Presents:

Just Powers: Long Island Biennial 2026

May 16 through September 13, 2026

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Impactful Artworks Address America 250 and 100th Anniversary of Political Masterpiece Eclipse of the Sun.

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The Heckscher Museum of Art is pleased to present Just Powers: Long Island Biennial 2026, the juried exhibition featuring works by contemporary artists from across Suffolk and Nassau Counties. The Museum received close to 600 submissions from across Long Island, with 69 artists chosen for the final exhibition, representing the quality and breadth of artists on Long Island.

With two important milestone anniversaries providing inspiration and context, the resulting show includes a meaningful group of 73 works of art, and represents the range of communities across Long Island stretching from Valley Stream to East Hampton celebrating the tradition and history of art and artmaking in the region.

For this year’s edition, the applicants were tasked with responding to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence or the Centennial of George Grosz’s masterpiece of political art, Eclipse of the Sun (1926).

“Throughout the nation, communities will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer. As the year also marks the 100th Anniversary of George Grosz’s masterpiece of political art, Eclipse of the Sun, a highlight of the Museum’s collection, we invited artists to consider the cultural and political legacies of these two works and respond through their own artistic and personal lenses.” said Heather Arnet, Executive Director and CEO, The Heckscher Museum of Art. “Just Powers brings together the work of Long Island artists with diverse perspectives to reveal how democratic ideals are interpreted, challenged, and reimagined today. Throughout the summer, artists will join Museum visitors, in the galleries and at a series of Community Dinners, for open and welcoming conversations on shared experiences, art, civic life, and freedom.”

“There were many thoughtful, interesting works submitted this year that engaged a variety of topics, and there were several artists who used non-traditional fine art materials in very impactful ways,” noted Dr. Meredith A. Brown, Consulting Curator of Contemporary Art, who organized the Biennial.

According to Brown, it was fascinating to see how different artists addressed the Declaration of Independence. “A lot of artists used the legacy of the Declaration of Independence to address this country’s history of immigration. “Some told personal stories, others commented on recent events, and some looked back to the complicated impact of European immigration. I was surprised by some of the ways that artists took the prompt to look beyond the United States. We received several submissions that used Eclipse of the Sun or the U.S. Declaration of Independence to address political and independence movements in other countries like Korea and Mexico. I’m excited to see how visitors respond to the variety of subjects and aesthetic strategies in the show. I hope it will prove to be a thought-provoking exhibition and maybe even spark some healthy debate.”

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**Jurors for Long Island Biennial:**

Tripoli Patterson, founder and owner, Tripoli Gallery.

Andreas Rentsch, photographer, Associate Professor of Photography, and Chair of the Art Department, Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA.

Lauren Rosati, Associate Curator, Department of Modern & Contemporary Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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America 250

Just Powers: Long Island Biennial 2026 is the cornerstone for the Heckscher Museum’s celebration of the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary. As part of the celebration, throughout the summer the Museum will host community dinners to bring people together in dialogue and sharing. Biennial artists will be featured guests.

Summer Community Dinners: Art + Community = Democracy ( July 31, and August 28, 5 to 8 pm) is a series of open-to-all events featuring Biennial artists for an evening of art, food, and community. Each evening offers guests the opportunity to enjoy foods and flavors that reflect the many cultures and communities of Long Island. The Museum will also offer extended gallery hours, with select Biennial artists in the galleries to speak with visitors, then followed by a community dinner outside the Museum. Seating and meals will be available while supplies last, and the evening will be offered as a pay-what-you-wish experience. Visit Heckscher.org/dinners

Image Captions and artist statements (top to bottom)

Pinky Urmaza (Huntington) United States of Anxiety, 2026, Book covers, pages, acrylic, and graphite.

Urmaza Statement: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” These words from George Orwell’s book 1984 still resonate decades later. Such propaganda and manipulation of language continue to be used by authority to control its citizens. The right to intellectual freedom is challenged by recent book banning attempts across the country. This collage is a grid of burned book covers, a reconfigured map of a country alarmingly moving towards censorship and conformity. It is the artist’s response to ongoing attempts to limit access to diverse perspectives and historical/cultural information — all of which should be part of one’s right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”

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Shawn Uttendorfer (Babylon), Sweet Land of Uncertainty, 2026, Acrylic on canvas

Uttendorfer Statement: This painting uses a loose, painterly style to capture a moment that feels both warm and uneasy. Visible brushstrokes, layered color, and expressive light reflect how memories are imperfect and emotional. The scene draws on nostalgic Americana, a roadside stand, a flag, and a rocket pop in the foreground. The rocket pop symbolizes America–bright and familiar, yet melting in real time. Its slow drip suggests the “American Dream” may be dissolving under social and economic pressures. The cheerful setting contrasts this idea, showing how nostalgia can hide harder truths. The melting pop becomes a reminder that what we value can slip away if we’re not paying attention.

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Giona Maiarelli (Huntington), Come Together #6, 2024, Magazine, vintage map, and painted gouache on watercolor paper

Maiarelli Statement: Come Together #6 is from a series created in 2024 which aimed to capture a glimmer of hope amidst America’s fractured civil discourse. The creative process transformed the work into a meditation on our current state of affairs. This series continues Giona Maiarelli’s career-long exploration of American iconography. In creating these pieces, Maiarelli relies heavily on serendipity. Even when he intends to inject a specific message, the medium resists compliance, taking on a life of its own. The artist has learned to trust this element of chance; while he may intend for a piece to shout “Come Together”, the unpredictable nature of collage reveals a different, perhaps more honest, reality.

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Public funding provided by Suffolk County

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THE HECKSCHER MUSEUM

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The Heckscher Museum of Art is in its second century as a source of art and inspiration on Long Island. Founded by philanthropists Anna and August Heckscher in 1920, the Museum’s collection comprises 2,300 artworks spanning the sixteenth century to the present. The Museum is committed to growing the collection to develop public awareness for the artists whose careers and life experiences can broaden our understanding of the past, foster community connections to the present, and create diverse possibilities for the future.

Located in scenic Heckscher Park in Huntington, NY, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continuing the legacy of the founders, free admission to the Museum is supported through a generous grant from Bank of America.