NEWS RELEASE

Immediate: September 14, 2012 Media Contact: Alicia Steger 516.572.9634 Email: alicia.steger@ncc.edu ncc.edu/newsreleases

The Nassau Community College Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery Presents

"Complejo:  The Art of M. Tony Peralta"

September 4 - November 2

Garden City, NY – The Nassau Community College Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery is proud to present the exhibit "Complejo," featuring the art of M. Tony Peralta. The exhibit, which began September 4, runs through November 2.

For artist-designer Manuel Antonio Peralta, growing up as a dark-skinned Dominican in upper Manhattan's Washington Heights/Inwood neighborhood—the son of immigrants—was an eye-opening experience. An experience that was sometimes funny and often painful. Peralta saw first-hand how people process images connected with one's physical appearance to make judgments on another person's worth, or on standards of attractiveness. It was these memories that fueled Peralta's artistic process during the creation of "Complejo (Complex)," a thought-provoking exhibit of mixed-media silkscreens exploring complexes people have regarding hair texture, skin color, etc. Peralta hopes the exhibit will prompt discussions about "the big elephant in the room" in Dominican and other cultures: race.

The Nassau Community College Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery is open Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. "Complejo: The Art of M. Tony Peralta" exhibit is free, open to the public and accessible to the disabled.

About Nassau Community College Nassau Community College, part of the State University of New York, is an institution where nearly 24,000 full- and part-time students and almost 15,000 continuing and professional students start and continue their successful journey through higher education.  More than 70 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island.  As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence.

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