Rico Gatson, ‘Sidney,’ 2022. Credit: Courtesy of the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery

At the 167th Street B/D subway station in New York City there are glass mosaics featuring some of the most influential figures from Bronx history including James Baldwin, Gil Scott-Heron, Maya Angelou, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The “Beacons” series is the work of Brooklyn-based artist Rico Gaston, who’ll unveil a new set of work, “Visible Time,” at the University of South Florida. At USF’s Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa, the 57-year-old has installed a kaleidoscopic, life-size image of author, anthropologist, filmmaker, and former Florida resident Zora Neale Hurston, plus important paintings and works on paper, as well as a mini-survey of videos from 2001 to the present.

“Rico Gaston: Visible Time” opens Friday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m. inside the Contemporary Art Museum at University of South Florida.

There’s no cost to see the work, which will be on display until July 29.
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This article appears in May 25-31, 2023.