Bio
Ray Grist’s works are included in a number of significant institutional collections including: The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; Contemporary African Art Gallery, NY; Millennium Art, Washington, DC; Biblioteque Nacional, Paris, France; International Symposium, Eisenstadt, Austria; Carver Bank, NY; and more. His works are also included in many private collections in London, Hamburg, Berlin, Rome, and New York, among others.
In 1980, Ray Grist created the Department of the Arts, Malcolm/King Harlem College Extension, New York, and served as Chairperson. His responsibilities included fundraising, curriculum planning, and teaching a course in Basic Drawing. Grist has conducted various workshops, including “What is Art?”, Pratt Institute, NY, as well as a course in Basic Painting, York College/CUNY, NY.
In 2010, Ray Grist wrote, directed, and produced a video entitled Jay Milder: A Life Story, about the life of the painter Jay Milder. The video documents Milder’s life and work, as well as the artist’s environment in Paris, Provincetown, and New York during the latter decades of the 20th century.
Along with Brazilian percussionist Edson “Café” Da Silva, Grist produced the video Ancestors, an exploration of the music of the trio of Brazilian musicians Folia de Reis.
In 1992, Grist wrote, directed, produced, and narrated the video program The Moors: An Introduction to the Iberian Empire of the Moors, 710 - 1492 AD, a co-production with the Board of Education, New York City. The Moors is an overview of the 800-year reign of the Moorish empire in southern Europe. Grist has also produced a Power Point document outlining the history of the Moors in Al Andalus. A selection of Grist's videos are featured on YouTube.com.
Ray Grist was the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, and Art Director of the magazine JUMP: A Forum for New World Culture. The television magazine program JUMP TV was an outgrowth of the magazine. This program presented contemporary painters, printmakers, poets, musicians, and photographers, with examples of their works. JUMP and JUMP TV offered descriptions of the contemporary New World reality in the words of those who are actively committed to this cultural development. JUMP TV was broadcast on a regular basis, via Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) and Brooklyn Community Access Television (BCAT), and was wholly created and produced by Ray Grist. Ray Grist has produced additional video programs which can be seen at Ray Grist – You Tube.