Brookdale Alumnae Drive Warhol Exhibition

Two Brookdale Community College alumnae are making their mark on the international art world with high-level roles in an upcoming Andy Warhol exhibition opening in New York City this fall.

Dina Giordano, executive director of the Grove Foundation for the Arts, is curating The Dialectical Third: Warhol, which opens on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM—located at 86 Walker Street, in Tribeca. The five-week exhibition will serve as the Foundation’s inaugural project, introducing its mission to expand public access to significant works of art through a global lending program.

The Grove Foundation for the Arts was established earlier this year by a private collector whose philanthropy and passion for the arts inspired him to preserve and share his extensive collection. Over many years, he acquired important Warhol works from dealers, auction houses, the Warhol Foundation, and other collectors, gradually building a collection of pieces rarely seen by the public. Giordano, who has managed the collection for nearly six years, guided the conversation toward legacy and public access, ultimately leading to the creation of the Foundation and its first exhibition.

Working alongside Giordano is fellow Brookdale graduate Emma Weatherspoon, who has provided graphic design expertise for the development and collaboration with Giordano’s creative direction of the exhibition catalogue, branding for the Foundation, as well as the exhibition, and promotional materials. Giordano, who has served on Brookdale’s Graphic Design and Arts Academic Advisory Board for the past seven years, first met Weatherspoon during student portfolio reviews and recognized her talent. “Some of the strongest students I’ve met through Brookdale, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with professionally,” Giordano explained. “Emma’s natural talent and work ethic have made her an invaluable partner on this project.”

Giordano’s Brookdale journey began unexpectedly. While studying fashion in New York, she took an internship at Red Bank in a modern furniture showroom, where she worked closely with architects and designers. Inspired by the architects from the Bauhaus, who designed much of the furniture she was working with, and by the Brookdale architects she met through the showroom who encouraged her, she decided to enroll at Brookdale, initially just “for fun.” That decision proved life changing. “I took a class with professors Ed O’Neill and Trent Welcome, and I absolutely fell in love,” Giordano recalled. “It was the first time I applied my creativity to a system of organization, and under their guidance, I discovered how I understood design, space, and aesthetics. Brookdale gave me the opportunity to grow into the design thinking leader I am today.”

Reflecting on her time at Brookdale, Giordano called the College a “hidden gem.” She added, “The generosity and kindness of the faculty were unmatched. If you showed up with focus and dedication, they showed up for you tenfold. That kind of community support is rare, invaluable and crucial.”

The exhibition itself is layered and complex, featuring Polaroids and related works by Andy Warhol that were rarely shown during his lifetime. Many pieces later became the source material for screen prints and drawings. “Photography makes things very real, and Warhol’s Polaroids reveal a unique intimacy with his subjects,” Giordano said. “By presenting this work now, we’re giving it a voice and a presence it has never had during Warhol’s life and in general.”

Giordano hopes audiences will leave not with easy answers but with curiosity. “We want people to come away with more questions than they arrived with,” she said. “This exhibition is about creating dialogue, sparking reflection, and opening space for ongoing conversations about art, identity, and meaning.”

Brookdale is proud to celebrate the achievements of Giordano and Weatherspoon as they bring this landmark Warhol exhibition to the public stage, demonstrating the extraordinary impact of alumni who began their journeys right here in our classrooms.

About the Grove Foundation for the Arts

The Grove Foundation for the Arts was founded by Dr. Jeffrey Scott Grove, a distinguished physician, philanthropist, Tony Award-winning producer and arts patron who exemplifies the intersection of medical excellence and cultural stewardship. With the Grove Foundation, he promotes arts education while supporting the revitalization of Paxton, Illinois. Central to the Foundation’s mission of expanding access to contemporary art, each year it lends significant works to exhibiting venues worldwide. This program enhances public access to important pieces and broadens visibility for works that are critical to art history and scholarship.

The Grove Foundation’s private collection, which is available on loan to partnering institutions and arts organizations, includes fine art and photography by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, decorative arts from Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton custom and limited edition trunks and garments, fine art and sculpture from Mark Beard and Robert Maplethorpe, and Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures, along with other contemporary works of art.