October 2019
Rhonda Urdang, Liberation of Harriet Tubman (1867), Work on paper/Femmage with historical elements, hand-cut found paper, NY Times, metallic ink, 20 H x 17.5 W in, © 2019
ABOUT Liberation of Harriet Tubman (1867)
Liberation of Harriet Tubman (1867) is a work on paper utilizing hand-cut found paper, historical elements, pieces of the New York Times, and metallic ink. The subject is a historical intervention of the unlikely relationship between Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of the U.K. and Harriet Tubman—abolitionist, cook, nurse, scout and spy—who was active in the women’s suffrage movement. Tubman is depicted wearing the ivory silk lace and linen shawl given to her by Queen Victoria around 1867.
Collage technique was said to have been invented by Braque or Picasso in about 1912. Urdang pays homage to the great feminist artist Miriam Schapiro and her pioneering development of collage into “femmage” in the early 1970s. Urdang melds textile art and painting to transform the work into an idiom of female empowerment. “I’ve juxtaposed pieces of paper while using a secondary color scheme to boldly dignify these women.”
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Natalia Koren-Kropf stands beside her sculpture titled Firebird
Looking Forward!
Stepping into the Presidential shoes, I had to pick up my pace. There are so many tiny details that are invisible but essential in the day to day NAWA operations.
I was learning on the fly as we were installing the 130th Annual. This is our second consecutive year in recent history to have the Annual members’ show on the street level in downtown Manhattan, generating a lot of public interest and a lot of foot traffic even before the show was officially open.
The opening reception was a success! Not only did we have a great turnout, six artworks were sold in one evening, and a bunch of visiting artists took an application to become NAWA members.
The One Space Gallery hosting NAWA’s 130th Annual has a mission to promote emerging artists, women, and solo and retrospective work of accomplished artists. Curator Diego Ponce has a vision and an open heart to welcome and promote overlooked artists. It seems that NAWA’s Annual impressed him so much with the quality, quantity and the variety of NAWA members’ work. We are looking forward to our next Annual in this wonderful and friendly space.
Prior to the Reception, we held an Artists Panel on September 24, 2019. Several award winning artists came to speak about their work and share their process. Their presentations were amazing. You may view the recording on NAWA’s official Facebook page.
Our PR committee is working hard to promote NAWA artists and NAWA shows and events. I encourage the use of Instagram for NAWA members. Please use the hashtag #thenawa@nawa_news when posting your art on Instagram. Little by little we will build a great NAWA online profile. All it takes is one goal and a bunch of very determined women-artists!
Natalia Koren Kropf
President, NAWA
NAWA – THE RECENT YEARS (1992-Present)
National Association of Women Artists, Inc.
By Susan G. Hammond
Chakaia Booker, Acid Rain, Rubber and wood, 2001, 120 x 240 x 36 in., Museum purchase:
Member’s Acquisition Fund, NMWA.org
NAWA – THE RECENT YEARS (1992-Present) National Association of Women Artists, Inc.by Susan G. Hammond – some information was taken from A Parallel Presence (National Association of Women Artists, (1889-2009).
In 1992 Rutgers University became the repository of the National Association of Women Artists Collection, thanks to NAWA’s President, Liana Moonie (1987-1989). Liana wanted women artists to be recognized in perpetuity. Over the years the collection at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum grew with juried donations from NAWA members. The Inaugural exhibition at Rutgers took place in 1994 and included over seventy works of art. The collection now comprises approximately 500 works and reflects a wide range of media and styles from a nationally diverse group of artist members. The Alexander Library at Rutgers University also houses NAWA’s Archives dating back to 1889.
In 1994 Liana Moonie founded the Florida Chapter of NAWA. With the creation of this chapter, a new outlet was available for women artists to exhibit their work in museums and galleries throughout Florida. Liana Moonie was also instrumental in establishing their scholarship program.
The following Presidents served NAWA through the 1990s: Nessa Grainger (1989-91), Bernice Faegenburg (1991-93), Helen Burdon Price (1993-95), Virginia Stukey (1995-1997), Janet Indick (1997-1999), and Madeline Segall-Marx (1999-2002). During their presidencies the NAWA organization thrived with numerous exhibitions and a very active art council.
The following Presidents served NAWA from 2002-present: Emily Mehling (2002-04), Marcelle Harwell Pachnowski (2004-05), Penny Dell (2005-07), Judith Cantor (2007-08), Susan G. Hammond (2008-10), Sonia Stark (2010-12), Doreen Valenza (2012-13), Sonia Stark (2013-14), Marie Hines Cowan (2014-15), Mary Alice Orito (2015-17), Jill Cliffer Baratta (2017-19) and Natalia Koren Kropf (2019-present).
The NAWA Board of Directors was formed in 2003-2004. The first Board included Emily Mehling, President; Mark Altschul, Esq., Vice President; Connie Legakis Robinson, Treasurer; Marge Duffy, Financial Advisor; and Carol Kahn, Esq., Irma Hilton, Hilka Klinkenberg, Ann Lasusa, Marcelle Harwell Pachnowski, Arlene Raven, Lynn Surry – Art Consultant, and Jeffrey Wechsler, Former Senior Curator of the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers).
This Board of Directors replaced the Art Council (consisting of about 30-40 NAWA members) who met every month and handled all of NAWA’s business. However, in order to get funding and receive grants, the creation of the Board would benefit both.
NAWA held a symposium at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC, in 2009. It was a reunion of past presidents, NAWA members, friends and supporters, and was open to the public. Fifteen past Presidents made speeches, Board Member Jeffrey Wechsler presented a slide show of the Zimmerli and NAWA Collection, and various historical aspects of NAWA.
NAWA was honored to have numerous high profile women artists make presentations during 2000-2019, at its yearly luncheons held at the Cornell Club, the Penthouse Restaurant, the Harmony Club and the National Arts Club. These honorees included: Chakaia Booker, Faith Ringgold, Margaret Krug, The Guerrilla Girls, Linda Stein, Kay WalkingStick, June Wayne, Gail Levin, Rhoda Sherbell, Judy Pfaff, Maura Reilly, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Audrey Flack, Pat Adams, Judith Brodsky, Joanne Mattera and Joan Semmel.
Faith Ringgold, Woman on a Bridge, #1 or #5: Tar Beach
During the twenty-first century, the New Members’ receptions were held at the Interchurch Center (thanks to Dorothy Cochran), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Helen Mills Theater and the Rubin Museum of Art. New members were thrilled to be a part of these exciting venues and see two of their chosen artworks presented in these auditoriums on a large theater screen.
The 30th birthday party for the Guerilla Girls at the Abrons Art Center in Manhattan, 2015 Photo: Bejamin Norman, New York Times
Ten thousand dollars in awards are given out each year at the NAWA Annual Members Exhibition as well as other shows throughout the year. NAWA also gives out the Biennial Margo Harris Hammershlag Award for Direct Carving. In 2019 the winner of this $5,000 competition award was given to sculptor Susan Clinard of Connecticut.
Joanne Mattera, Sink Road #445, Encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 in., 2019, Addington Gallery, Chicago
Through the years NAWA has had fabulous museum shows at the Karpeles Museum, Belskie Museum, Noyes Museum, Morris Museum, Monmouth Museum, the Strathmore Mansion, the Poughkeepsie Museum, and the Whistler House Museum of Art. NAWA has also exhibited at corporate centers: Blue Hill Corporate Center; Howland Cultural Center; the Interchurch and Cultural Center; and the Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters.
Judith Brodsky, Energy Generating Diagrammatic II, 1982, Lithograph edition
A few of the galleries that held NAWA exhibitions were, the Crayola Gallery at the Banana Factory, Goggleworks, Interchurch and Cultural Center, Monroe Center for the Arts, Dana Gallery, One Art Gallery, Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery, 95 Chrystie Street Gallery, Emerge, Prince Street Gallery, the Salmagundi Club, Arts Club of Washington, DC, Midday Gallery, Armory Art Center, Washington State Convention Center, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, the Harlem School of the Arts, the Denise Bibro Gallery and the Mezzaluna Restaurant in Woodstock, NY.
June Wayne, The Tunnel I, Lithograph in bolack on wove paper, 35.24 x 43.82 in., Reba and Dave Williams collection,
gift of Reba and Dave Williams
A few of the many colleges and universities where NAWA members exhibited their work: the Delaware County Community College, Opalka Gallery, Sage College, Rutgers University, Hall of Science, Point Park University, Sussex County Community College, Hub Robeson Gallery (Penn State), County College of Morris, William Paterson University, the College of Staten Island, CW Post College and Texas A&M University.
Kay Walking Stick, New Mexico Desert, 2011, Oil on wood, 40 x 80 2 in., purchased through a special gift from the Louise Ann Williams Endowment, 2013
NAWA also showed at various New York City Public Library branches: Riverside, Hamilton Fish, Mulberry Street, Jefferson Market, Mid-Manhattan, 58th Street and Tompkins Square.
Thanks to Doreen Valenza, NAWA has held numerous online exhibitions. Thanks to Curator Susan B. Phillips and her excellent team of workers, monthly exhibitions are held in the NAWA Gallery.
Linda Stein, Justice for All 698 with Wonder Woman Shadow, Collage, Marchival Ink, Paper, Wood, 2010, 79 x 24 x 9 in., photograph by Linda Stein
NAWA has held numerous fundraisers: A Mask Fundraiser in 2005 with such notable donors as Yoko Ono, Whoopi Goldberg, Faith Ringgold, Joan Snyder, Diane Von Furstenberg, Brooke Shields, Swoosie Kurtz, Geraldo Rivera and Tom Chapin. Plus, NAWA has held yearly Raffles, two Moore Brothers Wine Tasting Events, an Open Studio Tour and a walking and gallery tour of Chelsea.
Pat Adams, On the Surface, Mixed media, 5.13 x 7.64 in.
Special Events included: Movies of the Month, Spring Salons for New Members, joint programs with the Salmagundi Club (Golden Paint Company, etc.), Strathmore Paper Company presentations, workshops/demos and lectures (How to Photograph Artwork, How to Do a Power Point Presentation, a financial workshop given by Chase Bank, iPad Art, iPhone Art, Creating a Legacy: Making Your Art the gift that keeps on giving presentation, Curating and jurying art, Chinese Calligraphy (Rosie Ibsen); Color Scheme Game Workshop (Chris Carter); Recycled Newspaper Bags Origami workshop (Yoko Komori Olson), numerous book signings, Safeguarding, Protecting and Insuring Your Artwork presentation, (William Fleischer and Mitch Epstein).
Rhoda Sherbell, Aaron Copeland, Bronze sculpture, 1971
In 2016 NAWA started giving free one-year memberships to graduating BFA/MFA students. NAWA is proud that approximately twenty four graduates are in that category, and each graduating student has a page on the NAWA website (NEWS-Fresh Paint). The Associate Membership category was started in 2009. It is a stepping stone category to regular membership. There are 27 Associate Members in that category and each year in August they have an online exhibition to exhibit their work that lasts for one year. Please view their work at: www.thenawa.org and www.nawaonlinegallery.org.
Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Ocean Voices, 2011-2012, Cedar and Graphite, 4 ft. 5 in. x 15 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft., NAWA, 2019
NAWA moved from 80 Fifth Avenue (between 13th and 14th Street) to 315 West 39th Street, Suite 508 and Suite 1210, in 2016. We then combined the office into the Gallery space (Suite 508) in 2018.
NAWA looks forward to expanding its membership, adding additional Chapters, setting up new and exciting outside exhibitions, and will continue to promote its mission of empowering, supporting, promoting and encouraging ALL women artists.
FAREWELL LETTER
Susan Hammond as Grace Fitz-Randoph for NAWA’s 130th Anniversary of its re-enactment of its founding.
Dear NAWA members, friends, supporters and donors,
I wanted to let you know that as of December 1, 2019, I will be stepping down as the Executive Director of the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA). It has been a wonderful journey and learning experience for me, beginning in 2003, when I was accepted into membership. In 2005 I became the Chair of Membership followed by my Presidency in 2008-2010, and Executive Director (2010-present). However, it’s time for me to move on and concentrate on my artwork and new, exciting ventures. “To everything there is a Season…”
I have enjoyed all the challenges as well as watching the organization grow into what it is today. I was able to oversee and help with two moves (thanks to my husband Garrett). I was also able to see all of the positive changes made during 2003-2019.
Some of the highlights include:
The first symposium at the National Women’s Art Museum in Washington, DC in 2009, where 15 past presidents gave speeches about their presidency and their goals for NAWA. Jeffrey Wechsler gave a Powerpoint presentation speaking about NAWA’s history. This played a vital role in moving NAWA forward.
The Associate Membership category was created and has grown. The BFA/MFA membership program was created and also has grown. NAWA has two new Chapters along with the Florida Chapter; one in Massachusetts, thanks to Liana Moonie and Nella Lush, and the South Carolina Chapter by me and Jennifer Rocco Stone. NAWA has a fabulous newsletter, thanks to Mimi Herrera-Pease and Sandra Bertrand. NAWA has educational programs in NYC libraries, thanks to Anita Pearl and Natalia Koren Kropf. NAWA also has had terrific annual luncheons at various venues with excellent high profile guest speakers and exciting General Meetings and Induction Ceremonies, where new members are welcomed into the NAWA family.
On January 31, 2019, NAWA had a wonderful cast of five actors do a portrayal of the five founding members on the actual 130th Anniversary of the NAWA founding, thanks to Sandra Bertrand. The NAWA Archive at the Alexander Library at Rutgers University is being digitized, and so much more.
I will still be active and involved as a NAWA member, and will work with membership until a new Membership Chair is found. I will remain on the Executive Board of Directors and will remain as the liaison to the Florida and South Carolina chapters.
I am grateful for the many friendships I have established, the work and fun I have had, and also for the wonderful memories of the numerous NAWA exhibitions and events.
Yours in friendship and Creativity,
Susan G. Hammond
NAWA SHOUT OUTS
EYENGA BOKAMBA
In 2018 the NAWA Gallery hosted Eyenga Bokamba’s solo show. She was also exhibited in NAWA’s Transparency show at the National Arts Club in Washington, DC. But it is her international spirit about her art that also inspires. In her words: “My greatest desire is to create work that pivots on an axis of understanding and advances our collective consciousness about what it means to be alive, thriving and empathetic in today’s world.”
As an example of that spirit and commitment, she was chosen to be the inaugural artist in residence for an Italian-American cultural organization, Esperanza last September for a three week painting residency. It was there that she created a tower in Leonardo daVinci’s hometown. https://vimeo.com/297703150 . Back home in the States, she was part of a state-wide show of artists of African American descent. The final show will run through January of 2020 at the Duluth Art Institute.
True to her wandering spirit, this year her work is included in a show called Personal Structures and will run through November 24th as part of the Venice Biennale. The sponsoring organization is the European Cultural Center-Italy, and she was honored to be one of 170 artists chosen from around the world.
It appears that Eyenga is poised to become a goodwill ambassador for women artists worldwide!
Eyenga Bokamba, Moments of Beauty, Reframed, Create a Blueprint for Thriving/If We Just Learn to Pivot, Palazzo Mora, Venice
Eyenga Bokamba, Moments of Beauty, Reframed, Create a Blueprint for Thriving/If We Just Learn to Pivot, Palazzo Mora, Venice
MARY JO CAREW
Mary Jo Carew is an unstoppable force of nature. In her words, “Whenever I have a brush in my hand, the creative juices flowing, I feel truly fortunate to be doing what I love to do.” Her painting A Walk Down MacDougal Street recently won an Honorable Mention in NAWA’s exhibit Pushing Paint: Acrylic and Oil Painting and another Honorable Mention from the Salmagundi Club was given to Soon!, a totally charming landscape with its canine subject.
Left: Mary Jo Carew, Walking Down Washington Square West, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
Right: Mary Jo Carew, Soon!, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
A lover of French Impressionism and the Plein Air Painters of California, she relocated to New York City in 2011. It was then that she embraced figure painting along with her passion for the natural landscape. From the initial sketches to painting the image on canvas, she continues to refine her subject—letting the image dictate whether it is impressionistic or more photographic.
Along with NAWA, Mary Jo has affiliations with The Portrait Society of America, American Women Artists, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club and the Salmagundi Club.
She continues her studies and commitment to the arts community at large through the Art Students League of New York.
Left: Mary Jo Carew, Green Street Walking North, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
Right: Mary Jo Carew, Spring Thaw on Long Pond, Me, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in.
SANDY DIMKE
A proud member of NAWA’s new South Carolina chapter, Sandy Dimke was born and raised in Schenectady, NY and spent her career as an architectural photographer in Connecticut. For the past 18 years, Sandy and her husband Russ have called Bull Point Plantation near Beaufort, South Carolina their home, along with their rescue cat, Molly.
As a fine arts photographer, her approach is to freeze a moment in time in her own creative style. She describes herself as a traveler by heart—having photographed her subjects in the Low Country or in more exotic locales in Europe, Asia, Africa or Australia. Her commitment to her craft and other artists is obvious, having established the Photography Club of Beaufort and served as their president for over three years, along with other positions. She has also served for several years with the Beaufort Art Association, and is currently Director of the Interclub Print Competition for the Photographic Society of America (PSA). In 2019 she was inducted into NAWA.
Most recently, Sandy’s photo, “Southern Back Seat Drivers” was chosen for the cover of a new coffee table book called Along Southern Roads (Starbooks, Lydia Inglett Ltd. Publishers). The book includes an essay by the author. https:/www.starbooks.biz/products/along-southern-roads. Another highlight was a feature in the PSA Journal (August 2019) “Meet Your PSA Volunteer.”
Cynthia McLoughlin with her black cat
CYNTHIA MCLOUGHLIN
For Cynthia McLoughlin, art is the one constant thread that runs through her life. The painting becomes a cathartic way to express what she hopes will strike an emotional chord with the viewer. She believes that people have always gravitated to the mountains for a sense of peace and clarity. Living in the mountains of Utah has obviously been a perfect choice for this artist.
“I am always looking for ways to let the reflection of light show through.” Her stylized and unique artworks are inspired by the metal panels she paints upon. Her Storm Series explores the violent passion of a storm, becoming a metaphor for living in today’s world. The Elevation Series gives the viewer a bird’s eye view, inspired by exhilarating trips she has made in a hot air balloon. The Road Series suggests the limitless possibilities of the journey before us.
She studied Fine Art at the Munson, Williams, Proctor Institute/State University of New York in Utica, as well as the Parsons School of Design in New York City, earning an AAS and a BFA respectively. International art shows have included Art Basel, Switzerland, the Monaco Art Show in Monte Carlo, Monaco Yacht as well as exhibits in New York City, California, Connecticut and Utah. In the June/July issue of Western Art & Architecture she was the featured artist. The Artbox Gallery in Zurich, Switzerland will be hosting an upcoming show of her recent works from November 1-30, 2019.
Cynthia McLoughlin is currently represented by the Summit Gallery in Park City, Utah.
Cynthia McLoughlin, Whispers, Oil on aluminum, 39 x 51 in.
Cynthia McLoughlin, Moon Shadow, Oil on brushed aluminum, 51 x 51 in.
Cynthia McLoughlin, Calm Before the Storm, Oil on brushed, 51 x 51 in.
DENISE SHAW
Denise Shaw has been busy most recently on the public stage. An advocate for Human Rights, she has recently been honored by the 7th Annual International 2019 FL3TCH3R Exhibit: Socially and Politically Engaged Art at the Reece Museum in Johnson City, TN. Three of her paintings, Tiny Dancer, Ghosts at the Border and Surveillance have been chosen and will be on view from September 30 through December 13, 2019. These artworks were inspired by the conflict at the U.S./Mexican border.
Denise Shaw, Re-imagining the Four Freedoms: Freedom from Want, Watercolor on paper, 2016, 12 x 16 in.
The artist has said that “writing about one’s work is writing about memory. One tries to conjure up the mental and sometimes unconscious energy that constellated around an image in the waking realm.” She has been inspired by her travels, not only to exotic lands, but Arctic and Antarctic expeditions as well, but the journeys within.
Denise Shaw, Tiny Dancer, Watercolor on paper, 2019, 22 x 30 in
Her work has appeared in solo and group exhibits in the U.S. and Europe. In 2003 she was honored at the White House for designing and painting the White House Easter Egg commemorating the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
She received a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts and a post graduate degree in film from New York University. She is a Library Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. www.denisesadshawpaintings.com
Denise Shaw, Parour Among the Ruins, Mixed media on canvas, 30 x 52 in.
Denise Shaw, Surveillance, 2019, Acrylic and sand on burlap,
60 x 34 in.
RED CARPET NAWA MEMBER
Mimi Herrera-Pease stands beside her painting titled, Looking Through It.
Since the inception of our NAWA NOW newsletter in January 2018, I have greatly enjoyed working with my hard-working and talented co-editor. She possesses a great graphic sensibility and technical ability that has proved invaluable with each issue we have published. Her commitment to sharing the stories and artworks of our continually growing membership is unwavering. And I felt it was high time for our readership to get better acquainted with this very special member of our NAWA family. – Sandra Bertrand
SB: I’d like to know how you and your art career began. When were you first inspired, and when did that relationship take flight as an important part of your life?
MHP: My first inspiration came from my mother, who is an artist. She exposed me to museums and galleries in both Mexico and Los Angeles where I grew up. She was also an art educator and brought me along to her studio classes. We were constantly engaged in art projects, murals, and crafts in my home growing up.
My career as an artist began as a student at San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). Transferring there from an academically rigid art college (Art Center College of Design), I found my voice as an abstract painter with the help of an incredible instructor, mentor, and amazing artist in his own right, Carlos Villa. He encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore who I am as an artist, while respecting techniques of the masters.
After graduation, I was faced with the need to support myself as an artist. After a stint of waiting tables, I found work in the entertainment industry and began working as a scenic artist and eventually joined the labor union I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). It was a rewarding career, but I had to quit it due to the birth of my second child. Between the expense of childcare and the commitment of long hours on the job, it was a lifestyle I could not sustain.
Longing for self-expression, I returned to my passion as an abstract painter once my third child turned ten. I found a studio and dove in one hundred percent. Having my children later in life gave me a sense of urgency to fulfill my dream of being a successful fine artist.
Mimi Herrera-Pease, Primary, Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
SB: Your family relationships are obviously a big part of your life. Tell me about your marriage, your children, and how your art has been impacted by that and how your children have been influenced by your creative passion.
MHP: I am very fortunate in that I have a happy marriage with three great kids. My husband is a wonderful father, all around great guy, and importantly, supports me as an artist. He has a good “eye” and can see things in my paintings that I don’t see and suggest ways of solving visual problems. His tenacity in his own career as a pilot, having switched careers late in life, is an inspiration to us all.
Each of my children are very different from one another. My oldest is an academic, who recently graduated from NYU with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. He thrives on social interaction, travel and loves exploring the culinary spoils of New York City. He studied abroad at NYU Shanghai for a semester and has since traveled to Hong Kong, Thailand, Cuba and London. One project involved working for the organization Girls Who Code, where he taught high school girls computer science, diversity, accessibility and gender inequality in the tech industry.
My second son is constantly in motion. He is a surfer, skateboarder and student at our local community college. He’s an entrepreneur who works as a music promoter with an emphasis on working with rap artists.
My daughter is the only one influenced by my creative passion. She is interested in following my path as a fine artist. Currently, she is diligently working on her portfolio to submit to colleges for admission. I am in constant awe of her natural talent and drive.
I am profoundly proud of my kids and their devotion to exploring their own unique paths in the world. In terms of my family as a reflection on my art practice, surprisingly, I don’t think they have much of an effect other than pushing me into the studio as an escape from the stresses of motherhood and family life. My creativity comes from within my own psyche and what’s going on in the outside world.
Mimi Herrera-Pease, Último, Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in
SB: How does the reality of being a Californian and a woman artist inspire and challenge or frustrate your art?
MHP: Being a Californian and a woman artist have both had a positive impact on me professionally. I live in coastal California and am exposed to its natural beauty on a daily basis, and it has greatly influenced my art. I have access to world class museums and galleries, both in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Being a woman artist in the midst of the “Me Too” movement has been a blessing in terms of exhibiting. It has become popular in the art world to be a woman, especially one of color. It’s about time!
SB: How did you hear about NAWA? As a west coast artist, did you decide to join NAWA as a way to increase the audience for your art?
MHP: I heard about NAWA by applying to an online open call for the show Small Works Summer 2016. It was the first exhibit I had applied to. Much to my excitement, my piece Landscape II was juried into the show. I attended the opening reception and met other women artists as well as the Executive Director, Susan Hammond, who suggested that I apply for membership. Soon after, I was initiated as a member and became involved in the organization. I quit my tenure as PTA mom and dove into the world of promoting the incredible women artists of NAWA and beyond, by working with you on developing the newsletter NAWA NOW.
SB: You have recently exhibited in Santa Monica. Do you feel there’s an openness between Northern and Southern California in terms of artists and their visibility?
MHP: I am fortunate to be involved with a gallery in Santa Monica (bG Gallery) that exhibits young, old, emerging, well established, men, women, and artists of color. There is an openness there that I find refreshing. I find the galleries in San Francisco are more intimidating, but that could be my personal hang up. San Francisco has an incredibly supportive open studio and arts organization called Artspan. They promote artists through exhibition and public art opportunities and organize an annual citywide open studio event.
Mimi Herrera-Pease, Homage to Turner, Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
SB: You have lived in Santa Cruz for some time and you keep a studio in the Mission District of San Francisco. How has that worked for you and do you feel the Open Studio arrangement has been a positive one?
MHP: I have resided in San Francisco off and on for nearly twenty years. My heart is there culturally. However, the cost of living and the challenging school situation for my kids made it a difficult location to reside in. We found Santa Cruz a great place to raise kids with a decent school system. I tried finding a studio in Santa Cruz without success. As an oil painter, I need ventilation and a studio that is reasonably priced. On a whim, I looked on Craigslist San Francisco and discovered Art Explosion Studios. I rented a tiny studio in a communal space that had an incredible view of Twin Peaks for just $221 per month. Since then, I moved into a beautiful space on the first floor. The organization puts on three open studio events per year. Participating is a great way to gain exposure and to get experience talking with visitors about my artwork.
SB: Being invited by Senator Scott Wiener and Joseph Abbati, curator, to participate in “We Belong – Pertenecemos,” (October-November, 2019), an exhibition of Latinx artists to be held in the Senator’s offices in the State of California building is certainly an honor. The exhibit “explores the narrative of Latinx cultural representation, identity and ethnicity, sense of place, history, families and Dreamers.” Do you feel that art can have a political power in the current climate, particularly for ethnic groups?
MHP: Absolutely. American citizens in general have a responsibility to create change within a political system that they are not happy with. Artists uniquely have a voice visually to convey their feelings to promote or denounce said policies. Personally, as a Jewish Latina, the current administration’s racism, especially towards immigrants of color, have affected my paintings. While I work abstractly, my color choices, composition and movement speak to the crisis America and immigrants are facing. My goal is to convey those feelings as well as to offer a sense of hope.
The invitation to apply to “We Belong – Pertenecemos” was especially meaningful personally. I am honored to take part in an exhibit that conveys the message of belonging. Personally, I have felt verbally assaulted by the President of the United States since day one of his administration. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, who became a naturalized citizen, we have offered much to our respective communities.
As an artist, we must stand up to the injustices and communicate our sense of belonging the way in which we know best—creatively.
SB: Where do you see your art in the future? Will you continue to work in an abstract style as a painter or do you see yourself branching out into other mediums?
MHP: Currently, I have a photograph in the Light & Lens photography exhibition at NAWA. I enjoy photography and plan to do more. I would like to use photos incorporated in my painting, which I previously explored as mixed media pieces.
In terms of genre, I will always be an abstract artist. It is the most effective way for me to express myself creatively. I am a pretty easy-going person, yet I have an intense and powerful side that is only revealed through my art.
In the future, I see myself at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Why not dream big? After all, Carmen Herrera had her first major museum show there at the age of 101!
SB: You feel strongly about the importance of social media in marketing one’s art works. Do you feel an online presence is as important as having gallery representation?
MHP: Yes, absolutely. I have many artist friends who sell their work exclusively via Instagram. One can reach collectors around the world with relative ease just by posting work and promoting exhibitions online. Of course, every artist has the dream of gallery representation. It is a form of validation that we all crave.
SB: NAWA thanks you for your ongoing commitment to spreading the good word about the work we do through social media, and I thank you for your friendship, for being the outgoing, vibrant, and socially-committed artist you are.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Anita Pearl, In the Garden, Clay relief, 1994, Hydrocal mounted on wood
Carving Out One’s Niche
by Anita Pearl
Art Students League of New York, 1992 – Present
Sculpture is the finest of arts, and carving in stone is the most challenging and fulfilling of art forms. I am a direct carver in stone. My style is figurative; my subject is humanity.
The impulse to create in art hit me well into my adult life. Working days, I took class evenings at The Art Students League of New York. A once-a-week drawing class “Anatomy for Artists” with the late Artist/Instructor Dan Maloney soon made way for a much greater commitment.
Learning clay sculpture was my next endeavor circa 1993. Anatomy, proportion and composition were my fields of study. Working from nude models, I produced life-size clay sculpture (or smaller-scale figures) guided by excellent Artist/Instructor Barney Hodes. I refined my craft over the next few years, moving on to create reliefs in clay.
Anita Pearl, Warrior, 2005, Limestone Polychrome, 25h x 12w x 4d in.
Sculpture in clay is tactile, dramatic and satisfying. Images emerge by the art of “addition”—adding substance (clay) to create form, shape reality, and invoke fantasy—worlds of imagination.
A new challenge intrigued me at millennium time. As the twentieth century slipped away, I discovered the mandate of stone carving and the pleasures of art by “subtraction.”
For the classically trained artist, there are certain procedures to follow in stone carving. First, establish a plan; create a clay model of the anticipated work. Get whatever necessary approvals of the plan. Acquire the stone. Enlarge the model to scale. Assemble the tools, and start carving.
Mastering this technique is essential for the artist seeking to work on commissions (public works or private commissions). The artist and the client know exactly what the finished result will be. But I digress. This is not my background.
I eased my way into Gary Lawrence Sussman’s dynamic stone carving class at the League in 1998. This knowledgeable, garrulous, good humored, savvy instructor swiftly guided me into the mystery field of Direct Carving.
Anita Pearl, Artist & Griffin & Sphinx, O My!, Limestone,
This is the largest, and perhaps the most cluttered, work I’ve done. In it are images of my life and work—past, present. I wanted to get all of it in case I never sculpted again.
Five steps to follow for the Direct Carver:
1. Choosing the Stone: Looking for a quirky shape? A beautiful color? Glints of crystal? The right size? Its availability?
2. Acquiring Stone: Stone can be purchased at a supply house (Compleat Sculptor, in New York City for example), at a quarry, inherited from another artist who changed their mind, or found for free at a demolition site. (Repurposing dumped stone is a sound ecological practice.)
3. Evaluating the proposed project: The artist studies the stone from all angles to determine the project’s viability.
4. Tap into your experience: The Direct Carver brings the full spectrum of experience to work. The artist’s thoughts, feelings, inclinations, affections, fears, weaknesses, anger, memories, and background matter. Whatever moves you impacts your art. Your art is embedded in your psyche! Let it out.
5. Be prepared to modify your project along the way. Ideas change. Accidents happen. Always be ready to go with “Plan B.” New focus. Revised form. No apologies.
Anita Pearl, Afterthought, 2001, Marble, 14h x 10w x2d in.
It was a pleasure to learn direct carving during evenings at the League with Artist Gary Sussman.
Currently, I am monitor in Artist/Instructor Leonid Lerman’s Stone Sculpture class, held afternoons at the League. He is a wise, supportive, sardonic guide, offering subtle suggestions, showing ways to enhance my art.
In the scheme of things, I am very happy in my art and the direction it has taken.
(Sequel alert: follow Anita Pearl in an upcoming issue as she embarks on her adventures in Terra-Cotta and Glazed Ceramic Sculpture Art.)
CHAPTER CHAT
Jim Dyment (Director of Brush Gallery), Linda Pearlman Karlsberg, Jennifer Jean Costello and Kim Alemian, Photo credit: © Bob – www.silverfoxstudios.US
NAWA MASSACHUSETTS
by Jennifer Jean Costello, President
Welcome changes come with autumn; you want to exhale and revel in the abundant beauty all around you! I’m just like you, and I get it! Lisa Goren (VP), the devoted board, and I welcome you on this creative journey.
We extend a huge thank you to Kim Alemian. Kim is a poetic vision! She is going strong as an award-winning artist, curator, designer, cold water swimmer, arts administrator, devoted mom and wife. Thank you, Kim, for being our second chapter president, colleague, and for continuing to strengthen our chapter’s creative family.
It has been a busy few months with opening and closing successful shows, including Rocky Neck Art Colony Extremes and In-Betweens, Aug. 1 – Sept. 1, 2019; Galatea Fine Arts, Boston Fact is Fiction’s Inspiration, July 3 – 28, 2019; and Lisa Goren teaching a new marketing class for artists on three Wednesday evenings starting September 25 at the New Art Center in Newton. Lisa and I will offer ”Marketing Your Art and Social Media for Artists” at the South Shore Art Center in 2020. Our new (non-juried) exhibit Hue-Man-IZE will be open October 3 to December 31, 2019, at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse (front, atrium and harbor park). Also, I wanted to mention a current ‘call for art’ for Fountain Street Fine Arts Boston’s Lust After, which will open in February 2020.
Our members are on fire too! Susan Siefer’s work will be at the Boston Design Center’s ‘Boston Design Market’ on Oct. 2-3 for a celebration of textiles, which is part of a textile stroll of the third annual “Heading Home to Dinner“ dine-by-design event. Other exciting happenings include: our artist Mary V. Judge creating incredible pieces exploring the theme #fridaysforfuture #climatestrike #metoomothernature; Sallie Schacht Strand! So cool! See her review at the following link: www.providencejournal.com/entertainmentlife; Anne F. Harney’s stunning piece at l’etoile restaurant in Edgartown; and Silvina Mizrahi’s stunning work in Maison de l’Argentine www.casaargentinaenparis.com. Stay tuned for even more!
Let me say farewell with a line from a poem I love, “Dreamtigers,” by Jorge Luis Borges. “Art must be like that mirror that reveals to us this face of ours.”
Our members’ works reveal this essence. Happy Creating!
NAWA FLORIDA
By Roberta Millman-Ide, President
NAWAFL is ready for our upcoming 2019-2020 Annual Year!
Our MS CONCEPTIONS exhibition will run from October 2, 2019, through January 30, 2020, at the Marco Island Historical Museum and Gallery. This is a beautifully curated exhibit that will be running simultaneously with a traveling exhibition of ancient pre-Columbian Native American artifacts that are on loan from the Smithsonian Museum. The reception is Thursday January 9, 2020.
MS CONCEPTIONS exhibition, Marco Island Historical Museum and Gallery
On December 2-30, 2019, NAWAFL will be honoring our Board Members and hardest working volunteers with our ART ANGELS of the SUB-TROPICS exhibition at the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood, FL. And NAWAFL’s Annual Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11 at Benvenuto’s in Boynton Beach, FL. On Tuesday December 17, we will be holding a Strathmore Presentation to learn about the latest textures for creating art on paper. (This is a hands-on demonstration with plenty of samples for attendees.)
In addition to the above, we are also working on booking future exhibitions in both Central and Northern Florida. (Note: Board members are being currently elected by an email vote. We will announce our 2019-2020 NAWAFL Board next month.)
MS CONCEPTIONS exhibition, Marco Island Historical Museum and Gallery
NAWA members are welcome to join, participate and exhibit in future shows with NAWAFL. Please go to www.nawafl.org and click on “Become a Member” to learn more. (Our annual year begins on October 1.)
NAWA SOUTH CAROLINA
This September, the SC Chapter will begin its participation in the 2019 – 2020 Savannah Art Walk, where member art will be featured at opening and closing receptions. Members exhibiting in this ten month-long event include Joan McKeever, Ginny Paternite, Marianne Stillwagon, Mary Burrell, Susan Irish Ellis, Suzanne Fiorino, Judy Saylor McElynn, Nancy Vineburgh, and Sandy Dimke. Susan Irish Ellis will also be featured as a live painter.
We have begun preparing for upcoming exhibits where we have secured exhibit space at the Art League of Hilton Head and the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, a Smithsonian affiliate museum. Chapter member Susan Irish Ellis will teach Gel Printmaking to our members in October. Susan says, “Printmaking without a press, also called Gel Plate Printing, is typically associated with craft – journaling or scrapbook pages but, in actual fact, can be of a fine art caliber.”
We look forward to welcoming new members to our chapter this September and will host a social to meet and greet them this fall.
LETTERS
By Mildred Kaye
Mildred Kaye, Icarus Falling, Digital painting, Giclée on canvas, 29 x 19 in.
A note to our readers: All of us enjoy the possibility of an art sale, so you can be excused for wanting (at least for a few seconds) to believe the offer is real. NAWA member Mildred Kaye was kind enough to send her concerns about the following scam, and it’s well worth the read. Both Susan Hammond, our Executive Director, and I suffered a similar scam last year. We all survived! – Sandra Bertrand
Dear Reader:
I just averted a scam directed at artists. After buttering me up about how much they enjoyed my art online, they sent me a cashiers’ check. Funny thing, though. They sent it for twice what I asked for. When I notified them of that, they told me to deposit the check and send them a post office money order for $2,800 along with some elaborate instructions about how to overnight it to them. It was so confusing that I took the check to the bank manager to see if she could make heads or tails of what this meant. She took one look at the “cashier’s check” and recognized it to be a phony. She judged it by the quality of the paper and some erasures I had missed.
This is a variation of the Nigerian Prince scam, in which they deposit maybe $1,000,000 in your bank account and ask you to send them back half. We are notoriously vulnerable to people who compliment us on our work.
Mildred
www.mildredkaye.com
NAWA READS
Book Cover, Foursome, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keefe, Paul Strand, Rebecca Salsbury
By Nancy Vineburgh
Foursome: Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keefe, Paul Strand, Rebecca Salsbury
Carolyn Burke
Alfred A. Knopf
New York 2019
If you are looking for insight into how to make love with your camera or how to make love with your paintbrush, Foursome is the book for you! Ostensibly about the relationships and interrelationships between Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe, and Paul Strand and Rebecca Salsbury, Foursome is really the story of the genius of Stieglitz. His was a genius that inspired and nurtured the afore-mentioned artists; that ushered in modernism in American art; that elevated photography to an art form; and that ultimately changed America’s way of seeing and appreciating art and aesthetics in the twentieth century.
Stieglitz was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1864 into a highly cultured, German Jewish family that fostered freedom of thought and a depth of knowledge of many artistic disciplines. He discovered photography in Germany at Berlin Polytechnic where he mastered the medium’s ‘chemistry and optics.’ Upon returning to Manhattan in 1890, he entered into a marriage of convenience with Emmeline Obermeyer, whose wealth enabled him to pursue his photographic activities. These included joining and conjoining numerous photography clubs, editing photography journals, and opening and overseeing art galleries. Over the next fifteen years, Stieglitz brought together young American artists such as John Marin, Alfred Maurer and Marsden Hartley, introduced the work of Cezanne and Picasso, and pursued his mission to have photography recognized as an art form.
Between 1915 and 1916, Stieglitz met the photographer, Paul Strand and the artist, Georgia O’Keefe, calling them the “next generation of kindred spirits.” Strand recounts the best criticism he ever received when Stieglitz, upon seeing his early photographs, remarked that the soft-focus lens produced an “agreeable blur” in which everything looks the same: “Grass looks like water; water looks like it has the same quality as the bark of the tree; and you’ve lost all the elements that distinguish one form from another.” Stieglitz did go on to mentor and encourage Strand, whose work earned him a place as one of America’s early art photographers.
On January 1, 1916 a friend of Georgia O’Keefe’s showed Stieglitz some of her charcoals to which he said, “Finally a woman on paper whose ‘line’ pulsed with sensuality—woman unafraid!” Stieglitz said her work was “the purist, finest, sincerest things” that had come into his gallery. In 1923, he oversaw her first exhibit, Alfred Stieglitz Presents One Hundred Pictures, Oils, Water-colors, Pastels, Drawings, by Georgia O’Keefe, American. In the face of significant sales, she had to accept her reliance on him, “in a world where artists’ reputations were constructed and maintained by men.”
In 1922, Strand married Rebecca Salsbury, and in 1924, Stieglitz married Georgia O’Keefe. The couples were close for ten years. Rebecca, who was drawn to the free lifestyle of these artists, ultimately found her métier, oil painting on glass.
The couples began to drift apart in the early 1930s when Georgia discovered Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, a landscape she would paint for the rest of her life. Although she and Alfred stayed married, his liaison with another woman caused Georgia to suffer a serious nervous breakdown. Despite her independence, she—like so many others—was reliant on his life-affirming energy. “He gave flight to the spirit and faith in their own way to more people – particularly young people –than anyone I have known – if they crossed him in any way, his power to destroy was as destructive as his power to build –the extremes went together. I put up with what seemed to me a good deal of contradictory nonsense because of what seemed clear and bright and wonderful.”
The reader of Foursome cannot help but be caught up in Stieglitz’s incredible power, which permeates both the individual and couple relationships depicted in this book. Surprisingly, this writer too felt a flight of spirit and a new way of looking at her art. NAWA readers may experience this as well.
EXHIBITS ON YOUR RADAR
Betye Saar in her Los Angeles garden, Photo: Erik Carter for The New York Times
Betye Saar: The Legends of Black Girl’s Window
Museum of Modern Art
October 21, 2019 – January 4, 2019
This retrospective of African-American artist Betye Saar at the Museum of Modern Art (October 21-January 4th) is long overdue. The 93-year old artist was born and lives and works in Los Angeles. From her earliest days, she was inspired by the likes of Joseph Cornell and his fantastical constructions. As a girl, she witnessed Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers, created from broken dishes, shells, even corncobs pressed into cement and transformed into his spiral towers.
Betye Saar, The Black Girl’s Window, 1969, Wooden window frame with paint, cut-and-pasted printed and painted papers, daguerreotype, lenticular print, and plastic figurine, 35 3/4 × 18 × 1 1/2″ Museum of Modern Art, New York © 2019 Betye Saar, courtesy the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles.
Digital Image © 2018 The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Photo: Rob Gerhardt
Best known for her assemblages, the autobiographical piece highlighted in the exhibit’s title was a formative and shocking piece for its time. Drawn almost entirely from the Museum’s collection, it is an in-depth solo exhibition exploring the deep ties between the artist’s iconic autobiographical assemblage Black Girl’s Window (1969) and her rare early prints, made during the 1960s. In addition, it highlights the recent acquisition of 42 works on paper that provide an overview of Saar’s sophisticated, experimental print practice.
Her work is innately political—a convergence of black power, spirituality, mysticism and feminism. Her collages and assemblages speak volumes to the black experience in America. The Liberation of Aunt Jemima for example, transformed the iconic black character embraced by the white race into an image of black power. In her words, “It’s like they abolished slavery but they left black people in the kitchen as Mammy jars.”
Amy Sherald: the heart of the matter…
Hauser & Wirth
September 10 – October 22, 2019
Amy Sherald, The Girl Next Door, 2019, When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be (Self-imagined atlas),
2018. Artwork via Amy Sherald, Hauser & Wirth
“I look at America’s heart—people, landscapes, and cityscapes—and I see it as an opportunity to add to an American art narrative…I paint because I am looking for versions of myself in art history and in the world.”
– Amy Sherald
Amy Sherald was born in Columbus, GA in 1973 and is based in Baltimore, MD. She documents contemporary black experience through arresting, otherworldly paintings. Drawing upon the American Realist tradition, she subverts the medium of portraiture to tease out unexpected narratives and situate black heritage centrally in the story of American art. With “the heart of the matter…” her inaugural exhibition with Hauser & Wirth, New York, (September 10-October 26), Sherald debuts a suite of new paintings that reinforces the multiplicities of African-American life and invites viewers to reconsider commonly accepted notions of race and representation.
This exhibit will be closed by the time we go to print, but we wanted to make certain you were aware of this distinguished artist’s portraits.
Kara Walker: Fons Americanus
Commission Tate Modern & Hyundai Motor
October 2 – April, 2020
Kara Walker in front of her work, Fons Americanus, Installation view of Kara Walker, Fons Americanus ,
2019, at the Tate Modern. © Ben Fisher 2019, at the Tate Modern. © Tate photography Matt Greenwood
Kara Walker is in a class by herself. You could say that about many artists for their talent, passion and longevity, but Walker is a true original. Her black paper cut-outs, referencing the history of slavery in provocative and elaborate works, have impressed themselves on the consciousness in an indelible way.
Her 2019 Hyundai Commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall opens to the public from October 2, 2019 to April 5, 2020. This New York-based artist continues to be renowned for her candid explorations of race, gender, sexuality and violence, from drawings, paintings, murals, shadow puppets and projections to large-scale sculptural installations.
It’s no exaggeration to say that once you have witnessed her dark dream-like creations, you will see the world around you in a new light.
Wangechi Mutu, The NewOnes, will free us
Metropolitan Museum of Art
September 9, 2019 – January 12, 2020
Wangechi Mutu, The Seated I, installation view, 2019, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Courtesy: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
For the first time in its 117th year history, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) is installing on the outside exterior of its iconic building four bronze sculptures by contemporary Kenyan artist Wangechi Muti (b. 1972). If you have not seen the work of this Brooklyn-based sculptor, you should acquaint yourself with her amazing output.
According to the Met’s press release, the sculptures “engage in a critique of gender and racial politics that is as pointed as it is poetic and fantastic…the artist has reimagined a leitmotif common to the history both Western and African art: the caryatid, a sculpted figure, almost always female, meant to serve as a means of either structural or metaphorical support.”
The four sculptures will be on view through January 12, 2020. These works don’t just hint at greatness, they exemplify it. – Sandra Bertrand
Women Artists on the Leading Edge: Celebrating Douglass College at 100 and Recent Acquisitions in Photography
The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University
September 3 – January 11, 2019
Kristen Kraa, Tom Mix
The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ has delved into its permanent collection to explore pivotal trends in art with two exciting exhibitions: Women Artists on the Leading Edge: Celebrating Douglass College at 100 and Recent Acquisitions in Photography, which runs through January 11, 2020. The first exhibition is in honor of the publication of Professor Emerita Joan Marter’s excellent study of works by ten Douglas alumnae reflecting various stages of their careers. In addition, the second exhibit features 26 photographs gifted to the museum and showing a range of subjects and techniques since the early 20th century. One of NAWA’s members in the first exhibit is Kirsten Kraa (her painting “Tom Mix” is featured above.)
A reception and panel discussion will be held October 29, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. at the Zimmerli Art Museum.
The NAWA permanent collection was established in 1991 under the leadership of Liana Moonie (1922-2016), who served as NAWA President from 1987-1989. It is housed at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum and contains the work of artists from the organization’s earliest days to the present.
WHO’S ON BOARD
Cornelia Seckel
Cornelia Seckel
In 1984, Raymond J. Steiner (1933-2019), a writer and teacher with a background in art, philosophy and aesthetics and me, a teacher who worked extensively in social service and career counseling, had an idea. That was to present the arts of the region in a literary journal that would serve as a resource for all of the arts. After extensive research (if it was such a good idea why hadn’t anyone done it? And if it had been done, why are they no longer in business?), I learned that two things make for success in business: strong singular vision and the determination and stamina to make it happen. ART TIMES, after 33 years in print, is now an online-only publication and has rapidly grown to be the “go to” place for creatives, and people who are supporters of the arts. There are insightful articles about all the arts, short fiction and poetry as well as valuable resources for competitions, auditions, events, calls for entries and businesses.
It has been a great joy to learn that so many have taken advantage of the resources we’ve provided and truly a blessing to do that which nourishes not only my own soul but the soul of our culture.
It was many years ago that I learned about NAWA from a friend and was impressed by the organization’s mission. Years later when asked to be an honorary VP and then a member of the board, I was, and continue to be quite honored.
A long version of how arttimesjournal came to be is on our website.
Cornelia working on the first issue of ART TIMES, July 1984
CURRENT & UPCOMING NAWA EXHIBITIONS
Artwork by Nicole Maye Luga
BEAMESDERFER 4: REAL/UNREAL
B. Beamesderfer Galler
6 North Second Ave, Highland Park, NY 08904
September 5–October 31, 2019
Artwork by Kate Kennedy
BIG ACTION SMALL SPACES II
Lord & Andra Gallery
240 North Avenue Division Street, Suite 215 (2nd Floor)
New Rochelle, NY
Oct. 4 – Nov. 30, 2019
Reception: Oct. 7, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Abbott Anderson Thayer
Art Angels
NAWA GALLERY
315 West 39th Street, Suite 508, NYC
Oct 9 – Oct 30, 2019
Reception: October 17, 2019
Artwork by Terry Plater
NEW MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION
NAWA GALLERY
315 West 39th Street, Suite 508, NYC
November 6– June 28, 2019
Reception: November 14, 3 – 5pm
Carolyn McLeod
JOYOUS LIGHT
Edward Williams Gallery
Fairleigh Dickinson University
150 Kotte Place, Hackensack, NJ
November 18, 2019– January 10, 2020
Reception: December 7, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Kat Masella
PRINTMAKING & ENCAUSTIC PAINTING
NAWA Gallery
315 West 39th Street, Suite 508
New York NY 10018
December 11, 2019 – January 3, 2020
Reception: December 18, 5-7pm
EVENTS
130th Annual Members’ Exhibition
This year from September 21 – October 2, NAWA celebrated its 130th birthday at One Art Space in the thriving Tribeca section of New York City. The reception was a resounding success, with an invitation to return in 2020, another landmark year–the 100th celebration of the nation’s women getting the vote.
NAWA’S been very busy promoting the talents of so many women artists and it’s a good thing because there’s still much to be done. The diversity, originality and sheer excellence of artworks on display is a stunning achievement. Many awards were given but for so many of the artists who choose to exhibit, it’s enough reward to come from near and far to share the commonality and camaraderie of being creators together.
130th Annual Members’ Exhibition at One Art Space, 53 Warren Street, Tribeca, NYC
Five Medals of Honor were presented in five categories as follows: For Painting, Leslie Tejada for Inscape #9: The Storm; for Works on Paper, Karla Leopold’s Generational Women Bonding to Get Her to Move Forward; in the Mixed Media/Collage category, Rhonda Urdang’s Liberation of Harriet Tubman (1867); for excellence in Photography/Printmaking/Digital, Jill Sneidman’s photograph Vast Wasteland; and for sculpture, Betty Usdan-Zwickler’s Cable News. For a complete list of awards, please visit www.thenawa.org.
We all enjoy sharing the excitement of each year’s Annual Exhibition, but every member should be encouraged to exhibit at the many worthy shows available for your consideration throughout the year. Please visit the NAWA website regularly, check your emails for the frequent press releases and notifications of interest and keep up to date on the news of our growing national membership through NAWA NOW, your quarterly newsletter.
RECENT MEMBER SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITS
Pam Tarbell
Solo Exhibition
11 Bank Street, Lebanon, NH
September 6 – October 3, 2019
CURRENT/UPCOMING MEMBER SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITS
Karen L. Kirshner
Abstract Adventures
Bryant Library
2 Paper Mill Road, Roslyn, NY
September 4 – October 31, 2019
Joanne Beaule Ruggles
Pilgrimage
Alla Hancock College, Ann Foxworthy Gallery
800 South College Drive, Santa Maria, CA
September 4 – October 25, 2019
Pam Tarbell
Solo Exhibition
Nesto Gallery, Milton Academy
170 Centre Street, Milton, MA
September 26 – November 1, 2019
Solo Exhibition
Durham Public Library
49 Madbury Road, Durham, NH
November 1 – 30, 2019
Anna Walinska
Return to Riverside
The Master Gallery
310 Riverside Drive, NYC
October 24, 2019 – January 24, 2020
Reception: October 24, 7:00 – 8:30pm
PUBLICATIONS
Sandra Bertrand
Highbrow Magazine
Paying Homage to the Genius of Black Artists
October 4, 2019
www.highbrowmagazine.com
Sandra Bertrand
Highbrow Magazine
Do Artists Make the Best Curators? The Guggenheim Collection Revealed in Groundbreaking New Exhibit
October 9, 2019
www.highbrowmagazine.com
Karen L. Kirshner
The National League of American Pen Women
Featured Poem accompanied by artwork titled Kenetic (aka Chaos)
August 7, 2019
www.nlapw.org/2019/08/07
A WORD FROM YOUR CO-EDITORS
Jennifer Jean-Costello, the new President of NAWA’s Massachusetts chapter, said it best about our new fall season: “Welcome changes come with Autumn. You want to exhale and revel in all the abundant beauty all around you!”
We agree whole-heartedly. It’s been a very productive year for NAWA–celebrating our 130th anniversary with great exhibits, a re-enactment of our founding in 1889 and welcoming new members to an ever-growing national membership. A sea change happened this year, with the passing of the presidential gavel from Jill Cliffer Baratta to Natalia Koren Kropf. We celebrate both amazing women and their steady and unwavering commitment to NAWA. And fear not! Jill will continue to be a very vital and loving part of our organization as our Vice President.
Another change is one we greet with mixed emotions. Susan G. Hammond, our beloved Executive Director, will be stepping down from her duties at the end of this year. I know that we wish her all the best for the bright future we can expect from this talented woman, but we will miss her irreplaceable good humor and constant commitment to NAWA and all its members in that role. She will thankfully continue to be an active part of the national organization (See her Farewell Letter in this issue.)
And it has been a continuing pleasure as your co-editors to read about your challenges and successes throughout the year. We want to encourage you to keep sending us your news and letters, which are so enriching to our readers.
On the larger stage, we enjoy researching exhibitions and publications about the extraordinary and talented women artists in our midst in the U.S. and abroad. We have come so far on a long journey and statistics still show that the world needs to become a little more aware of our accomplishments. We will make sure that they do!
Thank you for being part of the NAWA family.
