Manhattan Arts International "Celebrate HerStory"

Holiday Greetings!

2010-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Wishing All HerStory Followers a Blessed Holiday Season!

This time of the year is busy indeed so take time to rest and restore your batteries. The fairy in this photo reminds me to stop and stay focused in the present moment.

I think it's very important for our holistic wellness to balance relaxation against hard work, serenity against activity, silence against conversation. So, in the months ahead I'll be taking some of my own advice about balance and time-management. I will be focusing on completing some major projects.

In the months ahead I will take time to pause and refrain from posting on this blog in order to finish some major projects. However, I will continue to contribute to my other blogs, so please visit:
The Artrepreneur Coach http://bit.ly/reneephillipsartcoach
The Healing Power of ART http://bit.ly/healingartblog

In the meantime please join me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter!

My Best Wishes to You!
I wish you and your loved ones all the beauty, love and blessings associated with the holiday season. May your dreams come to fruition and bring more than you could ever possibly imagine!

Warmest regards,
Renee

National Association of Women Artists

2010-11-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Going Strong Since 1889

In 1889, when barred from full participation in the male-dominated National Academy of Design and The Society of American Artists, five visionary women founded the Women's Art Club. They were Grace Fitz-Randolph, Edith Mitchell Prellwitz, Adele Frances Bedell, Anita C. Ashley, and Elizabeth S. Cheever.

In the 1930s the membership grew to over 1,000 women artists. The organization opened its Argent Galleries on 57th Street in New York City. In 1941 the organization changed its name to the National Association of Women Artists, NAWA, as we know it today.

The N.A.W.A. gallery is currently located at 80 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1405, New York, NY 10011. Call for hours: 212.675.1616.

Early exhibitions included works by the notable artists Rosa Bonheur, Mary Cassatt, Suzanne Valadon, and Cecelia Beaux. Later, membership rosters included Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Louise Nevelson, Cleo Hartwig, Malvina Hoffman, Alice Neel, and Nell Blaine, among others.

Shown here is Mary Cassatt's painting "Sara Holding a Cat", painted in 1908.

The NAWA archive contains a wealth of information about American Women artists through the ranks of its membership.

N.A.W.A. has three categories of membership including: Regular Juried Membership; Associate Membership (non-juried); and Junior/Student Membership.

For more information about the organization, its members, and how to join visit http://www.thenawa.org/

Maxine Hess: Intrigued by Transformation

2010-11-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

"Women Are Fluid in Motion... But Grounded"

Maxine Hess is intrigued by the idea of transformation. She states, "I delight in exploring the multiple transformational qualities I observe in myself and other women, our ability to move from one state to another, from one environment to another, and our ever changing and adapting to the complexities of life. Women are fluid in motion like sea fans in the ocean and trees in the wind, but grounded."

Maxine Hess, “Nail Polish Series – Winter,” nail polish, gouache and embroidery thread on paper, 9" x 12". Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission.

Maxine Hess's intention is to express the separate and collective journeys of women, and to explore her own beliefs and her sister’ attitudes of reflectivity and hopefulness. She does this by using a variety of media including paint, embroidery thread, and nail polish, while incorporating symbols such as the sea fan, along with repeating patterns.

"My initial art studies were grounded in representational art, but outside of the academic setting I was exposed to abstract expressionism. As a result my work reflects both representational and non-objective imagery.

I continue to create art that comes from my spirit, with the hope of evoking an emotional reaction in the viewer."

Maxine Hess, “Eight Views of A Woman - #2,” Silk and embroidery thread, hand made paper, monotype on paper, 22" x 13". Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission.

Maxine has exhibited in many juried competitions and solo and featured shows locally and internationally including the Georgia Museum of Art, Manhattan Arts International Healing Power of Art, Atlanta Artists Center Synchronicity, Reinhardt College, and Cherokee County Arts Council. She has received several awards for her works on paper and has been published in the journal Share. Her work is in numerous private collections.

Maxine Hess, “Topographical Series VI,” gouache and embroidery thread on paper, 22" x 23.5". Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission.

Born and raised in Boston, MA, Maxine studied at Boston University School of Fine and Applied Art and received her BFA from the Atlanta College of Art. Her varied experiences working as a consultant and coach and her travels to many of the Caribbean Islands as well as to Israel, France, Italy and England add depth and originality to her work. She lived in several places in the United States during the 60’s and 70’s before settling in Atlanta, GA where she now resides with her husband and tabby cat.

To view more of Maxine's work visit her website at http://www.maxinehessstudio.com/

International Museum of Women

2010-10-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

The mission of I.M.O.W., http://www.imow.org, is to value the lives of women around the world.

I.M.O.W. is a groundbreaking social change museum that inspires global action, connects people across borders and transforms hearts and minds by amplifying the voices of women worldwide through global online exhibitions, history, the arts and cultural programs that educate, create dialogue and build community.

With its unique focus on cultural change, I.M.O.W. advances the human right to gender equity worldwide.

What Difference Do Women Make?
Welcome to a world where women rule! Read the untold stories of women claiming and exercising their power around the world and throughout history. Here you'll find inspiring examples of art, music, interviews and stories of women from all walks of life working to better themselves and their communities.

Visit http://www.imow.org/wpp/index

Economica! An Online Exhibition
Economica! is I.M.O.W.'s latest online exhibition that explores the many facets of women's experiences of and contributions to the global economy. Here you will find audio slideshows of the exhibition. You can also listen to podcasts, participate in forum conversations and submit your own work for possible inclusion in the exhibition. There is also a resources section for recommended reading and viewing.

Visit http://www.imow.org/economica/index

Women Artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Period

2010-09-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Illustrious Women: In Search of the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood
By Helena Domenic, Artist, Educator, Poet, Writer and Visionary

It is important to note that women did make a significant contribution to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, particularly to what is known as the second and third waves of Pre-Raphaelitism...

Helena Domenic, http://www.mythandwonder.com/, Bellisama, detail of watercolor, 12" x 12". Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission. 8.5 x 11 prints of this painting are available. For more information visit http://www.mythandwonder.com/Store--Prints-and-Originals.html

Originally formed in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite movement was a significant British art movement of its time. Although now frequently dismissed for being overly sentimental and romantic, during the Victorian era, the Pre-Raphaelites helped to shape the aesthetics and art criticism of that period. A close artistic community, these artists and artisans not only challenged prevailing notions of art, they also challenged and scandalized each other.

Pre-Raphaelites such as William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and John Millais caused a ruckus, falling in love with and marrying their models, sleeping with one another’s wives, frequenting prostitutes and flaunting their mistresses. More important than their personal behavior, however, was their contribution to the art of their time.

Working in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, the painters of the Pre-Raphaelites were interested in a return to Nature, and in depicting Nature as it truly appeared. They also were reacting to the art of the time (for example, Impressionism was beginning to emerge as a movement at the same time), which John Everette Millais referred to as “slosh.” As outlined by William Michael Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelites aimed for:

1.To have genuine ideas to express;
2.To study Nature attentively, so as to know how to express them; To sympathize with what is direct and serious and heartfelt in previous art, to the exclusion of what is conventional and self-parading and learned by rote; and
3.And most indispensable of all, to produce thoroughly good pictures and statues. (Nunn, 1997).

Pre-Raphaelite aims and methods were further expounded upon by the critic John Ruskin, who become patron and mentor to several of the Pre-Raphaelites. He was also their herald, bringing their work to the attention of their contemporaries. Ruskin believed in individual integrity and morality, and also believed in painting things in a realistic fashion. He supported the Pre-Raphaelites’ interest in paintings that told moral tales, frequently with religious themes.

It is on the women of the Pre-Raphaelite period that I will focus with this article. I want to examine the way in which the Pre-Raphaelites shaped and were shaped by Victorian notions of womanhood. The artists of this movement were always on the lookout for a particular sort of woman they called a “stunner”; specifically, women with full, sensual lips, long dramatic hair and alabaster skin. They had a particular interest in lower-class women, who they often hoped to educate and elevate through art. This theme recurs again and again within their paintings; that of the lowly woman redeemed by a man of higher station.

I think, perhaps, at least some of the genesis for this ideal comes from an interest in medievalism, and the idea of rescuing the fair damosel. Rossetti seemed to set the standard, at least in the beginning, as he is the one who glorified the image of Jane Morris whose appearance is now recognizable as the quintessential Pre-Raphaelite woman.

One can not help but wonder how the women who painted felt about these ideals and how the models and muses saw themselves through the Pre-Rapahaelite gaze.

It is important to note that women did make a significant contribution to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, particularly to what is known as the second and third waves of Pre-Raphaelitism, and that perhaps they kept the movement going much longer than it would have otherwise, extending it into the 1890's and into the beginning of the twentieth century.

There were some women Pre-Raphaelites who were as talented (if not more so) than their male counterparts. Perhaps due to Victorian notions of what was an acceptable livelihood for women, they never achieved the status of their male counterparts. I also wish to examine the lives and art of THESE women, and how they helped to shape the movement. I will examine, in particular, how these women viewed their work through the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic, and whether they saw themselves and their subjects through the same lens as the male artists.

Pamela Gerrish Nunn, in the exhibition catalog for Pre-Raphaelite Women Artists, talks about the irony of how certain ideals may have made working as a woman Pre-Raphaelite most difficult:

The female element in such a tale of cultural cut and thrust has usually been confined to the models and muses of the marvelous boys....This has been despite, or perhaps because of, the centrality to Pre-Raphaelitism’s image and reputation of woman. Woman - the object, icon, motif and motive of whom and from Pre-Raphaelitism is said to have been made - has perversely, masked the presence within the movement of women - active, executive autonomous subjects making Pre-Raphaelitism. (Page 54, 1997).

John Ruskin, patron of Rossetti, Lizzie Siddal and several other of the Pre-Raphaelites had pointed opinions of women and art, yet his writings frequently appealed to women because of his approach to learning to make art. He believed in the importance of painting from nature, and a woman without access to art classes, could conceivably teach herself to make art through observing and painting her natural surroundings. As shall be seen later, however, he was still all too Victorian in his attitudes towards appropriate vocations for women.

The Pre-Raphaelite women painters would have had, in addition to Ruskin’s writings, access to The Germ, the Pre-Raphaelite journal of art and literature. Barbara Bodichon, an artist who like Rossetti, used Lizzie Siddal as a model, wrote to a friend in 1850:

“If you can, get a sight of the ‘Germ,’ a small publication put forth by a set of crazy young poetical men in London, artists, mostly, who call themselves the ‘Pre-Raphaelian brethren’ and seek in all things for the simplicity of nature.” (Marsh, 1997, Page 57).

It is clear that even if they could not obtain the recognition they were seeking, women did have access to and read the same journals as their male counterparts.

Although I admit (perhaps hesitatingly) that I actually LIKE the Pre-Raphaelites, my interest in them is more than just personal. They were painting at a crucial moment in art history, when ideas about art and the academy were poised to change. I believe it will be fascinating to study them and the woman they so often painted and lived with.

The most difficult aspect of writing this article has been trying to give my attention to the aesthetics of the Pre-Raphaelite women. Their social status as women in the Victorian era heavily influenced their careers, and not to mention this social aspect would hamper interpretation of their work. I have strived, as much as possible, to present a balance of the societal constraints of the time, and the aesthetics and beauty of their work.

About Helena Domenic

Helena Domenic was born in Vicenza, Italy where she developed a love of art at a very early age, touring the Sistine Chapel at the age of eighteen months. Helena received her BFA in Fine Art from Kutztown University and her MA in Art Education from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She currently teaches Art History, African Art, Drawing, and Painting at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Helena completed her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. Helena’s work at Goddard was focused upon the nexuses between visual and performing arts, ritual and theater, and serving one’s community through the arts, as well as a concentration in African Studies.

Helena is currently an Assistant Professor of Fine Art at Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania where she teaches Art History, African Art, Drawing, and Watercolor. Helena is also the Director of Biddle Hall Art Gallery At Cheyney, where she organizes exhibitions of faculty, student and alumni artwork as well as exhibitions from outside the university community.

Helena’s artwork has appeared in publications such as Faerie magazine, Green Egg, Sage Woman, and other publications. In addition to teaching at Cheyney, Helena has taught at The University of the Arts, and a variety of conferences and festivals around the country. Helena has organized art exhibits for the Cheyney University campus and her work has appeared in art galleries around the world.

Helena currently lives in Exton with her husband Sean and three cats: Bella, Piper, and Cassandra.

View more of Helena Domenic's work at http://www.mythandwonder.com/

Pen and Brush, A Vibrant Women's Resource

2010-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

We are delighted to salute The Pen and Brush, http://www.penandbrush.org, an international membership organization. Located in New York, NY, it serves women in the visual, literary and performing arts and supporting public members.

Corina S. Alvarezdelugo, Awareness, one of the award winners of Manhattan Arts International HerStory 2009, an online competition and exhibition juried by Janice Sands, Executive Director of Pen and Brush and Renee Phillips, Director of Manhattan Arts International. Corina is also exhibiting in "Transitions", a virtual event of visual, literary, and performing arts presented by The Pen & Brush Inc, NYC. Curated by Bina Sarkar Ellias founder and editor of International Gallerie Magazine, through the Summer 2010. Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission.

The Pen and Brush was founded 115 years ago. Among its early members were First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Ellen Axson Wilson, in addition to Pulitzer Prize recipients Marianne Moore, Margaret Widdemer and Pearl S. Buck.

Pen and Brush is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It is a vibrant resource for its members, nonmember participants, and a flourishing cultural center for the surrounding community. The Pen and Brush's archives (1894 - 1934) are stored on microfilm in the Archives of American Art.

The Mission of Pen and Brush

Pen and Brush Artist Membership is open to women only. Our mission is to advocate for and promote the equality of opportunities available to women in the visual, literary, and performing arts. By expanding the influence and significance of the work of women artists, Pen and Brush supports the inherent value of their work. Pen and Brush provides facilities for exhibition of the work of visual artists, publication of writers’ work, performance events for performing artists, readings, mentoring and seminars.

The Goals of Pen and Brush

Address the inequality of opportunities available to women seeking careers in the arts by providing a dedicated facility for the presentation of their work.

Represent consistently high standards of professionalism in the presentation of art created by women.

Encourage and support young and emerging women artists through scholarships and mentoring.

Provide public access to the work of women artists in a setting that encourages exposure to the variety of art forms.

How It Accomplishes Its Goals

The Pen and Brush presents a variety of events throughout the year, including art exhibits, music and theater performances, writers' workshops and educational events. Most of these events are open to the general public, while some are designed specifically to benefit our membership.

Artist Membership

Artist Membership is open to all women who are active in the literary, visual, and performing arts. The yearly membership is a $75 donation, which is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. This is a non-juried category of membership.

Contact Information
Pen and Brush
16 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-475-3669
www.penandbrush.org

"Empowering Women" in The Gallery of Conscience

2010-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Quiet Revolution at The Museum of International Folk Art

Members of the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco. Photo courtesy of Nilda Callañaupa Álvarez and the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market.

Empowering Women: Artisan Cooperatives That Transform Communities at The Museum of International Folk Art shows the quiet revolution taking place around the world led by women artisan cooperatives. Taking the initiative to collectively produce, manage, and market their crafts, they have enriched their lives and become powerful forces in their communities.

This exhibition runs through January 2, 2011 in the Gallery of Conscience. It features weaving, beadwork, painting, baskets, embroidery and other traditional folk arts from Bolivia, Rwanda, Peru, Swaziland, India, Kenya, Laos, South Africa, Morocco and Nepal.

The guest curator is Dr. Suzanne K. Seriff, Chair of the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market's Artist Selection Committee. Dr. Marsha Bol, Director of the Museum of International Folk Art explains the concept of a gallery of conscience "As the largest folk art museum in the world, there is a responsibility to create a forum to discuss current issues that folk artists are facing around the world. This Gallery of Conscience will be devoted to the examination of issues that threaten the survival of the traditional arts, bringing them to the attention of our visitors."

The Museum of International Folk Art is located On Museum Hill, 706 Camino Lejo, off the Old Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico.

To learn more about the museum and its exhibitions visit http://www.internationalfolkart.org/exhibitions/current.html

What's In A Collective?

2010-08-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

A.I.R. Gallery Presents "tART"

tart@ A.I.R. 2010: What's In A Collective?
August 5- August 29, 2010
Curated by tART member Anna Lise Jensen

The members of tART are pleased to present tart@ A.I.R. 2010: What's In A Collective?, an exhibition about the tART collective: its purpose, structure, members' art work, and collaborations.

The tART collective, founded in NYC in 2004 by emerging female artists, is committed to exploring the intersections of visual art and public engagement as well as to facilitate post-graduate studio visits. The collective's exhibitions have provided a platform to fundraise for Doctors Without Borders and Creative Time, to launch Zines, and to engage the public via workshops.

What's in a Collective? reflects the multidisciplinary aspect of the collective as well as the multiplicity within each artist - and rethinks the contemporary art exhibition by sharing member's tasks with the public.

Hermetic works co-exist with collaborations, open calls for participation, and a barter project in progress. Gallery sitting is combined with conducting interviews, leading workshops and organizing panel discussions.

At the end of the exhibition, a group critique takes place during gallery hours and de-installation is presented as a public performance.

The exhibition includes works by the following tART members: damali abrams, Liz Ainslie, Suzanne Bennett, Suzanne Broughel, Monica Carrier, Sophia Chai, Sydney Chastain-Chapman, Laurie Close, Melissa Cowper-Smith, Ann deVere, Laura Fayer, MaDora Frey, Rachael Gorchov, Lori Hayes, Katerina Lanfranco, Lisa Lindgren, Anna Lise Jensen, Elsie Kagan, Katherine Keltner, Essye Klempner, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, Sandra Mack-Valencia, Ilse Murdock, Deborah Pohl, Asya Reznikov, Susan Ross, Carrie Rubinstein, Nikki Schiro, Jenn Sitron, Yasmin Spiro, Melissa Staiger, Rosemary Taylor, Petra Valentova, and Julia Whitney Barnes.

A.I.R. Gallery is located at 111 Front Street, #228 in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Gallery hours: Wed. - Sun., 11am to 6pm. For more information about tART and its member artists, please visit www.tartnyc.org or contact tartnewyork@gmail.com. For directions to the gallery, please visit www.airgallery.org.

Thank you for visiting the Celebrate HerStory blog. Please comment here, follow this blog, and suggest some future topics!

Emerging Women Artists at National Museum of Women in the Arts

2010-07-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

"Women to Watch" An Exhibition of Underrepresented Artists

The second installment in the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ (NMWA) Women to Watch exhibition series examines innovative approaches to a traditional subject; figure painting. Body of Work: New Perspectives on Figure Painting features work by eight emerging artists from the U.S. and U.K. The exhibition is on view July 2, 2010, through September 12, 2010.

NMWA’s biennial exhibition series Women to Watch features emerging or underrepresented artists from the states and countries in which the museum has outreach committees. Outreach committees throughout the U.S. and in Europe work to support the museum’s mission in local communities.

How the Exhibiting Artists Were Selected
The eight committees participating in Body of Work consulted with contemporary art curators in their respective regions to create shortlists of artists who specialize in the theme of this year’s exhibition — figure painting. NMWA Curator of Contemporary Art, Kathryn A. Wat, then selected the eight artists featured in the exhibition. This series, Women to Watch, increases the visibility of outstanding contemporary artists who are working in innovative ways.

About Julie Farstad
One of the exhibiting artists is Julie Farstad. Contrast is at the center of Julie's surreal paintings in which dolls are stand-ins for girls or women. A pointed contrast to typical images of girlhood passivity, Farstad’s aggressive narratives question how feminine identity is eventually formed.

An excerpt from Julie Farstad's Artist Statement
"In my work, I seek to explore themes of childhood, specifically the psychological dramas of girlhood, femininity and feminism.My paintings focus primarily on the doll as subject, and I use children’s toys and landscape references to create images that are about identity development, rites of passage, and my own experiences of childhood and adolescence.My practice is labor intensive, not only in the course of painting, but also in that I sculpt many of my paintings’ subjects out of papier-mâché or play dough before photographing them, in order to create the source images for my paintings. This process serves to underline the theme of childhood within the work, while also presenting the idea of experience as being an event that is dynamically created through perception."

Visit Julie Farstad's website at http://juliefarstad.com

About The National Museum of Women in the Arts
At the forefront of supportive institutions is The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC whose mission is, “To bring recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring and researching art by women and by educating the public concerning their accomplishments.” Its permanent collection, with more than 3,000 works, provides a comprehensive survey of art by women from the 16th century to the present.

Visit the NMWA website at www.nmwa.org

Writing Women Back into American History

2010-07-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

The National Women's History Project

Founded in 1980, The National Women's History Project (NWHP) http://www.nwhp.org is a non-profit educational organization in California committed to recognizing and celebrating the diverse and significant historical accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs.

Its theme for 2010 is "writing women back into American history."

With an emphasis on positive role models and the importance of women from all backgrounds, the NWHP has developed a nationwide constituency of teachers, students, parents, public employees, businesses, organizations, and individuals who understand the critical link between knowing about historical women and making a positive difference in today’s world.

Number One Resource
The NWHP is the catalyst, the content provider, the behind-the-scenes director of a myriad of activities promoting women as leaders and influential forces in our society. Over the past 25 years the NWHP has established a nationwide presence as the number one resource for information and material about the unfolding roles of women in American history.

The NWHP leads both local and national efforts, consults, publishes, distributes, inspires, advises, and networks with a wide variety of institutions and activists in the field.

For more information visit http://www.nwhp.org

About the Artwork Shown Here
Above is "Releasing the Veil", plaster for bonded bronze, 23" x 21" x 9" by Bren Sibilsky. Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved.
Do not copy any images without the artist's permission.

To view more of Bren's work visit the Manhattan Arts Online Gallery.

The Art Cure Project Launched by Tatiana von Tauber

2010-07-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

All Savannah, GA Breast Cancer Victims and Survivors
Invited to Participate

By Renee Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

I am honored to know international artist, photographer and writer Tatiana von Tauber who has recently launched a breast cancer awareness art project. For this project titled "The Art Cure" Tatiana is inviting patients and survivors to paint a work of art that will be auctioned off for charity in a month long exhibition.

50% of the proceeds will go to the Young Survival Coalition Savannah Affiliate for breast cancer awareness and research.

The art opening is scheduled for October 1, 2010 at Horizon Gallery, It's 206 E. Bay St., Savannah GA.

Tatiana states, "In order to make The Art Cure successful, we need you. We invite breast cancer victims and survivors from the Savannah, Georgia area to join us in August to participate in expressing yourself with a canvas and paint. She adds encouragingly, "Yes, you can finger paint if wish! It’s your painting and you can do what you want to."

Tatiana will be photographing the woman during this artistic journey. Each participant and their finished artwork will be combined into “The Art Cure Diary”, a photographic essay in book form.

Tatianna has a huge heart and is working so diligently on this project. I encourage everyone in the Savannah, Georgia area to spread the word and make sure this event is a huge success on every level.

If you or someone you know is a breast cancer victim or survivor and interested in being part of this local Savannah event, contact Tatiana for more information: theartcure@gmail.com.

Visit http://theartcure.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Women of Power: A Photo Exhibit by John Zeuli

2010-06-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: John Zeuli was selected to be featured in the Manhattan Arts International "The Healing Power of Art" online exhibition at www.ManhattanArts.com. The exhibition, which runs through September 19, 2010, features 62 artists from around the globe.

My work as a portrait / event photographer routinely exposes me to numerous different individuals. Many of these individuals are powerful, captivating women. This gave birth to my portrait exhibit, Women of Power. It is an ongoing, evolving exhibit which includes over 50 black and white portraits of powerful women.

Women of Power encompasses women of extremely diverse ages and life experiences. The common denominator? They all embody varied aspects of Power. Their concept of Power includes sophistication, innocence, wisdom, spirituality and even sensuality. The Powerful Thoughts that follow were randomly selected from the entire pool of participants.

"I'm powerful in that I have the conviction to follow my heart and passion..."

"Power is not something gained, nor something you're born with. Power is the essence of who you are, almost an aura about you that people either respect or reject."

"I define power as the ability to navigate the world and its happenings with conviction and results."

"I am powerful in that I now believe I can be whom I want to be and do what I want to do."

"Women view power somewhat differently than men in that women are broad in our thinking, looking at the larger picture. Women view long-term solutions and goals."

Do you know a Powerful Woman? Feel free to refer her to this ongoing exhibit. I invite you to participate by emailing me your thoughts on power and womanhood to johnzeuliphotog@aol.com. All responses are posted anonymously as I don’t include names.

A sampling of the Exhibit is hosted on my website www.johnzeuliphotography.com. It can be found under the Heading Exhibits on the navigation bar.

My photographic series Women of Power is also periodically displayed in large print format throughout Savannah, Georgia and the Southeast. To inquire about hosting a large print exhibit or to refer a candidate for me to photograph, simply send me an email.

Also feel free to comment here on this blog about John Zeuli and the subject of women of power!

Happy Women's History Month!

2010-03-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

"Eve: Mother of All", bonded bronze, 54" x 48" x 34" by Bren Sibilsky http://www.brensculpture.com

Women Artists Moving Forward

As we celebrate Women's History Month, I would like to share this excerpt from the chapter "Women Artists Moving Forward" from my book Success NOW! For Artists, last revised in 2007. Copies are available from the Manhattan Arts International web site.

For centuries women artists have endured limited artistic options. We have come a long way since Artemisia Gentileschi’s time but we must still continue to forge ahead.

At the forefront of supportive institutions is The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) http://www.nmwa.org in Washington, DC whose mission is, “To bring recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring and researching art by women and by educating the public concerning their accomplishments.” Its permanent collection, with more than 3,000 works, provides a comprehensive survey of art by women from the 16th century to the present.

There are many organizations, foundations and galleries that are playing an important role in leveling the playing field in the art world. Anonymous Was A Woman was established in response to the elimination of fellowships by the NEA. Guerrilla Girls in New York City and California have made positive changes through public exposure and protests.

Still in existence and going strong are many of the galleries that were established in the ‘70’s to give women artists representation and to show art with materials and subject matter that were not accepted by commercial galleries including ARC Gallery http://www.arcgallery.org/, started in 1973 in Chicago. Run by women the gallery also shows the work of men artists. In the summer of 2003 there was a panel discussion in celebration of ARC’s 30th anniversary. In reporting the event in The Chicago Artists’ News writer Judy Prisoc quoted Aimee Picard, board member of Woman Made Gallery in Chicago as saying although there used to be an Old Boys Network, “We have created our own networks…” Aimee added, “But, we need to keep breaking down the walls that keep us from participating.”

New York City is also the home of several galleries that are run by women artists. Located in Chelsea, the mecca of galleries in Manhattan, we have AIR, Ceres and SoHo 20. There are also many women’s arts organizations in New York City including The Crystal Quilt, Guerrilla Girls, National Association of Women Artists, New York Society of Women Artists, Pen and Brush Club, Professional Women Photographers, and Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club.

We never know how high we are till we are called to rise.
And then, if we are true to plan our statures touch the skies.
Emily Dickinson

Women Gaining Power

I strongly believe that women will have equal power when their net worth equals their self worth.
Make no mistake about it: The commercial art world is a business and money rules. Education is the path to equality.

I also believe that we must never allow ourselves to be blinded by selfish ambition that we turn out backs on each other. I was honored to have attended a special luncheon at the Brooklyn Museum when Dr. Elizabeth A. Sackler, who gifted Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party” to the Museum was awarded the first Women in the Arts award for her “scholarly contribution, vision and generous patronage.”

In her acceptance speech Dr. Sackler referred to how she was raised and said, “I was told, quite frequently, that one must leave the world a better place than when one arrives… It is my sincerest hope that my gift to this museum supports and makes home for women in the arts who hold justice, equality and peace as primary tenets of goals to be achieved.”

Advice for Women Artists

* Continue to network among yourselves and increase your practice of networking with men.
* Sharpen your business, financial management and wealth-building skills.
* Be assertive and visible in the art community and the world at large.
* Learn to delegate. Become your own CEO of your life and career.
* Keep your eye on the big picture, avoid getting bogged down by the energy draining minutia.
* Take more calculated risks and dare to express your personal power.
* Build a solid, strong, people power base, among men and women in art and business.

Those of us who want to help women artists can Level the Playing Field:

* Make a conscious commitment to buy more women artists’ work.
* Contribute time and money to help women artists’ organizations.
* Place women's artwork in major auctions to increase the value of their art.
* Recommend, hire and support qualified women for jobs in fine art institutions.
* Volunteer to help women artists, women arts organizations and women art galleries. Serve on their advisory boards.
* Become a mentor for younger women artists.
* Write and speak about the discrimination that exists against women and all minorities.
* Suggest ways to improve conditions and increase equality for all artists

I welcome your comments and any information about other organizations that support women in the arts.

Women Artists Dominate the Whitney Biennial

2010-02-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, what can we say? For the first time in the history of the Whitney Biennial, a majority -- 52% -- of the 55 artists are women. The 2000 Biennial was made up of 36 percent women; in 2008, it was 40 percent.

Do you think this event will have any tangible impact?

Links to related articles/reviews:
Art: Women at the 2010 Whitney Biennial

Art Review | Whitney Biennial: At a Biennial on a Budget, Tweaking and Provoking by Holland Cotter
"The Whitney Biennial has dead spots..."

Five From the Whitney Biennial: Babette Mangolte

Whitney Biennial 2010: News + Views

Giving Women Artists A Voice: Quotes by Women Artists

2010-02-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

A compilation by Renee Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

This is a collection of some quotes by women artists. I searched online and in my several art and quotation books only to find far fewer quotes by women artists than men. I will continue my search and will add them here. Please share your favorite quotes by women artists on this blog.

Sources for these quotes include: Artist to Artist, a book compiled by Clint Brown; http://womenshistory.about.com; http://painting.about.com; http://www.brainyquote.com; and http://www.artquotes.net/

Art is about mystery. -- Marisol

I don't paint like a woman is supposed to paint. Thank God, art doesn't bother about things like that. -- Alice Neel

Because the mask is your face, the face is a mask, so I'm thinking of the face as a mask because of the way I see faces is coming from an African vision of the mask which is the thing that we carry around with us, it is our presentation, it's our front, it's our face. -- Faith Ringgold

You must create your own world. I'm responsible for my world. -- Louise Nevelson

I believe that it is crucial for women artists to situate ourselves in the context of our own gender, class and ethnic histories and struggles rather than in relationship to male histories. -- Judy Chicago

I get up early and ease into the day for about an hour. Then I start working. There are a lot of tricks you have to keep playing on yourself to keep at it because every time you hit a problem you want to walk away. -- Janet Fish

I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration. -- Frida Kahlo

I look out the window sometimes to seek the color of the shadows and the different greens in the trees, but when I get ready to paint I just close my eyes and imagine a scene. -- Grandma Moses

If painting is no longer needed, it seems a pity that some of us are born into the world with such a passion for line and color. -- Mary Cassatt

There's only one thing in life for a woman; it's to be a mother... A woman artist must be ... capable of making the primary sacrifices. -- Mary Cassatt

And with painting, you have to educate yourself as a viewer by seeing more and more. The more you see, the more you understand. -- Jennifer Bartlett

I find that women can be creative in total isolation. I know excellent women artists who do original work without any response to speak of. Maybe they are used to a lack of feedback. Maybe they are tougher. -- Elaine de Kooning

Everywhere in the modern world there is neglect, the need to be recognized, which is not satisfied. Art is a way of recognizing oneself, which is why it will always be modern. -- Louise Bourgeois

An artist's early work is inevitably made up of a mixture of tendencies and interests, some of which are compatible and some of which are in conflict. As the artist picks his way along, rejecting and accepting as (s)he goes, certain patterns of inquiry emerge. His (Her) failures are as valuable as his successes: by misjudging one thing (s)he conforms something else, even if at the time (s)he does not know what that something else is. -- Bridget Riley

Logic, where you ponder and, oh dear, it sounds so fancy -- what in the hell do you need it for? It measures you and limits you. See now take a word like imagination. Imagination is not vague. Imagination is flash thinking, instantaneous. -- Louise Nevelson

... the landscape was in my arms as I worked. -- Helen Frankenthaler

Whether I'm painting or not, I have this overwhelming interest in humanity. Even if I'm not working, I'm still analyzing people. -- Alice Neel

I felt a tremendous affinity with Van Gogh's deep feeling for the things he painted and how he exaggerated the colors of sky, chairs, faces, to bring them to almost more than life. -- Susan Rothenberg

Very few people know how to work. Inspiration, everybody has inspiration, that's just hot air. -- Beatrice Wood

I was supporting myself, but nothing like the guy painters, as I refer to them. I always resented that actually. We were all getting the same amount of press, but they were going gangbusters with sales. -- Cindy Sherman

To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage. -- Georgia O'Keefe

Do you have any quotes you want to share by women artists? Do you know of any online resources of quotes by women artists? Can you relate to any of these quotes? Do you strongly agree or disagree with any? Please comment.

Indigene Gaskin's Transformative Art

2010-01-08T14:54:00.000-08:00

Indigene Gaskin is a visual story-teller who expresses the heart and soul of her subjects with colorful intensity. The universal themes about women, past and present, are revealed with power, poignancy and insight. Her natural style beckons our immediate interest and empathy with her subjects. She describes her work as, “Illuminating the black and white of life with vivid color.”

The artist states, “I am primarily inspired by the histories, myths and spirituality of women. It is some aspect of them that I seek to visualize and it has become a passionate artistic obsession for me. It is the preoccupation of the history, myths and spirituality of women, that becomes so strong in my mind’s eye, that I am only freed from it by completing the actual work."

"I choose to work in a variety of styles that vary between figurative, narrative and symbolic, allowing for multiple interpretations by the viewer, but my unique stylized way of art comes through in every piece. It is only when my art is in the final form that I feel I have revealed my subject or an aspect of them in an honest approach. I am also aware that I have once again exposed a little more of myself.”

Shown above: Water Bearer, mixed media painting, 22" x 15" by Indigene-Theresa Gaskin. Right: Tree Heart, mixed media painting, 22" x 10-1/2" by Indigene-Gaskin

When discussing her creative process Indigene states, "My art process is a transformative blending of materials, light and spiritual intent. My creations are a healing meditation, a living gateway that combines the varied language of symbolism. The finished painting is usually 10-20 layers of sheer color with delicate glazes. The artistic techniques are a fusion of many traditional forms of creating art."

Indigene was the featured artist in the December issue of “Wise Woman Herbal Ezine with Susun Weed” http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/December09/index.htm

To view more of her art visit http://indigeneart.com

Ayse Turgut: Curator and Art Consultant

2009-06-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Ayse Turgut specializes in high-quality works by emerging, mid-career and internationally recognized visual artists with an emphasis on the Middle East. She represents artists using various mediums and is committed to innovative and compelling artwork as well as exhibitions that focus on bringing cross-cultural understanding between East and West.

Her expertise in and passion for fine art extends to offering a wide-range of consulting services to private collectors and businesses. Whether a single purchase or an elaborate strategy for building and developing a collection, she addresses the specific needs and budget of her clients, helping them make smart decisions on procuring the best artwork for any type of setting.
Academic Credentials

Ayse Turgut holds an M.A. in Art History with a concentration in Islamic art from the City University of New York and a B.A. in Economics from Emory University. She has taught art history at the City University of New York and Yeditepe University in Istanbul, and has regularly lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Guggenheim Museum NYC. She is adjunct faculty at Sarah Lawrence College.

Her publications include contributing chapter “Sacred Calligraphy in Contemporary Art” in the edited volume Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur’an and it’s Creative Expressions (Oxford University Press.

Her article "Visual Art as a Path to Cross-Cultural Healing" can be read in the Manhattan Arts International Art News online. Read now.

Kathleen King's Passage of Time

2009-06-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Illumatoon, Melting, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 48" x 24"

Kathleen King is a Chicago based artist, exhibiting her work in NYC and Chicago. Her works are in several private and public collections in the U.S. and internationally.

She taught drawing and watercolor at Korea University in Seoul as a visiting adjunct professor in 2008 in the International Summer Campus Program. She is also on the board of the Skopelos Art Foundation in Greece and has held workshops as a visiting artist there.

The artist’s obsessive and hypnotic multi layers of mixed media, whether on canvas or on paper, suggest the passage of time and movement, allowing the evocative compositions to unfold before the viewer’s eye, leaving a visual poetic impression similar to a perfume scent permeating the olfactory senses.

Learn more about Kathleen and see more of her work in the Manhattan Arts International Online Gallery.

Melissa Tobia's Reverence for Nature's Beauty

2009-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Landing Zone, pastel, by Melissa Tobia

Melissa Tobia is a New York City award-winning pastel artist and recipient of the Chemical Bank Art Award and The Dawn Marie Benz Scholarship. She also won the Second Place Award presented by Congressman Tom Downey for her work in an exhibition at the Islip Art Museum. This year she won a "Member's Choice" award for her oil painting "New York Muscari" (shown above) featured in the EBSQ Online gallery.

She has a passionate fascination and reverence for the magnificent world of flowers. Her current series of expressive pastel paintings of flowers are inspired by frequent photographic excursions to the Botanical Gardens and Nature Conservatories and those she grows in her garden. Vibrant colors, contrasting shapes, light and shadow set the stage for her bold and dramatic compositions. The artist has a keen attention to detail and she enjoys illuminating those personified qualities that often go unnoticed by the casual observer.

Tobia’s work is in many private collections throughout the U.S. and is in the collection of the Long Island Bank, among other public collections. She studied at the Art Student's League of New York under artists Barbara Adrian and Ephraim Rubenstein. She is currently a member of Pen & Brush, EBSQArt.com, and The Art Student’s League of NY. Melissa studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology and she received her B.F.A. from School of Visual Arts in New York, NY.

View more of her work in the Manhattan Arts Online Gallery.

Interview with Cornelia Seckel, ART TIMES

2009-05-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Cornelia Seckel (left)is Publisher and co-founder of ART TIMES www.arttimesjournal.com which is now celebrating 25 YEARS of providing commentary and resources for the fine and performing arts. Each month copies are distributed in the Northeast Corridor of the US, concentrating in the Metropolitan New York and Hudson Valley Regions. Copies are also sent across the US as well as to Europe and Asia. Renee Phillips, Director, Manhattan Arts International, asked Cornelia the following questions.

Cornelia, what inspired you (and your husband Raymond Steiner) to start ATJ?
I was at a point in my life when I wanted more of a work challenge having spent 12 years as an educator and career counselor.

What is your mission and how has it changed over the years, if at all?
My mission was and continues to be to provide a resource for the creative community one that crosses county and state lines providing practical and intellectual stimulus. What has changed is that for the past 5 years I can reach even more people through the internet where we have a very strong presence. With the beginning of our 26th year we will begin publishing in print every other month and much more frequently the website. I expect to have reviews of cultural events sent in by readers and to have a running blog from Raymond with his thoughts, critiques and reviews as well as my own of where I’ve been, what I’ve seen.

What do you consider to be your major achievement(s) since you started?
The major achievement is to still be publishing after 25 years. We rely on advertising and have never received any other financial support.

What are the most major changes you have seen in the arts since your inception?
I don’t see any major changes except for the Internet which is a whole new way of getting information out to the world. Galleries open, they close, there are more cooperative ventures among arts communities and I think that is encouraged by funding sources.

Any thoughts/observations about the arts and the economy?
Art has always been a difficult way to make a living and I don’t think it is the true artist who has that expectation. I see some artists doing different work that is more saleable but somehow to be a true artist they still have to do their work.

Continue reading this article in the Manhattan Arts International eZine.

Andrea L. Bonfils Dives Into Her Art

2009-05-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Diving In, encaustic and mixed media on panel, 36"x24"

Andrea L. Bonfils is an award winning artist whose paintings serve as metaphors for life's experiences.

She says, "All natural beauty is like contemplating birth - no matter how common the event, it is always spectacular in every way."

With a reverence towards the organic Andrea paints what she enjoys most: plentiful gardens, crashing waves, fog or passionate colored skies.

Utilizing oils and encaustics and some mixed media Andrea relates her vision of the dramatic, mysterious and ethereal subjects that surround her daily. In the manner of the master American landscape painters she uses a variety of painting techniques such as glazes to achieve different surface textures.

Andrea has had many solo and group exhibitions. She is represented by Anelle Gandelman Fine Art, NY, Harbor Gallery, CT, and Art Rent and Lease, LLC, USA. Her work can also be seen in many annual and regional shows including Greenwich Art to the Avenue, CT, Silvermine Art Guild, CT, Red Dot, NYC, Artspace, CT, and the CCBF Auction at Phillips de Pury, NYC.

View more of Andrea's work on the Manhattan Arts International Online Gallery.

Joanne Turney's Art of Joyful Aging

2009-03-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Joanne Turney's Joyful Journey
By Alexandra Shaw, Manhattan Arts International

Joanne Turney is an artist who lives in Washington, DC and New York, NY. Her book "The Art of Joyful Aging" is being published in the Spring 2009. It features many of her paintings that depict the changing of seasons. Each painting is accompanied by a quote about aging, from a positive perspective, which she accumulated from various individuals of all ages.
Several years ago Joanne created "The Art of Healing", a poignant series of thirteen paintings that depict the emotional stages of her battle against and recovery from breast cancer. They encapsulate the universal feelings associated with loss, suffering, fear, faith, hope and healing. Shown here is her painting "Home Free", the last painting in this series.

The artist has traveled extensively through the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Bangkok, the Kybher Pass, and Europe. For 15 years, she lived on the Costa Del Sol in Spain. The passion and colors of that land and its people emanate from her exuberant paintings. Also, as a devotee and student of classical music, Turney moved naturally into painting to which she brought her innate sensitivity to composition, texture and rhythm.

The artist's work is in many private collections including Osman Ali, former Executive Director of the World Bank, and the Director of the Bank of Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan. Corporate collections include: International Resources Corporation, Washington, DC; Mallorcan Properties International, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and Hyatt Hotel, Arlington, VA.

Turney says, "I approach my work with feelings of reverence and gratitude, since it is art that provides me with the gift and opportunity to explore the mysteries of life."

You can view more of Joanne Turney's work on the Manhattan Arts International web site at http://www.manhattanarts.com/Gallery/JoanneTurney.htm

Artist Barbara Rachko Tells Her Story

2009-03-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Journey to Finding Success as an Artist
By Erica Fortwengler

In our mission to honor women art leaders and "Celebrate HerStory 2009" we are presenting this article about artist Barbara Rachko by Erica Fortwengler for the Manhattan Arts International Reading Room.

Erica Fortwengler is currently the Communications Director for The Art League in Alexandria, VA. She has interviewed curators, jurors, and artists throughout the DC area and has coordinated and installed a variety of exhibits. She is a former dancer and a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

For many artists, success in the art world seems elusive. Barbara Rachko, New York and Alexandria-based artist and former Art League student, smartly perseveres. She does so by combining her talent and creativity with sharp focus and determination. Once she decided she was going to devote her life to her painting, she would not be deterred from achieving success. Rachko can credit herself for the good fortune that has come her way. She has made it happen.

Rachko became immersed in classes at The Art League School in the late eighties and continued through the early nineties. With an aptitude for drawing, she took classes during the day to balance the tediousness of working the night shift at the Pentagon as a Naval officer. She studied intensively with Lisa Semerad and Diane Tesler, both her most influential instructors and mentors, to set the foundation for her art career. “I would not be where I am today without them. "From Lisa I developed a strong foundation of drawing skills. She is terrific, strict and honest when you need a teacher to be. Diane has a way of bringing out your innate talent, and she doesn’t push her style or subject matter on her students like so many instructors do. She is just a wonderful person and a wonderful teacher. I have never thanked them, and I should.”

She resigned from active duty in 1988 (retiring from the Naval Reserve as a commander in 2003), deciding to devote herself to becoming a full-time artist. Focusing on portraiture, Rachko took classes where she needed to acquire the necessary education. She studied anatomy at Georgetown University Medical School and the New York Academy of Art, color theory at the University of Maryland, and she studied drawing with Semerad and pastel painting with Tesler at The Art League.