Laura Schiff Bean at Blue Gallery 2017

LAURA SCHIFF BEAN THE WEIGHT OF WORDS

Solo Exhibition November 2017

118 Southwest Blvd Kansas City, MO 64108 816.527.0823 BlueGalleryOnline.com

Laura Schiff Bean

LAURA SCHIFF BEAN THE WEIGHT OF WORDS Artist Talk and Opening Reception Thursday, November 2, 6–9 pm Artist’s talk begins at 7:00 pm First Friday November 3, 6–9 pm Exhibition runs through November 26, 2017

The Weight of Words My work has always addressed the human condition which is a never ending source of interest to me. The empty dresses in my work reflect on identity as both journey and construct, accumulated and fabricated from the critical moments and turning points that indelibly mark our lives. The dresses allow me to speak to the issues I think about on a daily basis.

Currently, I have been fascinated with the inadequacy of words, and conversely the power they hold. In our current political and social climate, this has never been more apparent to me. Words have been damaging and uplifting, insensitive and compassionate, calming and inciting. There are times when our words seem inadequate, our meanings misinterpreted and communication difficult. And then, the power of just one (right or wrong) word in a particular context can be astounding While acknowledging the ever present noise around us I try to take viewers back inside themselves to find the human presence that often gets lost in the chatter. If I am successful, my work will make the viewer take a moment to consider… leaving the artist, and at times the viewer, feeling just a little bit naked.

Laura Schiff Bean

Splashes, drips and brushed slashes of white bring this apparitional gown to life on a midnight background. For me, this ball gown was a feminine counterpoint to the freestanding bathrobes suavely posed by Jim Dine as “Pop” art dawned in the 1960s. Bean’s gown has an imaginative force and elusive presence all its own: it creates a decorative and decorous ruckus with exquisite drawing and a concert of memories.

James Foritano, Artscope Magazine

About Blue Gallery In business for over 17 years, Blue Gallery is a popular and respected fixture of Kansas City’s vibrant art scene. Its underlying philosophy reminds visitors of the owners Kelly and David Kuhn’s genuine commitment to the arts: they treat art and beauty as fundamental elements of life, and instill this mood into their gallery. But what has set Blue Gallery apart is the way Kelly and David conduct their business behind the art. “We work with our artists with the same tenants as our collectors: integrity, passion, and obsession with quality in every decision we make,” says Kelly. “Our philosophy is the result of over 25 years working with professional artists and collectors. Over all, David and I are committed to providing an inspired and profound experience that is inclusive and transformative.”

Established in 2000 at the center of Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, Blue Gallery represents 40+ emerging to established local, regional and nationally known artists, with works placed in private and public collections worldwide. Blue Gallery holds several exhibitions a year, as well as participates in First Fridays, held exclusively in the Crossroads Arts District monthly. Blue Gallery is considered one of the premier galleries in Kansas City having won numerous awards including KC Magazine’s Best Private Art Gallery in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and Ingram’s Magazine Bronze for Best Museum or Art Gallery in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2017. And 435 Magazine’s Best Local Art Gallery in 2015 and 2017.

A Woman of Few Words acrylic and mixed media on panel 52” x 40” $11,000

There Are No Words... acrylic and mixed media on panel 50” x 42” $11,000

Between the Sky and the River acrylic and mixed media on panel 48” x 36” $9200

In Other Words acrylic and mixed media on panel 48” x 36” $9200

Swallowing My Words acrylic and mixed media on panel 48” x 36” $9200

The Weight of Words acrylic and mixed media on panel 48” x 36” $9200

Little Dancer acrylic on panel 42.5” x 32” $7400

Born in New York, 1952

Laura Schiff Bean Curriculum Vitae

BIOGRAPHY

Laura Schiff Bean grew up on Long Island, NY where music, dance and creative pursuits were an integral part of everyday life. Visiting museums and galleries and attending theater in New York City were a routine part of family weekends. As a child she studied flute and ballet but was always happiest working with her hands, drawing, painting, or building.

While earning her BA in Psychology at George Washington University in Washington DC, she also attended classes the Corcoran School of Art. In 1991 she enrolled formally at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and attended through 1997. It was here that she began to incorporate her interest in human nature with her art. Ideas of memory, dreams, subconscious thought, and physical presence all permeate her work.

Bean is best known for her dress “portraits” painted with many layers of thick dripping paint: “Splashes, drips, and brushed slashes of white bring this apparitional gown to life on a midnight background. For me, this ball gown was a feminine counterpoint to the freestanding bathrobes suavely posed by Jim Dine as ‘Pop’ art dawned in the 1960s. Bean’s gown has an imaginative force and elusive presence all its own: it creates a decorative and decorous ruckus with exquisite drawing and a concert of memories.” - Artscope Magazine EDUCATION

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1991-1997 George Washington University, BA 1970-1974 SOLO/2 Person Shows

2017 2015 2014 2015 2013 2012 2012 2011 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009

The Weight of Words, Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO REDEFINED Patricia Rovzar Gallery Seattle, WA DEFINED Gilman Contemporary Ketchum, ID WITHOUT WORDS Lanoue Gallery, Boston, MA Argazzi Art, Lakeville, CT “SHE COMES AND GOES AS SHE PLEASES” Gilman Contemporary,ID NEW WORK Argazzi Art, Lakeville, CT “ 24/7” Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA NEW WORK Pryor Fine Art, Atlanta, GA Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO INTERSECTIONS: Between Dreams and Memory. Gallery One, Nashville, TN. NEW WORK Bennett Street Gallery, Atlanta, GA JOURNEY Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA

GROUP SHOWS

2017 2017 2017 2016 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 2014 2013 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011

Lanoue Fine Art , MA Georges Berges Gallery, New York, NY Summer Group show Georges Berges Gallery, New York, NY Lanoue Fine Art Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA C Parker Gallery, CT “Yes She Can: Lanoue Fine Art, MA “A Few Of My Favorite Things” Argazzi Fine Art, Lakeville, CT Lanoue Fine Art, MA “Summer Salon Show” Rosenbaum Contemporary, Boca Raton, FL Floria/Forre, Aspen, CO Art MRKT San Francisco 2012 Argazzi Fine Art, Lakeville,CT West Branch Gallery, Stowe VT Forre Fine Art, Aspen/Vail, CO Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID Spring Group Show, Lanoue Fine Art

2011 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2005 2003 2003 2001

Forre Fine Art, Aspen, CO Lanoue Fine Art,Boston, MA Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO Lanoue Fine Art,Boston, MA Lanoue Fine Art, Boston,MA Bennett Street Gallery, Atlanta, GA Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA Bennett Street Gallery, Atlanta, GA Gallery One, Nashville, TN: 3 person show, “In Minds Eye” Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN Packages Large & Small Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN 2007 “Artists In Heat” Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA“VISIONS: Contemporary Female Artists” Lanoue Fine Art Boston, MA Group Show Etheringon Fine Art, Vineyard Haven Group Show Windsor Gallery, Dania,FL Group Show Family Tree Gallery, Portsmouth, NH Hanson Gallery, Wellfleet, MA: Group Show Artana Gallery, Framingham, MA: Group Show

MUSEUMS

Tuscon Museum of Art, Tucson AZ October 2017 - February 2018.

DRESS MATTERS: Clothing as Metaphor Endicott College, Beverly, MA February 2009 BOSTON PAINTS: 22 Boston Painters ELEANOR D. WILSON MUSEUM at Hollis University , VA July 2007 Visions Contemporary Female Artists PUBLICATIONS

New York Times 1/23/2014 Lakeville Journal,CT 7/2012 New England Home Magazine 3/2012 ArtScope 3/2009 ArtScope 7/2008 Boston Globe 3/23/2000 Arts Media, December 1996 SELECTED CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

Bellevue Research Inc, Cambridge, MA Escada Retail Inc, Boston, MA Medical Portfolio Mgmt., LLC, Cambridge, MA St. Regis Hotels, Atlanta, GA Gaylord Entertainment Resorts,Nashville,TN

118 Southwest Blvd

Kansas City, MO 64108

816.527.0823

BlueGalleryOnline.com