jack pierson [curator’s statement] phyllis goldberg’s work vibrates in a
zone where intellect intersects with spirit. The artist as alchemist is admittedly an overused trope, nonetheless I assert it again here to describe this woman’s practice. In 1967, Ms. Goldberg graduated from Brooklyn College with a baccalaureate in art history. Twenty one years later a full coming of age (her own, or her son’s?) she took up studies at The Art Students League with renown American abstract painter Leo Manso. Since then she has consistently produced fascinating series of works that speak to us of the endless possibilities of form, beauty and change. One has the urge to include “chance” in this list although her early work, while intuitive, is clearly devoted to precision. While making these series, Ms. Goldberg has undertaken the task of becoming proficient in all the media required for their making; photography, ceramics, as well as recent exploration of computer graphics. Phyllis introduced herself to me nearly five years ago in the lobby of the apartment building where we both live in Greenwich Village. Our building was home to so many contemporary artists at that time, Nan Goldin, Sean Landers, and Chivas
Clem among them. I loved her presence without a sense of urgency. Having discovered I was a fellow artist, she asked for my input on a residency application (she has been awarded over 16 grants and arts fellowships since 1994). I was of course happy to oblige and delighted to find that her work at that moment was, and this was five years ago friends, being made entirely by using the computer as a studio. This CUE Art Foundation exhibition has given me the unique privilege of examining Ms. Goldberg’s evolution as an artist over the last two decades. I am astonished with my findings and eager to share the results with you here.