New Visionary Magazine | Contemporary Art + Professional Development - Issue 9

NEW VISIONARY C O N T E M P O R A R Y

A R T

BROUGHT TO YOU BY VISIONARY ART COLLECTIVE ©

+

P R O F E S S I O N A L

D E V E L O P M E N T

ISSUE 9 WINTER 2024

Our mission at Visionary Art Collective is to uplift artists & educators through magazine features, exhibitions, podcast interviews, and our mentorship program.

Contact + Submission Guidelines VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.visionaryartcollective.com FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @visionaryartcollective @ newvisionarymag FIND US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/VisionaryArtCollective EMAIL info@visionaryartcollective.com SUBMIT TO OUR PLATFORM www.visionaryartcollective.com/submit LEARN MORE OR SUBSCRIBE www.visionaryartcollective.com/magazine We post all submission opportunities to our website and social media pages.

COVER ARTIST HOLLY WONG

Keeper Of The Secrets 4, gouache, oil paint, alcohol ink, graphite and colored pencil, mounted on shaped dibond, 43x40in

BACK COVER ARTIST MIRABEL J WIGON Delta Moon, oil on canvas, 60x72in

1

CONTENTS MEET THE VISIONARY TEAM

4

VISIONARY INTERVIEWS

8

Christina Massey Tanda Francis Erin Schuppert Laura Cleary Williams

10 14 18 22

VISIONARY WORDS

26

Making Peace With Your Strength Artists at Work: The Dual Realities of Passion and Paycheck Review - Martha Szabo: The Truthful Gaze Through the Glass From Canvas to Soul

28 30

VISIONARY ARTISTS

36

Deborah L Barr Marcie Begleiter Ai Sogawa Campbell Alexandra Chiou Sara De Pasquale Loren Eiferman Camille Eskell Patricia Espinosa Karen Fitzgerald Sandra Giunta Jean Gray Mohs Erin Juliana Yvonne Lamar-Rogers Jennifer Mannebach Lindsy Marshall Janice McNab Nina Meledandri MOSH Studio Benedicta Opoku-Mensah Leisa Rich Lia Rothstein Theda Sandiford Elizabeth Souza Tyvette Symone Judi Tavill Nancy Kay Turner Stephanie Wenzel Elaine Whittaker Mirabel J Wigon Holly Wong April J Wright Zh Diana Mulan Zhu

38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100

VISIONARY VISITS

102

Tara Esperanza Amelie Mancini Fernanda Martinez Olivia Pestova

104 106 108 110

VISIONARY EXHIBITION

112

The Psychic Landscape Marisol Ruiz

114 116

VISIONARY ARTIST DIRECTORY

118

2

32 34

VICTORIA J. FRY Under The Light Of A Pale Blue Moon (detail), watercolor on Arches paper, 9x12in

EDITOR’S NOTE VICTORIA J. FRY Founder of Visionary Art Collective + Editor in Chief of New Visionary Magazine

Happy 2024!

As we ease into another beautiful year, I encourage you to be gentle on yourselves and take time to reflect on your goals in the coming months. I’m always reminding myself that life is a marathon rather than a sprint, and we’re in this for the long haul.

In recent podcast episodes I’ve spoken about the importance of giving ourselves grace and being intentional with the decisions we make on a day to day basis, as well as bringing more self-compassion into our creative work.

We’re thrilled to share our second annual women’s issue with you, curated by the fabulous Christina Massey, a visual artist and curator based in New York City.

As you browse the pages of this issue you’ll find a variety of innovative and awe-inspiring work by women artists from across the globe–a truly stunning display of sculpture, installation, painting, and more.

On behalf of the New Visionary Magazine team, I wish you all a prosperous year of personal and creative growth!

Xo Victoria 3

Meet the Visionary Team VICTORIA J. FRY she/her

BLAIR BEUSMAN she/her

VALERIE AUERSPERG she/her

Victoria J. Fry is a New York City-based painter, educator, curator, and the founder of Visionary Art Collective and New Visionary Magazine. Fry’s mission is to uplift artists through magazine features, exhibitions, podcast interviews, and mentorship. She earned her MAT from Maine College of Art & Design and her BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

Blair Beusman is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in literary theory. She has worked for a variety of cultural publications and organizations, including The New Yorker, Literary Hub, and PEN America.

Valerie Auersperg is a self-taught artist, illustrator and designer living in Auckland, New Zealand.

She describes her work as a dose of optimism with a sprinkle of escapism.

When she is not painting on canvases or walls she works as a graphic designer and illustrator for companies in New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria and the U.S.

Editor in Chief

victoriajfry.com victoriajfry 4

Head Writer

blairharr.tumblr.com blair.beu

Graphic Designer + Artist Liaison

valerism.com iamvalerism

BRITTANY M. REID they/them

ERIKA B. HESS she/her

CHUN PARK they/them

Brittany M. Reid is a visual artist, creative strategist, and educator based in Upstate NY. Reid’s work explores the wide spectrum of nuanced human emotion through paper collages and acrylic paintings. When working with clients, they bridge the gap between art and technology, helping artists build digital fluency and develop sustainable creative practices.

Erika b Hess is a painter, curator, writer, and host of the I Like Your Work art podcast. Hess’s work has been exhibited nationally and featured in numerous publications. She lectures at various colleges and institutions while teaching at The Works, I Like Your Work’s professional practice membership.

Chunbum Park, also known as Chun, is an artist/writer, who received their MFA in Fine Arts Studio from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022. Park’s main area of interest or focus lies within figurative painting, but they are also enthusiastic about all types of art, including performance and photography. Park wishes to promote emerging and mid-career artists who pioneer strong, original visions and ideas.

Writer

Writer

Writer

brittanymreid.com brittany.m.reid

www.erikabhess.com erikabhess

SUSO BARCIELA he/him

VERONICA PETTY she/her

EMMA HAPNER she/her

Suso Barciela, an art historian and critic, specializes in curating and coordinating exhibitions. He was trained at the University of Seville and the NODE Center in Berlin. His expertise in art criticism and cultural dissemination is reflected in his collaborations with national and international magazines.

He has worked with international artists and is renowned for his blog “El Espacio Aparte” where he analyzes art and exhibitions in Seville and Madrid.

Veronica Petty is a PR professional and art advisor in NY. With a decade of marketing experience, she’s managed successful campaigns for AAF, PULSE Art Fair, Create!, KUNSTRAUM, VAC, and many individual artists and exhibitions.

Veronica champions Latinx artists through Domingo Comms; featured in artnet, House Beautiful, and more.

She’s currently VAC’s Director of Media Partnerships.

Emma Hapner is a New York City based artist and educator working primarily in oil on canvas to create figurative works that reclaim the language of classical painting from a woman’s perspective.

She graduated from the New York Academy of Art with her MFA in 2022.

Writer

elespacioaparte.com forms.follow.function

Director of Media Partnerships

domingocomms.com domingocomms

www.chunbumpark.com chun.park.7

Administrative Assistant

www.emmahapner.com emmagracehapner 5

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

TI ST

BRITTANY M. REID

AR

brittanymreid.com brittany.m.reid BIO Brittany M. Reid is a Rochester-based visual artist, creative strategist, educator, and writer. Formerly known for their work in analogue collage which focused on specific human experiences and emotions, Reid has now transitioned to painting with acrylics on canvas and designing interior murals. This journey reflects a natural evolution, characterized by a commitment to a deep exploration of our changing emotional states.

With a background in psychology and visual arts, Reid is committed to empowering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, providing a supportive space for them to explore their creativity. They bridge the gap between art and technology, helping artists build digital fluency and develop sustainable business and creative practices.

Reid co-founded the #BlackCollagesMatter movement on Instagram, which encourages artists to center Black subjects in their work and has led to the publication of a book with proceeds donated to the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective.

Reid’s work has been featured in national and international exhibitions and publications, including Allure Magazine.

6

I See Everything Differently Now, paper collage and spray paint, 11x14in

ARTIST STATEMENT Shapeshifting has become second nature to me as I move through mediums. My earlier collage work was characterized by bright colors and crisp lines, utilizing hand-cut assemblage that spanned from traditional paper compositions to experimental combinations with resin and spray paint. Every piece I created was infused with my personal experiences, as I invited viewers to witness the Black, femme experience with all its deserved richness, conveying nuanced emotions of joy, frustration, resilience, confusion, and passion.

I’ve now shifted my focus to embrace less defined emotional states in my paintings, which marks a deliberate departure from my previous collage work. In addition, my creative practice has expanded as I explore the realm of interior murals, where colorful, whimsical ideas are digitally sketched and brought to life on a larger scale.

In this new body of work, I want to capture the moments where our minds wander into nebulous daydreams characterized by amorphous shapes and woozy, fantastical dreamscapes. Through these abstract acrylic paintings and expansive interior murals, I hope to encourage viewers to explore their own psychological fluidity and the significance of living in a liminal state.

Right Before The Solstice, acrylic on canvas, 12x12in

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

AR

TI

VALERIE AUERSPERG

ST

valerism.com iamvalerism BIO Valerie Auersperg is an Austrian artist, illustrator and Graphic Designer living in Auckland, New Zeland. She creates acrylic paintings as well as digital drawings and murals in public and private spaces.

Auersperg is self-taught and has previously worked in fashion, 3D animation as well as advertising and has had exhibitions in San Francisco, CA and Auckland, NZ as well as been featured in various global virtual exhibitions such as PxP Contemporary’s ‘WILD’ (curated by Alicia Puig), Sergio Gomez’ ‘Isolation Chronicles’, Create Magazine’s ‘Healing from Within’ (curated by Tam Gryn), and Beautiful Things NZ’ ‘The People We See’.

She has been featured in PIKCHUR Magazine, Envison Arts magazine, Fennec Home Magazine and New Visionary Magazine, has been profiled on Create! Magazine’s online blog as well as The Big Idea NZ website, and has been part of the WWF Whale Tail trail in Auckland in 2022. Auersperg has also been featured on various podcasts such as the New Visionary Podcast, Art, OK Cool! and Creative Matters.

ARTIST STATEMENT My pieces usually start with a memory (real and perceived) which can be an object (like a toy), a pattern, colours, activities, my heritage or just a nostalgic feeling. Living far away from where I grew up informs these recollections of home and comfort.

I weave dreams and reality into scenes of optimism and escapism, always adding little delightful details aiming to evoke a feeling of joy and wonder and to put a smile on the observer’s face.

I usually start sketching my ideas digitally creating the composition on an iPad before transferring the work to a canvas. This allows me to play around with colours and placements before painting the final piece.

Most recently I have been translating my experience of being pregnant and the first year of having my son into a motherhood series.

Advice Avalanche, acrylic on canvas, 27.5x19.6in

Tumbled, acrylic on canvas, 19.6x27.5in 7

ARTIST LAURA CLEARY WILLIAMS Anamnesis: 1 - 2020 (detail), graphite on yupo, 11x14in 8

VISIONARY INTERVIEWS As part of our ongoing interview series, we chat with artists, curators, entrepreneurs, authors, and educators. Through these interviews we can gain a deeper understanding of the contemporary art world.

9

Tell us about WoArtBlog and how it’s evolved since first launching in 2016.

I started WoArt in response to the Me Too movement.

The idea was to support and promote contemporary women artists. It began as a series of artist interviews which I enjoyed, however it eventually transitioned to a visual blog through Instagram. This allowed me creative freedom and to highlight many more artists’ work. I loved that I also could feature works by artists who don’t speak the same language as myself, or maybe are more well known in addition to the lesser known.

The name comes from the shortening of “women” to “Wo” which I love sounds like “whoa!” as it’s art that has touched me in some shape or form.

10

T

The aluminum specifically which can be seen in much of my work originated during a residency I had done in rural Pennsylvania in 2016. Prior to this I was repurposing and cutting up my own past paintings, clothing and fabrics. I had gone to the residency with the goal to push myself to break out of patterns, and challenge myself to work with new materials. I really fell in love with the aluminum while there and have continued to use it frequently throughout my work.

AR

I grew up in Northern California, where the “hippy” lifestyle was the norm, so repurposing and caring about the preservation of the environment was how I was raised. As I got older and was coming to terms with my personal responsibilities as someone compelled to create objects, it became very important to me to do so in as sustainable fashion as I could.

ER OF WO

You’re known for your award-winning mixed media sculptures and paintings. What inspired you to use repurposed materials to create colorful and organic abstractions?

UND

cmasseyart.com cmaseyart

FO

woartblog.com woartblog

R

D

in conversation with Victoria J. Fry

RA TO

AN

Christina Massey

A R T I S T, C U

Chromatic Echos, installation, dimensions variable Photo courtesy of the artist

Changing The Course Of Time, mixed media installation, dimensions variable Photo courtesy of the artist 11

Now, it serves as my curatorial platform, where I continue to share the work that I see and enjoy through the Instagram handle (@woartblog) but also where I can showcase my curatorial history, past exhibitions and more.

You’re the Curator-in-Residence for KUNSTRAUM, an artist hub based in Brooklyn, NY. What has been the most rewarding part of this experience, and how has it shaped your curatorial work?

Yes, I have had the pleasure of being the curator-inresidence for KUNSTRAUM since February of 2023, and will be finishing at the end of January 2024. My final project is a two-site exhibition titled “You Know What You Know” that will exhibit at their Brooklyn gallery in addition to Space776 in Manhattan. I am so excited to see this show come to fruition after a year of planning.

It will feature 5 incredible women artists working in a range of media, but will highlight different aspects of their work at each location so that each experience is unique.

12

One of the other highlights has been meeting all the artists they have supported over the year from their studio members to artists-in-residence. They tend to attract a lot of international artists whom I may not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, and that has been a true joy.

What advice would you give to emerging artists who are seeking opportunities to show their work and expand their careers?

I think regardless of emerging or mid-career, it’s always a good idea to do your research. Before applying to a call, research the jurors or curators, get to know what type of programs and artists they tend to support, or research the galleries and the types of artists they represent. You will greatly improve your success rate by being selective of where you put your time and energy into.

Also, even though it can be expensive, get professional photography of your work. You want the best presentation of your work possible in front of the eyes

Restorative Nature, Montefiore Einstein, installation, dimensions variable Photo by Lori Adams

Clairaperennial 8, mixed media installation Photo courtesy of the artist

of the curator/gallery/collector whoever it is that is gatekeeping the opportunity you want. Your work will be compared to those who have put in this investment themselves, so make sure you are on the same playing field so to speak to give yourself a much better chance.

Do you have any exciting events coming up in 2024? If so, we’d love to know!

As I mentioned above, I have the 2-site exhibition as the culmination of my curatorial residency exhibiting in

January. Opening Jan 10th at KUNSTRAUM in Brooklyn and Jan 19th at Space776 in Manhattan is the exhibition “You Know What You Know” featuring artists Tatiana Arocha, Jaynie Crimmins, Amanda Konishi, Saskia Krafft and Nadja Verena Marcin.

For my own work, I have begun a residency at Art Cake located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn where I am developing a new body of work and will have a solo show in early 2024. I also have some large paintings on view in the corporate lobby of 750 7th Ave in Manhattan curated by the Court Tree Collective on view throughout 2024.

13

Your work is inspired in part by cultural history and collective identity; how does your own cultural identity inspire your practice?

My work is inspired by traditions and rituals rooted in Africa. There is such beauty and spiritual meaning so profound that it links back to humanity in general.

As a Jamaican American, my connection to Africa is similar to other Diasporaic Africans whose ancestral connection has been interrupted. Particularly by a country whose ideals are meant to be a beacon of freedom and equality for all. This contention is steeped in our collective identity as African Americans.

It promotes a kind of erasure to deny our stories.

Making us invisible by the powers that be.

The problem with being made invisible is that the lack of your presence goes unnoticed. I’m working on a statue of Marian Anderson for Philadelphia and it will be one of the first depictions of an African American in public art in Philly.

I’m motivated to reverse this situation by using public space to create our visibility and share ancestral knowledge. Balancing the story a bit helps us as a society present a more true depiction of who we are and connect to the missing part of our collective humanity.

14

T

www.tandafrancis.com tandafrancis

TIS

in conversation with Emma Hapner

AR

Tanda Francis

Rockit Black, plywood, concrete, metal, 12x3ft 15

You’ve had some amazing opportunities to display your work publicly, with several site-specific monuments in New York including BIGGIE (2014), New York City, Everyone Breaks, Riverside Park, New York City (20152016), and Take Me With You, Socrates Sculpture Park, New York City (2017-2018) and RockIt Black (2021) Queensbridge Park. Which of these projects was the most exciting for you?

air was something to witness. I appreciated that. With 5000 lbs of water-based clay, during record-breaking heat waves, rain storms… all the temperaments of working out in nature was a real trip.

Each new project feels like the “most” exciting once I’m in production and trying to succeed with each new and unique challenge. Looking back on each project, I’d say the most exciting would be Take Me With You a 12’ concrete head emerging out of a pond which also would need to be created for the project. I’d say I made that an epic challenge by proposing this project within the modest budget allowed for Socrates Sculpture Park at the time. On top of that, the fabrication of the entire piece had to be on-site to be cost-effective. Take Me With You was public art from the very beginning as fabrication at every stage was a process in public on a section of a part which gave a stage-like presence to my outdoor studio. The process was something of a spectacle. Creating a colossal head out of clay is a rare event and for the process to be done out in open

I used to go to The Art Students League and I was a TA for Barney Hodes class. I took on a massive head as one of my projects - a 6-foot head of Biggie Smalls.

Soon after it was complete, Hodes nominated me to participate in their Model To Monument program.

There were 6 other students selected to develop our own public artwork.

How did you get the opportunity to create monumental public art pieces?

Which artists/art movements inspire you the most?

I guess I would say it would be the moment we are currently in right now which involves creating around the influence of AI and other forms of digital intervention.

Everyone Breaks, concrete, steel, 15x21x10ft 16

Renderings from “Freedom Rings” a 12’ memorial statue for Marian Anderson at Philadelphia Academy of Music at City Hall

As a sculptor, you have worked with a variety of challenging materials. What do you enjoy most about this medium? What materials are your favorite to work with?

I love to model in Clay. But because I work on such a large scale in a space where I used to also live, I had to switch to plasticine ( and old-based clay ) to avoid the potential toxicity of working with so much water-based clay prone to mold and toxic dust.

I recently reintroduced myself to working in ceramics.

It’s just such a beautiful form of creating - dealing with the realities of working with the elements - tending to a bit of earth and water, while welding, air, and fire, feels true and essential. Besides the slingins wet clay is just sensual and satisfying to create with.

Can you share what you’re currently working on in the studio? Do you have any upcoming projects you’re really excited about?

Yes, I’m creating a big glass piece. At this stage of the process, I’m spending half the time in my studio Black Brick Project / En.zo Metalshop to create the armature.

The rest of the time is spent in the casting process at Urban Glass. The next stage will be to clean and assemble. It’s such a time-consuming process, I can’t what to see what gets birthed. Stay tuned.

Artist mounting the full-scale clay model of “Everyone Breaks” in 2016 17

What do you enjoy most about your position as Fair Director?

I love so many things about this role! I love that I get to work with so many wonderful people, from my incredible fair team to the gallerists and artists, to the production crew, to our partners. I love that I get to use a combination of all my experiences and skills from across my previous roles. But probably the most exciting thing about this position is that we often get to witness the very start of someone’s art collecting journey at Affordable Art Fair. That’s truly such a special experience.

18

DA B L E A R T FA I R

I grew up around artists and creatives. My sister is a talented ceramicist and my mom is a painter and extraordinary crafter and designer. From a young age, I recognized that I wanted to be around the arts, but that I’m mostly a left-brain thinker. My dad used to take me and my sister to the local art museum almost every week when we were kids and I thought my dream job was to be a curator. I pursued a master’s in museum studies and over the course of that program began working at Christie’s. I fell in love with the fastpaced nature of the art market and never looked back.

Now a decade into my career, I feel like I am finally in my true dream job directing Affordable Art Fair.

Y

OR

As the Director of NYC’s Affordable Art Fair, with years of experience in the art market, what drew you to working in the art field?

N

FF

affordableartfair.com/fairs/new-york-spring affordableartfairnyc

OF

SA

in conversation with Emma Hapner

OR

C’

Erin Schuppert

DIREC T

Photo by Phillip Reed Photography 19

With your many years of experience, do you have any advice for artists, or others that want to work in the field?

I would say the best advice I’ve ever received is to view every experience as an opportunity to expand your knowledge or skillset. This field is so varied and can take so many shapes and sometimes our vision of where we will fit into it can limit us, but staying open to learning new ways to contribute to the arts will only make us better. An example is that I thought I was only interested in working in museums until I took the opportunity to try auction, then once I tried that and loved it, I decided to lean in further to the business and finance side of the market and learn more about that, which I never thought I would do. That’s all been really valuable experience for me.

Do you feel that the Affordable Art Fair has evolved since you became Director in 2022? In what ways?

Definitely! One of the most exciting things we’ve introduced is the Artlogic Fellowship Program, in which local emerging galleries are invited to participate free of charge for three consecutive editions. These new galleries have never exhibited at an art fair before, as it was not financially viable. Our fair’s commitment to being a part of their learning and growth facilitates their long-term commercial success. We have also continued to push our fair’s curatorial excellence forward and, crucially, our programming and content is focused on encouraging our audience to feel confident in their own tastes. Ultimately, that’s the foundation of Affordable Art Fair and coming out of the pandemic we really wanted to go back to this basic principle, but in a fresh, interactive, and contemporary way.

Photo by Phillip Reed Photography 20

Photo by Phillip Reed Photography

In your opinion, has the art market become more approachable in recent years? Do you have any ideas to continue increasing accessibility?

I’m not sure I would say that the art market itself has become more approachable, but perhaps the information about art at accessible price points is becoming more readily available. This part of the market has always existed, but most media coverage goes to blue chip galleries/auctions, so that’s perceived to be the bulk of the market. More high-profile press on the approachable part of the market would be great for collectors looking to enter or continue their art-buying journey and for living artists whose careers would be greatly impacted in real time. Also, accessibility and approachability of art is about tone and inclusivity as much as it is about the price point. We’ve all heard jokes about “art history speak”, but it’s really not necessary to have a degree in art history to know what you like looking at. All you need are your own eyes.

What projects are you working on now that you’d like to share? We would love to hear about them!

We are really excited to partner with the Selina Hotel in Chelsea this year to curate monthly rotating exhibitions in the hotel’s street-facing lobby space. Each exhibition will showcase an artist from the galleries participating in our Artlogic Fellowship Program and will open with an event hosted at the Selina, so stay tuned for those details! Affordable Art Fair also launches its second US location, adding Austin’s May edition to the calendar alongside the New York March and September fairs.

21

Your first love has always been drawing, and through drawing you have been able to transcend the limits of language. What is it about putting pencil to paper that resonates so deeply with you?

Throughout my life, I have floundered with language.

Art provided me with a visual vocabulary in which I no longer felt restricted. Drawing unbound my voice.

No matter the tools or materials I am working with my practice is rooted in drawing. The process of drawing, examining, finding a flaw, and making changes - is the heart of my creative practice.

I believe that the language of mark making with ink and pencil is more profound than words. Words can be ephemeral things, their meaning shifting with time and delivery. But a line can perfectly render an emotion, can convey a thought, a point in time and a feeling with immense clarity. Drawing is the language of movement through time. It is a universal language with the same scope as music or food, with tastes and rhythms all its own.

On your journey to becoming a full-time artist you founded and co-owned Straw Hat, a fine art publishing and printmaking company. How has your experience as a printmaker impacted the work you create today?

Drawing led me to printmaking. Printmaking gave me a community. I still think like a printmaker. I make drawings that are intricately layered like a print, but without the rigidity of printmaking my work is now looser and more experimental.

22

T

www.lauracleary.com lauraclearywilliams

TIS

in conversation with Victoria J. Fry

AR

Laura Cleary Williams

Anamnesis: 5 - 2020, graphite on yupo paper, 12x9in 23

Owning Straw Hat Press, being a master printer was a dream come true. I worked with world class artists and institutions. Helping other artists bring their work to life is a humbling and profound experience.

Some of the most thoughtful, helpful conversations I have had were over a hotplate at Straw Hat. So, during the pandemic when I found my practice becoming stale. It was my experiences working alongside other artists as a master printer that guided me into making an immense effort into to broadening my network. The art friends I have made through fairs, exhibits, critic groups, and residencies are invaluable colleagues I now turn to when I struggle. These relationships provide me with a way to give back to the community that enlivens me.

You have spoken more recently about mental health struggles, with the goal of sparking a larger dialogue in the art community. How has your journey with mental health shaped your artistic practice?

During the last year I survived a suicide attempt.

Healing from self-inflicted wounds has been a painful and often surprising process. My scars are vulgar, embarrassing reminders that are also a source of deep gratitude and markers of newfound openness and

vulnerability. Since that experience, I have reflected on the people that have defined my life, and the ways in which each relationship has impacted my interactions and perceptions. While my work is rooted in personal experience, it is also universal, and my intention now is to create a dialogue around mental health in our postpandemic reality.

From your recent solo exhibition at Good Art Co, to participating in Superfine Art Fair and the Artists in Residence Program at Carrie Able in New York City, you continue to find opportunities that are aligned to your goals. In what ways have these experiences impacted you both personally and professionally?

The experiences were incredible. I had many firsts over the last year. But, again, it was the people I met and befriended that really impacted me. Just last week I was working on a proposal, and I needed a second and third set of eyes. I sent my proposal around to a few of my friends from the last year and they each gave me great advice.

My practice, not just the work but the rhythms of how I make work are richer because of my art community.

Having someone to turn to when you are struggling.

Having someone to turn to when you have a big success,

As I Hold My Breath, ink and graphite on paper, 30x44in 24

it makes a difference in how authentic your practice is. I am a hermit by nature, so this was a very difficult lesson for me to learn. But showing up for my network as one of my highest priorities because they have helped me make immense strides towards my artistic goals.

What advice would you give to an early career artist who is seeking to increase visibility for their work?

1. Get organized. You need to document your work. Sign up for Artwork Archives.

Document as much information about every piece you can, right now. Being organized is the first step to being a professional. I believe it is as important as making the work. Show up, make your work, document it, everything else is easier if you can do those three things at every opportunity.

2. Write about your work. If you want to be a professional artist, you must be able to talk about and write about your work.

3. Be bold and make bold moves. Go talk to the gallerist at your favorite gallery. Apply for the grant/proposal/ opportunity you don’t think you will get.

Whatever your dream is don’t be afraid of it.

4. Make art friends. These are the people who will problem solve with you, commiserate with you, and cheer you on. Talk to other artists at events. Go to local events. Volunteer with your local art nonprofit. Go to an art fair. Or start by messaging your three favorite artists on Instagram, today. You will probably make a new lifelong friend.

Any exciting projects coming up this year? We’d love to know!

I have a solo show in Brooklyn opening April 17th at Carrie Able Gallery. (I would love to see you there.) I will be at Superfine Art Fair in Savannah, NYC and DC this year. I am going to be in a group show with Warnes Contemporary later this year in Brooklyn.

And will be will also be an artist in residence at Chateau d’Orquevaux in France this coming December.

Laura Cleary Williams in her studio 25

ARTIST MARTHA SZABO

Installation view from ‘The Truthful Gaze Through the Glass’ exhibition at David Richard Gallery 26

VISIONARY WORDS In this section we invite contributing writers to share their perspectives on contemporary art, education, and other notes of interest related to visual arts.

27

, HOST OF TIST ‘I L

IK

E

Y O

UR WO D RK’ PO CA ST

Making Peace With Your Strength

AR

written by Erika b Hess

In today’s world, we are often bombarded with ideas on how to fix our perceived weaknesses. Whether it is becoming a morning person and joining the “5 AM Club” or stopping drinking coffee to “completely change your life,” we are in a culture of constantly striving for self-improvement. We are taught to focus on our flaws and work tirelessly to overcome them.

While self-improvement is important, we often neglect to recognize and embrace our strengths. Where is the course that tells you to step back, drink a cup of coffee, and revel in the fact that you are naturally gifted in an area?

As an artist, I have encountered numerous individuals who downplay their strengths or avoid leaning into them. They may dream of starting their own art business, becoming an art writer, or taking on different roles in their creative practice. However, they hesitate to venture into new areas because they fear it may detract from their identity as “an artist.” This idea was incredibly alive in the late 90s and early 2000s, and we are still dealing with the hangover of it.

To do anything outside of the studio was perceived as not being able to cut it, selling out, or showing that you are not a “real” artist.

When we stay in the mindset that doing anything outside of ONE area will detract from that ONE thing, we will shut down our strengths. We will decide not to cultivate the fact that we are wonderful at event planning in service of “being an artist.” The truth is, we have multiple roles in life - a teacher, parent, sibling, friend, and more - and we possess unique strengths in those areas that can be harnessed in our creative endeavors.

We categorize areas of our lives and may not allow one to flow into another area or role. We may feel comfortable giving candid feedback to others in our roles as parents or friends, but we struggle to share feedback with an 28

artist friend regarding their work. We may be incredible with marketing in our day job but hesitate to do so in our professional practice. By breaking barriers between roles and allowing your strength in a different area to flow into your art practice, you will begin to feel integrated with your strengths.

We may fear acknowledging our strengths may make us complacent or hinder our drive to work harder. This mindset is often ingrained in us. Being all too aware of our circumstances and how we need to fix ourselves has inspired an entire genre of book sales and courses. When we are constantly being asked to look at our weaknesses rather than taking the time to lean into what we are already good at, we program our minds to search ourselves for our failures.

While it’s important to acknowledge areas that need improvement, constantly tearing ourselves apart and focusing solely on our weaknesses can become toxic and damaging. There needs to be a balance. We need to recognize and embrace our strengths. There are talents and passions that we may have neglected or never pursued because we were too fixated on our weaknesses.

It’s time to make peace with our strengths, to acknowledge and appreciate them.

For those who may be unsure of their strengths, please take some time to reflect on what you love and what you are afraid of. Explore your passions and interests, and seek input from trusted friends, relatives, partners, fellow artists, therapists, or colleagues - those who truly see and understand you. Embracing your inner strengths can open up new opportunities and pathways for growth in your creative journey. It’s time to shift our mindset from constantly fixing our weaknesses to embracing and utilizing our strengths to thrive in our creative pursuits.

JUDI TAVILL, Console, fired clay, paint, graphite, varnish, 8.5x14x12in

29

I S T, C R E AT I V

ES

TR

A

TE GI

ST

+E D U C AT O R

Artists at Work: The Dual Realities of Passion and Paycheck

ART

written by Brittany M. Reid

With 2023 behind us, many artists find themselves reflecting on a year marred by unmet sales goals and unexpected challenges.

In my coaching sessions with clients, a common theme was clear – this idealized vision of thriving as a full-time artist was painfully elusive. As a result, many artists found themselves turning to or keeping their traditional jobs for support. In doing so, however, these same artists carry the concern that these jobs will somehow make them seem less legitimate. In an era of such economic instability, it’s time to rethink the idea that a traditional job and a creative practice are mutually exclusive. Here are five ways they can actually complement each other and benefit you.

1. CREATIVE FREEDOM Securing a steady paycheck can take the pressure off of you creatively and give you the freedom to experiment without the fear of it impacting sales. You can focus on creating your best work, and not just your most profitable, since the two are not always the same.

2. RELIABLE INCOME For artists who earn their income from galleries and editorial work, these payment timelines are often unpredictable and protracted. As a result, a steady paycheck from a day job or freelance work becomes crucial. The supplementary income it offers allows artists to concentrate on their craft without the constant worry of making ends meet.

3. PRACTICAL SKILLS Beyond a paycheck, traditional jobs are a great opportunity to develop valuable transferable skills if you’re embarking on an entrepreneurial journey. From customer service to budgeting, people management, and marketing, these skills form a solid foundation for running a successful art business.

30

4. BUILDING A NETWORK Social connections are the bread and butter of our art careers. The relationships you forge with work colleagues extend your network beyond the studio, opening doors to professional and creative opportunities that you may not have anticipated.

5. ACCESSING RESOURCES In addition to providing financial security, having a day job can give artists access to resources that expand their digital toolkit. This includes potential exposure to marketing software, photo editing tools, project management resources, and other tools that lend themselves to experimentation and innovation.

These are just a few ways to reframe the often-challenging position of being an artist with another career commitment.

A change in perspective offers both a practical and empowering approach to navigating this space, and can make all the difference.

ALEXANDRA CHIOU, Traces And Echoes, ink and cut paper, 18x16in 31

AR

REVIEW

W RI

TE

R

Martha Szabo: The Truthful Gaze Through the Glass

TS

written by Chunbum Park

What happens when an artist paints and paints, doing everything that she is required as a painter, but is denied any visibility for her work? Except for a handful of household names in art history books, most women artists have been forgotten, and their works were dismissed as side hobbies or craft.

She has faithfully applied the great lessons of modernism and art history of her mentors to her paintings, which carry experimental qualities and the avant-garde spirit. Yet, her work has been invisible for decades… until now. At the David Richard Gallery in Chelsea, Martha Szabo finally steps into the limelight and presents her works containing her aesthetical visions and her intellectual spirit, which are truthful, self-evident, and unbroken.

Her daughter, Julia Szabo, has spent years trying to get her mother’s work seen and celebrated, but most of the gallerists appeared to be afraid or uncomprehending of the modernist paintings of the woman artist.

Looking at the exhibition, which is titled, “Up On The Roof: Liberation, Transformation, Celebration,” I go back in time to a place in history, where our protagonist survives the Nazi concentration camp and immigrates from the USSR-controlled Hungary to the United States. I sense that Szabo felt the sharp contrast

Untitled, City Lights 1, 1975, oil on linen, 22x28in 32

between the repressive communist society of the USSR and the democratic and capitalist society of the United States. She must have been inspired by America’s promise of the American Dream and democratic ideals of liberty, equality, and justice.

From her apartment window (she and her family moved several times, each time to a higher place), Szabo saw a city that was rising. The city was going up and up and up because everything was being built after the Second World War. And the city was also beautiful, modern, and cosmopolitan, and she came to love and admire the city. The city was romantic and iconic. It was the subject of countless works in cinema and literature, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and The Great Gatsby (1925). New York was also the place to be if you were an artist.

When I was in art school, a professor questioned and dismissed my declaration that Painting had a history of great achievements. I tried to explain to him that no matter how novel and attractive the newer mediums of art were, nothing could surely come close to the requirements of Painting in my personal view. (I may have been biased because I was a painter myself.) To create a strong painting, the artist must have an experimental aesthetical sense for the formal aspects of art (which are color and form). The artist must internalize the subject or the vision in all its totality and reconstruct the subject or the vision with her hand and brush or other means.

On top of this, everything must work together like the symphony or an orchestra, in which the entire composition matters as equally or more than the individual parts. Proper painting requires discipline, a calling to answer the sounds of the canon of painting, rigorous training, and the painter’s critical eye to discern a good work from a bad one and vice versa.

Why am I rambling about painting and how great and difficult it is? As a fellow painter of a younger generation, I highly appreciate Szabo’s work, her quality of honesty, her painter’s eye, and her romantic vision of New York City, where the tall and beautiful buildings embrace each other like faithful lovers. Even as some people proclaimed the Death of Painting during the rise of Conceptualism within Contemporary Art, Szabo dedicated her life to (oil) painting and went through the several phases of the historical art movements (such as Symbolism, Impressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism). In describing the challenging nature and the greatness of Painting, I am also trying to explain why Szabo did not jump onto the next avant-garde bandwagon and try to create a conceptual installation art. It is because Szabo saw herself to be a painter, knowing the meaning and the merits of Painting, its

rich history, and the masters and the mentors of the bygone eras who preceded her. Installing lights or TV screens in a room, for example, and letting those ready-made machines do the work (of mixing and projecting color and light) just would not have satisfied Szabo, who must have desired something more engaging and demanding of her, while being equally rewarding in its outcome.

She would dedicate her life to Painting, whether the discipline died and became invisible or not. (Within the past decade or so, Painting and Figurative Art are seeing a revival or a renewed attention within the art world.) In a way, her life, work, and career were almost bound to be similarly invisible, but God, Buddha, or a higher power of some kind must have been moved by her unbreakable spirit and faithful dedication to painting. Through her daughter’s perseverance, the works finally have the chance to be respectfully presented in a gallery setting and properly evaluated.

Her most iconic and original contributions to the canon of Painting are the works like the ones titled, “La Vida es Sueno (For Calderon) 25” (1978), and “Neon City 23” (1975). As discussed previously, in these works, the artist anthropomorphizes the buildings as giant statues that kiss each other within a passionate embrace. The vision has a deeply classical, romantically feminine feel (in terms of the delicate nature and vulnerability of the figures which are the

personified buildings), and dream-like quality as it must have come to the artist during the time of the day, when the sun is rising or falling very near or beneath the horizon, the artist is feeling dreamy, and her eye imagines something beautiful. These are powerful lyrical and metaphorical visual devices that liberate and transform the city away from the architectural constraints of a predominantly rectilinear design and construction to a more organic form that is truly alive and human.

Szabo is painting the city, but she is no longer painting a traditional cityscape or the literal, external appearance of the city. She is painting the dream of the city – yes, the city is dreaming with great passion and love just like her inhabitants, in her visual masterpieces.

It is as if a blind woman can see, or a deaf woman can hear. The city, which is built with bricks, stones, steel, and concrete, and the buildings, which should be dead or lifeless in theory, are given a breath of life and animated in Szabo’s paintings, just as in the story of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” (1838). What if the city could feel and think? What would it dream? The anthropomorphic representation of the city and its buildings purely consist of abstract brushstrokes and areas of shadow within the silhouettes of the embracing figures; they lack any illustrational details, so the answer to the question and the interpretation of the paintings are both openended.

On another level, however, we know who the city is or is like. The city in the paintings is painted with the innate qualities of the

artist, who constantly makes aesthetical decisions on the canvas that reflect her classical personality and modern ideology. (The artist appears to me to be a humanist, who believes in humanity with its struggles and achievements, and both a classicist and modernist, which can be seen as being contradictory qualities.

There is a significant classical aspect to the figures that are the personifications of the city buildings, despite their modern identity and context. The modern architectural marvels that she depicted include the Seagram Building, as seen in “Neon City 23,” and the Carlyle Hotel, shown in “Untitled Pink Sunset 20” {1975}.) The artist herself is becoming like the city as she lives, studies, and works in it, becoming the modern woman who gradually acquires and internalizes its international style, manner, and appearance.

It is, then, not far-fetched but necessary to argue that, on a psychological level in Szabo’s paintings, the modern artist is the city, and the modern city is also the artist.

Szabo can be compared to Monet in the sense that she is repeatedly painting the views of the city from her apartment, just as the French Impressionist painter repeatedly visited his famous garden. Another contemporary equivalent is Frank Auerbach, who repeatedly painted the same people as his models. It is through this repetition of the subject matter that the artist creates a rich

and complex body of work on the city, its architecture, and its psychological manifestation as a love story or drama that is dreamed by its inhabitants and the city’s collective consciousness itself.

Szabo appears to suggest the romantic idea through painting that the power of love and the human spirit can help the city and its inhabitants to overcome the challenges. While she was probably not considering the Marxist ideas of the “spectacle” as proposed

by Guy Debord in his 1967 book, her romantic vision stands as an antithesis to the pessimistic and critical outlook of the thinkers, such as Debord, regarding the flaws of capitalism and liberally democratic societies. Where Debord observed the rise of the spectacle in modern societies, as “the autocratic reign of the market economy… and [the accompanying] new techniques of government…,” Szabo saw, through her observation of the city, the beauty of the human existence and struggle and our potential for the most powerful force in the cosmos, which is love.

Love is powerful because it allows us to build for the future and to forgive the past. The woman artist gave her love for the city for decades without receiving anything in return. Now is better than never, and it would be best to give her works a second look… a proper chance to be considered for what it is. I believe that truth is self-evident and will prevail. I am an idealist like Szabo. Szabo is a great artist, and I salute her for her strength and her eye as a painter, who can see the beauty in the city, including all its people.

33

TORIAN, ART CR

ITI

C

&

EX HI

BIT I O N C U R AT O R

From Canvas to Soul

HIS

written by Suso Barciela

Contemporary art has become essential in the realm of mental health, transcending mere aesthetic appeal to serve as a kind of medicine for the soul. In today’s world, art is approaching mental health with a critical perspective, challenging common ideas and helping us better understand the experiences of those dealing with mental health issues.

When it comes to mental health, art no longer confines itself to portraying life in an idealized manner. It now delves into more real and sincere territories, closer to us. Think of artists like Yayoi Kusama, who use art to express their own struggles with mental health through installations and works that truly convey the chaos of their personal experiences.

Also, consider Dara Birnbaum, who has problematized the representation of mental health in the media, clearly exposing how damaging stigmas and stereotypes contribute to the widespread misunderstanding of mental illnesses. The same applies to Grayson Perry, who critically addresses themes related to identity and mental health, challenging preconceived notions of what it means to be sane or “crazy.”

To counteract stigmas and correct misconceptions, it is necessary to emphasize and achieve an accurate representation of challenging mental experiences. This invites us to introspect about unfounded and inherited prejudices, allowing us to appreciate the diverse human experiences within the broad scope of mental health and understand them empathetically.

34

An important factor to consider is that art has the ability to promote more inclusive and compassionate conversations, revealing the multiplicity of experiences through its various manifestations. This leads to a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the different realities coexisting within our society and our perception of what it means to be mentally healthy. The preconceived notion of a single, standardized narrative can be immediately dispelled once we acknowledge that each person has their individual battle.

This critical approach of art to mental health extends beyond artistic creation to the critique of prevailing institutions and narratives in this field, something crucial in today’s times.

Perhaps the essence of contemporary art in the realm of mental health lies in the subtle invitation it extends to us for a deeper reflection on the inherent complexity of our experience—a medium that can explore the landscapes of the human psyche, offering a critical gaze and a window into the internal realities of those who struggle with their mental health. It is essential to clarify that such artistic expressions do not seek to simplify or romanticize mental struggles; on the contrary, they challenge the audience to understand the issues these individuals face, encouraging a confrontation with the complexity and diversity of the reality they live in.

Join the

ARTIST GLOW-UP PROGRAM ARTIST, READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR ART CAREER IN 12 WEEKS? In this powerful online course, Victoria J. Fr y provides you with targeted support in key areas of your art career to help you build a strong foundation from which you can reach your goals.

The program includes: 12 group sessions with Victoria in a supportive environment (90mins each) Proven tools and strategies to increase visibility & sell your work Opportunities to share your work and receive specific feedback Email support in between sessions Plus established guest speakers from the art world who share their knowledge & wisdom with you Victoria will focus on strategies and tools to grow your collector base, increase sales, exhibit your work, and move through creative blocks

SP OTS ARE LIMITED! for more information and to sign up, go to visionaryartcollective.com

35

ARTIST THEDA SANDIFORD

Sinnerlig Light Armor: Zip Tie Chandelier (detail), handmade bamboo pendant lampshade, glitter spray paint, 8” black zip ties, 30x30x28in 36

R AT O R A N

D

FO

DE

R OF W OA R T

Massey is an artist and curator and founder of WoArt with over a decade of experience in curating exhibitions that focus on and highlight underrepresented female artists. Her curatorial projects have exhibited at Hunterdon Art Museum, Court Tree Collective, BioBAT Art Space, ISE Foundation, and Cluster Gallery, amongst others. Her projects have been featured in notable publications including Art Net News, Visionary Project, and ABC News. She has been invited as a guest speaker at esteemed institutions like Pratt University, SVA, PAFA, Chico State University, as well as for the New York Artists Circle, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, and the Women’s Caucus for Art. She is also the current curatorin-residence for KUNSTRAUM. Massey’s artwork has been exhibited extensively in the NYC metropolitan region. She has won multiple awards including most recently a Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant in 2023, an FST StudioProject Fund Grant, Brooklyn Arts Fund Grant, SIP Fellowship at the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop and Puffin Foundation Grant.

Massey’s work has been featured in such publications as Hyperallergic, Art Spiel and Art Fuse and is in the collections of the Janet Turner Museum, Art Bank Collection in DC, USB and multiple private collections.

She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

R

, CU ST TI

UN

This issue of New Visionary Magazine is curated by Christina Massey

A

VISIONARY ARTISTS

37

T IS T

Deborah L Barr

AR

www.deborahbarrart.com debbiebarrmfa Deborah Barr’s work investigates our shifting cultural currents, which are moving and metamorphosing at increasingly rapid rates. As new technologies and A.I.generated images proliferate, we lose touch with what reality looks like. Her recent pieces reflect the younger generations’ obsession with perfection, wherein any markers of individuality are erased, blurred, or filtered in the pursuit of an unattainable ideal. Barr uses photo-editing apps and manipulated images as references, but her vivid colors, abstract elements, and distortions reintroduce a human element. Her paintings call attention to their own

Somewhere Somehow, oil on wood, 24x36x1in 38

artifice, unlike the digitally altered selfies that abound on social media; at the same time, their chaotic compositions convey the disjointed state of the contemporary world.

In each image, irises bloom, symbolizing hope—and reminding us of the natural world we truly inhabit. Barr is an award-winning artist and art educator who has taught art at Columbia College, Merced College, and San Jose State University. She is currently a full-time professor at Modesto Junior College. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Tell Me Again One More Time, oil on wood, 46x36x2in

Falling, oil on clayboard, 40x30x2in 39

T IS T

Marcie Begleiter

AR

www.marciebegleiter.com mdbegleiter_studio Marcie Begleiter uses photography, painting, sculpture, and video to catalog a future that hasn’t yet come to pass.

She imagines the world that may follow our own, which is undergoing radical shifts as a result of climate change.

Her recent project “A History of the Post-Anthropocene” includes photographs of real and constructed habitats, which are staged with found and altered natural objects, ceramic forms, and painted landscapes. The resulting images are reminiscent of displays in natural history museums—scientific studies of invented organisms. Hers

is a fantasy of an ecosystem that continues to mutate and thrive, perhaps long after we are gone, embracing both the sadness of what is unfolding and the unexpected renewal it could bring about. Begleiter is an award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally. She directed and produced the documentary “Eva Hesse,” which premiered at the Whitney Museum in 2015 and went on to play in dozens of cities worldwide.

Oxy-Genesis, pigment print, 24x36in 40

Future Of Fungi 4, pigment print, 24x36in 41

Ai Sogawa Campbell

AR

T IS T

www.aicampbell.com aicampbell When Ai Sogawa Campbell first encountered her grandfather’s landscape drawings, in 2005, she was captivated. With minimalist use of black ink, he was able to capture extraordinary detail. The work had a profound impact on Campbell: she had previously been making colorful, figurative oil paintings, but began creating paintings and collages composed with simple black lines, minimal colors, and basic forms. Her work explores how seemingly insignificant things can transform into objects of great significance. In her paintings, little dots, lines,

and gradient-ink droppings are layered and combined to create an immersive, compelling whole. Campbell also plays with ideas of control and chaos—she pours freeflowing ink on top of rigid and detailed line drawings, illustrating the futility of our attempts to impose order on our own lives and the world around us. Campbell’s work has been exhibited across the world. She has completed large-scale commissions for hotels, Norwegian Cruise Line, and an affordable-housing project in Brooklyn.

Nexus #2, mixed media, 20in diameter 42

Seamless Moments #1, ink, powder pigment, hand cut painted canvas and spray paint on canvas, 60x48in

43

Alexandra Chiou

AR

T IS T

alexandrachiou.com alexandrachiou Alexandra Chiou creates intricate layered works inspired by nature, emotion, and memory. Her medium of choice, paper, is both vibrant and fragile; through the accumulation of carefully cut shapes in an array of patterns and hues, she makes elaborate forms that simultaneously represent the natural world and subconscious states. Her paper works, at once organic and surreal, give physical form to abstract feelings and concepts. Her most recent series is a response to her father’s passing, offering a rumination on healing and a celebration of life. Each piece embodies

the complexity, depth and variety of emotions one experiences during the healing process. The series also pays tribute to Chiou’s childhood home, revelling in small details that left a profound impact—the creatures who lived in the garden, the trees that she loved most. Chiou’s work has been exhibited at galleries across the U.S. and at international venues, including the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia; it is also held in the public collection of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Tender Moments, ink and cut paper, 22x24in 44

Sacred Ground, ink and cut paper, 13x12in 45

Sara De Pasquale

AR

T IS T

www.saradepasquale.com sa_d_kit Through her practice, Sara De Pasquale gives classical forms new life. In her “Exquifusion” series she brings blueand-white ceramics, an aesthetic that has been used for over a millennium, into a decidedly modern context. Sara De Pasquale creates hyper realistic sensual sculptures onto tiles. The works feature pale figures adorned with indigo tattoos that resemble the patterns found on traditional Delft pottery. The series is a tribute to the

L.G.B.T.Q.+ community, and in many of the pieces, queer couples kiss or embrace in moments of intimacy. The austere coldness of their ceramic forms contrasts with the carnal warmth of the contact. There is an interplay of fragility and strength, too; the sculptures are both delicate and bold, marked by histories and creating their own.

Sara De Pasquale is an interdisciplinary artist and creative director whose work has been exhibited across the world.

Sailing, ceramic art, 39.3x55.1in 46

Iconic, ceramic art, 39.3x55.1in

Kiss, ceramic art, 31.5x31.5in

47

T IS T

Loren Eiferman

AR

www.loreneifermanart.com loreneiferman Loren Eiferman uses found wood to create intricate sculptures that convey the awe nature inspires in her. She aims to create work that looks as though it could have grown organically, and each sculpture is made of hundreds of pieces of wood seamlessly joined together—a process guided by the shapes of the branches, twigs, and sticks she gathers. Eiferman uses her practice to engage with other representations of the natural world, from the photographs the Hubble Telescope beams back to earth to, most recently, the illustrations found in a 15th century text called the Voynich Manuscript. The codex has yet to be deciphered—the language it’s written in remains unknown—but scholars have separated it

into six sections: herbal, astronomical, balneological, cosmological, pharmaceutical, and recipes. Eiferman felt “an immediate, profound, and inexplicable connection to this manuscript and its creator” and has spent eight years creating sculptures based on the herbal section of the manuscript. These celebrate mankind’s enduring sense of wonder when observing the world and its mysteries.

Eiferman has exhibited in solo and group shows in galleries, alternative art spaces, and museums. Her work is included in numerous corporate and private art collections. In 2014, she installed a public art commission for the MTA.

10v, wood, pastel, linseed oil, iron metal coating with rust patina, 25x26x4in 48

18v/New Growth, 142 pieces of wood, paper clay, pastel, linseed oil, copper metal coating with patina, 38x16x8in 49

T IS T

Camille Eskell

AR

camilleeskell.com camilleeskell Using a variety of media and materials, Camille Eskell examines societal attitudes toward women and their ramifications. She draws from larger cultural currents as well as her familial context; she is the youngest daughter in an Iraqi-Jewish family from Mumbai. Her identity can be traced back to three ancient societies with rich histories, each of which includes the subjugation of women. Eskell’s work explores these embedded patriarchal systems and their continued manifestations. Her current series, “The Fez as Storyteller,” combines traditional clothing— fez caps, saris, mantles, slippers—and digital collages,

50

collapsing the distance between past and present to demonstrate how seemingly antiquated attitudes about gender persist today. The pieces often meld male and female garments, pointing to the arbitrary nature of these categories’ definitions—and yet, the definitions endure. Eskell has exhibited extensively in group and solo shows across the world. Her work is in public and private collections, including the Hudson River Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Housatonic Museum of Art, and the Islip Art Museum.

Useless Females: Don’t Stand There Like a Bloody Momo, From Words Of My Father, The Fez As Storyteller Series, handmade gold-stamped paper, digital photo-based collage, slippers, trims, mixed media, 24x34x6in

Dis-Miss: Let Me Entertain YOU, The Fez As Storyteller Series, silk, fez caps, digital photo-based collage, paper, trims, mixed media, 24x20x8in 51

T IS T

Patricia Espinosa

AR

www.patriciaespinosa.com espiarte Patricia Espinosa uses ordinary objects to create powerful commentary, highlighting the sinister normalization of violence and bigotry in our society. Through her practice, which includes installation, performance, sculpture, conceptual drawings, and video, she seeks to combat the lack of empathy and indifference that allow these hateful forces to thrive. Taking things we encounter in day-today life—toys, cosmetics, household devices—out of context, she illuminates the dark realities that underlie our quotidian existences. Her work addresses many of the issues that dominate American headlines: gun violence,

the stripping back of reproductive rights, police brutality.

Her pieces are characterized by repetition, emphasizing how commonplace—but still, somehow, overwhelming— these types of systemic violence are. The visual language she creates is both playful and deeply unsettling, forcing the viewer to confront what he might in other circumstances overlook. Espinosa has a B.F.A. from the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and an M.F.A. in from Parsons School of Design in New York. Her work has been exhibited across the world in both solo and group shows.

The Star-Tainted Banner, installation, black pigment-coated band-aids and police star badges, 40x56in 52

Liberation Red, tinted wax on lipstick container, 3in Hx0.75in Diameter.

53

T IS T

Karen Fitzgerald

AR

fitzgeraldart.com kbfitzgeraldart Karen Fitzgerald’s abstract paintings explore the elusive relationship between matter and spirit. She uses watercolor, thinned oil paint, and mica to create luminous images that invite us to consider the reality beyond our material one. She makes physical objects that gesture toward the metaphysical, illuminating the intangible energies that surround us. Light plays a special role in her work, and her paintings often incorporate gilding to foreground its qualities. For over three decades, Fitzgerald has painted tondi, circular works that became popular during the Renaissance. When she began using the form, she was trying to understand the nature of edges:

where matter stops and space begins. Roundness has since become an essential part of her visual language, representing wholeness and interconnection—the roiling currents of energy that bind us all together. Fitzgerald has exhibited extensively across the world; she has had 23 solo, 11 two-person, and numerous group exhibitions, as well as curating over 25 exhibitions in the New York City area. She has been featured at The Queens Museum of Art, the United Nations Headquarters, the Islip Art Museum, and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, among other institutions. Her work is held in public and private collections.

Pandora’s Bowl, 23k gold, oil, mica on panel, 14in diameter 54

Pandora’s Bowl 3, oil paint, mica, 12k gold on panel, 13in diameter

55

T IS T

Sandra Giunta

AR

www.sandragiunta.com sangiunta Sandra Giunta’s work is inspired by natural forms and forces, celebrating and memorializing the environment that sustains us even as it is altered by human activity.

She uses both clay and textiles, malleable media that she manipulates to replicate organic shapes, textures, and colors. Giunta creates stand-alone pieces as well as installations of up to one hundred sculptures, honoring the wonder of individual organisms and the robust ecosystems they create. Giunta was inspired by her time in coastal Belize to create sculptures paying homage to the Mesoamerican Reef, a system that is acutely threatened

by climate change. Her body of work has since expanded to include fungi, forests, and other terrestrial organisms that face similar threats. Through her work, Giunta hopes to make visible lifeforms that we often cannot—or choose not—to see, forging an emotional connection between the viewer and the world around her. Giunta is an awardwinning, self-taught artist. Multiple of her pieces are held in the permanent collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation, as well as in private collections. She is a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists and the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center.

Coral Arch, clay, 10x14x9in 56

Symbiosis, wool roving, 36x27x10in 57

T IS T

Jean Gray Mohs

AR

www.myfourdots.com jg.fourdots Jean Gray Mohs makes painted sculptures that complicate the dichotomy of weakness and strength, weaving cut plywood together with wax thread.

Disassembling solid forms and reconstituting the pieces into delicate fabrications, she illuminates the power and the beauty that can be found in fragility. Her work draws from her experience living with chronic illness and disability, exploring the emotional and physical space of vulnerability and resiliency. Mohs received a double lung transplant, and her art is, in part, a response to that; it, too, consists of the merging of separate entities in harmonious

balance. Her work seeks to draw attention to the body and its functions, highlighting both its susceptibility and its tenacity. Her process—cutting apart, painting abstractions across the resulting fragments, then sewing them back together—is reminiscent of the regrowth and the rebuilding we must go through as we move through life. Mohs received her B.F.A. and Masters of Arts in Teaching degrees from Georgia Southern University. She has presented her work in 26 solo shows, participated in 91 group exhibitions, and contributed to 24 museum and university exhibitions.

Plateau And Hill, acrylic and waxed thread on maple plywood, 22x30in 58

Veiled, acrylic and waxed thread on maple plywood, 28x36in 59

T IS T

Erin Juliana

AR

www.erinjuliana.com erinjulianaart Erin Juliana creates paintings, cut paper, weavings, and sculptures containing geometric structures and organic shapes, embracing the tension between the two—the perfect symmetry of man-made forms and the sprawling fluidity of natural ones. Her work is inspired by her own history of spinal deformity and her fascination with decorative arts. While living in Florence, Italy, she was drawn to the grotteschi she encountered, strange figures amid the harmonious flourishes of the frescoes. She saw a resonance between the murals and her own body:

the metal rods implanted in her own spine working to instill an order that can never be fully realized. Her sculptures portray this dichotomy materially, combining soft fibers and rigid metal wine to represent the sinuous curves of a natural form and the linear order we often seek to impose.

Juliana received an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College CUNY and works as a full-time art educator on top of maintaining a studio practice. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S.

Simulacrum, fabric, poly-fil and armature wire, 9x12x2in 60

Viscera, fabric, poly-fil and armature wire, 6x8x2in 61

Yvonne LamarRogers

AR

T IS T

yvonne-lamar-rogers.nyartistscircle.com ylamarrogers Yvonne Lamar-Rogers creates mixed-media based on her experiences and memories, from her childhood growing up in Detroit in the 1950s and ’60s to the two decades she’s spent in New York City. Lamar-Rogers’s mother was a skilled seamstress, and that practice inspired her own, which incorporates fabric, tissue paper, buttons, and threads, as well as photography, printmaking, and clay. To create her pieces, which she sees as visual stories, LamarRogers layers materials on wrapped canvas or canvas panels, a process guided by intuition and experimentation;

she continually finds new materials to experiment and work with. Through art making, she seeks to find stillness in the overwhelming noise we’re inundated with daily.

Lamar-Rogers says she hears music in everything, and her work is a visual representation of that musicality. She hopes to evoke familiarity and connection, celebrating moments of simple happiness in an often chaotic world.

Lamar-Rogers is an artist, jewelry designer, and former art educator. Her work has been featured in exhibitions across the U.S.

On A Country Road, mixed media, torn paper collage, 24x24in 62

Tell Me A Story, mixed media torn paper collage, 24x20in

63

T IS T

Jennifer Mannebach

AR

jmannebach.com mannebach_art Jennifer Mannebach’s primary subject is boundaries: how we demarcate and define reality, and how slippery those borders can become. Her work shifts between scales, considering everything from cells to cities. She explores how we translate our understanding of the world into a visual language, be that in the form of a gene map or a globe. Using a variety of media, she disrupts the division between body and environment, natural and unnatural objects, past and present. Her most recent series is

based on a video of a child struggling to balance on a playground, engaging with the sensations of uncertainty, performance, and surrender. She cast and recreated parts of the slide the child was playing on, echoing the fragmented nature of memory. Mannebach is an awardwinning artist, curator, and gallery director. She received her M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she then taught for six years. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally.

Sacked, hydrocal, acrylic paint, lucite block, 12x12x5in 64

Drop, hydrocal, acrylic paint, 28x10x4in 65

T IS T

Lindsy Marshall

AR

www.lindsymarshallart.com lindsymarshallglass Lindsy Marshall’s glass sculptures push the material to its limits, making visible the processes of creation and destruction. She draws a connection between artistic and natural genesis by combining finished glass with its raw elements, including silica, lime, and heavy metals. The resulting pieces are organic, opaque, and rough—qualities that aren’t commonly associated with the material, which we most often encounter and aesthetically appreciate in a manipulated form. Marshall sees herself as a scientist as well as a sculptor, and her process is guided by

experimentation: she sets up a series of conditions in which the materials react with each other without further human intervention. Her sculptures are a study in the relationship glass has with itself—and the relationship an artist has with her work. Marshall received her B.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and spent two years as an Artist in Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S.

New Land Forms, glass powders, binders and sand kiln formed glass, full installation 5ft to 3 ft, individually 1x2in to 7x4in

66

Duality of Herself II, blown and kiln formed glass, 7x5x4in 67

T IS T

Janice McNab

AR

www.janicemcnab.com janice.mcnab Janice McNab’s enduring subjects are environmental degradation, women’s experiences, and the nexus of the two. An early documentary project, “The Isolation Paintings,” depicts women living with chemical pollution, which transformed their homes or workplaces into toxic environments; her 2010 project, “The Ice Cream Paintings,” captures female figures sculpted from ice cream as they melt into obscurity. The paintings in her most recent series, “Our Spectral Gardens,” are populated with abstract floral motifs and dripping forms.

They resemble distorted, futuristic landscapes but are in fact inspired by the design of a 1950s scarf owned by

68

her mother, who is suffering from dementia. This seeming incongruity establishes connections between the natural and the synthetic, the past and the future. McNab gives the mass-produced garden motif new life, transforming a soon-to-be-forgotten past into a strangely beautiful, thriving world. McNab is an artist, academic, and the Head of the MA Artistic Research at The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. Her research about textiles within the work of Hilma af Klint was published in catalog accompanying a recent exhibition at the Tate Modern. She has exhibited across the world and is currently represented by Galeria Fermay, Palma de Mallorca.

Our Rift Valleys, oil on linen, 47.2x6 4.9in

The Shadow of an Animal, oil on linen, 27.5x39.3in

69

T IS T

Nina Meledandri

AR

gallery.meledandri.com nina_studio Nina Meledandri is a painter, photographer, and mixedmedia artist who has been producing work every day for the past three decades. Recently, this practice expanded to include daily papermaking; the resulting durational project, “The Alchemy of Paper,” explores the conceptual, formal, and material concerns of creating art. Each paper begins with an 8” x 8” mold, but resulting work varies widely, from transparent, spare pieces to densely populated mixed-media constructions. They both stand on their own and create an overarching visual narrative that incorporates temporality—over the course of a year, Meledandri discovered new techniques, encountered obstacles, and saw the body of work evolve and transform.

70

Meledandri is heavily influenced by Jungian philosophy; her intuitive process guides the outcome, and she works with little preconception, relying instead on exploration.

Meledandri began her career as a freelance photographer whose work was featured in the New York Times Magazine, Architectural Digest, and New York Magazine, among other publications. She later developed a line of jewel-encrusted papier maché jewelry, which was sold in specialty boutiques and Bloomingdales and featured in Vogue. As an abstract painter, she was represented by David Findlay Gallery. Her paperworks were exhibited at FiveMyles last year.

The Alchemy Of Paper... June 2022 (detail), 30 8x8in handmade papers, various materials on sand in wood and plexiglass vitrine, 30inx16ftx35in

The Alchemy Of Paper: 2.25.22, handmade paper: flax, magnolia leaf, 8x8in

The Alchemy Of Paper: 4.14.22, handmade paper: flax, abaca, scrap, pulp, hemp cord, ink and photo, 8x8in 71

www.suzannemoseleyart.com

MOSH Studio is a collaboration between artists Suzanne Moseley and Adrienne Shishko, who have been working together since 2021. Using repurposed mixed media, fiber, and found objects, the pair explores rampant consumerism and its impact on the environment. Their joint practice began as an integration of their individual bodies of work. Shishko works primarily with paint and with fabrics reclaimed from discarded clothes; Moseley created screen prints and cyanotypes. They cut both bodies of work into strips and wove them together with found objects. In her work, Shishko focuses on the hollowness of throw-away culture, whereas

72

TS

www.adrienneart.net moshstudioart

T IS

MOSH Studio

AR

Moseley considers how objects can serve as a physical manifestation of what we hold dear. The artists were interested in the tension between their two bodies of work and continued to explore the new meanings the two projects gave to each other. Currently, the two use natural dyeing techniques, fiber art, beeswax, and more to transform detritus into art, hoping to inspire viewers to recognize our most important commodity: the environment. MOSH Studio’s work is held in numerous corporate collections, has been exhibited throughout the U.S., and has been featured in multiple publications.

Crest Of The Wave, beach debris, reclaimed fabric, plastic mesh, plastic bags, marine rope, natural fiber insulation, 40x40x6in

Future Artifacts, rope, sea debris, wood, shells, fabric, beeswax, 40x36x7in (24 buoys, approximately 6x4x4in each on 4 shelves) 73

T IS T

Benedicta OpokuMensah

AR

benedictaopokumensaharts.netlify.app benedicta_opoku_mensah Benedicta Opoku-Mensah’s sculptures reflect on the complex, constantly shifting nature of human existence, transforming ordinary things into aesthetic experiences.

She uses metal, leather, wood, yarn, fabric, and other materials to recast refuse and household items. The resulting pieces have a talismanic power—unexpectedly combined, the objects take on new meaning and significance. Originally from Ghana, Opoku-Mensah began her current practice when she moved abroad and found herself immersed in a new creative landscape, giving

her the opportunity to expand her artistic vocabulary.

Her sculptures and installations challenge preconceived notions of self and identity, illuminating the multiple facets and transformative potential of our shared experience.

Through them, she hopes to create space for viewers to contemplate change, growth, and self-realization. OpokuMensah is an artist and educator. She is currently earning her M.F.A. at the University of Florida and is the 20232025 recipient of the university’s Grinter Fellowship.

Bottled Up, plastic bottles, yarns, sawdust, 45x20x9in 74

Space Within, plastic bottles, yarns, concrete blocks, acrylic paint, 6 4x75x96in 75

T IS T

Leisa Rich

AR

www.monaleisa.com monaleisa2 Leisa Rich uses a wide variety of materials and methods— painting, sculpting, needlepoint, embroidery, collage, heat transfer, 3-D printing, construction—to create tactile, immersive works. Both her process and her product are maximalist: Rich says that ideas come to her “in the thousands,” and she creates hundreds of artworks a year. Her vibrant, sensuous creations transport viewers to fantastical realms. Her work is redolent of childhood; imagination and playfulness abound. Rich spent a great deal of time in hospitals in her youth after losing her

hearing, which she later partially regained. She hopes to recreate the experiences and sensations that gave her respite during that time. Fabrics offer comfort and protection; they also often have personal histories and memories attached to them, much like the artwork itself.

Rich is an artist, published author, and art educator. Her work has been exhibited in notable museums and galleries and is held in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines, Hilton Hotels, and the Dallas Museum of Art, among others, as well as in private collections.

Mama Phat & The Clique (detail), fiber, 28x58x30in 76

Death Pod Rising, fiber, 80x46x20in 77

Lia Rothstein

T IS T Ph ot o by

www.liarothstein.com lia_rothsteinstudio

AR

R

ob

o Str

ng

Lia Rothstein’s sculptures highlight the fragility and vulnerability of our planet and our bodies. In 2012, on an artist residency in Iceland, she observed firsthand the threat of climate change in the diminishing glaciers there.

Since then, she has devoted herself to addressing issues of environmental degradation in her work. Her search for sustainable art materials with sculptural potential led her to bioplastics, or, as she prefers to call them, biomaterials. She has worked with agar, gelatin, cassava, tapioca, and chitosan, as well as natural pigments and fibers. A photographer as well as a sculptor, Rothstein is fascinated by the way light moves through these materials; her delicate, intricate pieces are thin enough

to be translucent, emphasizing both the beauty of the world around us and the extreme care with which it must be treated. In her recent Sea Change series each work is created with the understanding that it could easily degrade back into the earth without harming it. The ephemerality of these pieces further emphasizes the delicacy of the environment, our place within cycles of death and rebirth, and our interconnectedness with other living things. Rothstein holds a B.A. and an M.F.A. from Boston University. She has taught photography, imaging, art history, and mixed media at colleges and art centers.

Her work has been exhibited across the U.S. and is held in numerous private and public collections.

Sea Change 2, chitosan, artist-made botanical pigment and wire, 11.8x19.6x11.8in 78

Oro 1, Sea Change Series, chitosan, pigment, and wire, 12x19x1.5in Photo by Rob Strong

79

T IS T

Theda Sandiford

AR

www.thedasandiford.com misstheda Theda Sandiford is an installation artist who works primarily with fiber and found materials, ranging from zip ties, ribbon, and vintage neckties to recycled fishing nets and shopping carts. The objects she doesn’t find herself are contributed by her community; she binds them together using freeform weaving, knotting, and wrapping techniques, making the metaphor of “social fabric” literal.

She sees her process as one that intertwines personal experience and contemporary issues, both celebrating the rich tapestries our interconnected stories make and exploring the manifestations of racism in our society. Her

80

series include woven suits of armor to protect against microaggressions and “Emotional Baggage Carts” to carry the burdens of racial trauma. Although her subjects are serious, there is a sense of play in these works, inviting viewers to contemplate, communicate, and heal.

Sandiford is an award-winning artist who has exhibited extensively, including at Untitled Art Fair and SPRING/ BREAK ART SHOW. She has created numerous public art installations across the U.S. She has been named a Fellow for the 2023-24 National of Leaders of Color Fellowship program.

I Can’t Breathe: Emotional Baggage Cart, CPAP tubing, solar rope lights, gold 550 paracord, zip ties, gold spray paint on recovered shopping cart, 36x40x24in

Off Duty, spray painted shopping cart seat woven with webbed polyurethane ribbons, recovered taxi sign and a discarded teddy bear wrapped in yarn, paracord and bottlecap necklace, 32x10x19in 81

T IS T

Elizabeth Souza

AR

www.elizabethcoertsouza.com elizabethsouzaartist Elizabeth Souza’s multimedia collages tell matrilineal stories—some true, some invented—that offer a counter perspective to male-dominated colonial histories. Her work grapples with the legacy of Dutch imperialism in Indonesia and the diaspora that followed, recontextualizing colonial portraiture to reveal overlooked and hidden realities. She layers archival and vintage photographs with natural and textile patterns, using watercolors, oils, and fibers to transform the historical record and reclaim nearly forgotten memories. Souza’s images grant access to

what lies beyond prevailing and accepted narratives; they embrace emotional and experimental truths. Her dreamlike collages are laden with mysterious imagery and regal women displaying both power and pain. By mythologizing the past, she provides new access to it—and different endings for those once condemned to exist only within it. Souza is an award-winning artist and art educator. She holds an M.F.A. from California State University Northridge.

Her work as been shown across California in group shows and a solo exhibition.

Indo Arcana #1, watercolor on paper, 30x22.5in

Mitochondria, All The Grandmothers, Mothers And Daughters, oil collage on canvas, 48x35in

82

Three Muses, oil collage on canvas, 30x24in

83

T IS T

Tyvette Symone

AR

www.tyvettesymone.com tyvettesymone Tyvette Symone’s mixed-media artworks simultaneously call into mind overgrown landscapes and altars. Using natural materials like crystals, taxidermy, tree bark, dirt, and pressed flowers—many of which have mystical connotations—she illuminates the connection between the subconscious and physical reality. She selects and combines her materials, rife with metaphysical meaning,

to evoke specific emotions and mental states. Symone’s most recent collection, “Reflections of the Human Condition,” is a symbolic representation of her bipolar I symptoms. Through it, she hopes to offer a glimpse of her personal journey and to destigmatize the conversation around mental health. Symone is a self-taught artist. Her work has been featured on 1stDibs blog.

Overgrown, mixed media (dirt, moss, pyrite, mallard wings, goose feathers, branches), 30in diameter 84

Self-Injury, mixed media (mirror, glass flakes, mulberry paper, cotton string, acrylic paint), 36in diameter 85

T IS T

Judi Tavill

AR

juditavill.com juditavillart Judi Tavill combines sculpture and drawing to create three-dimensional biomorphic abstractions. Using clay, graphite, and paint, she makes monochromatic tendrils and visceral forms that seem both organic and alien. These pieces bring to mind the elaborate matrices that form our reality, both physical and intangible—tree-root systems, neural paths, social networks, webs of cause and effect.

Tavill’s work arises from an awareness that we exist in relation to the world around us, embedded in much larger, complex systems; it seeks to explore that experience of

interconnectedness and the entanglements that result.

Tavill worked in fashion, becoming the head designer for Lilly Pulitzer, before embarking on a successful career in ceramics—her work has been shown across the U.S. and is included in the permanent collection of the Flint Institute of Art Museum. Her abstract work has been shown at numerous juried exhibitions and New York City galleries. It recently was featured in the television series American Horror Story.

Continuous, fired clay, paint, graphite, varnish, 22.5x12.5x11.75in 86

Enthrall, fired clay, paint, graphite, varnish, 21.5x16x13in 87

T IS T

Nancy Kay Turner

AR

www.nancyturnerstudio.com nancykayturner Nancy Kay Turner’s site-specific installations, assemblages, and works on panel and paper explore memory and impermanence. Turner describes herself as an “accidental archivist” telling “stories of love, loss, desire, and longing,” and she often makes use of vintage photographs and other found materials, offering a tantalizing glimpse into unknowable histories. The individual elements are subsumed by the whole of her pieces, which she adds to over the course of months, or sometimes years, gesturing towards the anonymizing force of passing time. This fragmented, gradual process

emphasizes the fragility of identity, and its malleability; the works can be seen as elegies, presenting objects stripped of their defining context, or as a sort of rebirth, envisioning a new manner of being. Turner conjures such dualities in order to collapse them, dissolving the separation between life and death, past and present, truth and fiction. Turner is a multidisciplinary artist, prolific art critic, and the founder of the collective Hana Dark. Her work is held in private, public, and corporate collections and has been exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally.

Kokytus: The River Of Lamentation (site specific installation), ink dyed wax paper, staples, gold ink, 10x18ft 88

The Secret Life Of Shards, 80 individual ink dyed paper sculptures/marble dust/silver leaf/colored staples, pins, jewelry, vintage photograph, dyed Japanese text, size variable, here 9x7ft 89

T IS T

Stephanie Wenzel

AR

www.swiggstudio.com swiggstudio Stephanie Wenzel’s multi-media sculptures find beauty in chaos, combining resin, foam, fabric, metal, and wood to recreate the experience of exploring one’s interiority. Her pieces often emerge from memories, both metaphorically and literally: she uses materials that are rife with poignancy—her son’s old crib mattress, the fishing rope she had long observed in a family member’s yard—to give physicality to specific recollections. Wenzel’s work is characterized by bright colors and bold combinations of textures, evoking childhood play. There is a sense of nostalgia, but it isn’t straightforward, sugar-coated longing. Each piece creates its own convoluted logic,

emerging from Wenzel’s subconscious—none of them are planned in advance, and the exploration of the mind-body connection is an essential part of her process. By creating her own visual language, Wenzel externalizes the narrative of her life, allowing herself to inspect and interrogate it.

Wenzel is a full-time artist who previously worked as a graphic and product designer. She ran a design studio called SWIGG and created products under a brand of the same name. She has exhibited in New York City and has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, and Time Out New York.

Uni Bloom, wire mesh, acrylic paint, spray foam, resin, wool, foam mat, pine lumber, nylon rope, cardboard, cement, leather, 37x15x19in 90

Keeper 01, resin, spray foam, memory foam, pine lumber, nylon rope, wool, cement, acrylic paint, spray paint, plastic beads, plastic bags, 11x14x11in 91

T IS T

Elaine Whittaker

AR

www.elainewhittaker.ca saltfrost Elaine Whittaker creates work at the intersection of art, science, medicine, and ecology, incorporating materials both traditional—paint, pigment, and wax— and unconventional–salt, cells, textiles, plants, and live microorganisms. Her practice encompasses installation, sculpture, painting, and photo-based digital imagery to explore what makes us human, and our often fraught relationship to other life forms. Whittaker’s fascination with the corporeal ecology of the body initially drove her to incorporate organic materials into her work; she began growing salt crystals on created and found objects to point towards our primordial past. Eventually, she would include wax, bone, insects, and plant material; after researching

the history of pandemics, she began using live bacteria as well. As human activity destabilizes our environment, causing, among other things, a rise in infectious diseases, Whittaker’s work asks us to interrogate our impact on the world around us—and its impact on us. Whittaker has exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally, and has been an invited participant in residencies, workshops and festivals on science, art, and medicine.

Her artworks have been featured in art, literary, and medical journals. She has been a recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.

Lungs Of The Earth, petri dishes containing decellularized maple leaves, cultured with human lung epithelial cells, 20x7in 92

Variants, yarn, wool, plastic respiratory masks with tubing 47x80x3.5in 93

T IS T

Mirabel J Wigon

AR

mirabelwigon.com mirabelwigon In her work, Mirabel J. Wigon creates complex systems from fragmented elements, calling into question the cohesiveness of our constructed reality. Her large-scale landscape paintings are almost overloaded with sensory data. Their visual abundance teeters at the point of instability, capturing both the incessant drive towards progress and its inevitable, eventual result: collapse. Her works revel in contradictions, drawing from naturalism, abstraction, digital codes, and diagrammatic plans.

Moving between these registers, Wigon brings into stark relief the ways in which our relationship to the natural world

94

has changed—and the existential threat of not examining the consequences of that. Wigon’s work celebrates the chaos that surrounds us, illuminating the instability inherent in our environment but ultimately finding hope in the face of uncertainty. Wigon has exhibited in group shows across the U.S. She received a B.F.A. in Traditional Art from California State University, East Bay, and an M.F.A. in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach; she is currently an assistant professor of art at California State University, Stanislaus.

Zenith, oil on canvas, 60x72in

Delta Moon, oil on canvas, 60x72in

95

T IS T

Holly Wong

AR

hollywongart.com hollywongart Holly Wong’s installations, which range from a few feet to the size of a room, explore grief, mourning, and resilience.

She began her artistic career as a painter before transitioning to assemblages created out of drafting film, which she patterns with hand-drawn designs then sews into sculptural forms; her practice also includes fiber installations with intricate networks of thread. Wong works with light, transparent fabrics to represent the permeable separation between the living and the dead. The laborious process of stitching her pieces together creates a sense of connectedness, creating beauty from brokenness.

Sewing, which has long been considered a menial task,

calls to mind the domestic sphere and long-overlooked women’s work. Her work pays homage to both her mother, whom she seeks to memorialize, and the second-wave feminist movement in which her art is situated. Her most recent series includes collaged paintings and drawings made on aluminum composite sheets, incorporating densely layered organic imagery to evoke the passage of time. She describes the pieces as talismans, intended to offer a sense of tranquility and healing. Wong received her M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has participated in over 80 exhibitions and is represented by three galleries across the U.S.

Amulet 1, gouache, oil paint, ink, colored pencil, and graphite on paper and Yupo mounted on dibond panel, 44x45in 96

Spell Charm 1, oil paint, ink, and graphite on paper and Yupo mounted on dibond panel, 46x46in

97

T IS T

April J Wright

AR

www.apriljwright.org apriljwright April J. Wright is a sculptor and installation artist who uses everyday materials to celebrate and subvert our idea of home, exploring the physical and psychic remnants of these spaces. She repurposes discarded objects into elaborate assemblages, toying with ideas of abandonment, belonging, and memory. These items are often charged with concealed emotion—she has created pieces out of vintage photos, deconstructed picture frames, and broken wedding figurines. She combines and reconfigures these in a way that makes them seem surreal, making pieces that are suffused with a sense of the uncanny. The domestic

98

space can be both nurturing and oppressive, and Wright embraces this ambivalence; there is simultaneous feeling of familiarity and displacement in her work. Her sculptures often appear delicate or somehow precarious, simulating the fragmented, fragile narratives that can emerge from these environments. Wright received her M.F.A. from the University of Kentucky. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in museums and galleries.

She is currently a professor of sculpture and the gallery director at Frostburg State University.

You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It Too, cotton casted wedding trays, broken and crushed figurines, plastic wedding cake parts, adhesive, dowley cloth and wood, 62x60x35in

A Place To Hang Your Hat, shredded clothing found inside of a punching bag, wire, adhesive, and a wooden coat rack, 72x22x22in 99

T IS T

Diana Mulan Zhu

AR

www.dianamulanzhu.com dianamulanzhu Diana Mulan Zhu’s practice spans painting, video art, performance, and installation. She collapses the distinction between old and new media, using traditional materials to paint images steeped in contemporary references and culture, while also utilizing novel technologies to interrogate visual traditions and histories. Zhu draws on intergenerational oral traditions and personal experience to explore questions of gender, identity, and belonging.

How do the racialized, sexualized images we encounter daily—which have become more prevalent with the emergence of the Internet—impact our self-conception, and our perception of the world around us? Zhu deals with questions of seeing and being seen, incorporating

100

diaries, pornography, and iPhone photography into her work. Technology has democratized the production and distribution of images—a development that has empowered many but also led to further exploitation. Zhu explores the histories that still impact the ways in which images are created and consumed, and how digitality has both subverted and perpetuated them. Zhu holds a M.A. in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University and is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Art at SUNY Stony Brook University. She is a Graduate Fellow at the DISCO (Digital Inquiry, Speculation, Collaboration, and Optimism) Network, where she uses her interdisciplinary art practice and research to tackle digital inequity.

Power, oil on canvas, 80x44in

Ghost In The Machine Part II, oil on canvas, 48x36in 101

ARTIST AMELIE MANCINI 102

VISIONARY VISITS Our studio visits in New York City and beyond provide us with a deeper understanding of the work in which we are viewing. Through this ongoing series, we travel to artist studios to meet contemporary artists who are creating powerful, thought-provoking work.

103

T IS T

Tara Esperanza

AR

taraesperanza.com taraesperanza BIO Tara Esperanza earned a BFA in Painting and graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In addition, she studied plein air painting in Brittany, France. Inspired by the light and landscape, she later moved from MA to NM. She now resides in Oakland California where succulents grow all year long. Tara has exhibited her paintings in galleries and museums throughout California, including a few solo exhibitions at Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland. In addition Tara has been interviewed by Gita Joshi of The Curators Salon and VIctoria J. Fry of Visionary Art Collective. In the spring of 2023 Tara was featured on the New Visionary Podcast. Tara has also been featured in the 2nd edition of All She Makes Magazine, the Summer Edition of Art Seen Magazine, The Magic issue of Create Magazine, New Visionary Magazine and Women’s United Art Magazine.

She is inspired daily by the beauty that surrounds us and she captures images that live on through her art. All of the subjects of her paintings are seen through her eyes in nature.

104

ARTIST STATEMENT I have always been interested in and inspired by nature.

My affection and appreciation for the environment was realized at a very young age and as a painter I have consistently been drawn to the natural world as my subject. My interest lies in sharing the beauty that I see in nature through my art.

I am interested in the diversity of succulents. I particularly love their personalities, how resilient they are, and how they share space. They thrive while living in community.

They support each other, and hold each other up. I am also inspired by the abundant varieties of textures, colors, and shapes. In my work, I look deep into the plants and I often imagine myself as a bee. My paintings share my intimate viewpoint of succulents and celebrate the variety and distinct beauty that I see in the world of succulents.

My hope is that the viewer experiences a new, or greater plant appreciation and connects with nature through my work.

105

T IS T

Amelie Mancini

AR

ameliemancini.com meli_cini BIO Amelie Mancini’s artistic practice ranges from painting to drawing, printmaking and textile design. In her paintings and drawings, she uses angular geometric shapes, fluid line work, busy textures and patterns, and silhouetted figures to create imaginary spaces where the abstract and the representational come together to create new narratives.

Born and raised in Lyon, France, Amelie Mancini moved to Brooklyn, NY in 2006. She received a Master’s Degree in Design and Fine Arts at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. In 2022, she received the Royal Watercolour Society Award, curated by Brit Pruiksma (@mothflower). Her work was featured in Works On Paper 4 and 5 at Blue Shop Gallery in London. She had recent exhibitions with Hashimoto Contemporary (New York, NY), Maake Projects (State College, PA), Mepaintsme (online) and 81C in St Thomas, U.S V.I. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and their two children. She divides her time between her painting practice and her role as creative director for Biquette, a textile company specializing in artist collaborations.

ARTIST STATEMENT My paintings come from half-remembered dreams, from the thick mud of childhood memories, and from the uninvited yet welcome mental images that appear sometimes during the relaxed state we enter right before sleep, as if the colorful, unexplained visions carried urgent but cryptic messages from somewhere deep within me, and needed to be brought out into the world, I the inarticulate interpreter of their mute poetry.

Prompted by subconscious images, symbols and free association, I attempt to give shape and color to these inner visual landscapes, looking for meaning, however flawed or fleeting, in the margins. There is always a gap between the abstract image in my head and its visual translation, its material actualization on paper or canvas, pigment and water pushed around and left to dry. But this gap is where meaning is made, for the viewer and for myself. Through the loose back and forth of making these pictures, one eye on the inside, one eye on the outside, something more is conjured up.

I painted “Grief Islands” (works on paper, 2021-2022) while deep in grief after my mother passed away. In the months that followed her death I found myself on a sort of metaphorical island, alone, frozen in time, unable and unwilling to leave and rejoin the world of the living on the other side of the water. In each painting, thought of as vessels in which to hold and examine my grief, delicate washes of watercolor paints were slowly and tenderly layered on thick French cold pressed paper, letting light shine through the many layers of pigment.

In my on-going series “Mutely It / Watches You Vanish” (acrylic and oil on canvas, 2023), I’m interested in liminal spaces - doorways, windows, stairs, the edge of the ocean. Shadows and silhouettes show the self projected into abstracted spaces defined by grids and sharp angles.

There is a mysterious longing that is present, palpable.

A wolf figure, pulled from childhood fears, haunts the grounds, but remains at a distance. Faced with the certainty of grief, loneliness and mortality, we trudge on, finding solace in our universal need for connection and sense-making.

106

107

T IS T

Fernanda Martinez

AR

latintaart.com/art tinta_art BIO Fernanda Martínez is an Oakland based painter and muralist; In her work, she incorporates nature elements as themes. With an experimental and intuitive approach, Fernanda’s pieces are unique statements that represent feelings of connection, expansion, and growth.

ARTIST STATEMENT I’m an Oakland based artist creating colorful and expressive abstract paintings. In my work, I integrate my memories and observations of nature as subjects, combining an experimental and intuitive approach to my art practice.

Fernanda has exhibited her work throughout local galleries; she has also collaborated with brands such as Meta, Google, Anthropologie, Lulu and Georgia, among others.

My paintings emerge from a joyful dialogue in which shapes and color work together to convey a sense of depth and feeling. Color plays a central role in bringing the works to life and achieving a sense of wholeness. My artwork is fluid and dynamic, evoking intimacy, expansion, growth, and life energy.

Fernanda’s art and murals can be found across the Bay Area and select online platforms.

108

109

T IS T

Olivia Pestova

AR

oliviapestova.co oliviapestova BIO Olivia Pestova is a New York City-based photographer drawn to photographing what she sees as soft and poetic on the streets of her city and beyond.

Born into a creative family, her formative years were spent with exposure to photography, art and the process of creating — her uncle, one of her primary caretakers, was a black and white photographer, her father was an architect and her grandmother worked in a museum of fine arts.

Time spent with them inspired many facets of Pestova’s life and especially her journey as a photographer.

Taught and mentored by photographers and artists through continuing education classes and workshops in New York, where she has spent most her life, Pestova has maintained a daily studio practice since 2019. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

110

ARTIST STATEMENT For me, photography is a deeply personal and introspective process. Sentimental photographs that evolve are more a mirror rather than a window, exposing a personal sensibility.

My focus is making visible the poetic elegance of the world to others, documenting tender moments and revealing the hidden corners of contemporary life.

I photograph in early mornings when the light is especially gentle and it is quiet. Noticing softness in seemingly ordinary or harsh environments touches me in a profound way. I often visit the same place many times — the unfolding of the space and changes created by light and seasons move me. A common theme that is illuminated in my photography is a reflection of the street from glass, revealing simple and exquisite beauty, inviting a pause, a consideration.

I learn about myself and the world around me with each photograph I take. My practice is daily. Learning doesn’t stop. It inspires.

111

STUDIO OF MARISOL RUIZ 112

VISIONARY EXHIBITION Coinciding with our mission to highlight emerging artists, we’re shining a spotlight on selected exhibitions in New York City that have inspired us.

113

CUR

AT O R + F O

UN

DE

R

O FD OM

INGO COMMS

The Psychic Landscape

CO

Co-Curated by Veronica Petty and Francisco Donoso www.domingocomms.com

www.nyccultureclub.com

FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 3, 2024 World Trade Center Oculus, C1 Level, South Concourse, 185 Greenwich Street ABOUT THE EXHIBITION NYC Culture Club and Domingo Comms are excited to announce the upcoming exhibition, The Psychic Landscape. Co-curated by Veronica Petty and Francisco Donoso, the show will run from February 1 to March 3, 2024, at the NYC Culture Club, located in the C1 South Concourse of The Oculus.

This compelling exhibition showcases the works of artists—Paola de la Calle, Francisco Donoso, Kathryn Godoy, Elsa Muñoz, and Marisol Ruiz. Their art delves into the profound terrains of memory, interiority, and temporality.

By utilizing abstraction as a vehicle to deliberately blur the boundaries between representation and visibility, these Latinx artists are challenging the prevailing expectations imposed upon them today. Through a variety of visual strategies and mediums, they embark on a journey through imagined spaces, using color as seduction, where the boundaries of identity, spirituality, and locality are blurred, revealing new and profound ways of relating to the world.

DOMINGO COMMS Domingo Comms, an inclusive art business, provides personalized services in communications, art advisory, and interior design. Veronica Petty, a New York-based PR specialist, art advisor, and curator, founded Domingo Art Advisory as a crucial part of this arts communications platform. Specializing in promoting Latinx artists, the Advisory uses meticulous curation and strategic exhibition planning. Domingo is dedicated to creating opportunities for contemporary artists, expanding their reach through in-person showcases and online platforms.

NYC CULTURE CLUB The NYC Culture Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and exhibition program that provides artists and curators with exhibition opportunities free of charge and commission. The program was founded by brothers, Clayton and Parker Calvert and is made possible via a partnership with Westfield World Trade Center. The NYC Culture Club has exhibited 384 artists and hosted over 120,000 visitors to date. The goal of the project is to have an impactful arts program that contributes to the vibrant culture that makes New York City thrive.

114

PAOLA DE LA CALLE,

Llamada Internacional (left), quilt soft sculpture, 52x20in

ELSA MUÑOZ, Fire-follower, oil on panel, 8x8in

FRANCISCO DONOSO, Landscape (after Monet), acrylic, spray paint, ink, colored pencil and oil pastel on mylar, 36x54in

KATHRYN GODOY, Twin Of Myself, acrylic on paper, 35x46in 115

S P O T L I G H T O N T H E P S YC H I C L A N D S C A P E A R T I S T

T IS T

MARISOL RUIZ

AR

marisolruiz.art mariissuun BIO Based in Brooklyn, New York Ruiz earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Humanistic Studies from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2020. She has exhibited at Tchotchke Gallery, Selenas Mountain, Beverly’s NYC, Paradice Palase, Grimaldis Gallery, and Current Space.

Ruiz was featured on New American Paintings, Issue 160.

She is currently exhibiting at NYU’s Latinx Project and NYC Culture Club.

116

ARTIST STATEMENT Marisol Ruiz (she/her) creates paintings that spring from her Puerto Rican heritage and subconscious. The imagery travels through different dimensions of the ethereal and the intangible experience of life. She creates a visual language that transcends the limitations of reality, transporting viewers into ethereal realms where imagination and memory intertwine. The poetic visuals are meditations on the complex and healing nature of memory.

A Dance Of Light And Soul, acrylic and oil on canvas, 16x20in 117

ARTIST JAYN ANDERSON

Bright Oblivion (detail), acrylic on raw canvas, 36x52in 118

VISIONARY ARTist DIRECTORY We are proud to feature a wide range of talented artists in the Visionary Art Collective Directory. Coming to you from numerous states and nations, our directory artists work across a wide range of mediums and disciplines. visionaryartcollective.com/directory

119

T IS T

Camille Myles

AR

camillemylesart.com camillemylesart BIO Camille Myles is an emerging Canadian contemporary artist living in Tiny, Ontario. Park Superintendent & formerly an archaeologist, Myles has a deep connection to nature & history bringing hope and transformation to her community.

Working in painting, sculpture, installation and public art, she creates conversations about identity, motherhood and celebrates change and growth in her work. She received her BFA at Ottawa University and her MA in Heritage Conservation at Carleton University. Myles was received grants and awards such as Ontario Arts Council, RBC Emerging Art grant, finalist of the Canadian New Painting Competition, won the Queens Diamond Jubilee award, shortlisted for the International Women in Art Prize in 2023 and Women United in Art Prize in 2023. Myles has exhibited extensively including Quest Art Gallery, Assembly Gallery, Ottawa Art Gallery, BHA Gallery, Arts Mums United, Visionary Art Collective, Arts to Hearts Project, PxP Contemporary, Ottawa Art Gallery, Gallery 115, among others. Her work has been featured by the Art Seen Magazine, Jealous Curator, Toronto Star, Create! Magazine, Visionary Art Collective, Arts to Hearts Project, Women United in Art M a g a z i n e and podcasts including Arts Mums United, Hot Mess to Awesomeness & CFRH. Originally from Gatineau, Quebec, she now lives along the shores of Georgian Bay, in Tiny Ontario with her husband and three young children.

Into The Forest, acrylic on canvas, 40x60in 120

ARTIST STATEMENT This series of contemporary acrylic paintings “Into the Forest”, I invite viewers into vibrant woodland landscapes, testaments to the healing power of nature. These are inspired from hikes taken with my children, offering respite from chaos and overwhelm, allowing me to reconnect with the energy of the forest.

In a world saturated with distractions, these paintings stand as visual reminders of our profound connection to the natural world. They encourage us to shift from a stance of conquering nature to one of embracing its teachings, absorbing its feminine energy and harmonizing with its vibrations. In this, we recognize that we are, fundamentally, one with nature.

My palette sings with high-key hues, playful fluorescents, and saturated complementary colors, invoking the vibrant pulse of the forest. Executed solely with acrylic paint markers without the use of a paint brush, these works emanate emotional and high-energy vibrations, capturing the very essence of the natural world.

As a National Park Superintendent, my dedication to preserving protected areas profoundly influences my art practice. It underscores my commitment to stewardship and echoes in the nuanced narratives depicted in my work.

The choice of this subject-matter stems from my desire to give voice to the often unspoken story of the forest.

In challenging the prevailing narrative of traditional Canadian landscape painting, which often depicts a conquest of wilderness, my series offers a shift in perspective. It invites us to witness a changing landscape through the lens of feminine insight, acknowledging the impact of human intervention on nature. These paintings are an ode to the enduring wisdom and boundless beauty that nature generously bestows upon us all.

It’s The Little Things, acrylic on canvas, 24x30in 121

T IS T

ZiFENG Zang

AR

www.zifengzang.com zifengzang BIO As an abstract painter rooted in Philadelphia, I immerse myself in the intuitive realm of color, drawing inspiration from the wonders of nature. My artistic journey commenced early and reached its zenith with the attainment of dual BFA degrees from Jilin University in China and West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Despite accumulating extensive career experience as a senior graphic designer and brand manager at advertising agencies and tech giants in China, where I honed my skills in creating imagery, characters, and advertisement scripts using digital tools, my passion for abstract art has always endured. This passion impelled me to further my education in the field and pursue painting studies in the US. My paintings delve into deep emotions, encouraging viewers to feel the evolving hues and abstract energy.

ARTIST STATEMENT My main focus involves using hand-made high-fluid acrylics in conjunction with dry media like soft pastels, colored pencils, or charcoal. Known for creating emotionally charged artworks, I employ the soak stain technique, where handcrafted high-fluid pigment is poured directly onto the canvas, resulting in interactive colors and unpredictable outcomes.

Throughout my artistic process, I embrace the unexpected results that arise from natural color blending. My goal is to connect viewers with nature, encouraging contemplation of its beauty and intricacy. Each piece encourages reflection on the profound depths and limitless wonders of our world.

My paintings are deeply emotional, allowing viewers to feel the change of color and abstract energy. Often, the beginning of each painting involves a search for inspiration from nature, life, and music to capture that energy and release it onto the canvas. In my recent paintings, I’ve incorporated organic lines to convey emotional release.

These lines intertwine with interactive colors, creating unique contrasts within the artwork. This combination adds depth to the emotional expression, fostering an engaging interplay between form and color.

Ocean Tides Meet, acrylic on canvas, 36x30in

Ocean Symphony: Flow in You, acrylic on canvas, 26x26in

122

Bubbles,acrylic on canvas, 24x30in

123

1 ROBIN ADLER

5 REBECCA ANNAN

Robin Adler is a Woodstock, New York-based abstract artist who transcribes emotional experience into visual form, while expressing boundless enthusiasm for abstraction. Using line, shape, and color, she works intuitively, pushing past limitations toward possibility.

Adler explores her inner landscape and the natural environment for inspiration. Her intention is to create an interaction between the viewer and the work, to find commonality that extends both beneath and beyond language.

Rebecca Annan is a multi-disciplinary artist from England, U.K. who returned to her art practice in 2021 after a decade in nursing.

She is inspired by the world around her to create art that captures the temporal and impermanent.

Her most recent series “Look Above” focuses on the transitionary time of dusk as the trees become silhouettes against the sky- instilling a moment of peace and reflection as the day turns into night.

robinadlerart.com robinadlerart

2 SUNNY ALTMAN

www.sunnyaltman.com sunnyaltmanartstudio_

My art is inspired by nature and its spiritual connection to human life. My work celebrates the natural world and its profound impact on human experiences. I use a combination of mediums and techniques to bring to life the emotional depth and spiritual connections in all living things, inspiring viewers to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the world around us while reflecting on the deeper aspects of our existence.

3 JAYN ANDERSON

www.jaynandersonart.com jaynandersonart

Jayn Anderson is a North Carolina-based abstract painter. Her work is inspired by life experiences, emotions, music and how they all relate to fundamental humanness.

She creates to uncover the deeply personal and at times, uncomfortable parts of life.

Through her work, she strives to present a visual language that we can all relate to on a deeper level. Jayn’s desire is to provide a safe space for others to feel the freedom and vulnerability to connect to their innermost thoughts through art.

www.rebeccaannanart.com rebecca_annan_art

3

6 ALLISON BELOLAN

www.allisonbelolanart.com allisonbelolanart

Allison Belolan, an award-winning artist, creates mixed-media abstract landscapes using handmade paper and repurposed materials. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Printmaking and later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Art Education from the School of Visual Arts. Based in Mamaroneck, New York, she collaborates with collectors, curators, and industry professionals for commissions and licensing. Her work is featured in art fairs and galleries across the United States.

4

1

5

2

4 PHYLLIS ANDERSON

www.phyllisandersonart.com phyllisandersonart

Phyllis Anderson is an award-winning artist who divides her time between Colorado and New Jersey. She received a BFA at the University of Texas, and later studied at the Art Students League in New York. Her current multi-media paintings are landscapes which invoke dreams and memory, where a threatened wilderness has become an idea, mythic, legendary, unreal. Fantastic color, image fragmentation, and scribbled lines create romantic, mysterious works. Phyllis’s paintings are shown regularly in Philadelphia, and at RGallery in Boulder, CO. Her work is available at Framewerx Gallery in Winter Park, CO, and is in several private & corporate collections.

124

6

WITH Victoria J Fry

Tune in to hear uplifting conversations with the most inspirational visionaries in today’s art world. Now available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere podcast episodes are streamed.

New Visionary Podcast is hosted by Victoria J. Fry, artist & founder of VAC. Based in New York City, Victoria interviews creative individuals from around the world in our new podcast series.

125

7 ASHLEY BLANTON

11 OWEN BURNHAM

Ashley Blanton is entangled in a desire to find magic in the mundane, for looking closely at details and disparate parts helps her cultivate and connect to the sense of wonder that she seeks. Combining watercolor, gouache, cut paper, collage, and transfer techniques, Ashley creates mixed media works on paper that are evocative of emotional and visceral felt senses.

Owen Burnham is a Brooklyn based photographer and multimedia visual artist creating from the investigation of movement and abstract imagery. Spanning photography, painting, and collage their practice contextualizes motion as a means to abstractly deconstruct identity. Collections are reflections, reclamations - who and what makes us move? An NYU Tisch Alumni (BFA, Dance), they currently capture New York City dance, with their visual art collections showcased in various virtual exhibitions.

ashleyblanton.com faint.as.fog

8 STEPH BLONDET www.stephblondet.com stephblondetart

www.owenburnham.com owen.burnham

9

7

Steph Blondet is a Puerto Rican artist based in Tampa, FL. Blondet creates textured and dimensional paintings as a form of visual journaling. In her work, Blondet explores themes of personal growth, grief, and the societal pressures placed on women. She creates intuitively and communicates her story through color and composition to reflect the duality of the human experience, and to convey that through darkness there will always be light.

10

9 SARAH E. BOYLE

saraheboyle.com saraheboyle_painting Sarah E. Boyle is a Chicago-based painter who explores place and memory through landscape – alluding to narrative, symbolism, and the tension between knowing a place and translating it with oil paint. Her “Firescapes” series captures the transformation of familiar American West landscapes after recent wildfires. Sarah studied fashion and design at Syracuse University and Ringling School of Art and Design before receiving her BFA at the School of the Art Institute.

8

10 PAULETTA BROOKS www.paulettabrooks.com PBWearableArt

Pauletta Brooks is a jewelry artist who also branches out into other mediums. Her designs, under the label Pauletta Brooks Wearable Art, involve the use of raw minerals and gemstones set in unique and unusual ways. She is known primarily for her inventive use of thermoplastic resin, creating meshlike sculptural webs that house the minerals and stones. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, journals, and galleries throughout the US and abroad. She resides in New York City.

126

11

12 INGRID BUTTERER

16 TARA ESPERANZA

Ingrid Butterer is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan and EdM from Columbia University, Teachers College. Her work has been published in Orenda Arts Journal, Quarentine Magazine and Womxn Artist Project. Ingrid’s work has shown at Lincoln Center, A.I.R. Gallery, Atlantic Gallery, 440 Gallery, Benheim Gallery, Kyoto Shibori Museum and Yamashita Gallery (Japan).

My paintings share my intimate viewpoint of succulents. I feel deeply connected to my subject and I’m inspired by the abundant varieties of textures, colors, forms, and shapes. I imagine myself as a bee as I delve into the plants and explore what they reveal to me. My paintings celebrate the diversity in the world of succulents. They are magnified images that illuminate the distinct beauty that I see.

ingridbutterer.com ingridbutterer.art

www.taraesperanza.com taraesperanza

14

12

13 MARCIA CONLON musingwomen

I like working with materials that are a little rough, grungy, maybe a little dirty. I juxtapose feminine images from vintage magazines or antique photos next to found material like cardboard, vintage paper and deconstructed book pages. I have been drawn to artistic practices most of my life, even though I have had an eclectic professional life. I have a degree in Art History from the University of Michigan but am mostly a self taught artist. I was born in Detroit, but have lived in Traverse City for 23 years.

15

14 MARGOT DERMODY www.margotdermody.com margotdermody

Margot Dermody is a Pittsburgh-based artist whose work primarily focuses on painting and sculpture. She uses abstraction to explore memories and emotions, examining the connections between human experiences and the natural world. She works in stone and glass for sculpture and mixed media for painting. In abstract layers of opacity and translucency, her works ask how to locate beauty in the shadows and bring light into life.

16

15 JACQUELINE DIESING www.jacquelinediesing.com jacquelinediesing

Over the past 10 years in Chicago, IL, I have come to realize I process my feelings and heal myself through my mixed media artwork comprised of detailed, freehand micron ink and soft pastel drawings. My journey began with a desire to restore crumbling, architectural masterpieces in my hometown of Detroit to their former beauty by surrounding them with colorful life. Since then, I have been drawn to examine my own health and healing by digging deeper into issues stemming from childhood. The art I am working on now depicts my path towards wellness.

13

127

17 THOMAS FLYNN II

21 ROBERTA HOINESS

Thomas Flynn II is an artist living and working in Austin, Texas. In his acrylic paintings, he explores the perceived connection between plants, celestial bodies, and human bodies.

Seeking to ultimately delve further into the ancient relationship that humans have with their environment and how that informs our current lives. He has exhibited in Texas, Georgia, and curated into virtual group and solo exhibitions internationally. Flynn received a B.F.A. in painting and a minor in art history from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2016.

The world can be a noisy and complex place.

I create organic abstract landscape art with the hope of inspiring moments of calm. I layer hand-painted paper, pigment, oil pastels and occasional touches of metallic leaf to recall the “feeling” of a place rather than the details. I am continually inspired by the quiet, stillness & rustic beauty of the Canadian prairies where I live with my husband and three children.

www.thomasflynnii.com thomasflynnii

18 ERIN FRIEDMAN erinfriedmanart.com erinfriedmanart

Erin Friedman is an abstract artist just outside of Washington, DC in Bethesda, Maryland. Using acrylic paint and oil pastels, Erin’s work is an accumulation of feelings and experiences over time that transfer onto the canvas. Inspiration comes from moments and reactions to everyday life and my emotions. Erin will make marks, alter her ideas, add layers and change directions.

We all experience conflict, change, joy and sadness. Erin does her best to embrace this process and allow those feelings to be revealed throughout her work.

www.robertahoiness.com robertahoiness

20

22 KIM HOPSON

www.kimhopsonstudio.com kimhopsonstudio

Kim Hopson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. In her work she explores themes of ableism, caregiving, and identity.

Experiencing life with a disability has given her a unique viewpoint that is reflected in her paintings, drawings and collages. She focuses on the body’s relationship to the world, both physically and emotionally.

21

17

19 LUCY JULIA HALE

www.walltowallsecrets.com

Lucy Julia Hale is a Georgia feminist / social activist artist and art educator. She often selects scenes from our cultural archives of mass-produced publications or vintage vernacular snapshots to which she adds drawn, painted, and/or collaged images to portray a deeper history. She serves as an advocate supporting the dignity and wellbeing of vulnerable populations, which unfortunately now include all inhabitants of Earth. Her work has been selected by prominent jurors for numerous national exhibitions. She holds an Ed.S. and an M.Ed. in Counseling and Educational Psychology, and a B.S. Ed. in Art Education.

22

18

20 MEAM HARTSHORN meamhartshorn.com meamhartshorn

Meam Hartshorn is an abstract painter.

Her work explores the relationship between landscapes, geology, and natural phenomena with expression, emotion, and memory. Her paintings create undulating and constantly deconstructing landscapes that often draw inspiration from the geology and ecosystems of the Western United States.

Meam currently lives and works in Austin, TX and she is the founder The Artful Collective, a platform for connecting and supporting emerging artists.

128

19

23 ANDREA JONES www.modandart.co.uk andrea_jones_art

I am an artist from Liverpool, England and for the past eleven years I have worked as an art teacher in a prison. My artwork has featured in several magazines of art and literature in the U.S., U.K. and Berlin, Germany. One particular style that I work in is based on my alter ego, this is inspired by wanting to be somebody else, taking elements from different people to create new characters, I call these characters my alter ego people. The images are painted in acrylic on canvas or drawn onto paper.

24 ZARA KAND

www.zarakand.com zarakandart

Zara Kand is an oil painter based in Southern California. She has exhibited throughout numerous venues within the US and has been featured in many online and print publications across the globe. Her work is often highly symbolic and focuses on figurative elements within dreamy environments. She currently lives in the hi-desert, spending her time painting, art writing for various art magazines, and dabbling in curatorial projects. She is also the editor of The Gallerist Speaks, an international interview series focusing on gallery directors, arts organizers and curators.

27 CHARLES LEAK

charlesleakstudio.com charlesleakstudio

25

Charles Leak (b. 1953, Dallas, Tx ) is an artist who lives and works in New York City and East Hampton. He combines oil paint, enamel, gold, copper powder, and graphite on canvas and paper. “I am influenced by all the great artists from Da Vinci to Diebenkorn. And all the great writers, musicians, and filmmakers.

But more importantly, my greatest influence is the wonderful natural world we were given that surrounds us all”

28 MONA LERCH

26

monalerch.com monalerchwallart

Mona Lerch is a contemporary visual artist and founder of Art Mums United and Women United ART MOVEMENT, residing in the Czech Republic. Mona began her art journey as an abstract oil painter; however, her creative passions and love for experimentation led her into watercolor botanical illustration and portraits, linocut prints, collages and acrylics.

In her current body of work, Mona steps away from abstract landscapes and focuses on the female form. Natural elements play a vital part in many of these pieces. It’s her means of emphasizing the connection with our surroundings that enables us to stay grounded.

27

23

25 DIANE LAMBOLEY www.dianelamboley.com dianelamboley

Diane Lamboley is a contemporary photographer who strives to brighten the lives of others by helping them free their imaginations from the cage of their conditioning. She embraces adventure and finds much of her inspiration exploring the beauty earth offers. Lamboley is called to capture the wonders of nature through her photographs which are digitally transformed for people to experience a visual journey. Her artwork is printed on aluminum enhancing the contemporary feel.

28

26 SANDY LANG www.sandylang.art sandy_lang_art

24

Creating is like telling yourself a tale of the world you feel. Born 1980 I am a self taught artist located in Germany. I mostly work with oil colours since I love their brightness and texture. It allows me to explore strong dark and light effects and to express the themes my paintings deal with. Being a lover of symbolism, I am working with allegories in a figurative manner of painting with a very personal approach to themes such as shadow and light, memories in time, and love – or its absence.

129

FM Bookkeeping is a company that records, organizes, and maintains financial transactions for small service based-businesses.

It involves keeping track of financial transactions such as sales, purchases, receipts, and payments. This process enables the business to monitor their financial performance and make informed decisions. In summary, FM Bookkeeping provides accurate and up-to-date financial information that is essential for businesses to operate efficiently and effectively.

“

“Mariel’s background in billing, administration, and reconciling work has given her a solid foundation and a thorough understanding of bookkeeping principles.

She finds joy in helping businesses stay on top of their financial records, providing them with the peace of mind that comes from having accurate and well-maintained financial information.

Through her expertise and passion for bookkeeping, Mariel is committed to assisting businesses in managing their finances effectively and supporting their growth.”

Website

fmbookkeeping.com Instagram

@fmbookkeeping

130

29 LAUREN LEWCHUK

33 JENNIFER AGRICOLA MOJICA

Texas-based artist Lauren Lewchuk is a self-taught creative inspired by nature. Her work ranges from small-scale paintings to large-scale murals. She creates detailed and elaborate compositions that are inspired by nature, micro-organisms and nature macro-photography. Use of color, movement, flow, patterns and repetition are important visual elements in her work that symbolize underlying themes having to do with mental states of being, identity, societal expectations, personal boundaries, spirituality, and existentialism.

Jennifer Agricola Mojica is a contemporary painter, educator, and mother based in San Antonio, Texas. She has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her paintings can be found in private collections and has been featured in multiple publications. In her process, a painting begins with a disruptive start and ends with a harmonious stillness.

Planes shift and shapes repeat, forms are portrayed at different vantage points, and figures become fragmented. The chaos then becomes a calm meditative process as she weaves concepts and elements together.

www.artbylewchuk.com art_by_lewchuk

30 JODI MILLER

jenniferagricolamojica.com jenniferagricolamojica

32

29

www.jodimillerfineart.com jodimillerfineart

Jodi Miller is a Canadian prairie-based contemporary, impressionist painter. Her work explores connections with our roots, our stories and our surroundings. Drawing on her childhood on a family farm and years spent in the Royal Canadian Air Force across Canada, her landscapes are familiar yet fictitious.

“Each painting begins with a memory, then evolves to tell a story of its own.” Jodi’s work focuses on human connections as observed through our environment using the metaphor of our imprints on the land as an entry point for personal narratives.

31 NICOLE MILLER

www.nicolemillerart.com nicolemillerartist

Nicole Miller is an artist who shares her passion through teaching. With degrees in Studio Art, Interior Design, and Education, her artwork reflects a journey filled with joy, happiness, and gratitude. Using brayer techniques combined with oil pastels and acrylic paints, Nicole explores organic objects and pushes the boundaries of color saturation. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted, with heavy influences from her family and life experiences.

33

30

31

32 STEPHANIE MULVIHILL stephaniemulvihill.com smulvihillart

A New York City-based artist and educator, Stephanie Mulvihill works primarily with the drawn image on paper because of its tactile surface and fragile, impermanent quality. By drawing with graphite, she taps into the tradition of drawing as a means of investigation and dissection of both nature and ourselves. In her work, Stephanie explores themes of creation, motherhood and personal evolutions: physical, spiritual and intellectual. Visual references to the body and internal anatomy overlap, meld and transform to create totems honoring our individual and collective transformations.

131

34 RACHEL MORRISSEY

38 PAULINA REE

Rachel Morrissey is based in Massachusetts.

She received her MFA in 2016 from MassArt. Morrissey makes highly saturated narrative paintings that employ organic forms to convey her daily experiences, which include motherhood, anxiety and more recently, life with a chronic illness. The motifs oscillate along the continuum of her lived experience, love and joy at one end and utter despair at the other. She is represented by Voltz Clarke Gallery and 19 Karen.

Paulina Ree is an Oslo-based painter, educator, curator, and the founder of Female Artists Oslo (FAO). Her focus is on looking at life through the prism of the female experience. She reflects and works towards understanding the complexity of being a human, and uses it in her art as a way to both explore and provoke contemplation about societal expectations and the quest for selfunderstanding and acceptance.

www.rachelmo.com rachelmorrisseyart

35 RUCHITA NEWREKAR

ruchitanewrekar.com/contemporary-works ruchitajewlery

www.paulinaree.com adiosalasfresas

39 MICHELLE REEVES

michellereevesart.com michellereevesartnashville

Ruchita Newrekar is a jewelry designer and contemporary jewelry artist. She uses jewelry as a platform to explore thoughtprovoking concepts. Her designs express the undeniable existence of connections and how their effects play a significant role in making us human. Each piece she creates is a visual narrative, an invitation to reflect upon the interconnectedness that underlies our existence, symbolizing the intricate web of relationships that shape our lives.

Michelle is a botanical/floral artist who lives with her husband and son in Nashville, TN. She began painting at the age of 52 after a gentleman asked, “What are you passionate about?” during a job interview. This question led Michelle back to school to pursue an Interior Design degree, but through coursework she started to paint. Her latest paintings are inspired by pages from her childhood coloring books. Bold outlines of brush strokes and intricate backgrounds fill the canvas.

36 JESSICA OLIVEIRA

34

www.jessicaoliveiraart.com jessica.oliveiraart

36

37

38

Imitating the unreliable and fluctuating nature of her memory, Jessica Oliveira (b. 2000, Yonkers, NY) works to develop worlds that can be explored and experiences that can be rediscovered. In remembering, we can reflect and in reflection we can learn. Jessica is assessing how different people, places and objects are remembered and what happens to her memory over time.

37 REBECCA POTTS AGUIRRE www.rebeccapotts.com pottsart

Rebecca Potts Aguirre is an artist based in Southern California. She explores themes of motherhood and gendered labor, memory and visibility, trauma and healing. She sculpts polymer clay and play-dough, building “paintings” with slight relief. Her materials draw connections to craft and childhood, while her imagery reflects flickering memories and the early fog of motherhood. Through her art practice, she seeks connection and asks: how do connections persist?

132

39 35

40 BRITTANY M. REID

44 AJ SCHNETTLER

Brittany M. Reid lives and works in Rochester, New York. Reid’s creative process was supercharged when she began working with collage, leading her to create over 200 pieces within only two years of adopting the new medium. Blending the feelings that different images hold into one artwork creates both a story and an experience. Her own experience as a queer, Black woman and mother flows into her work, imbuing her work with both individual and universal layers.

AJ Schnettler is a nonbinary, multi-racial photographer and printmaker born and raised on Long Island. They decided to get a new perspective on life and education by moving to pursue their B.F.A. degree in Photography with a minor in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2019.

Their work is based around what one does to provide self-acceptance. Working through identity or the space surrounding them; how to feel at peace overcoming negative, social, and cultural pressure.

brittanymreid.com brittany.m.reid

41 MADDIE REISS

www.maddiereiss.com maddiereissart

Maddie is a landscape painter based in Greater Philadelphia. She works primarily in acrylic but enjoys sketching in ink and watercolor. Nature and wildlife are her main sources of inspiration, but she also relies on words, song lyrics, and poetry to guide the look, feel, and mood of her visual work. Her current collection of paintings is centered on western landscapes from her travels, featuring scenes from Arizona, Colorado, and Big Sur.

42 MARIA ISABEL RODRIGUEZ www.mariaisabelrodriguez.com mariaisabel_art

Maria Isabel Rodriguez resides in Montreal, Canada and her interest is in destigmatizing mental illness using flowers as an analogy for the resilience of the human mind and spirit.

Growing up amidst the turmoil of the civil war in Guatemala (her native country) and facing the challenges of mental health within her family, have developed in her a deep appreciation for the transformative power of art.

www.ajschnettler.com ajschnettler

42

43

45 NAOMI THORNTON www.spiritisaboneart.com spirit_is_a_bone_art

Naomi Thornton is a mixed media artist and psychotherapist living in the expansive beauty of Northwest Montana. In her art, she highlights the historically undervalued stories of women while emphasizing a connection to nature as a life-giving resource. Vintage portrait photographs are the inspiration of her work. She uses collage and paint to evoke a textured layering of desires, hopes and dreams using found images, handmade papers, and text from old books. Through her art, she intends to create a new narrative of empowerment, resiliency, and connection to the natural environment.

44

40

45

43 HANI ROSENBAUM

www.hannahrosenbaumartwork.com hani.rosenbaum

Hani Rosenbaum works in a variety of mediums, from abstract acrylic paintings, to illustrations, and more recently intaglio etching designs. Hani’s visual art explores themes around magic, surrendering to nature, celebration of queerness, transitional shifts, and are rooted in continuous self-discovery.

She states: “This work has allowed myself a lens for curiosity to bloom and reflect back to me as a way to understand my own identity and inner landscapes.”

41

133

46 ERIN WHEARY

www.erinmonetwheary.com

erinwheary

Erin Monet Wheary is an interdisciplinary artist. Her work explores concepts of growth and decay and order and chaos. “Visual art is my lens to see and understand the physical world and humanity.”

Wheary’s recent exhibitions include the Female Artists Club, Belgium, and a site-specific installation at Swarthmore College. Artist residencies include Chateau d’Orquevaux, France (2020) and Casa Taller El Boga, Colombia (2023). She currently teaches at Western New Mexico University.

50 JOSEFINA ZORRILLA DE SAN MARTIN www.josefinazorrilla.com josefinaz.art

Josefina Zorrilla de San Martin is a South American painter born in Uruguay and living in Maui, Hawaii. She is deeply inspired by the contrasts in Nature as a reflection of the dualities that exist in us. Working intuitively across multiple pieces she works fast, applying random marks and loose brushstrokes. She describes her process like a dance, every move is a reaction to the previous one.

46

47 LAURA CLEARY WILLIAMS

50

www.lauraclearywilliams.com lauraclearywilliams

Laura Cleary Williams’ abstract spaces are an ode to an imperfect language. Through motion, she makes marks that translate thought - subconscious – a viscerally understood language. Williams works from her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In 2009 she received her B.F.A. from Tufts University and the SMFA, Boston and her Master’s in Printmaking in 2012 at SCADAtlanta. Williams founded, managed, and coowned Straw Hat Press, which specialized in fine art publishing and contract printing.

47

48 YAHEL YAN

www.yahelyan.com yahel.yan.art

Yahel Yan lives in San Diego, but she was born and raised in Mexico City. She specializes in oil, acrylics and copper etchings. Her palette and compositions lend life and spirit to inanimate objects which are often overlooked. Yahel is always seeking to express the unexpected, unseen hidden magic of “thing.” She gives her imagination full freedom to pursue this mysterious journey. Yahel strives to create colorful happy art that brings joy to the viewer; a recurring theme in her art are chairs, which have become a staple of her work.

49 KATIE DUMESTRE YAQUINTO katiedyaquinto.com katiedumestreyaquinto

Katie Dumestre Yaquinto is a contemporary artist based in New Orleans. She attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and LSU where she studied fashion design and merchandising. My work primarily focuses on introspection. My practice allows me to process and express my innermost thoughts and feelings through various brush strokes and mark making. These distinctive marks have become my own private visual language and have developed over time through body movement and muscle memory

134

49

48

VALERIE AUERSPERG, The First Drop, acrylic on canvas, 12x12in

135