The Woodmere Annual: 80th Juried Exhibition by Woodmere Art Museum

TheWoodmereAnnual 80TH JURIED EXHIBITION WoodmereArtMuseum

Woodmere extends sincere thanks and appreciation to the Drumcliff Foundation and Jeanne Ruddy and Victor Keen for their support of the exhibition and digital catalogue.

TheWoodmereAnnual 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

CONTENTS

Foreword by William R. Valerio 2 A Conversation with Michelle Angela Ortiz and José Ortiz-Pagán 4 Works in the Exhibition 20

June 4–August 28, 2022

WoodmereArtMuseum

FOREWORD

The Woodmere Annual: 80th Juried Exhibition

Part of what makes the Annual exciting is that

is timely. Our jurors, Michelle Angela Ortiz and

from year to year, the different interests of our

José Ortiz-Pagán, issued a call to artists about

jurors attract different artists. In addition to the

immigration, its impact on individual identity, and its

many artists who are new to Woodmere every year,

consequences for our thinking about the nature of

we always learn something new about artists we

organized society around the globe. The response

already know and have worked with in the past.

from artists has been tremendous, and the exhibition

Marta Sanchez, for example, teaches in Woodmere’s

broadly stakes out a humanistic point of view.

studio program, and one of her retablo paintings

Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and former White House chief of staff, famously described immigration as the third rail of American politics, so potentially destabilizing are its complex ramifications across the spectrum of beliefs on the topic. In part, his point was that despite the constant movement of peoples across the planet,

recently entered our permanent collection. However, I was unaware of her Detainment series and am deeply moved. Predictably, I’m fascinated by Michelle and José’s selections of Marta’s work. I’m also thrilled to see Mikel Elam represented in this presentation; his work was a standout for me in the 79th Juried Exhibition last summer.

the value systems associated with positions on

Most of the artists you’ll encounter in the show are

immigration are so divergent as to be perpetually

new to Woodmere. The particular equilibrium of

explosive. Unless we are Native American, it is only

artists and their works were selected by Michelle

a few generations back that most U.S. citizens

and José in the course of a year-long process

know of forebears who were immigrants, whether

of consideration and thoughtful shaping of an

by choice or by force. This year’s jurors assert that

experience and an overarching message that builds

we can no more avoid this third rail than we can

an ever-richer understanding of contemporary

afford to romanticize immigration or capitalize on

dialogues in the arts of Philadelphia. As New York

it for political purposes. Instead, we must reckon

becomes ever more inaccessible to most artists’

with the ongoing acceleration of circumstances

budgets, Philadelphia is becoming a place of

that have resulted in the 300 million immigrants in

choice. Woodmere’s Annual is one of the structured

the world today. Thank you, Michelle and José, for

elements in the cultural cycle of the year that

making immigration the center of the conversation

nurtures this growth in creative vitality in our city.

among the artists whose work will fill the galleries at Woodmere this summer.

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Detainment Series, 2020, by Marta Sanchez (Courtesy of the artist)

Woodmere is grateful to Jeanne Ruddy and Victor

Angela Ortiz and José Ortiz-Pagán, for bringing

Keen and to the Drumcliff Foundation, who have

bold thinking, beauty, and passion to our 80th

supported this annual exhibition for many years.

Juried Exhibition.

As always, Woodmere’s staff, particularly Rachel Hruszkewycz and Rick Ortwein, have my endless

WILLIAM R. VALERIO, PHD

admiration for organizing the show and working

The Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director

hand-in-glove with our jurors. And, on behalf of the

and Chief Executive Officer

entire Woodmere team, I thank our jurors, Michelle

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

A CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE ANGELA ORTIZ AND JOSÉ ORTIZ-PAGÁN

On March 15, 2022, jurors Michelle Angela Ortiz and José Ortiz-Pagán spoke with Woodmere Associate Curator Rachel Hruszkewycz and Director and CEO William Valerio about their selections for the Woodmere Annual: 80th Juried Exhibition. The jurors asked artists to submit works that reflect the theme of migration. WILLIAM VALERIO: Thank you, Michelle and José,

opportunities or lack thereof, we’re forced to move.

for organizing Woodmere’s 80th Juried Exhibition.

We’re forced to migrate.

It’s a great show that’s incredibly timely. Our hearts are breaking as we see the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, creating another wave of global-scale migration. It prompts us to question our values. The show you’ve organized for us is full of artists who are expressing the values they believe are needed to govern shared society on this planet. What’s happening in the show?

The selections in our exhibition address the Great Migration, the African American experience, modes of migration, the ways people seek refuge and safety, the search for a better opportunity, and even just reconnecting with a family that is here and there. There are artists who acknowledge their own ancestry and where they come from, which, I think, challenges the concept of what it means to

MICHELLE ANGELA ORTIZ: What is happening in

be American. I’m first-generation born in the United

Ukraine is a mirror of our own country’s treatment

States. My experience of being an American will be

of immigrants and people of color in particular

very different from my son’s experience.

since the founding of this nation. When we look at Ukraine and we see a child crossing borders to arrive in a safe place, we should also see Mexican, Central American, and Haitian children that have been doing the same for years. I think that the groups of people we decide to pay attention to tell how the press and the media present their stories.

JOSÉ ORTIZ-PAGÁN: I thought about what

migration means in political terms. What does being displaced mean in a world that just keeps growing and becoming more attached to Western society, to Western culture? About the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the same time, you look around and everyone is trying to do the same thing—imposing

The theme of migration is very present now

these ideas, imposing these cultures into other

because of what the news media is showing us

communities that have been developing themselves.

about Ukraine, but migration has been occurring in the United States for a long time. I thought about migration in a broader sense, not just about grandparents who migrated here from one country, but how, because of status, because of economic 4

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Michelle and I wanted to see migration from a very humane point of view. Even though there’s a lot of pain and violence, we wanted to give people the opportunity to look at it from another perspective

Those Who Love You Make You Cry, 2022, by Maryanne Buschini (Courtesy of the artist)

that is often not talked about because it doesn’t

conceive of our lives in the most fundamental way

necessarily sell. We were trying to approach it from

as unfolding together with others?

a more gentle place, not because we were afraid of confronting the viewer, but because migration and immigration have other facets. We wanted to really explore what migration can mean for people going through that experience personally.

RACHEL HRUSZKEWYCZ: José and Michelle,

you did a great job selecting work that expresses the multifaceted experience of being displaced or migrating. There are works that are difficult to look at and the sentiments being expressed are

I think the show provides an opportunity to

disturbing, but there are others that are really

expand the context in which we are living. Under

joyful. These joyful sentiments are more about

the previous and current administrations, there

communities and the support systems established

is mistreatment of migrant communities, not to

by people who care about each other. I was happy

mention all the disparities that their policies have

to see the whole spectrum that you were able to

supported in terms of viability for a better quality of

create.

life that will affect us probably for the next couple of decades. How do we talk about that, when it

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: Thank you.

hasn’t passed, but is still going on and people are

ORTIZ: Thank you, Rachel, because as José said,

still hurting?

when we had conversations we decided we wanted

VALERIO: The focus on a “humane point of view”

in the show comes down to a basic question: do we

to ensure that there are moments of joy and moments of love and tenderness. Even with the work that I have been doing, especially through THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Asian Fusion, 2019–20, by Chau Nguyen (Courtesy of the artist)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Triptych, 1967, by Edith Neff (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of Dr. Maria B. Smith, 2012)

my Familias Separadas project, which is focused

My parents experienced a lot of material poverty,

on stories of families that have been affected by

but they were rich spiritually because of the

deportation in the United States, even within a

traditions and our language and our culture.

racist, violent system, there are still moments of hope and light. And that’s what makes us thrive. The human connection and feeling empathy, especially if that story is not yours, is very powerful because it moves us to action. It’s not just about feeling this way, but thinking about what can I do? There are so many things that are happening locally. How do we take action? How are we making a change in our own community? Are we welcoming and supporting people that have been doing this work?

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: From Woodmere’s own collection,

I was glad to learn about Edith Neff’s painting Triptych of Russian migrants. VALERIO: Yes, Neff painted three portraits of her

mother, Ruth, in different stages of life. The first is derived from a photograph taken when she was about twelve years old in Russia and staged at a professional studio with a painted backdrop of decorative elements that speak to the Old World. Ruth’s brother, who had already come to the United States, missed her so much he asked for a

The focus on love, abundance, and joy in the middle

photograph and encouraged her to come to the

of struggle is really important to represent because

US as well. The second is of Ruth in middle age.

that is the way that we thrive and survive. For

Now a mother with two daughters, she appears as

example, we paired Maryanne Buschini’s Those Who

an assimilated American woman. Neff painted this

Love You Make You Cry with Chau Nguyen’s Asian

from another photograph taken during a trip to

Fusion. Both have a sense of home. We might be

New York City in the 1940s. The girl at her mother’s

displaced, we might migrate, but home is where

side is a young, red-haired Neff, charging toward

you are. Both address the concept of constructing a

the viewer. The third panel shows Ruth as an older

home and a future for yourself in a foreign space, in

woman, still a caretaker, her arm entwined with that

a foreign land.

of her own mother, who was also an immigrant. This

They are both very beautiful images, representing not just family, but also generational connection and

also derives from a photograph of the two women standing outside their house in Fairmount.

joy. That is my experience as a child of immigrants.

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ORTIZ-PAGÁN: We wanted to look at migration

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: My partner is from the Dominican

from a multigenerational point of view, not only

Republic and she took a photography class a couple

about the communities that are being affected right

of years ago. The first thing she did in the class was

now, but also, what was it like before, when laws

an exposure of the photo her grandmother carried

were being changed in the ’20s and ’30s to stop

in her wallet until she passed away. In some way it

immigration from Ireland and Italy. Many things

helped her bring those objects to the present. The

haven’t changed.

exposure of the photo (which later became a piece

Part of the issue we’re facing across the planet is cultural disagreement. Buschini’s painting, to some extent, brings you into the conversation in a very

of artwork), celebrated an absence not only of her grandmother, but also the fact that they no longer lived in the same geographical space.

gentle way. Looking at her portrait, I feel many

It must have taken a while for Michael McGeehan’s

people can see themselves in so many different

cross to print its negative on the wall. Beyond the

ways, in multigenerational ways, maybe as a third-

image and beyond the symbols, these photographs

or fourth-generation person.

speak about time. They speak about a void. They

ORTIZ: I also want to discuss Michael D.

McGeehan’s piece, Beliefs. When I facilitate workshops with undocumented youth and communities, I ask them to share an object that

speak about no longer being there, about absence, and going back to that conversation about the humane aspect of this topic, I think they speak in a very gentle way about it.

reminds them of home. Sometimes that object

VALERIO: José, I wanted to ask you a specific

doesn’t exist anymore because it was left behind or

question because, on your website, you make a

lost in the journey. Beliefs made me think of that,

statement that communities have been affected by

but it also made me think about what you decide to

the way we approach time. Can you tell us more

take, what remains even in its absence.

about what you’re thinking? ORTIZ-PAGÁN: That was quite a while ago. Back

then I was thinking that your time, depending on where you’re coming from, will be valued in very different ways. At the time I was talking about that, I had recently migrated to Philadelphia, which, even though things were going fairly well, it was, in a way, brutal. One of the things I had to do, like other people who migrate, was to work harder to achieve the American dream. People who are new to this country don’t have the chance to work smarter Beliefs, from the series Sweet Longings (Saudade), 2021, by Michael D. McGeehan (Courtesy of the artist)

in any way whatsoever. Compensating time was discriminatory in many ways. We don’t get to start from the same places, right?

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Untitled, 2021, by Idalia Vasquez-Achury (Courtesy of the artist)

I was thinking about equity. Think about the

These things were meant to exploit the time and

pandemic and what happened, for instance, in

efforts of other people so we can guarantee and

Southeast Philadelphia, which is a community that

afford this “beautiful life” that is obsessed with

I have been working in, and Michelle lives there. I’ve

modernity and the commodification of everything.

been working with different immigrant communities

I’m glad you brought this up, Bill. It is one of those

in the area. Many friends that are close to me

things that nowadays resides at the core of my

and that work in construction or in health-related

process of thinking and it informed the way we

systems didn’t have the chance to take a break or

selected these artists.

to quarantine. That never happened to them. That wasn’t part of their reality.

ORTIZ: I think you’re talking about multiple

identities. Idalia Vasquez-Achury’s fragmented self-

Now, when I’m talking about trading time (which

portrait talks about these very facets of identity.

speaks about how migrants could only earn their

From my own experience, I go to Colombia, and I’m

time at a lower rate and therefore capacity), this

not Colombian enough. I go to Puerto Rico, I’m not

specifically has to do with people who are recently

Puerto Rican enough. I’m here in the United States,

arrived and are trying to pursue that dream of

I’m not American enough. She is also discussing the

a better place. It contrasts with the culture of

sense of identity that is either imposed upon you by

globalization we interact with and which doesn’t

the status quo or society or gender roles, et cetera.

seem to care about borders and people the same

In my family I have had to experience what José is

way we do when people cross into our political

talking about. When we come to the United States,

territories. To some extent it speaks about our

we are no longer a sister, a cousin, a brother. We just

double standards as a society and how this

become dollar bills. We become someone who is

standard does not evolve from a humane point of

able to provide money and currency only.

view, but from one of exploiting lands and beings. THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Untitled, 2020, by Idalia VasquezAchury (Courtesy of the artist)

It’s not necessarily the fault of our families. It’s the

not seen. Referring to what José and I were just

fault of the systems that we’re navigating through.

talking about, to me this photograph is about

I think that’s what you’re speaking about, José,

not being seen in general, in this foreign place or

about people who can’t take a break, who can’t

culture, but, at times, not even being seen by your

take a moment to dream, who, because the need

own family because of the financial dependency

is so overwhelming, cannot stop. You become this

that unfortunately occurs when living in a capitalist

machine that’s just working. This system fails to

world. I like the way she paired the image of the

acknowledge the human part, the human aspect,

little girl with this strong, overwhelming tree. Even

the right to have pleasure, the right to have joy, the

though this girl is not seen, I see a connection of

right to dream and become who you want to be.

strength between her and the tree.

That is the challenge. The same artist submitted an untitled photograph of a little girl by a tree. She kind of becomes invisible. She blends into the background, supporting the duality of being present but still feeling invisible. VALERIO: I agree. It’s an amazing photograph. ORTIZ: Similar to McGeehan’s cross, there is a

sense of absence, but still being present. This made me feel like being here but still being invisible and 10

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HRUSZKEWYCZ: Another work that discuss

capitalist society, consumerism, and consumption is Once by Jacob Hammes. It’s a sculpture that moves slowly back and forth like a coin-operated kiddie ride. He explained that because our culture encourages limitless consumption, environmental degradation and destruction often take place. This can lead to large-scale human migration and political conflicts that also displace communities.

Once, 2022, by Jacob Hammes (Courtesy of the artist)

Rifle of the Eagle Man, from the series American Imaginarium, 2021, by Emilio Maldonado (Courtesy of the artist)

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: Exhibitions about migration often

are obsessed with this question of identity, which is, to me, something that is transitional. In our exhibition we selected work like Hammes’s sculpture that, like you said, Rachel, addresses the complexity and causes of migration. It’s quite a powerful piece.

transformed them. Now they have another meaning. ORTIZ-PAGÁN: When I was working at the

Fleisher Art Memorial, often when we approached immigrant families, mainly from Mexico, Central America, and Southeast Asia, one of the things they wanted to guarantee for their families was access

ORTIZ: I thought that it paired nicely with Emilio

to culture and to the arts because they understood

Maldonado’s Rifle of the Eagle Man. The rifle is the

the power that those things hold. But they were not

crutch. Like those boats in the Hammes sculpture

able to have access because that time for them was

that we can see if we go down to Delaware Avenue,

not available. They couldn’t afford it. I say this as

Maldonado also selected familiar objects and

someone who has many privileges and can afford to THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Everlasting Playground 1, 2021, by Hee Sook Kim (Courtesy of the artist)

go to college and receive formal education. That’s a

Hee Sook Kim’s Everlasting Playground 1 and

privilege I have that many of my friends don’t have.

Nirvana 3 express the right to dream or giving

ORTIZ: In terms of my own personal experience,

my parents gave me the opportunity to become an artist. I could afford to make that decision and say this is what I’m going to do. In the case of my

yourself permission to dream. Anybody can do that, right? But as José and I were discussing, both personally and within the communities I’ve worked with, that time is precious.

parents and many others, that wasn’t a choice. I

What I enjoy about Kim’s works is that there is

know that because of their labor, both physical and

really nothing about her own ethnic identity. The

emotional labor, I am granted that privilege and that

focus is on these worlds that she is constructing.

space to dream and to choose. One thing I have

In Nirvana 3, the figure is floating in the same

tried to do is open spaces for them to dream—for

way as the patterns and flowers are. You don’t

example, my father has been singing since he was

necessarily know where she is, but the artist created

a child. He is a bolero singer. I try to consistently

her own world.

provide space for him to sing his songs, to share his songs. He might not remember my birthday, but he can remember every lyric from Los Panchos or different artists that he remembers as a child from Puerto Rico. That is a beautiful treasure.

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Even though we have other works that talk about brutality, Everlasting Playground 1, is an action of hope that is quite poetic because it says it’s still possible. There is still hope. It’s like a hopeful act.

Nirvana 3, 2019, by Hee Sook Kim (Courtesy of the artist)

VALERIO: I’m so glad you pointed to this piece.

It might be the largest work of art we have ever shown at Woodmere! The scale is part of what makes it so powerful. Its monumentality allows for immersion. I think that’s what you were saying, Michelle, that it creates a space for people who don’t have the luxury of that space. It’s going to be

Llora Lata Llora, February 2022, by Cristhian Varela (Courtesy of the artist)

a defining statement in the show. The bright colors and the lyrical quality make you want to sing. ORTIZ-PAGÁN: It’s extremely fragile. ORTIZ: Speaking of playfulness, I thought Cristhian

Varela’s piece was just so beautiful. It’s a music

ORTIZ: I think that’s important because it is

player. It also really connects to the inventiveness

so fragile and can just come apart. Like Emilio

that happens when you’re lacking resources; that’s

Maldonado’s crutch that is a gun, this is a can

one thing that’s definitely an immigrant experience.

of tamales that is a music player. It’s another

It’s like, OK, what are you going to do? Just grab

transformation of familiar objects.

this and this and make it happen.

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Bhutanese Refugees from Nepal Spend First Day in Their Philadelphia Apartment, 2011, by Harvey Finkle (Courtesy of the artist)

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: I love the fact that it’s not tragic.

ORTIZ: Harvey is someone that I highly respect.

It’s like, let me invent a machine to be happy from

He’s not someone who centers himself. He believes

nothing, from scratch, and make it work. It is so

in the work and he’s able to capture people in a

clever. And it’s so rounded. I mean, we can talk

way that’s so beautiful and intimate, especially in

about this for hours, right?

the pictures we chose. I’ve said this before many

Someone else I wanted to talk about is Harvey Finkle. He has been involved with immigrant activism in Philadelphia for a long time. He is not an immigrant himself, but he’s always there, supporting, documenting.

times: he needs a solo retrospective. His work deserves more recognition in our city. His work is an incredible archive of political movements and communities fighting for change. Harvey has been able to visually capture the activist movement, particularly the immigrant rights movement,

VALERIO: I’m so happy to see these photographs

the labor rights movement, through the lens of

in the show because I actually bumped into him at

his camera for decades. He sees the value of

an event two months ago and he was excited about

communities. These are folks who don’t have the

your call to artists. He brings so much passion to his

time but still make the time and push through and

work.

advocate for themselves and their communities. Their stories are important to tell.

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Refugees Arriving from Burma, 2014, by Harvey Finkle (Courtesy of the artist)

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: Harvey knows the importance of

connection she has to the past and future reflected

his work. He doesn’t even speak that much when

in the people she’s with. It’s a beautiful photo.

he’s out there.

VALERIO: What’s amazing about it, too, is the way

VALERIO: Look at Refugees Arriving from Burma.

the hands work throughout the photograph. There

He creates a directness with the gaze of the young

is the hand around the child, the hand that’s tucked

woman in the center, and contrasts this with the

under the arm of the figure in the foreground, and

soft focus and out-of-focus expressions of the

then the hand that’s around the shoulder of the

other figures. It becomes a dialogue between the

older figure and just cut off at the right margin.

young woman and the viewer that’s contingent on

There’s something about the way all of those hands

a reading of the emotions of the other younger

wind themselves through the picture that helps

and older figures, who we assume to be family

represent the linkages you’ve talked about.

members.

ORTIZ: When I think of Harvey, I think of artists

ORTIZ: It is. I also see it as generational. There is

in Philadelphia who have paved the way for other

an older woman and this child. The person who’s

artists. Another artist like this is Shira Walinsky.

looking directly out at you is really present and

There’s a book that’s coming out soon called The

living in the present moment, but it’s also about that

Road to Sanctuary. I contributed an essay and I

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Welcome, 2017, by Shira Walinsky (Courtesy of the artist)

interviewed Shira about her work with refugee and immigrant communities in South Philadelphia. She spoke about just listening, not presenting an idea, really just listening and understanding. She has the point of view of someone from the outside, but she is respectful. Her photographs ask, how do we begin to really understand our social responsibility? How

Congolese Congregation, 3rd and Snyder, 2017, by Shira Walinsky (Courtesy of the artist)

are we engaging and connecting with communities in a way that is really authentic and not ghettoizing

Flisek, and students in an ESL classroom at Furness

or creating some type of token image? She comes

High School, they have given these students an

at it in a very authentic way.

opportunity to share their stories.

In the photograph of the Congolese women, there’s

VALERIO: When I first read your call I thought of

so much love and so much pride. The American flag

the Great Migration.

is draped over the person standing in the center, in contrast to a more traditional dress on the sides.

ORTIZ: Yes, we also thought of this. The subject

These two worlds can exist in one place.

of Yolanda Ward’s work is the Great Migration. She works with just paper. And we paired

What I also love about Shira’s poetry and video

Thomas McKinney’s High Noon with Jonathan

project Open City, which is also included in the

Pinkett’s Mudlife 1.

show, is that it gives the audience an opportunity to listen to the very same members of the community

In Ward’s piece, someone is fleeing. McKinney and

that she is turning her lens on. When people come

Pinkett’s portraits are very stoic; there is beautiful

into the show, they’ll be able to hear poems and

strength and presence. Presenting this beauty and

images coming directly from the community.

strength and these stoic figures does not do away

Working with poet Ujjwala Maharjan, teacher Meg

with the struggle, but it is equally important, as José

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Migration of Another Kind, February 2022, by Yolanda Ward (Courtesy of the artist)

and I have said, to have this other representation present. I felt that these pieces were really important to include. HRUSZKEWYCZ: You both created a dynamic

exhibition. ORTIZ: Yes, we really wanted balance. Having

artists like Jacqueline Unanue and others who are immigrating or migrating themselves was really important. All of the works were really compelling, but we also wanted variety within the artists we selected. Unanue is from Chile. Gaiamama I is another very joyous piece; it reminded me of a

Mudlife 1, November 8, 2021, by Jonathan Pinkett (Courtesy of the artist)

particular South American painterly style of the artist Oswaldo Guayasamín from Ecuador. I think of

ORTIZ: And it is another pretty big piece. The two

Unanue’s piece in that very same way, in terms of

largest works we chose are the most colorful and

her style and her approach to painting. Her color

vibrant, which is great.

palette and the sense of movement are just really beautiful.

VALERIO: I read it as two figures, a figure on the

left and a figure on the right. It’s as if they’re lifting ORTIZ-PAGÁN: It reminds me of constructivism

something. Is that how you see it? What is it that

in Brazil in the ’70s, in these very defined strokes.

they share? What is their responsibility to shoulder,

Really beautiful.

to carry? THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

High Noon, 2021, by Thomas McKinney (Courtesy of the artist)

ORTIZ-PAGÁN: She speaks about hope. ORTIZ: She talks about a universal concept

emerging from two concepts: Pachamama, which is the Andean Mother Earth, and Gaia, the primitive goddess of the land of the Greeks. I love the fact that they’re two female entities.

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VALERIO: Thank you, Michelle and José. Woodmere

is grateful. It’s an incredibly exciting, but also moving show that speaks to the world we share with others. It also opens our eyes and helps us learn. I’m so glad for the many new ideas the exhibition brings into the fold of Woodmere.

Gaiamama I, 2019, by Jacqueline Unanue (Courtesy of the artist)

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

MARYANNE BUSCHINI American, born 1953 Those Who Love You Make You Cry, 2022 Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in. Courtesy of the artist

JOE CASTRO American, born 1973 Exodus, May 2019 Cut paper collage on paper, 19 x 25 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist

Grace, Dignity, and Thunder, July 2020 Cut paper collage on paper, 28 x 25 in. Courtesy of the artist

DEBORA DIAS Portuguese, born 1987 Between Worlds, 2020 Acrylic on canvas, 56 x 44 x 2 in. Courtesy of the artist

MIKEL ELAM American, born 1964 Transition, 2021 Acrylic, paint markers, paper, and ink on canvas, 48 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist

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Grace, Dignity, and Thunder, July 2020, by Joe Castro (Courtesy of the artist)

Exodus, May 2019, by Joe Castro (Courtesy of the artist)

HARVEY FINKLE American, born 1934

JEFF GOLA American, born 1960

JACOB HAMMES American, born 1982

Bhutanese Refugees from Nepal Spend First Day in Their Philadelphia Apartment, 2011 Digital print, 13 x 20 in.

Travelers, February 2022 Egg tempera on panel, 20 x 26 in.

Once, 2022 Mixed media and electronics, 60 x 106 x 30 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Refugees Arriving from Burma, 2014 Digital print, 13 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist

MICHAEL GRIMALDI American, born 1971 Aleppo Syria 2010 and 2014, 2022 Charcoal, chalk, granite, carborundum, calcium carbonate, and acrylic on paper, 10 1/2 x 13 in. (each) Courtesy of the artist

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Border(less), 2020, by Yangbin Park (Courtesy of the artist)

Travelers, February 2022, by Jeff Gola (Courtesy of the artist) Refugees, 2022, by Marlis Kraft (Courtesy of the artist)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Untitled, from the series Epilogue to Mars, 1995/2016, by Michael Mergen (Courtesy of the artist)

Crate Zine, 2019, by Maci Kociszewski (Courtesy of the artist) Voyage, 2020, by Sarah Steinwachs (Courtesy of the artist)

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Transition, 2021, by Mikel Elam (Courtesy of the artist)

Maps for My Father: Different Ways Home, 2021, by Susan Lowry (Courtesy of the artist)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Ben’s Story, 2019, by Ginny Perry (Courtesy of the artist)

Swim Olive Grove 2, 2021, by Hinda Schuman (Courtesy of the artist) THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Between Worlds, 2020, by Debora Dias (Courtesy of the artist)

Doña Yiya, 2015, by Edna Santiago (Courtesy of the artist)

HEE SOOK KIM South Korean and American, born 1960 Nirvana 3, 2019 Acrylic, rhinestones, silk flower, and wood on canvas, 60 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist

Detainment Series A, 2020, by Marta Sanchez (Courtesy of the artist)

Everlasting Playground 1, 2021 Acrylic, rhinestones, and fabric on panel, 64 x 210 in. Courtesy of the artist

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

MACI KOCISZEWSKI American, born 1994 Crate Zine, 2019 Photograph and zine, 6 1/3 x 4 in. Courtesy of the artist

MARLIS KRAFT Swiss and American, born 1953 Refugees, 2022 Rust-dyed and hand-stitched lobster bait bag fragment on kantha cloth, 27 x 22 in. Courtesy of the artist

SUSAN LOWRY American, born 1953 Maps for My Father: Different Ways Home, 2021 Mixed media on board, 15 x 24 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist

EMILIO MALDONADO Dominican, born 1983 Rifle of the Eagle Man, 2021 From the series American Imaginarium Found objects, 13 x 53 x 2 in. Courtesy of the artist

MICHAEL D. MCGEEHAN American, born 1952 Beliefs, 2021 From the series Sweet Longings (Saudade) Inkjet prints, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (each) Courtesy of the artist

THOMAS MCKINNEY American, born 1940 High Noon, 2021 Watercolor and gouache on paper, 27 x 18 in. Courtesy of the artist

Ejection System, 2019, by José Ortiz-Pagán (Courtesy of the artist) THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Sacramentos: Hi Point Honeymoon, from the series Sacramentos: Family Moments, 2020, by John Stritzinger (Courtesy of the artist)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Sacramentos: Courting Love, from the series Sacramentos: Family Moments, 2020, by John Stritzinger (Courtesy of the artist)

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

FPO

Transience, 2020, by Nicole Michaud (Courtesy of the artist and Stanek Gallery)

MICHAEL MERGEN American, born 1978

NICOLE MICHAUD American, born 1975

CHAU NGUYEN Vietnamese, born 1994

Untitled, 1995/2016 From the series Epilogue to Mars Archival pigment print, 20 1/4 x 40 in.

Transience, 2020 Oil on Mylar, 32 x 32 in.

Asian Fusion, 2019–20 Oil on unstretched canvas, bamboo, 180 x 72 in.

Courtesy of the artist and Stanek Gallery

Courtesy of the artist

DEIRDRE MURPHY American, born 1967 MARGE MICCIO Irish and American, born 1957 Homesick, 2022 Assemblage, 12 x 12 x 2 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist

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Invisible Currents, 2022 Mixed media on Japanese paper, 24 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist and Gross McCleaf Gallery

YANGBIN PARK South Korean, born 1981 Border(less), 2020 Ink and graphite on paper, 9 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist

SARAH STEINWACHS American, born 1970 Voyage, 2020 Mylar, wood, and Stuart Rome’s photographs, 24 x 24 x 4 in. Courtesy of the artist

MARIA AHHYUN STRACKE American, born South Korea 1984 Korean Grandmother I, 2021 Graphite, found images, hanji paper, gouache, and gold leaf on paper, 15 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist

Korean Grandmother II, 2021 Graphite, found images, hanji paper, gouache, and gold leaf on paper, 15 x 15 in.

Wall to the Ocean, 2021, by Marta Sanchez (Courtesy of the artist)

Courtesy of the artist

GINNY PERRY American, born 1953

MARTA SANCHEZ American and Chicana, born 1959

Ben’s Story, 2019 Poured acrylic and charcoal on watercolor paper, 55 x 48 in.

Detainment Series A, 2020 Oil on Masonite, 6 x 6 in.

JOHN STRITZINGER American, born 1955

Courtesy of the artist

Sacramentos: Courting Love, 2020 From the series Sacramentos: Family Moments Archival pigment print, 16 x 20 in.

Courtesy of the artist

JONATHAN PINKETT American, born 1949 Mudlife 1, November 8, 2021 Acrylic silkscreen on polypropylene paper, 12 x 8 in. Courtesy of the artist

RASHIDAH SALAM Malaysian and American, born 1967 Terrence, 2017 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 54 in.

Detainment Series, 2020 Oil on Masonite, 6 x 6 in. Courtesy of the artist

Courtesy of the artist

Wall to the Ocean, 2021 Oil on aluminum, 10 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist

EDNA SANTIAGO American, born 1953

Sacramentos: Hi Point Honeymoon, 2020 From the series Sacramentos: Family Moments Archival pigment print, 20 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist

Doña Yiya, 2015 Linocut and ink, 5 x 9 in. Courtesy of the artist

JACQUELINE UNANUE Chilean-American, born 1953 Gaiamama I, 2019 Acrylic on canvas, 57 x 125 in.

Courtesy of the artist and Muse Gallery Philadelphia

HINDA SCHUMAN American, born 1948

Courtesy of the artist

Swim Olive Grove 2, 2021 Archival digital print, 17 x 22 in. Courtesy of the artist

THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Terrence, 2017, by Rashidah Salam (Courtesy of the artist and Muse Gallery Philadelphia)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

28 Days, 2017, by Michelle Angela Ortiz (Courtesy of the artist)

CRISTHIAN VARELA American, born 1990

SHIRA WALINSKY American, born 1972

YOLANDA WARD American, born 1955

Llora Lata Llora, February 2022 Canned tamales, music box player, banana leaf, and various hardware, 7 x 10 x 3 in. (variable)

Welcome, 2017 Digital photograph, 12 x 12 in.

Migration of Another Kind, February 2022 Paper, 48 x 48 in.

Courtesy of the artist

IDALIA VASQUEZ-ACHURY Colombian, born 1979 Untitled, 2021 Perforated inkjet print, 48 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist

Courtesy of the artist

Congolese Congregation, 3rd and Snyder, 2017 Digital photograph, 12 x 18 in. Courtesy of the artist

Open City, 2019 Video, 9 minutes, 8 seconds Courtesy of the artist

Untitled, 2020 Inkjet print, 36 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Invisible Currents, 2022, by Deirdre Murphy (Courtesy of the artist and Gross McCleaf Gallery)

WORK FROM WOODMERE’S COLLECTION EDITH NEFF American, 1943–1995 Triptych, 1967 Oil on canvas, 42 x 90 in. Gift of Dr. Maria B. Smith, 2012

JURORS’ SELECTIONS MICHELLE ANGELA ORTIZ American, born 1978

JOSÉ ORTIZ-PAGÁN American, born 1984

28 Days, 2017 Acrylic paint on illustration board, 11 x 34 in.

Ejection System, 2019 Watercolor and thread on paper, 36 x 18 in.

Courtesy of the artist

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Aleppo Syria 2010 and 2014, 2022, by Michael Grimaldi (Courtesy of the artist)

Homesick, 2022, by Marge Miccio (Courtesy of the artist) THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

Open City, 2019, by Shira Walinsky (Courtesy of the artist)

Korean Grandmother II, 2021, by Maria Ahhyun Stracke (Courtesy of the artist)

WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Korean Grandmother I, 2021, by Maria Ahhyun Stracke (Courtesy of the artist)

Woodmere Art Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Support provided in part by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

©2022 Woodmere Art Museum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Catalogue designed by Barb Barnett and Kelly Edwards, and edited by Gretchen Dykstra. On cover: Welcome, 2017, by Shira Walinsky (Courtesy of the artist) THE WOODMERE ANNUAL: 80 TH JURIED EXHIBITION

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