Out and About - EFA Open Studios

On Friday evening my partner and I headed over the Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts (EFA) Open Studios on west 39th street. Members of this studio program are all professional artists with an established studio practice and recognized art career.

A jury of respected arts professionals, through a competitive application process, selects new members each year. Having never been and considering applying to the program I thought it might be a good thing to go and check out.

It’s a very impressive facility with artists on floors 3-10 and the open studio itself seemed very organized. We were met by greeters at the door who provided a nice brochure listing all of the artists participating by floor, along with an image of their work.

When I go to these events there is always an artist or two that makes me feel it was worth the trip. This time I can clearly say it was meeting Ryan Sarah Murphy and being introduced to her collage constructions. Created out of found cardboard, glue and foamcore, these pieces were very impressive and beautifully constructed. I responded quickly her use of color as well!

I love living in a city where events like this take place on an ongoing basis and the public is given access to discover the talent that exists behind closed doors. It’s a gift to be invited into someone’s creative space and get a closer look at their lives through their work.

If you are interested in seeing more of Murphy's work she is currently in a group exhibition at The Schiltkamp Gallery at Clark University in Worcester, Ma.

(RSS) Random Studio Shot

Artists in the Marketplace (AIM)

I'm very happy to announce that I have recently been selected to participate in the Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program at The Bronx Museum of Arts. The Mission of AIM is to provide networking opportunities for emerging artists residing in the New York metropolitan area and introduce their work to a greater audience. 

AIM is structured as a “collaborative residency” in which participants work directly with established artists, collectors, art critics, curators, dealers, lawyers, and other art world professionals. The 13-week seminar is offered annually to 36 participants, culminating with a biennial exhibition of the participants’ work. AIM sessions provide information, instruction, and professional guidance by addressing areas of practical concern to artists, among them curatorial practice, copyright law, exhibition and public art opportunities, gallery representation, grant writing, and marketing. 

On The Road

This seems to be the time of year for library book sales and this past weekend I made my way to Danbury Public Library Annual Sale up in Connecticut. I have to say it was a little overwhelming when I first walked through the doors. With over 30,000 books, this was perhaps the largest sale I have been to.

It was so large they provided each visitor with a floor plan, which identified all of the different sections by topic, with corresponding row numbers. I noticed they even had a designated “holding” area where you could keep what you collected safely stored while continuing the search for more books.

After studying the floor plan I decided to hit the children’s book section first. These are really becoming my “go to” books since I started working on a new body of work a couple of months ago. I love the outdated textbooks, activity books and storybooks because of their illustrations, typography and language.

Most of my books came from this area, but I did manage to hit every single aisle, except for the fiction section… nothing of interest there. On my way out a woman in line near me asked if I heard about the Ridgefield Library book sale happening in a few weeks, which I did not. Of course I’ll be there!