In DisCerning Eye: Jo Levine and Leslie Kiefer

“Eye Witnessed

Photographic group shows at Gallery B and Multiple Exposures focus on looking and telling, while Photoworks remembers co-founder Frank "Tico" Herrera

Mark Jenkins

Jul 30, 2025

 

Tana Ebbole, “Dew Drops” (Creative Platform)

 

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS FRAME THEIR SUBJECTS, but some images feel more enclosed than others. Most of the 10 contributors to "Through the Looking Glass," Creative Platform’s local photographers's showcase at Gallery B, depict things or people that are tightly contained. But only about half of them depict literal interiors.

One of the most striking examples is "Roundabout," a high-contrast black-and-white picture by Van Pulley (who's also in the current Multiple Exposures Gallery show). A silhouetted pedestrian moves through a walkway covered by an arched lattice, past a foregrounded puddle that reflects both the person and the framework. The effect is to transform the half-curved space into one that appears fully circular, and nearly kaleidoscopic.

Among the other pictures made within actual walls are Jim Coates's evocative interiors of an abandoned, deteriorated house, rendered in shades of cream (lost affluence) and brown (decay). People either contemplate or ignore art -- in separate pictures -- in Susan Sanders's moody black-and-white studies of a museum and its visitors. Also monochromatic are Leslie Kiefer's eerie closeups of masks and figurines, sometimes doubled in mirrors; and Leslie Landerkin's environmental portraits, in which small people can be upstaged by big shadows.

Jo Levine steps outside to observe distorted and fractured reflections on mirrored building facades, a phenomenon often documented at Multiple Exposures (and in Levine's recent Studio Gallery show). While Levine's pictures are in color, Barry Dunn's uses black-and-white for his deconstructions of modern design, such as the front of a battered but still partly glossy automobile.

The sense of closeness is visually different but psychologically similar in Tana Ebbole's watery nature scenes, which are enveloped by mist. These elegant pictures feature muted colors that are suffused with gray yet punctuated by glimmers of golden sunlight. Ebbole's photos fit well with Barbara Southworth's sweeping horizontals of rocky landscapes, one of which observes the vivid contrast -- philosophical as well as pictorial -- of red plants flowering on granite.

The persistence of vegetation is also the theme of Kevin Duncan's closeups of twigs and branches that jut from water or ice, environments that register as expanses of blue or -- in the extraordinary "Lost Breath 2" -- electric green. The composition is carefully confined, but the color bids to bust it open.

 

Eric Johnson, “945 North Washington Street” (Multiple Exposures Gallery)

 

THE CLOSEST THING TO DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY IN "SMALL STORIES," Multiple Exposures Gallery's conceptual group exhibition, is by none other than Van Pulley, who demonstrates his flair for formalism in the Gallery B show. Here he offers pictures of Cubans in artistic or athletic motion, grouped in a battered metal frame to signify their country's deprivation. The photographic suite is one of the few to depict humans, but the effects of their actions -- mostly destructive -- are well-represented.

Eric Johnson observes the gradual disappearance of houses on the Baltimore block where his grandmother once lived, a microcosm of the city's decline. Human neglect and natural atrophy collaborated to tumble the rustic wooden structure Tom Sliter glimpses in mid-collapse. Sepia adds to the sense of age in Irina Lawton's blurry interiors of an old Maine schoolhouse, made with a low-resolution plastic camera. Everyone knows the story Alan Sislen tells with three shots of lower Manhattan taken from Jersey City between 1999 and 2014.

The fracturing is purely pictorial in Maureen Minehan's dissection of the Jefferson Memorial, rendered in harsh color to amplify the sense of violence in this visual metaphor for political polarization. The victims of human brutality are arboreal in Sarah Hood Salomon's pictures of decapitated heritage trees, framed in actual sawdust.

A lone person, perhaps a train buff, stalks Fred Zafran's shadowy photo essay on the Point of Rocks MARC station in what appears to be early morning. Much more exuberant are Stacy Smith Evans's pictures of bright orange facades of houses in Capetown, repainted from the white that was required when their occupants were enslaved.

Russell Creger Barajas reduces the human presence to three hands, sculpted in stone, wood, or plastic. This series of evocatively stark closeups is related in form, if not content, to sets of images of rusted metal links by Gullermo Olizola; rocks and piles of soil by David Myers; and aircraft details by Francine B. Livaditis. The story, whatever it may be, is in the details.

The one participant who utterly flouted the rules is Soomin Ham, who contributed a single picture of a flower. Many narratives are suggested by the photos in "Small Stories," but Ham's enigmatic picture demands that the viewer also be the storyteller.

 

“Mapplethorpe,” Frank “Tico” Herrera (Photoworks)

 

TO JUDGE BY HIS MEMORIAL EXHIBITION, FRANK "TICO" HERRERA was primarily a photographer of rustic landscapes, whether in Ireland, Costa Rica, or his native West Virginia. But the 30-photo retrospective at Photoworks, which he co-founded, touches on multiple subjects and themes. Herrera (1940-2021) photographed everything from a lone cow and the main building at Glen Echo -- two dramatically upward shots that are among the few in color -- to an art-world protest: the demonstration against the Corcoran Gallery's decision to cancel its 1989 Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition.

The protesters projected Mapplethorpe photos on the Corcoran facade, so Herrera was able to capture a ghostly image that flickers above the crowd. That sort of light play is unusual in this selection, although the photographer did use long exposures to make it appear as if low-speed freight trains are rocketing through West Virginia hamlets. The trains's temporary presence registers simply as a blur, accentuating the towns's sense of being left behind. Like the sepia tones of Herrera's Ireland studies, the smeared trains evoke the past in instants of the present.

Most whimsical and least characteristic is "Barbie Queue," a posed scenario populated by nearly a dozen Barbies and a single Ken. (He's at the grill, of course.) More typical are scenes where old buildings or cloud-stuffed skies are just permeable enough to yield splashes or patches of illumination. Light is essential to all photographers, of course, but Herrera was especially attuned to it.

Through the Looking Glass

Through Aug. 3 at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave. #E, Bethesda. bethesda.org/bethesda/gallery-b-exhibitions. 301-215-7990.

Small Stories

Through Aug. 3 at Multiple Exposures Gallery, Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. multipleexposuresgallery.com. 703-683-2205.

Frank "Tico" Herrera Memorial Exhibition

Through Aug. 3 at Photoworks, Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo. glenechophotoworks.org. 301-634-2274."

Written by Mark Jenkins, thank you!

Reflection on Uncanny at the NMWA, and other recent Smithsonian shows

I was born and raised in DC and the Smithsonian museums have always been a second home for me. They are where I spend my days off, walking alone through crowds of tourists, absorbing work from artists I learn about later in art history classes. Over the past month, I have visited several major DC museums, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), the National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery, the Hirshorn, and the Renwick, to name a few. I want to discuss a few works in particular that I was especially excited about, and maybe draw some connections between them. 

The show that I saw at the NMWA is titled Uncanny. Many pieces included in the Uncanny exhibition are predicated on some distortion of the physical body, often the female body in particular, whether that be through abstraction, reimagination of form, or some experimental use of medium. Distortion of the body is one surefire way to provoke unease in a viewer, as the audience will identify viscerally with the subject. 

Some of the artists in this show are prominent figures in feminist art history, including Judy Chicago, who created the Dinner Party sculptural installation (permanent collection at the Brooklyn Museum) which was made up of 39 place-setting sculptures dedicated to significant women throughout history, forming a massive triangular table. Many of the place settings are sculpted to look like female genitalia, which for some may provoke discomfort, but were intended as a celebration of the female body and experience. 

Judy Chicago (American, born 1939). The Dinner Party, 1974–79. Ceramic, porcelain, textile, 576 × 576 in. (1463 × 1463 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. (Photo: Donald Woodman)

Her work for the NMWA is a series of paintings on glass and porcelain that explore the grief of climate change and extinction. This existential interpretation of ‘uncanny’ broadens the scope of the exhibition from experiences of the body to wider connectivity with the natural world, which can be just as disconcerting. 

Judy Chicago, Stranded, from The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction, 2016; Kiln-fired glass paint on black glass, 12 x 18 in.; Courtesy of the artist; Salon 94, New York; and Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco; © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo © Donald Woodman/ARS, NY

Another artist I was particularly excited to see was Louise Bourgeois, whose work is renowned for its disturbing and emotionally affecting subject matter, and, well, its uncanniness. Her work for this show is Untitled (with foot), “carved from pink marble, depicts a baby’s foot sticking out from beneath a perfect sphere. Sculpted to allude to smooth, tender flesh under a heavy globe-like object, the work is equally alluring and alarming. Bourgeois evokes the unresolved tension of the universal trauma of birth, a recurrent theme in her art.” (Orin Zahra, associate curator NMWA) This disembodied limb fused to the smooth, fleshy sphere suggests a monstrous, inhuman child, lacking most identifying human features, but still heartbreakingly vulnerable to the dangers of the world around it. This vulnerability is contrasted with the rough hewn surface the figure is placed on top of, suggesting a cruel and unwelcoming world. This piece reminds me a bit of the Eraserhead baby from the David Lynch movie, iykyk.

Louise Bourgeois, Untitled (with foot), 1989; Pink marble, 30 x 26 x 21 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Roger S. Firestone Foundation Fund, the FRIENDS of The Corcoran Gallery of Art, William A. Clark Fund, the gift of William E. Share (by exchange), The Women’s Committee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Carolyn Alper); © The Easton Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Eraserhead baby, from the movie Eraserhead, directed by David Lynch RIP

I was also struck by Felix Gonzales Torres’s approach to portraiture, which feels in line with the work of the Uncanny show, as his candy works are direct representations of a human body, that can in turn be consumed and continuously altered by the audience. This action of eating the candy that is the body of some specific person feels like a violation, and yet the candy is inviting and innocuous without its context. The constant turnover and reinvention of the portrait through the removal and replacement of pieces of candy reminds me of a thought I have had many times before, which is ‘the only constant is change’ or something to that effect, which I suppose is cheap buddhism for coping with the terrifying uncertainty of life. This work also reminds me of the blessed sacrament, i.e, the ‘blood and body of christ’ that catholics consume when they take communion, which provokes questions in my mind about how portraiture can be a portal to eternal life, especially when the portrait is meant to be consumed/integrated into the being of the audience. Gonzales-Torres’s work has a way of sticking with you, and this endlessly thought-spiralling effect that his candy works in particular have on me make me fascinated to learn more about him and his influences.  

"Untitled" (Portrait of Dad), 1991

White mint candies in clear wrappers, endless supply
Overall dimensions vary with installation
Ideal weight: 175 lb.
© Estate Felix Gonzalez-Torres Courtesy Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation
Photo: Matailong Du

 

Written by Zora Pauk
Gallery Associate

 
 

In DisCerning Eye: Cheryl Ann Bearss, Pam Frederick, Harriet Lesser, and Veronica Szalus

“Letter Perfect

Letterpress artists revitalize the almost-obsolete process at Pyramid Atlantic. Also: Work by Cheryl Ann Bearss, Pam Frederick, Harriet Lesser, Veronica Szalus, Dee Levinson, and Monica Jahan Bose

MARK JENKINS

JULY 2ND, 2025

 

David Wolske, “Polysynthesis” (Pyramid Atlantic)

 

"FREEDOM OF THE PRESS is guaranteed only to those who own one," wrote A.J. Liebling in 1960, before not just the Internet but also the widespread adoption of offset printing. Liebling's words would originally have been promulgated by letterpress, a once-dominant industrial process that now survives as the artisanal craft showcased in Pyramid Atlantic's "Press On." Fittingly, this large and impressive exhibition includes Khoa Nguyen's elegant poster of Liebling's maxim, the sentence neatly choreographed in highly compressed orange sans serif text.

Letters and words are central to the show, which was juried by Celene Aubry of Tennessee's Hatch Show Print and Allison Tipton, manager of the Globe Collection and Press at the Maryland Institute College of Art. There are images in many of the works made by the nearly 100 contributors (some working as members of teams), and a few contain not a single letter. But several of the most inventive pieces demonstrate how just color, layout, and type are sufficient to build an effective composition.

Words and names, especially when they're well-known, can be read even in daringly unexpected configurations. So Scott Fisk tightly overlaps the letters in "home" and "joy," emphasizing color but not entirely forgoing legibility. And Virginia Green flips sideways and breaks into two lines the longest name in this familiar lineup: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Similar tactics, with the additional complication of multiple typefaces, enliven Frank Baseman's bold poster of the NATO phonetic alphabet, all the way from "alpha" to "zulu."

More minimalist but just as astute are E Bond's sculptural arrangement of industrial-looking "E's" in corroded shades of black; Steven Stichter's punning waves of rising blue "C's"; and Richard Kegler's duo of superimposed ampersands, one upside down. David Wolske abstracts letters by trimming them merely to such features are bowls and serifs, printed in vivid hues and partly overlaid. Carlos Hernandez uses mostly letters and punctuation -- but also silhouetted guns -- to depict cowboys identified as good, bad, and ugly. Jon Drew's gentle landscapes position black trees in front of terrain built mostly of letters.

As might be expected, there are numerous artist's books and other 3D items. Cynthia Connolly's sewn grab bag contains 15 postcards, mostly of her photographs. Andre Lee Bassuet demonstrates the letterpress-worthiness of the Korean Hangeul alphabet in a tiny book printed with Legos. Richard Zeid imprints the word "fractured" atop a black-and-white photograph that's been torn into four irregular quadrants. Elinor Swanson prints blue-on-white patterns that suggest Dutch ceramics and presents them both flat and folded into the shapes of a cup and a pitcher.

Among the most powerful entries, both in theme and form, is Sarah Matthews's "Outrage," a flag book that stands like a poster and conveys the artist's response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. "My uterus is none of your business" proclaim black-on-pink letters that stutter across repeated unfurled pages. Matthews's broadside -- and all of "Press On" -- certifies that letterpress is anything but quaint.

 

Cheryl Ann Bearrs, “Great Falls November” (Studio Gallery)

 

THE NATURAL WORLD IS THE INSPIRATION for Cheryl Ann Bearss's Studio Gallery show, as it was for her previous one. But the focus of "Fleeting Moments of Nature" has expanded from closeups of individual trees to wider views of forests, skies, and rivers -- notably the Potomac at Great Falls, a turbulent contrast to the Northern Virginia painter's serene pictures of flowering bushes and trees.

Her style has also shifted toward a more detailed and realistic approach, although some of her oils are looser than others. This can be seen even in pictures of the same essential subject. "Great Falls November" is tighter than "Stormy Skies over Great Falls," although both depict rock and water, sunlight and mist.

Bearrs hasn't abandoned renderings of single trees, including one viewed from a craned-neck perspective. All black and gray, "Snow Tree" is among the show's most elegantly stylized pictures, and such stark, leafless studies as "Twisted Trunks" have an almost-sculptural quality. Removed from their natural environs, such gnarled wooden spires have a totemic quality.

Also at Studio is "At This Time," billed as three "coordinated shows" by Pam Frederick, Harriet Lesser, and Veronica Szalus. Least like the other entries are Lesser's pictures of rumpled bedclothes, manipulated photographs that incorporate drawing and painting. Meditations on "waking up," the mixed-media pictures contrast soft and hard by mounting images of twisted fabric atop steel panels.

Both Frederick and Szalus use recycled materials. The former's installation employs found cardboard in a rhythmic composition that was inspired by a Herbie Hancock track and visually suggests Matisse, Mondrian, and Russian Constructivism. The latter's 3D assemblages appear more ominous: What appear to be toilet-paper rolls, often painted and sometimes singed, are held in place by a slice of a pipe or a ragged chicken-wire tower. Where Frederick's collage has a funky equanimity, Szalus's constructions conjure a universe that's haphazard, damaged, and dangerously unstable.

 

Dee Levinson, “Egyptian Woman” (Touchstone Gallery)

 

ANCIENT EGYPT AND ITS ENVIRONS ARE THE WELLSPRINGS of Dee Levinson's "Egypt Revisited," but the Northern Virginia artist doesn't imagine her subjects as they might have been. Instead, she models most of the oil paintings in her Touchstone Gallery show on her photographs of historical sculptures. The resulting images have a strong sense of physical presence, but they seem as much stone as flesh.

Levinson worked for more than two decades as a graphic designer for the Washington Post, and her commercial-art background is evident in her meticulous illustrative style. Unlike some artists with a similar history -- Andy Warhol, notably -- Levinson doesn't contrast hard lines with areas of looser, freer color. But she does subtly mottle the primarily single-hue backdrops, and employ boldly unnaturalistic color schemes. Earthy tans and browns are set off by vivid red, blues, and purples, and gold and copper tones evoke the riches of Pharoanic Egypt.

The artist primarily depicts historical Egyptians and their vestiges, including masks and mummies, as well as the occasional goddess (Isis) or out-of-towner (Persian emperor Darius, who ruled Egypt long after the best-known pharaohs). Ramses II is portrayed in three separate color schemes, although the hues aren't the only differences between the renderings. Each seated figure is placed inside a different painted border, the use of which is another Levinson trademark. The artist presents ancient Egyptian history as tidy and contained, ready for the viewer to unbox.

 

Monica Jahan Bose, “Freedom (Blue)” (photo by Mark Jenkins)

 

HANGING CURTAINS MADE FROM SARIS mark the entrance to Gallery Y's "Take Me to the Water," a flourish that comes as no surprise. Repurposed saris are among the customary elements in Monica Jahan Bose's work, which is often collaborative. The Bangladeshi-American local artist enlists contributions from women in her ancestral village on the Bay of Bengal -- an area especially vulnerable to rising sea levels -- but also from people who live near the notoriously polluted Anacostia River. Among the results was "Swimming," last year's public installation near another body of water, D.C.'s Marie Reed Aquatic Center.

Some pieces from "Swimming" surface in Bose's current exhibition, but this show is smaller and focused mostly on woodblock and relief prints. Some of these incorporate painting and drawing, and several include small scraps of saris. Of these, the most striking is "Rising (with Sari)," which is all green except for a slash of magenta cloth. The strip offers a strong color contrast while evoking the fluidity of both water and fabric.

Bose's eclectic art is held together by its themes, even as multiple hands and voices pull it in various directions. Phrases in English and Bengali punctuate the imagery, and one sari is bordered again and again by "1.5°C" -- the amount of global warming that's estimated to be sustainable. But the most universal emblems are simple renderings of water and fish, traditional symbols of purity and abundance that have come to represent the opposites or their longtime meanings.

Press On

Through July 13 at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 4318 Gallatin St., Hyattsville. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org. 301-608-9101.

Cheryl Ann Bearss: Fleeting Moments of Nature

Pam Frederick, Harriet Lesser, and Veronica Szalus: At This Time

Through July 12 at Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. studiogallerydc.com. 202- 232-8734.

Dee Levinson: Egypt Revisited

Through July 6 at Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Ave. NW. touchstonegallery.com. 202-682-4125.

Monica Jahan Bose: Take Me to the Water

Through July 11 at Gallery Y, YMCA Anthony Bowen, 1325 W St. NW. www.ymcaanthonyboweneventspacedc.com/galleryy. 202-232-6936.”

Review by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye, July 2025. Thank you!

In the Washington City Paper: Jo Levine, Judy Bonderman, Beverly Logan, and Suliman Abdullah

“On Camera: Four Local Artists on View at Studio Gallery

Jo Levine, Judy Bonderman, Beverly Logan, and Suliman Abdullah bring unique and interesting photography—and photography-adjacent art—to the Dupont gallery.

LOUIS JACOBSON

JUNE 9TH, 2025

 

“Sky Lights #1” by Jo Levine on View at Studio Gallery

 

Kudos to Studio Gallery for squeezing a wide range of interesting photography—and photography-adjacent art—into its modestly sized lower gallery space, with four simultaneous, loosely linked exhibits by D.C.-area artists. 

One, Suliman Abdullah, offers photography and collage that harnesses “intentional color manipulation,” often through circular abstractions that layer grainy hues over one another.

 

“Essence of Place: Tuscany” by Beverly Logan

 

Another artist, Beverly Logan, seeks to share what she calls the “Essence of Place”—digital collages saturated with hyperreal colors, notably an image set in Buenos Aires that features a vintage station wagon wedged into a weathered alley, in a setting captured by shades of tomato red, mustard yellow, and inky blue. A more obviously manufactured tableau by Logan, but that still offers intrigue, depicts a view from an Amtrak passenger-car window, featuring parallel, receding layers of track, water, a row of yellow-painted homes, a factory wall and a carefree sky. 

Like Abdullah and Logan, Judy Bonderman uses photographic manipulation; Bonderman leverages the technique to freeze moments from walks she’s made through the Tregaron Conservancy, an urban green space in Cleveland Park. She acknowledges that her images of aquatic plants, frogs, water snakes, and fish aren’t literal; her approach, she says, “exaggerates and romanticizes” what she sees. While many of Logan’s works are dominated by calming shades of green, her most compelling piece may actually be the opposite: “Rolling,” an abstraction with a blend of deep red hues that suggests the fires of hell.

 

“Transitions” by Judy Bonderman

 

The most consistently successful of the four artists is Jo Levine, whose past work at the gallery and elsewhere hasbeen similarly impressive. In the current exhibit, Levine documents a wide array of locations in D.C.; few of the more than a dozen images she contributes are squandered. What ties Levine’s works together is a seamless presentation of overlapping layers. In one photograph, for instance, Levine captures the crisp reflection of the Empire State Building off the smooth hood of a black car. In another, Levine documents a flurry of hanging light bulbs reflected in a window, cheekily suggesting a UFO invasion above an ordinary-looking street scene. In a third image, Levine presents an almost literal kaleidoscopic view of reflections on the mirrored exterior of a building.

While Levine structures many of her photographs around the rigorous lines of modernist architecture, many of them include unexpected buckling, as if the lines were being shaped by some unseen magnetic force. In one image, linear reflections bend into something resembling genitalia; in another, the lines of the National Gallery of Art’s East Building resolve into an hourglass or infinity symbol. In one photograph captured off an exterior window of the Hirshhorn Museum, the viewer simultaneously sees reflections of Henry Moore’s “King and Queen,” a portion of the U.S. Capitol dome, and the winningest portrayal of a brutalist D.C. edifice in recent memory. 

Ultimately, Levine’s two finest works may be her most abstract. One of these images depicts the organic, gently undulating surface rivulets of water in pleasing shades of olive and gray. The second captures a view of the Kennedy Center’s REACH; the portrayal brings together a satisfying mix of straight and curved geometric lines, appealing shades of Hopperian blue and gray, and a dreamy, watercolor-like texture that comes from gentle disturbances in reflected water. 

Real and Surreal: Coordinated Shows by Judy Bonderman and Jo Levine; Beverly Logan’s Essence of Place; and Suliman Abdullah’s Global Empathy run through June 14 at Studio Gallery. Wednesday through Friday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. studiogallerydc.com. Free.”

Review by Louis Jacobson, Washington City Paper, June 2025. Thank you!

In DisCerning Eye: Studio Gallery's Micheline Klagsbrun, Writ in Water; Solo Exhibition

“STEELY MAMMOTHS

Natural and industrial meld in a sculpture group show. Also: Fred Folsom's neoclassical take on American life and Micheline Klagsbrun's liquefied texts

MARK JENKINS

MAY 6, 2025

Micheline Klagsbrun, “Dream Books” (Courtesy of Studio Gallery)

AMONG THE TOMES SUMMONED BY MICHELINE KLAGSBRUN'S "WRIT ON Water” is libra segundo de Moses, a Spanish title for the book also called Exodus. The volume is an apt inclusion, since many of the local artist's pieces are inspired by her family's flight from the Nazi-controlled regions of Europe. While Klagsbrun's recent shows have featured ships, this one emphasizes texts. Yet the water imagery of her earlier work endures.

Curated by Aneta Georgievska-Shine, the Studio Gallery show includes some ink and colored-pencil drawings on rough paper. But it's dominated by 3D constructions made of paper, ink, string, wire, branches, and bark. Twists of wood that previously represented boats serve here as frames and supports for swirls of smeared, water-shaped paper. These enigmatic objects represent "the instability or memory and identity," according to a gallery note.

Words matter, whether in Hebrew, English, or Spanish, and the titles identify some of these fabrications as a night book, dream diary, prayer book, tree journal, memory book, or almanac. But the overall impression is of colors -- mostly blue, brown, and white -- and textures, not of anything legible. Rather than yield commandments engraved in stone, Klagsbrun's telling of an exodus produces only fragments that are gnarled, fragile, and intriguingly inchoate.”

Review by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye, May 2025. Thank you!

Reflecting on "Reclamation" and Amity Chan's Fellowship Experience

Amity Chan’s time as the Studio Gallery’s Jennie Lea Knight Fellow has been an incredible journey of artistic growth and professional development. Reclamation, her second and final exhibition through the fellowship program, was a bittersweet milestone and offered an opportunity for her to reflect on the elements that have influenced and shaped her work throughout this transformative chapter. Her work in the Fellows Exhibition was a deeply personal exploration of memory, identity, and renewal, bringing together pieces that spoke to the power of reclaiming one’s narrative. 

Chan Reflecting on Her Experience

“This fellowship has been a vital resource for emerging artists like myself. It provided an opportunity to rebuild my art practice after a period of doubt and uncertainty. I graduated in 2020 at the height of the pandemic while simultaneously grappling with the mass protests in Hong Kong. After graduation, I paused my artistic practice until I finally settled into my new life in Washington, D.C., in 2022. However, due to a lack of resources, I was only creating smaller works and digital drawings —nothing comparable to my usual practice. In 2023, while working as a Gallery Assistant at IA&A at Hillyer, I saw the open call for this fellowship. Having known Studio Gallery through our monthly First Friday and Third Thursday partnerships, I had always admired its unique co-op model. I was thrilled to apply, as I was seeking a supportive community, mentorship, and, most importantly, an accountability partner in rebuilding my practice. The fellowship has introduced me to meaningful relationships I deeply cherish, including my amazing cohorts, Olivia Bruce, Skyler Henry, and Omari Wilson; my mentor, Lynda Andrews-Barry, since 2023; Atiya Dorsey and Irene Pantelis, who both served as Fellowship Managers; Halley Stubis, the former Gallery Director; Madison King, the current Director of Studio Gallery; and Helen Frederick, who kindly curated my second fellows' exhibition. It has also provided consistent opportunities to showcase my work, including biannual all-member shows, Garden Gallery exhibitions, Art All Night, and annual fellows’ exhibitions. In just under two years, I have exhibited at Studio Gallery six times, with another exhibition scheduled for April. Through the process of consistently exhibiting and refining my work, I gained the confidence and experience to pursue additional opportunities. This led to a total of ten exhibitions in 2024 alone. Additionally, I was honored to collaborate with organizations such as the Arts and Peacebuilding Culture for DMV Leaders Fellowship at George Mason University, the Mind Your Art Business Program at Vika Visual Arts Association, and most recently, the Sparkplug Artists’ Collective at The DC Arts Center.” Chan says in reflection of her time.

 

Artistic Growth and Continuing Themes

One of the most fulfilling aspects of Reclamation for Chan was seeing how her artistic voice has evolved while maintaining continuity in her themes. An exciting development has been her sculptural series, Through the Cracks and her painting Through the Window, which were both centerpieces of her work in Reclamation. Both bodies of work examine the tension between fragility and resilience, using fragmented and layered materials to explore themes of displacement, belonging, and transformation. 


 
 

Amity Chan, Through the Cracks Collection, Cement and faux dandelion

Highlights and New Opportunities

Since Reclamation, Chan has been honored to share her work and perspectives in a variety of spaces. Some key opportunities include: 

- Speaker, Fine Arts Spring Alumni Panel, Maryland Institute College of Art (2025) - Artist Feature, When Art Meets Activism, ArtDiction Special Edition (2024) - Review of Pieces of the Whole by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye (2024). 

Head to Studio Gallery today through May 17th, 2025 to see Chan’s duo exhibition with fellow artist, Lynda Andrews-Barry, in the Garden Gallery. Fragments of Memories is a moving exhibition that brings together two artists whose practices navigate the complex intersections of memory, identity, and place. Through paintings, sculptures, collages, and video installations, Amity Chan and Lynda Andrews-Barry explore how personal histories and political realities shape the landscapes we live in, both real and imagined. Drawing from her upbringing in Hong Kong, Chan reflects on everyday spaces such as residential buildings, schools, and malls, using personal photographs to reconstruct a childhood shaped by cultural rituals and rapid urban transformation on canvases. Her manga-inspired paintings speak to the cultures she grew up with and her diasporic experience in the U.S., as well as the desire to preserve cultural memory in the face of displacement. In parallel, Andrews-Barry responds to the political atmosphere of Washington, D.C., using snow globes, mixed media collages, and video installation to examine collective memory and national narratives. Her works translate the volatility of current events into intimate, symbolic forms that call for action and self-expression. Together, their works reveal memory not as a static archive, but as a shifting terrain shaped by place, time, and the politics of remembering. You don’t want to miss it!


Her recent exhibitions include: 

- HK Liberty Art Prize 2024, Lady Liberty Hong Kong, Tokyo, Japan 

- Journey to Self, Vika Visual Arts Association, Washington D.C. 

- Lost & Found: Searching For Home (Community Stories), Wing Luke Museum, Seattle, WA

Keep an eye out for her upcoming exhibitions:

- The 2nd Annual Art Exhibition, Hong Kong Human Right Front, Taipei, Taiwan (April 2025) - Duo Exhibition with Lynda Andrews-Barry, Studio Gallery, Washington D.C. (April 2025) - Sparkplug Artists’ Collective Exhibition, The DC Arts Center, Washington D.C. (November 2025). 

- ADMO Art Walk 2025 from 4/4-4/27, In  partnership with D Light Cafe & Bakery

As she moves forward, Chan remains deeply grateful for the experiences and mentorship that this fellowship has provided. While it is sad to see this chapter close, she carries forward the lessons and connections that have shaped her artistic journey. Chan is excited to engage with different perspectives, continue to enrich her practice, and she looks forward to the dialogue ahead.

 
 
 
 

Written by Emma Sapp
Gallery Associate

 
 

In DisCerning Eye: Studio Gallery's Premier Associate's exhibition, "Lost and Found"

“Outside In

Alice Momm artfully gleans Glen Echo Park, and contributors to group shows at Studio Gallery and Hamiltonian Artworks glean rusted metal and dried clay

MARK JENKINS

MARCH 10, 2025

Joan Mayfield, Splay (Courtesy of Studio Gallery)

ASSEMBLAGES ASPIRE TO THE CHARACTER OF PAINTINGS in the work of four of the six contributors to "Lost and Found," a Studio Gallery group show curated by the Athenaeum's Veronica Szalus. The exhibition's statement invokes Marcel Duchamp, but these artists don't enshrine a single found object. Instead, they jumble and jangle multiple things.

Jennifer Duncan's mostly abstract collages are made of found and painted paper, often with drawn tree or leaf forms amid the dotted, dashed, and capillary-like patterns. Pam Frederick's photo-collages feature curling graffiti tags, cut and partly twisted; the artist also offers two 3D constructions made mostly of painted wood, although one centers on a steel painter's palette.

Doug Fuller clusters primarily metal pieces, often gnarled, sometimes flattened, and occasionally rusted. These found items are mounted on panels that are painted a single color, thus underlying the haphazard assemblages with pop-art tidiness. Such industrial metal artifacts as a spring, a crank, and an antique light switch are framed by worn wood in Joan Mayfield's constructions, whose methodical layouts are offset by the frayed materials. The artist plays with the idea of the picture frame, recessing objects into boxes. In "Splay," she projects three curved tubes -- browned metal pipes that look like tree branches -- from within a wooden rectangle painted a faded green. These battered components combine, improbably, to suggest vitality and even rebirth.

Bright color is the show's other motif, linking the 3D pieces to the work of photographer Bob Burgess and painter Al Lipton. The latter's gestural abstractions are mostly in prime colors, underscored by black, but it's yellow that breaks the picture plane. Thick gobs of that color, arranged in roughly parallel lines, both divide and unify the compositions.

Burgess's photos are the only works that are entirely flat and fully representational. Yet they're keyed more to color and shape than to narrative. A white doorknob protrudes from a red door that's bordered by a yellow wall, an arrangement that resembles an accidental flag. A red inflatable raft rests criss-cross atop a green one, which floats on mottled-blue pool water. Such meticulous compositions might denote the show's most minimalist entries, if only their hues weren't so voluptuous. In Burgess's pictures, color itself appears to splash beyond the surface.”

Review by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye, March 2025. Thank you!

Celebrating Ghanaian Artists!

The Art in Independence; Celebrating Ghanaian Artists

Through the study of art history, we are introduced to the rich diversity of African art—its deep cultural significance, historical impact, and the meaningful roles it plays within African communities. With Ghana’s Independence Day upon us,  as a Ghanaian artist myself, I find that this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and spotlight both emerging and established Ghanaian artists, in Ghana and right here in the DMV area. 

One such artist is SenaBurgundy Appau, an emerging contemporary artist based in Accra, Ghana. His work masterfully blends traditional painting techniques with screen printing, resulting in dynamic and captivating pieces. One aspect that particularly stands out in his work—among many compelling qualities—is his striking use of blue to depict his subjects.

Teal Fields
2023
Acrylic on canvas
43 x 64”
Sena Burgundy Appau


Another featured artist is Adjoa Turkson, a multimedia artist who skillfully combines acrylic paint, oil pastels, and yarn to explore the complexities of the female psyche. Through the use of yarn, she evokes themes of connection, entanglement, and the societal constraints that shape women's experiences. Her work navigates the tension between external expectations and personal struggles, offering a profound reflection on both individuality and the shared realities of womanhood.

Headstrong
2025
Acrylic, Yarn, on Canvas
27 x 59”
Adjoa Turkson

Furthermore, one of Ghana’s most renowned artists, Kobina Nyarko, often called the “Fishman” for his striking depictions of schools of fish, is another compelling creative to acknowledge. His work masterfully captures movement, color, and pattern, using layers of fish to create a sense of depth and fluidity. While fish remain his primary subject, Nyarko’s art goes beyond marine life, exploring themes of identity and our connection to the natural world.

Small works on Paper
Acrylic Paint on paper
Kobina Nyarko

Finally, Ivan Puplampu (myself) is a multimedia artist based in Washington, D.C, whose work explores themes of self-identity, culture, and environmental consciousness. Incorporating recyclable materials into both his canvases and artworks, he merges sustainability with creative expression. His practice is deeply rooted in amplifying marginalized communities, shedding light on the experiences of African immigrants, and celebrating the beauty and distinct features of Black identity and people of color. Through his thought-provoking pieces, Puplampu creates a visual dialogue that not only reflects personal and collective narratives but also challenges societal perceptions.

Madame Rosanne (triptych)
30 x 40” (each)
Oil, recycled material, cotton on canvas
Ivan Puplampu


If you are interested in learning more about these Ghanaian artists, click the links in this blog to gain access to their social media!

Written by Ivan Puplampu
Gallery Associate

Forgotten Women of Art History: Female Artists Who Shaped the Art World

Throughout history, female artists have created breathtaking works, yet many remain overshadowed by their male counterparts. While figures like Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe are widely celebrated, countless other female artists made groundbreaking contributions to major art movements but are often left out of the narrative. This Women’s History Month, we spotlight three influential yet underappreciated artists, Artemisia Gentileschi, Berthe Morisot, and Augusta Savage, whose work challenged artistic and societal norms.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653) – A Baroque Trailblazer


In an era when women were rarely accepted as professional artists, Artemisia Gentileschi defied expectations and made a name for herself in the male-dominated world of Baroque painting. One of her most famous works, “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, portrays a powerful woman taking control of her fate, just as Artemisia did. This painting demonstrates her use of dramatic lighting and intense portrayal of emotions which is what she was known for. Unlike the more passive depictions of Judith created by male artists of the time, Gentileschi’s Judith is strong, determined, and unafraid, mirroring the artist’s own fight against gender bias and personal struggles. Gentileschi broke down barriers for female artists by earning commissions from royal families and the Vatican.



 
 

Artemisa Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes (1620), Oil on canvas

 
 

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) – The Overlooked Impressionist

Berthe Morisot was one of the founding members of the Impressionist movement and a true innovator of the style, and still she is often not mentioned in the historical texts referencing impressionist artists. She captured modern life with delicate brushstrokes and soft, airy colors, focusing on domestic scenes and the everyday experiences of women. Morisot’s work, “The Cradle”, is a striking example of her ability to depict emotion through subtle yet powerful compositions. She added a new narrative by providing insight into the life of a 19th century woman that her male counterparts could not contribute to. Despite being often overlooked, Morisot made an undeniable impact on Impressionism.


 
 
 

Berthe Morisot, The Cradle (1872), Oil on canvas

 

Augusta Savage (1892–1962) – A Sculptor of Strength and Resistance

A leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta Savage used sculpture to challenge racial and gender barriers in early 20th-century America. Her work celebrated Black identity and resilience, with one of her most famous pieces, “The Harp”, drawing inspiration from the hymn Lift Every Voice and Sing. This metal cast sculpture depicts figures forming the shape of a harp, symbolizing both struggle and hope. An important note is that Savage was also an educator and advocate for the inclusion of Black artists in the exhibition space. Augusta Savage helped shape the future for female and Black artists for years to come.


 

Augusta Savage, The Harp (1939), White metal cast with a black patina

 

Honoring Women in Art

While these three women were integral to the history of women in art, they are just a fraction of the female artists who shaped history. Their contributions remind us of the fortitude, mastery, and ingenuity that women have brought to the world of art. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s continue to recognize and uplift the voices of female artists past, present, and future.

 
 

If you are interested in these artists and their work, head to our March Pinterest board linked below that has additional works by these artists and many other female artists!

https://www.pinterest.com/atstudiogallerydc/march-board/

 
 

Sources

  1. Augusta savage. Smithsonian American Art Museum. (n.d.-b). https://americanart.si.edu/artist/augusta-savage-4269 

  2. American, A. S. (1970, January 1). Augusta Savage: Lift every voice and sing (the harp). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/898876 

  3. Och, M. (2014). [Review of Violence & Virtue: Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Slaying Holofernes,” by E. Straussman-Pflanzer]. Woman’s Art Journal, 35(2), 63–64. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24395426

  4. Berthe Morisot: Artist profile. National Museum of Women in the Arts. (2020, May 29). https://nmwa.org/art/artists/berthe-morisot/ 

  5. Google Arts and Culture

Written by Emma Sapp
Gallery Associate

 
 

Celebrating Black Artists From Washington, DC

Throughout history students around the world have been introduced to European artists and art movements. During this Black History Month, we want to dive deeper into the profound influence African American artists have on art and culture in Washington, D.C. Alma Thomas, Lois Mailou Jones, Hilda Wilkinson Brown, and Lilian Thomas Burwell each made their own undeniable contributions to art in the District and throughout the country. 


Our first spotlight is on artist Alma Thomas (1891-1978), Howard University’s first fine arts graduate. Thomas is known for her bright and vibrant abstract paintings depicting naturescapes and starscapes. Her painting Red Abstraction (c.1960) perfectly encapsulates the vibrance Thomas was known for. This oil painting features dynamic shapes, vibrant red hues, and energetic movement that leave the audience feeling alive. She paved the way for artists to come by becoming the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her legacy will hold a place in D.C. history as a significant trailblazer and major contributor to contemporary art and African American women in the arts. 

 
 

Alma Thomas, Red Abstraction (1959), Oil on Canvas

 
 

Our next artist is Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1998), a professor at Howard University. Jones traveled extensively researching and drawing inspiration from her African and Caribbean heritage. She worked in many different mediums, however she mainly focused on painting and textile design that emphasized her inspiration from her African heritage and cultural pride. Initiation, Liberia (c.1983) combined her passions to create a moving and thought provoking acrylic on canvas painting that comments on the rights and roles of women in Liberia. Lois Mailou Jones will hold an important role in art history as she was a pioneer in promoting the use of African textiles and patterns in art in not only Washington but throughout the United States. 

 
 
 

Lois Mailou Jones, Initiation, Liberia (1983), Acrylic on canvas

 

Hilda Wilkinson Brown (1894-1981) was a native Washingtonian who advocated for art education within the DC education system. Her art primarily focused on realistic depictions of life as an African American living in Washington DC. One of her most famous pieces being Third and Rhode Island (c.1930-1940) which is a beautiful oil on canvas painting depicting the historically significant residential DC neighborhood and emphasizing its vibrant community dynamics and cultural intersections. Her legacy will always be remembered through her powerful art and her significant role in fostering local art education.

 

Hilda Wilkinson Brown, Third and Rhode Island (1930-1940), Oil on canvas

 

Last but certainly not least is Lilian Thomas Burwell (b.1927), also from Washington DC, is known for her ability to combine sculpture and painting to create dynamic works influenced by the natural world. Her work Snowbird (c.1983) is an acrylic on canvas painting utilizing various hues on pinks, reds, purples, greys, and browns that create a depth and dynamic unlike most other work. Burwell uses her art to advocate for environmental and spiritual awareness by creating abstract pieces in organic forms inspired by nature and spirituality. 

 

Lilian Thomas Burwell, Snowbird (1983), Acrylic on canvas

 

This Black History Month, as we celebrate the achievements of Alma Thomas, Lois Mailou Jones, Hilda Wilkinson Brown, and Lilian Thomas Burwell, we honor their resilience, innovation, and lasting impact on the art world. These trailblazers not only enriched the cultural tapestry of Washington, D.C., but also elevated African American art to new heights, inspiring future generations to embrace their heritage and creative potential.

 
 

If you are interested in these artists and their work, head to our February Pinterest board linked below that has additional works by these artists and many other Black artists!

Studio Gallery Pinterest

 
 

Sources

  1. “Alma Thomas.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artist/alma-thomas-4778. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. 

  2. “Loïs Mailou Jones: Artist Profile.” National Museum of Women in the Arts, 8 Mar. 2021, nmwa.org/art/artists/lois-mailou-jones/. 

  3. “Hilda Wilkinson Brown.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artist/hilda-wilkinson-brown-29920. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. 

  4. “Lilian Thomas Burwell.” Photo of Lilian, www.burwellstudios.com/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. 

  5. Google Arts & Culture, Google, artsandculture.google.com/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. 

Written by Emma Sapp, Gallery Associate

 
 

In DisCerning Eye: Studio Gallery's All Member Photo Show, "Something Old, Something New.""

“Pieces of the Whole

Ceramic sculptures by Lisa Battle, photographs by 15 Studio Gallery artists and Kay Chernush

MARK JENKINS

NOV 11, 2024

Judy Bonderman, The Quinceanera (Courtesy of Studio Gallery)

BATTLE'S WORK IS ALSO FEATURED in "Something Old, Something New," a photographic group exhibition on Studio's lower level. (Both shows were curated by Martina Sestakova.) The images of water-sculpted rock formations at Zion National Park -- three closeups and one medium shot -- reveal an intimate relationship to her own sinuous ceramics.

The show's titular theme is broad enough to admit almost anything, including work that is barely photographic. Suzanne Goldberg's vibrant abstractions, painted partly atop shards of torn-up pictures, treat the photos as found objects to be obliterated more than integrated. Interestingly, the free brushstrokes yield spiky patterns that somewhat resemble plants, a subject of several other contributors.

The tree and flower pictures are often intimate and evocatively blurred, whether digitally (as by Jo Levine) or simply with narrow depth of field (which appears to be the technique of Steven Marks, the only participant who's not a current member of the gallery). Suliman Abdullah also seems to focus tightly for his study of organic decay, although the picture is actually a photo-collage.

Judy Bonderman softens trees clad in bold red leaves to craft what she calls "haute couture foliage," while Leslie Kiefer's hand-gilds pictures of wintry trees to make them appear both antique and precious. Lynda Andrews-Barry ponders death with photos of fish out of water, which employ saturated color to psychedelic effect.

Some of the photos are more traditionally observational. Bob Burgess, who contributed the only black-and-white pictures, captures rows of stark Arlington Cemetery gravestones, mellowed by snow. Amity Chan's twinned photos of 2019 Hong Kong pair calm with the prospect of tumult. Susan Raines offers a three-photo tour of eccentric Louisiana, which documents a stuffed alligator and a flying-saucer-like structure. There's a comic element as well to Gary Anthes's photo of a underpass tagged with baroque graffiti, where an abandoned office chair seems to gawk at the garish tags.

Graffiti takes a more delicate form in Langley Spurlock's gold-heavy entry, which layers a jewelry-like tag over a background photographed at a different location. Red dominates in Beverly Logan's consumer-product collages, in which red lipsticks levitate before blue skies. Also digitally composited, Iwan Bagus's two self-portraits portray him as a victim of war and displacement, surrounded by a butterflyes and floating keys. Made with the newest photographic technology, Bagus's pictures contemplate age-old struggles.”

Review by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye, November 2024. Thank you!

In DisCerning Eye: Lisa Battle's "Interconnections"

“Pieces of the Whole

Ceramic sculptures by Lisa Battle, photographs by 15 Studio Gallery artists and Kay Chernush

MARK JENKINS

NOV 11, 2024

Lisa Battle, “Cosmic Dance” (Courtesy of Studio Gallery)

WATERY FORMS MADE SOLID, Lisa Battle's multi-piece ceramic sculptures suggest surges and starfish, but also petals, arms, or rotors. The local artist's creations, arranged in linked designs on the walls of Studio Gallery's main floor, illustrate the show's title, "Interconnections." The components fit together snugly, but without touching, which gives a sense of lightness to the heavy shapes.

Some of Battle's handmade, wood-fired creations are single pieces, although those can be as complex as "Oceana," a coiling pillar that combines the shapes of shells and waves. Several pieces center on holes, cosmic portals defined by surrounding structures that can appear bony, vegetal, or softly fleshy. There are even a few functional objects, vases made of planes of clay that overlap improbably into coherent form, sometimes floral. The sculptures's colors are usually earthy tans, browns, and greens, fluidly mingled, although the hues sometimes shift toward oceanic blue-gray.

The artist takes inspiration from the Greco-Roman idea of a world spirit that connects all living creatures, a classical notion updated into the contemporary Gaia theory of synergy among all Earthly creatures. "Gaia Hypothesis," in fact, is the title of one of the most striking single-part sculptures, an intricately incised oval setting for a dark, narrow gateway.

Such ceramic constructions as "Rose Canyon," likely inspired by eroded rock landscapes of the arid West, appear shattered. More often, however, the separate shards of the multi-part assemblages seem to be engaged in complementary motion. In Battle's sculptures, the world spirit is a sort of dance.”

Review by Mark Jenkins, DisCerning Eye, November 2024. Thank you!

In the Washington City Paper: Gary Anthes' Exhibit "Dust and Destiny on the Great Plains"

“Eddie Palmieri and Four Must-See Art Exhibits: City Lights for Oct. 17–23

Latin jazz artist Eddie Palmieri plays with longtime bandmates, silkscreens from Houston’s Carlos Hernandez, Gary Anthes’ Dust Bowl warning about looming environmental decay, a Morton Fine Arts’ *a pop-up, and Mari Calai’s GENESIS.

Closes Oct. 26: Gary Anthes at Studio Gallery

“Abandoned Farm, Kimball, Nebraska, 2023” by Gary Anthes

A photographer’s road trip through the sparsely populated west is, at this point, something of an American cliche. Gary Anthes’ exhibit “Dust and Destiny on the Great Plains” includes some of the expected subject matter—abandoned general stores, dilapidated farm buildings, boarded-up Main Street shops, dusty vintage cars, cracked and peeling grain elevators—and it offers a Dust Bowl warning about looming environmental decay. Still, the series benefits from its surprisingly sprightly mood, offering a striking contrast between the decay on view and the glorious light that illuminates it. Anthes—whose most notable prior exhibit in D.C. involved placing natural and man-made objects against the backdrop of interiors of an abandoned 200-year-old barn on his property—made his current collection of images during a 1,000-mile, back-road jaunt through seven states. Several of Anthes’ images feature facades with compellingly rhythmic wooden shingling, one of which includes an appealing arrangement of broken windows, in an echo of Minor White’s “The Three Thirds.” Another image, of a row of grain elevators alongside a receding rail line in Yuma, Colorado, conjures the Neoclassicism of Charles Sheeler’s painted depiction of Ford’s River Rouge plant. Anthes’ finest image may be one from eastern Colorado. It features a gently undulating field of grasslands under a mesmerizing sky in shades of blue; against this elemental pairing, a long piece of irrigation equipment jumps and snakes backward into the frame, providing a bracing sense of three dimensionality. Gary Anthes’ Dust and Destiny on the Great Plains runs through Oct. 26 at Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. Wednesday through Friday 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. studiogallerydc.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson”

Review by Louis Jacobson, Washington City Paper, October 2024. Thank you!

Art Heals: The Value of Art Therapy

For many, the value of art is dependent on the joy it brings the viewer. What, if any, is the value of art for the creator? There have been many discoveries that reveal the act of creating art is just as beneficial to the artist as it is to the viewer. In fact, using art to express oneself benefits the individual so much, it can be used as a therapy tool. 

Art therapy is a creative therapy technique that has proven the importance of creative expression. Creating art allows people to work through emotions that might be difficult to express otherwise. Art therapy can be used on people of all ages and backgrounds, and is found to play a significant role in understanding children with autism as well as helping to treat them (Smith). Art therapy is a wonderful tool that many people from varying demographics can benefit from. Curious to learn more, I interviewed Minda Glynn, a former art therapist turned education specialist. 

When asked to touch on her personal relationship with art, Glynn reveals her life long love of painting and drawing.  What began as painting on walls in her youth has shifted into taking painting classes at her local college as an adult. Glynn, as most creatives do, wishes she had more time for making art. 

Her progression into art therapy was a natural one, as she was drawn to psychology and studio arts in college, and chose to major in both. Once graduated and looking towards next steps, Glynn felt that art therapy made a lot of sense. She spent time working as an art therapist in a domestic violence shelter, where she used art therapy with mothers and children as young as three and four.  There was no specific medium Glynn used more than another, rather she carried a supply of materials that ranged from controlled to free form, depending on the client's preference. 

Glynn’s experience speaks for itself, which is why I was eager to ask her some specific questions regarding her time as an art therapist. Below, you will find a couple of the interview questions and responses that are definitely worth the read. 

Do you view art therapy as something everyone can benefit from?

“So many people can benefit from being able to express themselves and work through conflict in ways beyond words. The process of making art, in itself, is inherently a therapeutic one, as we gain access to and sublimate difficult feelings. In a therapeutic relationship, it can also be a means to express the “unspeakable.” Often it does lead to talking through problems, as well.”

How drastic of a change in behavior was there usually from start to finish of art therapy?

“As in any therapy, people can really learn and grow. For example, I watched one student find her voice and stand up for herself. I supported another as he revealed abuse. I helped another to develop a “maternal introject” and feel a sense of  social right-and-wrong. In big and small ways, clients experienced self-actualization through the process.” 

Are there certain colors used more often? If so, do these colors have a specific meaning? 

“Colors and images can have specific meanings to different people, but sometimes there is a sense of a shared meaning. Clients often used blue, sometimes covering a whole page. I thought that I and/or the therapy room might have had a calming presence.”

How do you engage with clients who are less comfortable with creating art?

“When clients are less comfortable with art, I would “align with their defenses.” In other words, I would suggest art that lets them feel guarded and in control. For example, some kids would make a word design. Others would literally draw a brick wall, showing visually how closed they felt.”

Has there been one art therapy experience that has particularly stuck out to you?

“There are a few. One child lost his mother to cancer and lived with his brother, in his young twenties, in NYC. The brother was often out and the child did not feel cared for. He was engaging in behavior that might be seen as anti-social. Harming animals, lighting fires, and expressing no sense of remorse when he was mean to others. Through the art, he began to express both his anger and his emotional hunger. For example, out of clay he made a monster with a huge mouth: both hungry /open wide, and dangerous/full of teeth. By accepting and “holding” all of his feelings, the art became a transitional object that he could return to, and this helped him to understand and accept. He started making different choices- He told me that when was going to hurt a pigeon, he remembered what we talked about and made a different choice.”

Hearing the positive impact Glynn was able to make on so many people speaks to not only her impressive ability to connect with others and aid them in their journey of self acceptance, but also to the importance of art therapy as another tool to help process difficult events and emotions. 

 
 

Written by Staff Contributor Avery Canavan

 

Cited Resources:

Smith, Colleen. “Neuroaesthetics: How Art Is Scientifically Proven to Help Brain Health.” Art and Object, 27 Feb. 2023, www.artandobject.com/articles/neuroaesthetics-how-art-scientifically-proven-help-brain-health#:~:text=An%20art%20break.-,%E2%80%9CArt%20can%20create%20new%20neuropathways%20in%20the%20brain%20because%20this,our%20brain%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20added.