“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

HANS NELEMAN | ASSEMBLAGES

I attended an exhibition of Han's recent visionary mixed-media assemblages. Hans is one of the enduring multi-talents of our time, a creator of transformational art. "This collection of recent assemblages includes both steel-framed “portraits” and “abstractions.” Neleman’s distinctive works inhabit the space between abstraction and representation.", Anita Rogers. Represented by Anita Rogers Gallery | http://www.anitarogersgallery.com/artists/hans-neleman/feature

Hans Neleman is a Dutch-born international photographer and film director residing in Connecticut and working in New York City. He is also the founder of boutique stock photography agency WIN-Initiative and its promotional magazine, WINk. | http://www.hansneleman.com

“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

2017 | SOTHEBY'S | Attended an exciting exhibition | auction evening at Sotheby's. Music, and great art, at least (5) floors.

Sotheby's is a British multinational corporation headquartered in New York City. One of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewelry, real estate, and collectibles, Sotheby's operation is divided into three segments: auction, finance, and dealer. The company’s services range from corporate art services to private sales | 420 East 72nd Street New York, NY 10021

“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

IVY BROWN GALLERY | Artist: Brian Neish

"Ivy's keen eye, insightful aesthetic makes for exciting exhibition's and provocative creative experiences. Recently, I attended "Nocturnal", a mesmerizing painting - performance by artist, Kate March, where she painted with her body, she became the brush. Location: 675 Hudson Street | Brian Neish | http://ivybrowngallery.org/brianneish.html

“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane Adventures of a Curator

2017 | DEKATUR CLUB - Private Art Salon, Membership only

Artist talk by artist & owner Virginie Somme, very provocative artwork, also on display-Art work by Christian Frederik. Virginie Sommet | Interior/Furniture Design | Sculpture/Installation

http://www.virginiesommet.com

“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane Adventures of a Curator

ANDERSON CONTEMPORARY | GALLERY

2017 | I attended several exhibitions this year, dramatic corporate lobby gallery location, with innovative art work and exciting opening receptions.

About Anderson Contemporary: Founded by Ronni Anderson. Branching out from traditional art districts, Anderson is carving a niche in the trending FiDi neighborhood of Manhattan with the opening of her gallery in the expansive commercial lobby space of 180 Maiden lane.

https://www.andersoncontemporary.com

“CREATIVITY IN MOTION”, Life in the Creative Lane Adventures of a Curator

THE ST. CROIX HISTORY & ART TOUR: On Thursday, December 1, 2016, I embarked on a very exciting and special journey to my beloved St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The catalyst for this special journey was a lecture given by St. Croix native, internationally renowned artist Roy Lawaetz at my BROOKLYN ART SALON on Saturday, March 12, 2016. His Taino inspired artwork and images of St. Croix stimulated great interest in St. Croix. One of the attendees, Jill Manielli requested that I put a tour together. Hence the St. Croix History & Art Tour was born. As a sixth generation Crucian and descendant of famous Crucian, William Leidesdorff, one of the founders of San Francisco, this project was a labor of love.

The St. Croix History & Art Tour was a seven day stay at the Caravelle Hotel, in the historic town of Christiansted. The tour is a new exclusive travel concept, expertly, curated; guided history and visual arts travel experience. It is a new offering in leisure travel marketing bringing guests to spectacular St. Croix. The tour lauds St. Croix with an in-depth journey into history and the visual arts in St. Croix.

Thirteen of us embarked on this journey. The St. Croix History & Art Tour attendees travelled from three different states (NY, DC & VA) with a broad professional composition that blended very well from the start. My aim was to provide in-depth historical content normally regulated to museums with an introduction to the visual arts in St. Croix coupled with the ambiance of our festive Caribbean lifestyle

The journey was magical in every sense. It was wondrous as we travelled on a rainy day with the ambiance of the rain forest as our backdrop in an open-air truck, vines striking the sides of the vehicle through spectacular scenic routes. We visited historic sites, and were hosted at my fellow artist studios, lectured by historians, dined both indoor and outdoor venues, visited beaches and danced to local music. One of the highlights of the journey was our kick-off event-welcome program reception: sponsored by Commissioner Doty and her team, USVI Department of Tourism. The theme was “Celebrate Art & Culture St. Croix | Pop-Up Gallery of (146) slides of art work of (28) St. Croix artists. The festive evening honored and recognized the world-class artists of St. Croix who contributed to the arts & culture of the island and was well attended by all the artists on the island.

The tour was seamless, full of enthusiasm and excitement and made a big impact on the attendees. There was incredible energy among the group as I led them through an exploration and discovery of my beautiful St. Croix. It was extremely rewarding to share and unveil the jewel that is St. Croix. I am now working on our next tour scheduled for Thursday, December 1-7, 2017.

Frederiksted Beach, Sand Castle on the Beach, Beachside Cafe

KICK-OFF Welcome reception, at Caravelle Hotel, sponsored by USVI Department of Tourism. Attended by St. Croix Artists, St. Croix History & Art Tour attendees, USVI Department of Tourism representatives.

International artist, Roy Lawaetz Art Studio, "Modulat Triangular System" Art work

Fort Christiansvaern tour with History & Art Tour group

History & Art Tour, Caravelle Hotel

Caravelle Hotel, History & Art Tour, 7 day stay, Historic town of Christiansted, St. Croix

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

OPEN STUDIOS IN BROOKLYN: A visit on Saturday, October 17th to Open Studios Day 2015 in two wonderful and exciting prominent artist studio areas: INDUSTRY CITY (Sunset Park) http://www.industrycitystudios.org and GOWANUS http://artsgowanus.org

Very different from the sterility of an art gallery, an artist studio is a very exciting place to visit. There you see where the magic happens, you can connect and speak with the artist and find out what is their source of inspiration. It is where imagination becomes reality and is implemented. It reminded me of my days at Pratt Institute, one of the top 10 art schools in the U.S. Pratt is a true art school where you smell the paint, see the creative process and are surrounded by the raw materials and instruments of the craft. Both open studio venues were invigorating. They are both creative hubs. Gowanus, has two large buildings but many smaller studios are spread throughout the locale. Industry City is more concentrated, with a large multi block complex of old factory buildings with as many as 70 artists.

INDUSTRY CITY: Carol Dronsfield, photographer

INDUSTRY CITY: Carol Dronsfield, Cuba Photographs

INDUSTRY STUDIOS: Adrian Tone, recent Pratt Institute graduate

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

BAR SEPIA: Underhill Ave and Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. Very Cool Place!! Recently, I met with friends at Sepia, one of my favorite spots. It is a great place that happens to be in Brooklyn. It is a restaurant and bar owned by talented actress Delissa, She was one of the first businesses in the Prospect Heights area before the gentrification took place and is still going strong. Great ambiance, cool people, nice music and a diverse delicious menu. I have been going since it opened. A great place to do my visioning, take my iPad and work, a warm and welcoming place to meet old friends and new people.

https://www.facebook.com/Bar-Sepia-55256664420/timeline/

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

SOHO EXCURSION: Visioning in Soho-One of my favorite NY areas, to engage in one of my favorite activities, creative business meetings with artists and social gatherings with friends in cool restaurants with ambiance. Two recent excursions included: Osteria Morini, on Lafayette corner of Spring Street, one which is new to me. http://www.osteriamorini.com/index.php?action=index Italian cuisine with an artisan touch. Enjoyed a delicious prosciutto and mortadella meatball dish baked in tomato sauce. On Spring Street and Sullivan is an old 20 year favorite of mine, Mezzogiorno. There you will find authentic italian cuisine, my fav is their lasagna. http://www.mezzogiorno.com/#about

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

SAATCHI ART: Art Salon-Pop Up Gallery 10-10-15

On Broome Street and Bowery: "Surface Tension" was a new exhibition of the best of America's recent art school graduates, curated by Saatchi Art Chief Curator Rebecca Wilson. Some of the work was interesting with great potential. Saatchi Art has the world’s leading online art gallery, they also collaborate with brick-and-mortar galleries and various other organizations to exhibit the work of some of the most promising artists in shows around the globe. http://www.saatchiart.com

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

CHRISTIE’S PHOTOGRAPHY AUCTION: What an exceptional evening it was at a recent fine art photography auction and cocktail reception at the distinguished Christie’s auction house. Being in the presence of extraordinary images, by visionary master photographers who captured transformational moments in time was quite an invigorating experience! Passionate about the medium, as curator, photographer and having taught a photography course myself, I was enthralled!. On view were important works of iconic images from photography legends: Edward Steichen, Helmet Newton, Robert Robert Mapplethorpe, Dorothea Lange, Anselm Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Man Ray, Eugene Atget, Jock Sturges and others too numerous to name.

Jock Sturges' photography was remarkable, I have always been captivated by the pristine light and luminescent figures that inform his work. I had the great pleasure of working with him in 1997. We met during my fourteen-year tenure at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising N.Y (O&M) where I was a senior Art Buyer. As curator of O&M’s exclusive corporate gallery, I invited Jock to exhibit and give a gallery talk to our employees of his critically acclaimed photography. Over the course of his career, Jock Sturges' long-term engagement with his subjects has been a cornerstone of his work.

“Jock is a fine art photographer based in San Francisco, California. Best known for his nudes and extended portraits of families in Northern California counter-culture communities and European naturist beaches, his large format images borrow significantly from classical periods in both photography and nineteenth and early twentieth century paintings. His work can be found in major museums worldwide” Amanda Hitti, Stratos Magazine 1997

Jock Sturges photos: From Stratos Magazine article featuring my curatorial work at Ogilvy & Mather

Christies's Photography Auction | Simen Johan | Until the Kingdom Comes — Christies's Photography Auction | Simen Johan | Until the Kingdom Comes

Jock Sturges | Ogilvy & Mather Exhibition, 1997, NYC | Stratos Magazine — Jock Sturges | Ogilvy & Mather Exhibition, 1997, NYC | Stratos Magazine

Jock Sturges | Gallery Talk, Ogilvy & Mather Employees, 1997 | Photo: Stratos Magazine — Jock Sturges | Gallery Talk, Ogilvy & Mather Employees, 1997 | Photo: Stratos Magazine

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

IMPRESSIONISM AND THE CARIBBEAN: Francisco Oller and His Transatlantic World

BROOKLYN MUSEUM | OCTOBER 2, 2015–JANUARY 3, 2016

A must see, outstanding art from an important period, proud to be a Caribbean! Norma Krieger

Eighty-five paintings and works on paper. The exhibition includes rarely seen watercolors by Winslow Homer, portraits by the Afro-Puerto Rican master Jose Campeche, Benjamin West and Camille Pissarro. Also featured are paintings by Oller’s contemporary’s, including Gustave Courbet, Paul Cezanne, and Claude Monet. The painter Francisco Oller contributed greatly to the development of modern art in both Europe and the Caribbean and revolutionized the school of painting in his native Puerto Rico.

Oller emerged from the small art world of San Juan in the 1840s, spending twenty years in Madrid and Paris, where he was inspired by the art of Gustave Courbet and joined the avant-garde circles of such artists as Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and Claude Monet. While European Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism formed a critical jumping-off point for Oller’s aesthetic, his most important source of inspiration was Puerto Rico, where he painted tropical landscapes, still lifes with indigenous fruits and vegetables, and portraits of distinguished artists and intellectuals.

This is the first U.S. exhibition to present Oller’s work within both its New and Old World contexts.

Brooklyn Museum website | https://www.brooklynmuseum.org

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

GALLERY HOPPING IN CHELSEA: It is always an adventure when you go to view art, there is the anticipation of the unexpected, the element of surprise, never knowing what you will find when you encounter the visions of the creative mind. Lots to explore in Chelsea, one of NY’s most vibrant art scenes with more than 400 art venues to choose from. There are cool ground floor spaces and buildings full of exciting galleries. There is always something innovative to see, here are just a few exciting gallery exhibitions I took in just on the 24/25th St. area between 10th & 11th Streets:

Susan Inglett | www.inglettgallery.com

Jack Shainman Gallery | www.jackshainman.com

Mike Weiss Gallery | http://www.mikeweissgallery.com/exhibitions

Fredericks & Freiser | www.fredericksfreisergallery.com

Lyons Wier Gallery | www.lyonswiergallery.com

Unix Gallery| www.unixgallery.com

Agora Gallery | www.agors-gallery.com

Marlborough Chelsea | http://marlboroughchelsea.com/chelsea/exhibitions

Keegan McHargue | Fredericks & Freiser Gallery

Magdalena Abakanowicz | Marlborough Chelsea

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

ARTNET NEWSLETTER: Is one of my favorite sources for art news. It has its finger on the pulse of what’s going on worldwide. With over 90,000 artworks in more than 1,000 international galleries, the artnet Gallery Network is the largest of its kind. Subscribe you would love it:

ARTICLE #1 | ART WORLD-ART NET NEWSLETTER | Leonardo DiCaprio Nabs Walton Ford Painting for $250,000 at Charity Auction | By Henri Neuendorf, Wednesday, September 30, 2015 (Leonardo DiCaprio and artist Walton Ford are close friends) Photo: earthstrongtt.org

Known art collector and Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly caught off guard after bidding $250,000 on Walton Ford's Pacific Theater (2015) at a charity auction benefiting endangered turtles.

The New York Post, which has the story, reported that the actor's arm shot up as soon as auctioneer Fisher Stevens opened bidding on the painting at New York's Bowery Hotel on Monday.

DiCaprio who already owns three works by the artist was, according to the report, expecting more competition for the piece, which was said to be valued at $500,000. Ford's record at auction is held by Bitter Gulfs, a large watercolor that sold for $1.4 million at Christie's in 2014.

But in a room full of bidders including wealthy collectors and celebrities such as Ted Danson, Richard Branson, Patti Smith, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, and Robert Kennedy Jr., the actor was the only one to show an interest in the artwork.

ARTICLE #2 | 5 Fabulous Art Destinations to Visit on the Côte d'Azur this Summer
By Hili Perlson, Friday, August 21, 2015 | Photo:The French Mediterranean coast

Every summer, the siren call of the French Riviera lures the world's rich and famous who flock to the Côte d'Azur in their mega yachts. The season unofficially begins with Leonardo DiCaprio's annual fundraiser in St. Tropez (which raised a record $40 million this year) and runs through the end of August. But south-east France is more than just a summertime playground for the billionaires club, it is also speckled with exciting art destinations, many of which only recently opened. Home to a new sculpture garden, numerous museums, and important festivals, it is high time to look at the best art destinations along the French Mediterranean coastline.

Check out the ART NET NEWSLETTER:

http://www.artnetmarketing.com/newsletter/3_2013/32813/March2013_PhotoNewsletter.html

Leonardo DiCaprio and artist Walton Ford

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

XENOBIA BAILEY | Artist Puts the Funk in NYC’s Newest Subway Station:

So proud to applaud the success and accomplishments of artist Xenobia Bailey, fellow Pratt Institute graduate for the award of her first public art commission of the #7 Train station, the MTA’s newest station in 26 years: Xenobia Bailey’s colorful mosaic dome, titled Funktional Vibrations, is a crowning achievement for an artist famous for her crocheted headwear.

Xenobia Bailey’s colorful mosaic dome, titled Funktional Vibrations, is a crowning achievement for an artist famous for her crocheted headwear. Now her first public-art commission, Funktional Vibrations, is on permanent view at the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority’s newest station, 34th Street-Hudson Yards on the 7 line, the system’s first new station in 26 years. The magnificent glass-mosaic rendering of her artwork, among the largest in the system, was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design to enhance the transit experience. The station is huge and gleaming. Right before the turnstiles, there's a gorgeous 2788-square foot mosaic by Harlem artist Xenobia Bailey. BY: Posted: Sept. 20 2015 12:41 AM

LINK: http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/09/artist_xenobia_bailey_s_mosaic_funktional_vibrations_graces_new_york_city.htm

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe

Brooklyn Museum | SEPTEMBER 28, 2012–JANUARY 20, 2013

"Powerful imagery, the empowered female", Norma Krieger | Brooklyn artist Mickalene Thomas is best known for her elaborate, collage-inspired paintings, embellished with rhinestones, enamel, and colorful acrylics. Her depictions of African American women explore a spectrum of black female beauty and sexual identity while constructing images of femininity and power. Origin of the Universe, Thomas’s first solo museum exhibition, highlighted recent bodies of work that examine interior and exterior environments in relation to the female figure. Their settings are often inspired by her 1970s childhood.

Thomas’s production is informed by the classical genres of portraiture, landscape, still life, and the female nude. She combines careful borrowings from historical painting with contemporary popular culture, taking cues from such artists as Romare Bearden, Gustave Courbet, David Hockney, Édouard Manet, and Henri Matisse. In combining traditional genres with African American female subjects, Thomas makes a case for opening up the conventional parameters of art history and culture. Among the pieces on view are contemporary riffs on Courbet’s Origin of the World and Manet’s Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe. Seventy-five of the ninety featured works were added for the Brooklyn presentation. An entrance-gallery mural, a film about Thomas’s mother, and installations of furnished domestic interiors were created specifically for this show.

Brooklyn Museum Web site | https://www.brooklynmuseum.org

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

HEADED TO CLASS: Photo: Jason Dublin, hand painted Lee canvas bag

Learning and growing! - On my way to and excited about learning the essential tools needed to run a political campaign. So far it's stimulating and inspirational, in a class with smart, empowered 21st century women who want to lead. I am a member of the NWPC-NY chapter started by Gloria Steinem, Congresswomen Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug in 1971.

Course description | Candidate Training will be offered to women interested in the political process and seeking public office. Class focuses on leadership development, building a solid base/viable platform and ethics (excerpts from the National Women's Political Caucus NY training manual). Guest lecturers compliment course content, offering real world simulations facing women candidates.

NWPC-NYC Website: http://normakrieger.wix.com/nwpc-new-york

Jason Dublin, hand painted Lee canvas bag

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

BLUE WATER GRILL | 31 Union Square West/16th St- Great Seafood, inspirational environment, good Visioning location to create a masterpiece. Old world charm as a former bank building.

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

KEHINDE WILEY "A New Republic" Brooklyn Museum | February 20-May 24, 2015

NOW SHOWING | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas | September 20, 2015 to January 10, 2016

Magnificent portraiture, powerful exhibition, breathtaking", Norma Krieger

ABOUT | Kehinde Wiley is a New York-based portrait painter, who is known for his highly naturalistic paintings of people with brown skin in heroic poses. He will often use Old Masters paintings for the pose of the figure. The works presented in Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic raise questions about race, gender, and the politics of representation by portraying contemporary African American men and women using the conventions of traditional European portraiture. The exhibition includes an overview of the artist’s prolific fourteen-year career and features sixty paintings and sculptures.

Wiley's signature portraits of everyday men and women riff on specific paintings by Old Masters, replacing the European aristocrats depicted in those paintings with contemporary black subjects, drawing attention to the absence of African Americans from historical and cultural narratives.

The subjects in Wiley's paintings often wear sneakers, hoodies, and baseball caps, gear associated with hip-hop culture, and are set against contrasting ornate decorative backgrounds that evoke earlier eras and a range of cultures.

Through the process of "street casting," Wiley invites individuals, often strangers he encounters on the street, to sit for portraits. In this collaborative process, the model chooses a reproduction of a painting from a book and reenacts the pose of the painting’s figure. By inviting the subjects to select a work of art, Wiley gives them a measure of control over the way they're portrayed.

CREATIVITY IN MOTION

Life in the Creative Lane - Adventures of a Curator

Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by | El Anatsui| Brooklyn Museum 2013

“One of the most powerful large scale art exhibitions I’ve seen in years by the sheer volume, intricate detail and recycled materials required to transform and create the iconic presentation” Norma Krieger

“This was the first solo exhibition in a New York museum by the globally renowned contemporary artist El Anatsui, this show featured over 30 works in metal and wood that transform appropriated objects into site-specific sculptures. Anatsui converts found materials into a new type of media that lies between sculpture and painting, combining aesthetic traditions from his birth country, Ghana; his home in Nsukka, Nigeria; and the global history of abstraction.

Included in the exhibition are twelve recent monumental wall and floor sculptures, widely considered to represent the apex of Anatsui’s career. The metal wall works, created with bottle caps from a distillery in Nsukka, are pieced together to form colorful, textured hangings that take on radically new shapes with each installation. Anatsui is captivated by his materials’ history of use, reflecting his own nomadic background. Gravity and Grace responds to a long history of innovations in abstract art and performance, building upon cross-cultural exchange among Africa, Europe, and the Americas and presenting works in a wholly new, African medium” Brooklyn Museum Website | https://www.brooklynmuseum.org