August 1 – August 28, 2024

Play: Karin Bruckner, Pauline Chernichaw, Nancy Clark, Ellen Denuto, Jodi Fink, Fukuko Harris, Vicki Khuzami, Susan Lisbin, Barbara Lubliner, Judy Mauer, Kate Missett, Vernita Nemec, Ira Pearlstein, Bernice Sokol Kramer, Jerry Vezzuso, and Anna Walter

Blue Journey: Ellen Wallenstein

Opening Reception: Thursday, August 1, 6 - 8pm

Carter Burden Gallery presents two new exhibitions: Play featuring the whimsical work of sixteen artists and Blue Journey featuring an inspiring installation of cyanotype quilts and prayer flags by Ellen Wallenstein. The reception will be on Thursday, August 1 from 6pm to 8pm. Masks are encouraged. The exhibition runs from August 1 – August 28, 2024, at 548 West 28th Street in New York City. The gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Exhibition List

Play

The exhibition Play brings together sixteen artists, each working in an array of media that includes photography, mixed media, found object sculpture, ceramics, collage, monotype, silkscreen, and painting. Through these mediums the artists explore the multifaceted theme of playfulness. Each piece in the exhibition embodies a whimsical or light-hearted spirit, inviting viewers to rediscover the joy and spontaneity often associated with play. This collection of artworks not only highlights the imaginative potential of different artistic mediums and styles, but also celebrates the universal human experience of play in its many forms.

Play features the work of Karin Bruckner, Pauline Chernichaw, Nancy Clark, Ellen Denuto, Jodi Fink, Fukuko Harris, Vicki Khuzami, Barbara Lubliner, Judy Mauer, Kate Missett, Vernita Nemec, Ira Pearlstein, Bernice Sokol Kramer, Jerry Vezzuso, and Anna Walter.

Jerry Vezzuso presents works from his series A Long Hot Summer, a collection of silkscreen prints of bathers. Vezzuso states, “It’s a reminiscence of childhood activities growing up in Brooklyn.” Nancy Clark explains her mixed media sculpture, “…it is this very sense of play in its most dramatic sense that has directed my work. My sculptures are metaphors, for my own personal history, for the objects I grew up with, for the memories they gave me.” Painter Pauline Chernichaw presents two paintings from her current body of work, which are based on personal narratives and life experiences. For example, the painting Blue Hawaii depicts her time spent with her husband in paradise. Utilizing discarded materials repurposed to create new monuments to the everyday, Jodie Fink’s. sculptures embody the games we play as children, like Cat’s Cradle, to the ones that extend to the professional such as baseball.

 

Blue Journey: Ellen Wallenstein

"Illness consumes; art transcends. Art heals."

In late 2021, artist and photography professor Ellen Wallenstein received a life-altering diagnosis: stage three endometrial cancer. Despite the daunting prognosis, Wallenstein found solace and strength in her art, continuing to create cyanotypes—ethereal blue shadow-grams on cloth—each sunny day. These daily practices became a profound medium for Wallenstein to channel her emotions, fears, and unwavering determination to thrive.

Blue Journey is a testament to Wallenstein's resilience and creativity during her arduous medical journey. The installation features nine sets of prayer flags, titled "In Treatment," meticulously crafted during the early stages of her diagnosis in 2021 and 2022. Each flag, imbued with Wallenstein's spirit, reflects the raw and unfiltered experiences of undergoing treatment.

Complementing the prayer flags are five quilts, collectively known as "The Healing Process." These quilts, created between 2020 and 2024, narrate the phases of prognosis, treatment, healing, and eventual remission. They are the result of a collaborative effort between Wallenstein and Kathe Williams, a master quilter and Wallenstein's longtime friend from Texas. Together, they transformed Wallenstein's journey into tactile expressions of hope and recovery, blending artistic visions with intimate personal experiences.

Blue Journey invites viewers to witness the transformative power of art in the face of adversity, celebrating the profound connection between creativity and healing.

Ellen Wallenstein, a photographer, book artist, and professor of art, works across multiple mediums, including photography, drawing, and collage. Raised in New York City, she holds a BA in Art History from SUNY Stony Brook and an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute. Her extensive teaching career spanned institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, the School of Visual Arts, and Pratt Institute, from which she retired in 2022. A New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Photography, Wallenstein's work has garnered nominations for the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography and the Santa Fe Prize. Her photographs, books, and ‘zines are held in various public and private collections and have been exhibited internationally. Wallenstein's diverse artistic and professional experiences also include roles as an Artist-in-Residence, Curator, Photo Archivist, Writer, and Tarot Card Reader.

Kathe Williams, a retired clinical social worker, uses sewing as a form of meditation, employing her intuitive sense developed over her career she uncovers the deeper stories behind images. Her work allows viewers to experience their own visceral responses to the evocative fabric images she creates.. Williams received her BA in American Studies from Hamilton College (formerly Kirkland College) and her MSSW from UT Austin. She has participated in several quilt shows, winning a Judge’s Choice Award and multiple Honorable Mentions.

Blue Journey is on view from August 1 – November 6, 2024..

Installation Views