Viridian’s 31st International Juried Competition
Congratulations to the winners of Viridian’s 31st International Juried Competition, Juried by Susan Harris.
Here is the list of the winning artists!
1st prize – Lexus Giles 2nd prize – Heidi Brueckner 3rd prize – John Humphries
Honorable Mention: Blair Treuer & Jacqueline Donadeo
Norman Aragones * Steffani Bailey * Emmett Barnacle *
Saba Besier * Carol Blum * Lesley Bodzy * Amy Broderick *
Zoe Brown-Weissmann * Susan Bruce-Feinsod *
Jasper Knight Champion * Jeanne Ciravolo * Pam Cooper * Barbara Dirnbach *
Fatima Franks * Tom Gehrig * Deneece Harrell Ham * Melissa Holmes *
Susannah Israel * Steven Kratka * Aliona Kuznetsova * Nayana LaFond *
Roberta Levitow * Susan Miller Zelenak * Paul Murray *
Hillel O’Leary * Carol Paik * Brett Poza * Laura Rutherford Renner * Brad Silk * Dorian Skelton *
Ko Smith * John VanDewerker *
And here is a list of the Director’s Choice winners who were picked by Viridian’s Director, Vernita Nemec. Images of work by Director’s Choice winners will be on view in a video presentation during the duration Viridian’s 31st International Juried Competition.
Morgan Anderson * Lexi Arrietta * Steffani Bailey * Emmett Barnacle *
Kerrie Bellisario * Saba Besier * Gregory Bryant * Ellen Burgin *
Mary Eileen Carson * Helena Chastel * Jeanne Ciravolo * Marcia Conlon *
Julie Fisher * Carissa Heinrichs * Christy Hengst *
John Humphries * Susannah Israel * Clark Leonard * Patrick Luber *
David Murgio * Paul Murray * Hiroko Ohno * Lauren Packard *
April Dawn Parker * Lisa Pincus * Esther Reid * Miroslava Romanova *
Leonard Rosenfeld * Karen Roth * Laura Rutherford Renner * Marc Schimsky *
Veronika Schmude * Brad Silk * Abbey Stace * Glenn Strachan *
Kharam Suruma * Megan Thorne *
Press Release: “Artists From Japan” New Arts Prospect: Artists from Japan, Series VIII, 2021
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“Artists From Japan”
New Arts Prospect: Artists from Japan, Series VIII, 2021
Curated by Sai Morikawa
August 16- 30, 2021
=Featuring artists=
Gani / Ichigo Nohara / K-Junko
Mai Izumi / Mariko Okabayashi / Mirai
Miwako Kashiwagi / Monzo Watanabe
Morihiro Okamoto / Natsui Masuda / Natsuya Myoui
Popchan / Ranco S. / Rin Tachibana
Shingo Hayamizu / Syo Komiya / Taku Takishima
Yoshihiro Kogure / Yuko Sato / Yuuichi Tanaka
New York is a city where the top artists of the world have long coexisted, creating much diversity of art. The series “New Arts Prospect: Artists from Japan” is currently in its eighth year, having started in 2014, the exhibition is already well established and attracts a lot of attention. Its purpose is to introduce popular Japanese artists who are well known and respected in Japan to new audiences in New York City.
The exhibition, held yearly in the summer, has been highly rated year after year since its inception. Its purpose is to attract art-loving New Yorkers who have a good eye for skillful work. It will especially attract anyone who has an appreciation for the particular unique expressions behind the Japanese cultural background and it's delicate and elaborate techniques. The artworks in the exhibition reveal a deep commitment and a high quality of artistry by their creators.
Sai Morikawa, the curator, says “every year, this exhibition has gained much interest and attention. Visitors don’t come to just look but carefully observe each and every artwork and select what they felt is the best work. The visitors’ deeper engagement with the art truly moved the event organizers. We are pleased that the unique artistic sensibility and technique of the Japanese artists was met with great support and praise from New Yorkers who were mesmerized by their artworks.”
This is the third year that the New Arts Prospect artists and curator are showing at Viridian Artists Gallery in Chelsea. Established in the late 1960’s, Viridian Artists has supported outstanding, “under-known” and emerging artists for more than 50 years. After having a highly successful exhibition last August at Viridian, the artists of New Arts Prospect were again invited to exhibit at the gallery to show their most recent outpourings of creative expression and visitors will not be disappointed.
This exhibition, curated by Sai Morikawa, aims to promote and nurture the cultural exchange between Japan and the US. This exhibition will also be a significant milestone for the participating artists as they build their artistic careers. Regardless of their career stage, these ambitious artists will be showcasing an amazing lineup of art works through which they hope to send a strong message to the world. Despite the current situation, we look forward to your coming to the exhibition in person. All visitors are asked to wear masks and will be limited to only 5 people in the gallery at a time.
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12-5:30pm, closed on Sundays and appointment only on Mondays
For further information please contact the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
or view the gallery website: www.viridianartists.com
Alan Gaynor's work will be exhibited at the SE Center for Photography in Greenville, SC.
Alan Gaynor, will be exhibiting work from his India series in an upcoming exhibition at the SE Center for Photography.
The “Portals” show will be exhibited from Sept 3 through Sept 25, 2021
The SE Center for Photography s located at 116 East Broad Street, Greenville, SC. 2960
Press Release: Viridian's Annual International 30 Under 30 Juried Exhibition Live
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Viridian's Annual International 30 Under 30 Juried Exhibition Live
Juried by Vernita Nemec, Director of Viridian Artists & Independent Curator
July 7–31, 2021
Live & Masked Opening Reception: Thursday, July 15, 6–8pm
* Zea Beckwith * Allison Burch * Mara Clawson * Chasity Colón * Hyunhee Doh *
* Alexandra Farber * Kelsey Gavin (3rd prize) * Elisabeth Henley *
* Devan Horton * Yasmine Iskander * Lauren Karjala *
* Lua Kobayashi (1st prize ) * Lucy Le Bohec * Rena McInerney Olk *
* Tiffany Nesbit * Autumn Nicole * Haley Smith (Honorable Mention) *
Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present a selection of artists from our 5th International Juried Exhibition for Artists Under 30, curated by Vernita Nemec, director of Viridian Artists. The exhibition opens July 7 and continues through July 31, 2021. The exhibit was presented virtually in May, but a selection of winning artists will show their art “live” with a masked reception on Thursday, July 15, 6–8pm. All are welcome to attend, but we request you make reservations by emailing the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com. Cash awards were awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of this important competition that brings the art of emerging and under-recognized artists to the attention of collectors and museum curators.
Viridian’s “30 under 30” competitions have been created especially for artists under thirty years of age and the gallery also has a special program for young artists just beginning their careers. Because of the pandemic and the need for expanding financial benefits to young artists, the gallery has expanded their Young Artists program to include artists under 35 years of age and to include 35 rather than just 30 young artist winners in future young artist exhibitions.
The 35 artists selected by Nemec represent a wide survey of what concerns and inspires artists and as always, there is much to be concerned about. Seventeen of those who were initially selected are included in this live exhibit in the gallery. The virtual version of this exhibit can still be seen on Viridian’s website at viridianartists.com, while the live exhibit will in some cases feature other works by these artists. One artist in this live iteration of the exhibit will be awarded a one-year fellowship enabling her/him to be represented by the gallery.
We look forward to sharing this fascinating exhibition of timely contemporary art by emerging artists we are sure you will see more of in the future.
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12–6pm
For further information, please contact Vernita Nemec, the gallery director, by phone
at 212-414-4040 or by email at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com. Please visit the gallery website
at www.viridianartists.com.
Press Release: “DISSIMILARITIES”
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“DISSIMILARITIES”
June 2-July 3 2021
Virtual reception June 10th, 6pm
* Rosemary Lyons * Arlene Finger * Nancy Nicol * Michael Reck *
* Katia Bulbenko * Charles Hildebrandt * Vernita N’Cognita *
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by seven artists who are part of Viridian Artists' Affiliate program. The show opens June 2nd and continues through June 26th, 2021. Viridian is currently open, but you can also see this fascinating exhibit virtually on the Viridian Artists website at www.viridianartists.com. There will be a virtual reception June 10th at 6pm on zoom. To attend, email viridianartistsinc@gmail.com for an “e-vitation”.
Color is important to the seven artists in this exhibit and a sense of layering inhabits all their works, but they are particularly united in their unique visions and their dissimilar response to today’s reality.
Though both work abstractly and in multiple layers, the similarities in Michael Reck’s & Katia Bulbenko’s art end there. Michael Reck states "I have been using oil pigment sticks for the past few years, making brushes and solvents unnecessary. The paintings are built of many layers over time. After three months away from my studio last year I began mixing the colors on the canvas with my (gloved) hands and fingers. These are the first paintings completed using this technique."
Katia Bulbenko’s art crosses over the boundaries of media, utilizing a wide variety of materials, at moments harkening back to the soft sculpture of the 70’s while at other times layering her work with texture, color and form. The artist says “I layer organic shapes inspired by the forms and textures found in nature, landscape and eroded natural objects such as shells and rocks. Experience in textile design and silk painting, plus my training as a printmaker, have contributed to the way I work utilizing pattern, surface design, shapes, and layers. These assemblages are at the crossroads of sculpture, fiber art and painting. Through color and composition, each piece belongs to a realm of its own. Being made up of fragments, I also like to think of each completed assemblage as an object and a fragment, part of a larger whole, creating connection with the viewer to the universal feeling of all belonging to the same fabric.”
Charles Hildebrandt and Arlene Finger both begin their process in observing reality, but neither could be called realists for they each add their own meaning and techniques of presentation. Charles states, “The majority of this body of work comes from a memory, or an extension of an image from a photograph taken. However, few of them are literal translations of either; they are combination of memories, pictures, and interpretations. Hopefully, in viewing these, one senses a place both real and imagined in nature, and a sense of belonging to it.” Arlene Finger often portrays the view outside her window or simply objects on a table but twists the viewers perspective and often puts the composition askew.
Rosemary K. Lyons collection of 5x7 & 4x6 paintings of different flowers on gold leaf with words like “hag”, “bitch”, “chick”, “siren” in calligraphy is a series that came about “because my work was censored out of a "WOMAN'S ISSUES" exhibition.” The title of the work is “AD NAUSEUM, WORDS USED TO PUT WOMEN DOWN SINCE SHAKESPEARE'S TIME”.
Both Nancy Nicol & Vernita N’Cognita use collage to tell a story, but each does so in different ways and with different intents. Nicol states “I collage with various materials including comics, ads, patterns and found scraps and applying paint, pencil and wax to layout imagined neighborhoods and destinations – often the paper itself has a story to tell.” N’Cognita, deeply concerned with the environment and upcycling, both curates and creates with discards. In this exhibit, she shares collages made from fashion magazines and junk mail “for it justifies my perusing the magazines and hating junk mail. I never can throw either away for I must save both to upcycle into the making of art.”
Viridian has created several programs to give outstanding “underknown” artists an opportunity to have their work seen. Our Affiliate program allows artists to show a small series of artworks annually. We look forward to your seeing this outstanding art and perhaps adding a piece of it (or two) to your collection.
Viridian is currently operating virtually as well as being open to the public
Wednesday – Saturday 12-6pm
For further information please contact Vernita Nemec, Director or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director
Also, visit instagram @viridianartistsinc or our website at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com &
see past exhibits on You Tube @Viridian Artists Gallery.
Press Release: "AF*TER*MATH" : Gallery Artists of Viridian
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"AF*TER*MATH"
/ˈaftərˌmaTH/
Noun/ the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event
Gallery Artists of Viridian
May 12 – May 29, 2021
RENÉE BORKOW . BAMOOZIE . JENNY BELIN . ELLEN BURNETT . HENRY COUPE . MAY DeVINEY .
BERNICE FAEGENBURG . DAVID FITZGERALD . ALAN GAYNOR . WALLY GILBERT . MAKI HAJIKANO .
CHRIS TUCKER HAGGERTY . KAZUO ISHIKAWA . SARAH JARRETT . KAT KING . MARCO LANDO . VERNITA N’COGNITA . BRUCE ROSEN . SUSAN SILLS . VIRGINIA EVANS SMIT .ROBERT SMITH . SHEILA SMITH .
TOTO TAKAMORI . BOB TOMLINSON
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of artists currently represented by Viridian Artists. The show opens May 12 and continues through May 29, 2021. Viridian is now open, and the exhibitions can be seen both at the gallery and on Viridian’s website. There will be a virtual closing reception on Zoom, Saturday May 29th at 6pm. If you would like to “attend”, please email the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com.
After a difficult year of isolation, illness and economic hardship, the inhabitants of planet Earth are finally beginning to reach out, come out and attempt to return to the lives we knew before Covid 19. It is not easy for much has been lost. Some lost loved ones, others, jobs, and all of us have lost a sense of how to live peacefully in the moment. Fortunately, we have art and music to console us, and Viridian is pleased to present old and new art created by the artists and staff currently affiliated with the gallery.
Viridian has created several programs to give outstanding “underknown” artists an opportunity to have their work seen. Our Affiliate program gives artists an opportunity to show a small series of artworks annually. Our Estate program includes former Viridian Artists who have died or are no longer able to create art but have much to show from the past, and our Young Artist program offers exceptional artists under 35 an opportunity to exhibit their art at an outstanding Chelsea gallery. We are pleased to offer the public -- an opportunity to purchase this extraordinary art reasonably for their collections. We hope you will enjoy this exhibit that you can view in person or on our website at www.viridianartists.com. We look forward to seeing you at the virtual reception on Zoom, 6pm on Saturday, May 29.
Gallery hours Wednesday- Saturday 12-6pm
For further information please contact Vernita Nemec, Director or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director
visit us at Facebook & Instagram @viridianartistsinc or email us at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
Press Release: Viridian's Annual International 30 Under 30 Juried Exhibition
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Viridian's Annual International 30 Under 30 Juried Exhibition
Juried by Vernita Nemec, Director of Viridian Artists & Independent Curator
May 5-29, 2021
Virtual Opening Reception: Thursday, May 20, 6-7 pm
1st prize – Lua Kobayashi 2nd prize – Julia Jo 3rd prize – Kelsey Gavin
Honorable Mention: Haley Smith & Dallas Frederick
Zea Beckwith * Emily Bertucci * Allison Burch * Brooke Catania * Jenny Choi * Mara Clawson
Stephanie Cobb * Chasity Colón * Hyunhee Doh * Helen Dolan * Alexandra Farber * Jessica Foley
Elisabeth Henley * Yve Holtzclaw * Kenzie Holzinger * Devan Horton * Yasmine Iskander
Christian Johnson * Joseph Kameen * Lauren Karjala * Lucy Le Bohec
Jonathan McHugh * Rena McInerney Olk * Hanna Meshell * Tiffany Nesbit * Nina Samuels
Alexander Shanks * Autumn Nicole Smith * Joe Taveras * Cassidy Westjohn
Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present our 5th International Juried Exhibition for Artists Under 30, curated by Vernita Nemec, director of Viridian Artists. The exhibition opens May 5th and continues through May 29th, 2021. The exhibit is virtual only, but in celebration, there will be a virtual reception on Thursday, May 20, 6–7 pm. All are welcome to attend, but reservations must be made by emailing the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com. We are especially pleased to present cash awards to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of this important competition that brings the art of emerging and under-recognized artists to the attention of collectors and museum curators.
Viridian’s “30 under 30” competitions have been created especially for artists under thirty years of age and the gallery also has a special program for young artists just beginning their careers. Because of the pandemic and the need for expanding financial benefits to young artists, the gallery has expanded their Young Artists program to artists under 35 years of age and to include 35, rather than just 30 young artist winners in future young artist exhibitions.
The 35 artists selected by Nemec represent a wide survey of what concerns and inspires artists and as always, there is much to be concerned about. Many artists have renewed interest in realism, but many are also exploring digital media as well as media previously thought of only as craft. Curiously, many more female artists applied than male artists. Is it still more difficult for female artists to get their work out, despite the recent upsurge of interest in female art or are female artists more willing to risk rejection as they struggle to get their art seen?
Vernita Nemec is not only Viridian’s director, but also an independent curator and an artist long involved in the New York art world. In addition to jurying this competition, she recently juried “Upcycling Detritus” for the Sculptors Alliance, a virtual exhibit of art created with beautiful trash.
As always, Viridian makes a concerted effort to expand the opportunities for outstanding artists’ work to be seen and exhibited. The competition selection as always was difficult, but especially so for the nature of art in our world today encompasses a wide variety of methods, materials and conceptualizations of what art is.
We look forward to sharing this fascinating exhibition of timely contemporary art by artists we are sure you will see more of in the future.
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12–6PM
For further information, please contact Vernita Nemec the gallery director by phone at 212-414-4040 or by email at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com. Please visit the gallery website at www.viridianartists.com.
"30 UNDER 30_2020" Featured on Wall Street International
30 Under 30
25 Feb — 14 Mar 2020 at the Viridian Artists in New York, United States
Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of artists who are all under 30 years of age. “30 Under 30“ continues from February 25th to March 14th, with a reception to meet the artists, Thursday February 27TH, 6-8PM. There will also be a closing reception on Saturday, March 14th, 4-6PM at which some of the winning artists will talk about their work.
In a world changing culturally and politically more rapidly than ever, the ways artists look at their lives and times through art making is reflected in this exhibit by artists under 30 years of age. Gleaned from a juried “Call for Art”, Viridian wanted to discover what young artists are thinking about and creating art about in these times.
The work was selected from a wide range of submissions by Kelly Kivland, a curator at the DIA Art Foundation. Holding a master’s degree from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Kivland has curated numerous exhibits of art at both DIA’s Beacon location and at their Chelsea location.
The struggle to be an artist full time is a dream few can afford and making art in shared spaces is the rule rather than the exception. Consequently, Viridian not only invites a curator to jury this competition annually, but also we have created an affordable membership program for the young and the gifted. As in the case of our juried exhibit open to artist of all ages & persuasions, Viridian has instituted a digital presentation of 30 artists selected by the gallery director, Vernita Nemec, giving an opportunity to 30 additional artists and giving gallery visitors a chance to see the work of more artists of merit.
Just how difficult is it now is for young artists to achieve their dreams of fame, respect and possibly fortune? What are their concerns? What materials do they work with? Why are some still making art in traditional materials & in traditional ways? How have social media, astronomical rents, and less space changed the way in which artists just beginning their careers express themselves creatively?
Hear the answers to these questions (& more) on the last day of the exhibition, as a select group of these artists talk about the trials & tribulations of being a young artist today. And see the wonderful art they have created, inspired by the madness of today’s world.
The Sculptors Alliance is Pleased to Present: Up-cycling Detritus Curated by Vernita Nemec
Viridian’s Director, Vernita Nemec, has curated an outstanding exhibition with The Sculptor’s Alliance. Please click here to view the show.
Up-cycling Detritus
CURATOR: VERNITA NEMEC
Online Exhibition: April 15, 2021 - May 30, 2021
Online Panel Discussion: Friday May 7, 2021 at 7:00 PM
The Online Panel Discussion will be open to the public.
Information to access the online gathering will be provided via email invitation to those who RSVP at rsvp@sculptorsalliance.org by May 05, 2021. Instructions will be provided via email.
Up-Cycling Detritus" presents works by 44 artists who bridge the boundaries of sculpture in an effort to conceive their works using valuable materials that otherwise would have been discarded. Listed alphabetically by last name, they are:
Penny Babel, Z Behl, Michèle Fandel Bonner, Ellen Burnett, Emanuela Camacci, Irene Christensen, Marieken Cochius, Pam Cooper, Kyle Cottier, May deViney, Katherine Earle, Jodie Fink, Deb Flagel, Bess French, Garth Fry, Chris Hynes, Kazuo Ishikawa, Sun Young Kang, Soyoung L Kim, Henry Klimowitz, Bernice Sokol Kramer, Yvonne Lamar Rogers, Sandra Lapage, Eric David Laxman, Kathy Levine, Madeleine Lord, Rick McCoy, Elizabeth Morrisette, Kenichi Nakajima, Minga Opazo, Carol Oster, Carol Paik, Gale Rothstein, Sophia Ruppert, Dani Schuller, Ruby Silvious, Ian Trask, Rebecca McGee Tuck, Yuko Uchida, Jeanne Verdoux, April Wright, Toby Zallman, Larry Zdeb, and Dolores Zorreguieta.
About the Curator:
Vernita Nemec is an artist and curator, and serves as Director of Viridian Artists (since 2000) and on the Board of Advisors of Soho20 in Chelsea NYC. She is the former Executive Director of Artists Talk On Art in New York City (1989-1999). Nemec is the creator of “Art from Detritus” (AFD), and conceived the first AFD Exhibition in 1993. The concept has received supportive funding from the Puffin Foundation, the Kaufmann Foundation and the National Recycling Coalition, just to name a few. AFD has been presented at the National Recycling Coalition, Sears, Roebuck and Co., the Puffin Foundation, Westinghouse Electric Corporation headquarters, American Institute of Architects, Linda Hall Library of Science, Rockhurst College, Writer’s Place, Henry Street Settlement - Abrons Arts Center, Gallery 450, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Fairleigh Dickinson University, WAH Center and Viridian.
Press Release: “SAKURA FOR TOMORROW: A Conversation Between Japanese and American Artists”
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“SAKURA FOR TOMORROW:
A Conversation Between Japanese and American Artists”
April 7–May 8, 2021
ELLEN BURNETT / MAY DEVINEY / HISAYUKI DOI / DAVID FITZGERALD
WALLY GILBERT / CHRIS TUCKER HAGGERTY / KAZUO ISHIKAWA
KAT KING / K-JUNKO / KOHARU / NATSUI MASUDA / MEGUMI MATSUKAWA
SAI MORIKAWA / VERNITA N’COGNITA / ICHIGO NOHARA
CHIKAKO NUNOME / KENICHIRO OOTSUKA / RYUGA / BERNICE FAEGENBURG
TOSHIAKI SHIBATA / BOB TOMLINSON / MONZO WATANABE
THE ART CAN BE SEEN BOTH AT THE GALLERY & ONLINE
The gallery will be open but you must wear a mask.
You can also see the virtual exhibit on the gallery website
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by Japanese and American artists in an artistic “conversation” exploring their creative and aesthetic similarities and differences. The show extends from April 7 to May 8, 2021 and will be viewable both at the gallery and online. The gallery will be open Wednesday through Saturday 12–6PM during this exhibit and for in-person viewing, masks must be worn.
Sakura has many meanings in the Japanese culture. It is the cherry blossom, considered the national flower of Japan, as well as the name of celebrations in early spring symbolizing rebirth, spring and new beginnings. It also can mean impermanence. Sakura is also celebrated here in the US in many cities and is a time when we all celebrate our shared wishes for a bright future, a rebirth. In 1912, a mayor of Tokyo gave a gift of Japanese cherry trees to the city of Washington, D.C. to enhance the growing friendship between the US and Japan and to also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations. Cherry blossoms, or Sakura, are a central motif in the worship of nature by the Japanese.
Now 2021, during the pandemic, artists from both sides are wishing for a better future in a society overcome with and surrounded by anxiety and chaos. In this exhibit we can see too, how the artists of both countries have influenced and borrowed from one another’s compositions, techniques and materials and through their art, are carrying on artistic and aesthetic conversations.
These are not your traditional Japanese scrolls of landscapes and wise men lost in contemplation. Nor are the American artists always painting on canvas and lost in realism. Many American artists share a gesture in their paintings that echo Japanese brush painting and in some contemporary Japanese artists work, we can see a western sensibility not a part of traditional Japanese artwork of the past.
The pandemic has altered and affected our reality so significantly that it is difficult to know what matters beyond surviving. Still, we must continue to realize the importance of art and culture to reflect our wishes for the future and our memories of the past. The digital world will remain important even after we are no longer forced to isolate, so Viridian is inviting you to view this exhibit of outstanding art by both Japanese and American artists in our digital gallery at www.viridianartists.com as well as at the gallery in person, of course while wearing a mask.
-Vernita Nemec
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12-6pm & by appointment with masks
For further information please contact the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
or view the gallery website: www.viridianartists.com
Press Release: "HERSTORY: Moving Forward"
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"HERSTORY: Moving Forward"
March 3–27, 2021
There will be a Virtual opening on zoom of HERSTORY: Monday, March 8, International Women's Day, 5pm. Please rsvp viridianartistsinc@gmail.com for evite.
Marie-Ange Hoda Ackad * Leslie Adkins * Kelynn Alder
Angelique Ellyn Anderson * Jenny Belin * D.K. Barbieri * Renee Borkow
Dorothy Braudy * Ellen Burnett * Kasmira Cade * Irene Christensen * May DeViney
Arlene Finger * Deb Flagel * Elizabeth Ginsberg * Chris Tucker Haggerty
Maki Hajikano * Halona Hilbertz * Yasmine Iskander * Teresa Jarzynski * Jae Young Kim
Kat King * Angela M. LaMonte * Anna Lyle * Shawn Marshall * Sai Morikawa
Vernita N’Cognita * Nancy Nicol * Petronia Paley * Sarah Riley * Melissa Schainker
Aja Simone * Jeanne Steers * Jenifer R. Stern * Vicky Tesmer
“Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” – Lady Gaga
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by and about women. The show extends from March 3–27, 2021. The gallery is closed temporary due to the pandemic, but you are invited to view the exhibit in our virtual gallery on our website at www.viridianartists.com. There will be a virtual opening of HERSTORY Monday, March 8, International Women's Day, 5pm. Please rsvp at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com for evite.
Since 1987, March has been designated Women’s History Month and because of many activities having to be canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year’s theme remains the same as last year’s: ‘Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced,’ a celebration of the 19th Amendment.
The art in this exhibit, all by women artists, explores a wide variety of questions, doubts, hopes, fears and angers that women have in today’s world. In too many ways, women are still struggling to erase the gender gap. Sadly, female artists still must struggle to gain recognition and value equal to that of male artists, so for this exhibit only, we invited only women artists to participate.
Feminism entered its 4th wave in 2012 or so, epitomized by the MeToo Movement and other activities focusing on the empowerment of women. In 2014, an attractive young actor dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans wore a video camera hidden on her body to record how men reacted as she passed them. The 2-minute video “10 hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman,” was created by Hollaback, an advocacy group dedicated to ending street harassment. That same year, Emma Sulkowitcz, a Columbia University student created an endurance performance for her senior thesis in which she carried a 50 lb mattress after being raped in her dorm room, demanding that the student who raped her be expelled. She carried the mattress to her graduation in 2015.
There are differing theories regarding how women lost the power we had in pre-history. Leonard Shlain, who wrote ‘The Goddess Versus the Alphabet” feels that it was the invention of the written word that helped the female goddess lose her power. Mark Dyble, an anthropologist who led a study at University College London, felt that the development of an agrarian society and the accumulation of property was responsible for gender inequality.
Do we have more courage than decades ago? We were so tough in the 70’s for we felt we could succeed at anything and we were willing to fight the necessary battles, but sadly most of those same battles continue. Young women today think all that is going to change, but a recent study from McKinsey and LeanIn.org estimates that it will take 100 years for women to achieve gender equality in Corporate America. And in the rest of the world, it will take even longer.
Fortunately, women can do it all as they have for eons. Nurturing, providing physical and emotional bulwarks, cooking the dinner, keeping the house in order, foraging for food and keeping a job as well. Perhaps all but fighting the wars – though sadly, we can do that too, now.
The pandemic has altered and affected our reality so significantly that it is hard to know what matters beyond surviving. Still, we must continue to realize the importance of art and culture to reflect our wishes for the future and our memories of the past. The digital world will remain important even after we are no longer forced to isolate, so Viridian is inviting you to view this exhibit of outstanding art by women in our digital gallery at www.viridianartists.com to see how women artists view the situation of women in the world today.
Gallery hours: temporarily by appointment only
For further information please contact Vernita Nemec, Gallery Director at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
or view the gallery website: www.viridianartists.com
Ellen Burnett's work is exhibited in Jersey, City, NJ
A January State of Mind by Ellen Burnett is included in the Storytellers exhibit curated by Kristin DeAngelis at the Hamilton Square Condominiums, 232 Pavonia Ave, Jersey City, NJ.
The show runs through April 30, 2021
Vernita Nemec interview with Joni Hand
Click here to view interview on youtube
Vernita Nemec, also known by the performance name Vernita N'Cognita, is a visual and performance artist, curator, and arts activist based in New York City. Nemec has been active in the art world since the late 1960’s when she co-curated X-12, the first feminist art show of the period, and worked with such political art organizations as Artworkers Coalition (AWC), Women Artists in Revolution (WAR), and Artists Meeting for Cultural Change. In the 90’s, Nemec served as Director of Artists Talk On Art, interviewing many art world luminaries, and as independent curator at the Henry Street Settlement for the Arts. For the past decade, Nemec has been organizing and independently curating exhibitions of art made from recycled materials called “Art from Detritus.” She is currently director of Viridian Artists, a contemporary art gallery in New York City's Chelsea.
Alan Gaynor: Finalist in the latest Artavita contest
Alan Gaynor has been selected as a finalist in the latest Artavita competition.
Congratulations, Alan!
OPEN CALL: The Sculptors Alliance presents Up-cycling Detritus : curated by Vernita Nemec
Up-cycling Detritus
CURATOR: VERNITA NEMEC
In these times, our environment is in danger more than ever and we must do all we can to save it from further destruction. The evidence suggests that early art was created by artist/shamans who protected the hunt and blessed the harvest. The power of art continues to exist in our contemporary time, a world of machines and cybernetics, and this power continues to be available for us to implement it. Creating from the discarded materials as an alternative, however, is crucial — and the most responsible decision, to extend the use of materials and reduce the abuse of materials that require the destruction of the environment. Sculptors Alliance has the honor and privilege to be Vernita Nemec’s ally supporting the 20th Art From Detritus: “Up-cycling Detritus."
About the Curator:
Vernita Nemec is an artist and curator, and serves as Director of Viridian Artists (since 2000) and on the Board of Advisors of Soho20 in Chelsea NYC. She is the former Executive Director of Artists Talk On Art in New York City (1989-1999). Nemec is the creator of “Art from Detritus” (AFD), and conceived the first AFD Exhibition in 1993. The concept has received supportive funding from the Puffin Foundation, the Kaufmann Foundation and the National Recycling Coalition, just to name a few. AFD has been presented at the National Recycling Coalition, Sears, Roebuck and Co., the Puffin Foundation, Westinghouse Electric Corporation headquarters, American Institute of Architects, Linda Hall Library of Science, Rockhurst College, Writer’s Place, Henry Street Settlement - Abrons Arts Center, Gallery 450, John Jay College of Criminal Justice,Fairleigh Dickinson University, WAH Center and Viridian.
Description:
“Up-cycling Detritus" is a juried competition for dynamic, inventive and provocative work that aims to feature fine art from professional artists from throughout the world. An exhibition that focuses on up-cycling (using generally discarded materials and objects) as the method and source for creating artwork with the highest and finest standards.
Location: Online Opportunity
Eligibility: Open to everyone
Suggested nonrefundable Fee*: $20
Timeline:
• Submission deadline: Sunday February 28, 2021
• Announcement of selected artists: Monday March 15, 2021
• Virtual Release: Thursday April 15, 2021
• Virtual Exhibition: April 15, 2021 – May 30, 2021
• Panel Discussion: May 07, 2021 (to be confirmed)
• Online Exhibition Closed & Archived: May 30, 2021
Note: It does not matter when you made the artwork. Submit your best work now!
For more information please click here
Press Release: "Incongruent Realities" : A Virtual Exhibit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please List
"Incongruent Realities"
A Virtual Exhibit
February 4 – February 27, 2021
Marie-Ange Hoda Ackad * Jenny Belin * Joshua Greenberg * Yu Huang
Shawn Marshall * Sarah Riley * Kathleen Shanahan
Stuart Skalka * Sheila Smith
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by nine artists who are part of Viridian Artists' Affiliate program. The show opens February 4 and continues through February 27, 2021. Because Viridian is currently open only virtually, you can see this fascinating virtual exhibit on the Viridian Artists website at www.viridianartists.com.
In these new works, Marie-Ange Hoda Ackad draws on her imagination, adding lushly painted people, flowers, and exotic butterflies transparently to her photomontages, merging real and imagined objects to create a third world that becomes another reality.
Sheila Smith has been a painter and photographer for close to fifty years. She created these collages of torn photographs from the thousands that she has taken over the years, upcycling them, rather than discarding them. The artist has found a new form of expression as well helping to save the environment.
Jenny Belin’s “botanical paintings” are inspired by antique garden catalogs and seed packaging. Belin says, “the cat and butterfly vases represent the nostalgia that I feel for the vintage objects once found on road trips taken prior to the pandemic.”
Soon after Stuart Skalka moved to Las Vegas in 2010, he discovered the Las Vegas that tourists miss, particularly the surviving motels from before The Strip came to characterize the city. Since then, he has been passionately documenting old Las Vegas in color and black & white without any post-processing.
Shawn Marshall seeks to create depth, atmosphere, and to escape on the canvas, often with a focus on the horizon. For her, details about season or specific location are not as important as the emphasis on the point where earth and sky meet. And though reaching that point is never physically possible, it suggests there is always hope.
Amidst the Covid pandemic, Sarah Riley turned to watercolor to joyfully celebrate color, transparency, and experimentation.
In Repetitions, Joshua Greenberg uses photo-based imagery to create abstract art from urban settings. Squares of windows, color, and glass all become objects of repetition while reflected clouds, sky, and sunlight give foreground, background, and a sense of depth. Finally, he adds building profiles to project a sense of movement and balance to the emerging art.
Using a mixed media approach, Kathleen Shanahan created a series of county plat “maps”, with each map providing a “matrix for moves” that becomes a lattice or armature for attaching elements of visual and thematic connections.
Yu Huang regards her paintings as a witness of both her own history and the reflection of our time. In them, she is contemplating the issues of genders, social justice, and the challenges of art.
Viridian has created several programs to give outstanding “underknown” artists an opportunity to have their work seen. Our Affiliate program gives artists an opportunity to show a small series of artworks annually. Sadly, in these times of the Covid Virus, seeing art virtually is the safest way for all and thankfully websites and social media are making it possible for more & more individuals to have alternative opportunities. And the public has an opportunity to see art as well as purchase it for their collections. We hope you will enjoy this virtual exhibit that you can view on our website at www.viridianartists.com.
Viridian is currently operating virtually
For further information please contact Vernita Nemec, Director or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director
visit instagram @viridianartistsinc or email us at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com.
Press Release: “HOPE” : A VIRTUAL INVITATIONAL EXHIBIT
“HOPE”
A VIRTUAL INVITATIONAL EXHIBIT
January 7-30, 2021
Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present an invitational exhibition of art created by 31 artists. The show opens January 6th and continues through January 30th, 2020. There will be no opening reception due to the pandemic, but viewers are invited to view the art in our virtual gallery accessible on Viridian’s website at www.viridianartists.com. The gallery will be open only by appointment which can be made by emailing us at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com or on the website contact form.
2020 was a year we survived mostly alone, isolated, fearful & filled with disbelief. Our greatest comfort and what brings so many to New York City is culture and culture in every form was hit hard by the pandemic. Concerts were heard mostly on zoom, theaters were closed, museums and galleries were closed or severely limited in numbers of visitors allowed at a time. Many will not survive.
Viridian has continued by creating virtual exhibits that can be viewed on the gallery website and “HOPE” continues the struggle of our gallery artists and invited guest artists to create art both in response to and in spite of the frightening world around us. Images and words can be a comfort and serve to interpret for us thoughts we are often unable to realize.
The range of media & imagery in these artworks defines the broad expanse of these artists’ hopes for our future. Most are looking ahead positively but some struggled with the concept, preferring to remain neutral and “hopeful” in a generalized way. Still, the mood is filled with “hope” as are the words by many we admire whose hopeful thoughts can serve as symbols of strength and give us reasons to continue believing in a more positive future world:
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson
“I think whether you’re talking about art or politics or just getting up in the morning and trying to live your life, it’s useful to be able to seek out that joy where you can find it and operate on the basis of hope rather than despair.” Barack Obama
“Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.” Martin Luther King Jr
We “hope” that you will enjoy our images of hope and will consider purchasing one to remind you how important “hope” is in creating a better future and conquering the fears we have as we create this future. A portion of sales will go to organizations struggling to help those in need.
Please visit this virtual exhibit on our website at viridianartists.com and feel free to contact us by email at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com as we remain for the moment only virtually open for the safety of our artists, guests & staff.
Vernita Nemec, Director
Viridian Artists
Stuart Skalka: Honorable Mention
"'55 HUDSON HORNET" by Viridian Affiliate, Stuart Skalka has been selected by juror ANN JASTRAB as an Honorable Mention in the CPFA’s PRIMARY COLORS 2020 call for entry.
Congratulations, Stuart!
Press Release: G. Pack: ‘CLARITY’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please List
G. Pack
‘CLARITY’
December 9 - December 30, 2020
Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by G. Pack. The exhibition of paintings is entitled “CLARITY” and is the artist’s creative response to this moment in his life. The show opens December 9th and continues through December 30th, 2020. This will be Pack’s first solo exhibition at Viridian.
G. Pack is a quiet and sensitive person he says in his artist statement, and that his paintings are often motivated and inspired by a self-examination of negative & uncomfortable emotional experiences. For Pack, his motives for art making come out of a need to express his feelings through his art.
Jealousy, Insecurity, Loneliness, Spite, Pride, and the hunger for Glory have all been common causes for Pack’s motivation and inspiration. The artist finds that a complacency sets in if there is no controversy, making him feel nothing needs to be said. He finds “clarity”, whether emotional, spiritual or mental, to be his primarily force for creating art. This current moment in history has created much inspiration.
G. Pack began drawing when he was just seven years old. Spending time with his cousins who copied comic book drawings, he began to copy too and gained enough skill that his results not only filled him with pride, but also notice by others. His pride and self- confidence grew as he grew. For the past 6 years, he has been “obsessed” with painting and began to turn down commissions in 2019 so that he could focus on creating art that more closely represents his reactions to what is happening around him.
Seeing his paintings up close, you see his devotion to his craft as well as his concerns about his life and close friends. Many of the paintings and drawings are portraits of people close to him but they also serve as a reminder of the politics of Black Lives Matter and other issues of the day. He finds it best to convey his feelings with his paintings rather than with words. His painting process has become a ritual over the years that begins with what some might call a meditation which sets a tone and creates an inner focus. We are pleased to share with you the inspired art that results.
Viridian continues to request that you make an appointment to see the current exhibit, but don’t hesitate to stop by wearing your mask Wednesday through Saturday, 12-6pm. We will be closed Christmas Day & open ‘til 4pm on Christmas Eve.
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12–6pm