ArTech, established in 2016 by the Nonprofit AHRC New York City, provides ongoing opportunities for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities to hone their skills and share their work in varied settings. Last year, ArTech artists across all five boroughs participated in an extended partnership with Access Programs at MoMA that culminated in How Are You? — a group exhibition featuring a diverse range of works by twenty ArTech artists.

The intriguing work featured above was fashioned with marker on paper by the prolific Staten Island-based Rayed Mohamed, a native of Yemen, who immigrated with his family to the US in 1990. Several more images on exhibit in How Are You? follow:

Bronx-based multimedia artist Cory Tyler, “Untitled,” 2021, Marker on paper

Art enthusiast Melissa Louden, “Johnny Depp,” 2021, Marker on canvas

The hugely inventive Jayson Costor, “Back in Time,” 2021, Colored pencil on paper

Puerto Rico-born, Bronx-based Jayson Valles, “Smoking Man,” 2021, Acrylic and marker on canvas

The wonderfully creative multimedia artist Thomas Gambaro, “Clay Figure Series,” 2021, Clay and aluminum foil (Small segment of a delightful array of figures exhibited in a display case)

How Are You? continues at MoMA‘s Cullman Education Center through March 31. Check here for installation views and here to reserve timed tickets.

Photos of images: Lois Stavsky

Cracking Rocks, the image featured above, was fashioned with dye on tooled and carved leather in 2011 by the late self-taught Southern African-American artist Winfred Rembert. Seen earlier this year at Fort Gansevoort in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, it is one of his many paintings documenting the artist’s experiences as a survivor of senseless brutality and overt racism.

Several more images — all by largely self-taught artists — in this second of ART BreakOUT‘s ongoing series, Working, follow:

Also by Winfred Rembert, “The Gammages (Patty’s House),” 2005, Dye on carved and tooled leather

The late Puerto-Rican painter and printmaker Manuel Hernandez Acevedo,”El Patio de Mi Casa,” 1974, Oil on canvas — as seen in group exhibition “Popular Painters & Other Visionaries” at El Museo in East Harlem

Argentine architect and self-taught painter Maria Laura Bratoz, “The New Employee,” 2007, Acrylic on canvas — as seen in group exhibition at GINA – Gallery of International Naïve Art in Tel Aviv

The late Haitian painter Sénèque Obin, “Marché Clugny,” c. 1960’s, Oil on Masonite — as seen in group exhibition “Popular Painters & Other Visionaries” at El Museo in East Harlem

Photos of images: Lois Stavsky

On view through March 2 at Fountain House Gallery is FUTURES, an intriguingly provocative group exhibition that at once delights and disturbs. Curated by Barbara Pollack, it showcases an eclectic scope of artworks in a range of medium by close to twenty Fountain House artists as they envision the future from varied perspectives.

The image featured above, Dear Future…, fashioned with fabric, fiber, shredded wrappers and batik dyed fabric by the wonderfully inventive fiber artist Alyson Vega, forecasts a future plagued by environmental disaster. Several more images from FUTURES follow:

Queens-based self-taught artist Susan Spangenberg,“Octomission,” 2021, Acrylic, marker, colored pencils, buttons and fabric on canvas

The hugely innovative African American artist Zeus Hope, “From Here & From There,” 2020, Mixed media on canvas

The largely self-taught multi-media Manhattan-based artist Roger Jones, “Love is Love,” 2019, Pencil & marker on paper — close-up, as captured by the artist

Manhattan-based calligraffiti master DubbleX, “Future Fears,” 2021, Marker on canvas

The masterly multi-media Queens-based artist Issa Ibrahim, Spirit of 2076, 2012, Acrylic on canvas

Located at 702 Ninth Avenue on the corner of 48th Street, Fountain House Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 12-6pm.

Photos of images: 1-3, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 4 Roger Jones

Note: Fountain House Gallery and Studio provides an environment where artists living with mental illness can express their creative visions, exhibit their work, and challenge the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

While some seek solitude and are actually buoyed by it, others find it sad and unsettling — particularly when unforeseen circumstances have cast it upon them. In the vibrant painting pictured above, Get In Where You Fit In, fashioned with oil and acrylic by the self-taught Bay Area-based artist Humberto Ramirez, the subject is seemingly at peace in solitude with nature. Several more visual renderings of solitude follow:

The late self-taught artist Joseph E. Yoakum, who began at age 71 drawing landscapes of the places he had visited, “Rock of Gibraltar,” Blue fountain pen, black ballpoint pen, pastel and watercolor on paper — as seen at MoMA.

Alabama-based mixed media artist Tameca Cole, “All Locked in a Dark Calm,” 2016, Collage and graphite on paper (created when the artist was incarcerated) — as seen at MoMA PS 1

The late German-born visual artist Rosemarie Koczy, best-known for her searing works about the Holocaust, “KZ: Ottenhausen / Traunstein,” 1996, Ink on paper — as seen at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore

Colombia-born, NYC-based painter and designer Guiomar Giraldo-Baron, “Mask On,” 2021, Print on paper on wood — as seen at Fountain House Gallery

Photos of artworks: Lois Stavsky

Currently on view at the Bronx Museum of the Arts is “Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial” featuring over 65 artists who took part in the 2018 and 2019 cycles of the Bronx Museum’s AIM (Art in the Marketplace) Fellowship program. In this richly diverse visual meditation on our current uncertain times, the artists on exhibit grapple with a range of issues from the personal to the political in varied styles and media.

The image featured above is a close-up from a huge, commanding mural, “Protest and Counter Protest,” crafted with latex, acrylic paint and crayon by the multidisciplinary, socially-conscious artist Jesse Kreuzer. Representing the current divisiveness in American society that has at times turned violent, it spans eight plywood panels.

Several more images from “Bronx Calling…” follow:

Puerto Rican visual and teaching artist Carlos Wilfredo Encarnación, one of several mesmerizing images on exhibit from his ongoing series “Florido (Flowery),” Polyptych of annatto powder, acrylic, gouache, spray paint, tissue paper on wood panels. The artist states, “I construct symmetrical patterns of imaginary connections between my memories, motherland and myself…I mediate with my identities as a spiritual/gay/Puerto Rican/man, seeking for them to coexist.”

Buenos Aires-born, Tel Aviv-bred and New York-based artist Gabriela Vainsencher, “Mom,” Porcelain. Described by the artist as a self-portrait that began as a small drawing, it was inspired by living through the Covid-19 pandemic, during which she cared for her daughter and worked from home “doing all the mom things…”.

Brooklyn-based, Chilean-born visual artist and educator Catalina Schliebener Muñoz, close-up from “Satanic Panic Series,” site specific mixed-media installation in which the artist draws on images, objects, and narratives associated with childhood and explores gender, sexuality, and class

Brooklyn-based artist and arts educator Katherine Toukhy — whose work is largely inspired by her Egyptian ancestry — close-up from “The lies she didn’t think she knew emerged into something true,” Mixed-media installation

Interdisciplinary Puerto Rican artist and scientist Ricardo Cabret — whose work fuses the disciplines of computer science, code and painting –“Tierra destruida (Destroyed Earth),” Gel polymers, marble dust, acrylic paint on canvas

Mexico-native interdisciplinary artist Gabino Abraham Castelán — whose work largely reflects the “histories of subjugation and the worker experience,” — “Our Mothers Have Not Abandoned Us,” Mixed media

Co-curated by Ian Cofre and Eva Mayhabal Davis, the exhibition continues through March 20. Located at 1040 Grand Concourse, the Bronx Museum’ is open 1:00 to 6:00 PM, Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is free, but all visitors must reserve a ticket. You can reserve your ticket HERE. 

Photos of images by Lois Stavsky

Located in the glass-walled lobby of FIT’s Pomerantz Center, the Art and Design Gallery features works fashioned by FIT students, faculty, alumni and select outside artists. On view now through January 23, 2022 is the tantalizing group exhibition, Journal and Pattern, showcasing work in a range of media from distinctive illustrations of a shoe collection on paper to a huge, mesmerizing crochet installation. On a recent visit to the gallery, I had the opportunity to capture several images.

The image featured above, Walking Palm, was crafted with yarn and found wood by the wonderfully talented NJ-based, socially and environmentally-conscious fiber artist Woolpunk. Fashioned in 2018, it was originally installed at Morir Soñando, a multimedia group exhibition curated by Alex Santana at the Knockdown Center in Queens. To its left is a sketch from the “Travel Journals” of the renowned educator and illustrator Bil Donovan projected onto a screen.

Several more images of works on view in Journal and Pattern follow:

Award-winning FIT BFA Candidate, fashion designer Esther Yitao Li — from the Supima Collection

Moss-like sculpture by FIT Fine Arts Student Chloe Apostle, “Untitled,” Mixed media

Artist and educator Melanie Reim, “Shoe Stories: A Quarantine Journey of My Life Through My Shoes”

Herbalist/Artist Donna Troy Cleary, PPE, Painted mannequin head, crocheted yarn, stuffed with reused plastic bags

Located at FIT, 227 West 27th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan, the Art and Design Gallery is open 9 am to 6 pm daily. 

Photos of artworks: Lois Stavsky

With her keen eye, sensitive soul and boundless passion, Korean-American photographer Kelly Han. deftly captures a hugely impressive range of subjects. Currently on view in a solo exhibition at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning and in Fountain House Gallery‘s “Small Works” annual show, Kelly Han‘s elegant, artful photographs delight and provoke. While visiting Kelly’s exhibit at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to her:

When did you first hold a camera in your hand with the intent of capturing an image?

I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember, but I first become serious about photography when I was in college at SUNY—Geneseo. I spent one of my college semesters in Florence, Italy. I loved being in a new and different city. The experience of exploring the city and taking photos there — that elicited positive feedback — made me want to study photography.

You have since produced an amazingly impressive body of work. Is there a central theme that ties your work together?

I’m particularly interested in different cultures, traditions, ceremonies and rituals. I love to travel, learn about them and photograph them.

How has your photography evolved in the last decade?

I’ve perfected my relationship with both the camera and subject. I’m less inhibited and more at ease when capturing my subject. I strive to produce images with interesting content that are technically excellent, as well.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your attempts to capture a moment?

I use natural light, so having the lighting that works to bring out the eyes and capture the colors — as to best enhance them — can be a challenge. And another challenge is trying to capture a particular scene when there are people in the way.

How long do you generally spend on the editing process?

I’m not a big fan of cropping or photoshopping images. So the amount of time I spend on editing a single image varies from no time at all to an entire day if the photo needs close attention.

I’ve seen your wonderful photos at Fountain House Gallery and now here at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning.  What are some other sites that have hosted your photography?

I’ve also exhibited at the Salmagundi Club, Jay Hawkins Gallery, Local Project, Silks Building, Josephine Herrick Project/NAMI, Too Tired Project, and the Mayor’s Office NYC.

How important is the viewer’s response to you?

Of some importance. I would like the viewer to be moved by my photos.

Do any particular memories stand out?

There are many. Rituals, in particular, stand out. I remember feeling that I was about to get burned at the cremation ceremony in Bali, where many of the dead are cremated on the same day. It is a massive celebration marked by blazing flames and organized chaos!

How has your family responded to your passion for photography? When I was younger, they didn’t encourage me. They didn’t see it as a practical career path. But now they are very supportive.

Have you any favorite photographers?

Yes. I especially like the Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. His black and white photos depicting gold mines are among my favorite. And I love the late NYC-based Helen Levitt’s street photography. 

You have a degree in Studio Art from SUNY—Geneseo. Have you studied elsewhere?

Yes. I’ve taken classes at ICP, SVA, Parsons and the Arts Students League.

Where are you headed?

I am in the process of applying to an MFA program in Photography, and I’m interested in advancing my career as a photographer.

What is your dream assignment?

Working as a photojournalist covering cultural events.

Good luck! We are looking forward to seeing more of your wondrous photography.

Featured images:

1. White Samba Costume

2. Men Celebrating Holi

3. Children Celebrating Holi

4. Jericoacoara Horseman

5. London Eye

6. Brooklyn Bridge

Note: Kelly Han‘s solo exhibition, Portraits of Strength and Resilience, continues through January 15, 2022 at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, and other select images remain on exhibit in the group show Small Works at Fountain House Gallery through December 29.

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; all photos courtesy Kelly Han.

Along with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of American art in the world. Among its works on exhibit is a treasure trove of art by self-taught artists. The image featured above, “Carnival,” was fashioned with commercial yarn by the award-winning Native American weaver Linda Nez in 1992.

Several more images of artworks in a wide range of media by self-taught artists — captured on my recent visit to SAAM — follow:

The late Iowa-based husband & wife farmhands Clarence and Grace Woolsey, “Untitled,” Bottlecaps, wood and wire

The late Hungarian-American painter and all-around Renaissance man Alex Bogardy, “The Clinic,” ca. 1965-1970, Oil on canvas board

The late — now legendary — Alabama-based African American artist Thornton Dial Sr., “The Beginning of Life in the Yellow Jungle,” 2003, Found objects and spray paint on canvas on wood

Alabama-born multidisciplinary African-American artist Lonnie Holley, “Yielding to the Ancestors While Controlling the Hands of Time,” ca. 1992, Oil on wood and metal

The late Miami-based African American artist Purvis Young, “The Struggle,” 1973-1974, Acrylic on wood

The late New England-based African American artist Ellis Ruley, “Horses and Riders,” Oil on poster board

Note: SAAM is located at 8th and G streets NW in Washington DC and is open Wed–Sun 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m. The Renwick Gallery is located at Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW and is open Wed–Sun 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Photos of artworks by Lois Stavsky

A leading art fair that introduces art lovers to emerging artists, The Other Art Fair takes place in key cities around the globe. Earlier this month, the Brooklyn EXPO Center was home to this year’s local edition of the fair. Of particular interest to ARTBreakOUT was the booth hosted by the ArTech Collective, a Bronx-based community arts center operated by the nonprofit AHRC New York City. Featured were the works of five distinctly talented artists depicting a range of landscapes. The image featured above was fashioned with markers on paper by self-taught artist William Caballero. Several more artworks that were on on view at The Other Art Fair follow:

Also by William Caballero, “Untitled,” Oil pastel on paper

Cory Tyler, “Garden of Eden,” (#3 in a series) 2021, Felt marker on paper

Djsaniuka Pierre, “The House,” 2013, Acrylic paint on canvas

Nathan Rubenstein, “An Office Building in Midtown Manhattan at Night,” 2018, Marker on paper

Artist Bing Feng with his elegant landscapes

Photos: 1-5 Lois Stavsky; 6 Courtesy ArTech Collective