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Pierce Ball Gallery hosted the Second Annual Artsy Girls Show – A Common Thread with an opening on Saturday that drew a steady stream of patrons plus a slew of Artsy Girls. I’m sitting on a bench in this jewel of a gallery space along with Naiad Einsel, illustrator, Meredith Gray, fashion stylist, and Laurie Klein, photographer.
We’re seated below gouache illustrations from Marisabina Russo’s children’s book Always Remember Me and a collage by Leslie Mueller.
The exhibit features original art in a variety of media from a couple of dozen of our members, including yours truly. Liz mounted my decorated eggs and jewelry in a way I wished I had back in the day.
I was touched to see a photograph from our youngest Artsy Girls member, Nicole, who has been an apprentice with Laurie Klein for several years. Below is an image of Nicole visiting the exhibit with her family.
Liz Ball curated the show, hosted it, created all of the press around it and also exhibited her extraordinary photographs. The Artsy Girls owe her a debt of gratitude for putting us on the map in such an elegant manner.
One of the most joyous things I have done in my life/work is founding the Artsy Girls–an organization that celebrates and supports nationally recognized creative women. The criteria for selection include:
- national recognition for creativity (published books, magazine coverage, museum selection, national awards, etc.)
- earning a living in the art form (surface design, illustration, crafts, choreography, calligraphy, etc.) and
- an attitude of collegiality, support, kindness and affection
Monday night we recognized three of our members who were inducted into their own industry’s Halls of Fame. What a thrill to share their successes and honor them. From left to right they are Jinny Avery–the one and only person to be inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame in 2006, Naiad Einsel (whose work is on display right now at the Westport Public Library) who, with her late husband Walter, was selected by the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame (in the company of Norman Rockwell and Maurice Sendak to name a couple of other past honorees) and Mary Ellroy who was selected by the New York Museum Toy Hall of Fame for her contribution to the field through her inventions and creations.
Every woman in the Artsy Girls is outstanding and had the opportunity to share a recent success with all of us. That evening as we went around the room–hostess and designer Beverly Ellsley‘s amazing ballroom/dining room– one after another woman revealed gems of success, optimism and joy.
We have all been fortunate enough to find careers and lives that allow full self-expression. The world economy has an impact, but will not dampen our thriving internal economies. Especially when we get together to celebrate.
