Art-The Moving Thread
have always been fascinated by the idea of an artist’s salon, a coming together of minds and personalities, such as the famous gatherings orchestrated by Gertrude Stein. I’ve hungered for a space in which accomplished artists could create a conversation that would both enrich and challenge. Could there ever be such a thing in today’s frenetic world? I think so. In my imagination—yes.
Art - The Moving Thread is my attempt to explore how such a salon might actually exist in the 21st century. I invited the first woman onto the Thread and then it was up to each subsequent artist to suggest another nationally recognized artist—I asked that these invitations be personal in nature, so that the artists would be connected by more than artistic admiration. The Thread grows this way, from artist to artist, gradually forming a constellation of influence and inquiry: a virtual salon, perhaps.
In one way, I became Gertrude Stein: I’m the only one who had the privilege to spend time with each of these extraordinary women. (The Thread wasn’t initially intended to be gender-specific, but as it turns out these particular artists kept recommending other women; a perhaps unsurprising turn of events, given the integral role of women in fostering salons throughout history.) They all gave of their time so graciously, and now I’m hoping for a little more: my final goal for this project is to get all these fascinating people into one room for an evening where they can celebrate and relish each other’s presence. It will then be a true salon
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Donna Dennis Sculptor
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Bo Bartlett Painter
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Melissa Toogood Dancer
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Marina Zurkow Artist
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Paola Antonelli Senior Curator Department of Architecture and Design Museum of Modern Art
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Rosaire Appel Artist
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![Valeria Solomonoff Tango Choreographer and Performer Portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Valeria Solomonoff Tango Choreographer and Performer Photograph by Nancy LeVine. www.browneyesgallery.com")
Valeria Solomonoff Tango Choreographer and Performer
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![Scott Carsberg Chef Portrait of Nancy LeVine]( "Scott Carsberg Chef Photograph by Nancy LeVine www.browneyesgallery.com")
Scott Carsberg Chef
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![Olivier Weverl Dancer Founder Whim W'Him Dance Company Portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Olivier Weverl Dancer Founder Whim W'Him Dance Company Photograph by Nancy LeVine. www.browneyesgallery.com")
Olivier Weverl Dancer Founder Whim W'Him Dance Company
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![Deborah Eisenberg Short-Story Writer, Actor, Recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Deborah Eisenberg Short-Story Writer, Actor, Recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Photograph by Nancy LeVine. www.browneyesgallery.com")
Deborah Eisenberg Short-Story Writer, Actor, Recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
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![Wendy Klemperer Sculptor. Portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Wendy Klemperer Sculptor. Photograph by Nancy LeVine. www.browneyesgallery.com")
Wendy Klemperer Sculptor
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![Maria Striar Founder and Producing Artistic Director Clubbed Thumb. Portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Maria Striar Founder and Producing Artistic Director Clubbed Thumb. Photograph by Nancy LeVine www.browneyesgallery.com")
Maria Striar Founder and Producing Artistic Director Clubbed Thumb
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![Suzanne Thorpe portrait by Nancy LeVine]( "Suzanne Thorpe sound artist Photograph by Nancy LeVine www.browneyesgallery.com")
Suzanne Thorpe Sound Artist
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![Millicent Young Sculptor]()
Millicent Young Sculptor
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![Elena Glasberg Author]( "Dr. Elena Glasberg teaches writing and cultural criticism at Princeton University. She is currently finishing a book titled Living Ice: Towards a Polar World (Palgrave Press, 2011), which examines the forms of art production and mass mediation that constitute Antarctica as a virtual landscape.")
Elena Glasberg Author
Beacon in Quarantine- Covid 19 Pandemic
During the time I devoted to photographing over 80 households, New York, particularly New York City, was overwhelmed with countless thousands of people being stricken with the Covid 19 virus and so many ultimately succumbing to the virus. Everything was unknown at the time - exactly how the virus spreads, how contagious, when to go to the hospital with symptoms, what were all the different symptoms, protocols for treatment, overwhelmed hospitals, shortages of protective gear and ventilators, and fears. Lots and lots of fears. The lockdown of the state became the new normal. Everyones’ lives took a sharp turn and so much had to be figured out in individual households. My neighbors scrambled to stock up on food, cleaning products, and toilet paper. People were just beginning to understand the importance of masks even though the first federal directive didn’t support their use. At this moment, I decided to embark on a photographic project of a small city in New York, where I had recently moved.
Who were these people of Beacon following the mandate to quarantine unless they were an essential worker? None, to my knowledge, had Covid 19. Their responsibility to Beacon and New York was to stay home. Limit the potential spread of the virus. I decided mine was to venture out in the safest way possible, with social distance and wearing a filtered mask at all times, to take portraits of these people and find out what they were feeling. To understand what Beacon was going through. From a GPS standpoint, as I navigated my way around town, almost everyone was within 5 minutes by car.
Ever wonder what your neighbor was experiencing during their quarantine?
This selection of portraits from the series are accompanied by the words they sent me to describe their quarantine experiences. Please contact me if you are interested in seeing the full project which encompasses over 80 households. The intent for this work is historical. These portraits are intended to reflect the millions of people sheltered at home as Covid-19 was spreading rapidly through New York.
Bianca, Ethan, Ariyana, Antonio See
Bianca: 15 years old 10th grade. I'm bored! I can't go to the stores or spend time with friends.
Antonio: 9 years old 4th grade. I feel stressed out and bored. I don't go to school and I can't play with my friends. I don't leave my house or yard.
Ariyana: 18 years old Food server/management at McDonald's in Fishkill. I get very stressed between school and work. They changed my hours making me open the store instead of the night shifts. I don't mind mornings since I get out at 12, but it's very exhausting. Customers have gotten much more rude lately and they're pretty nasty. Online school isn't really my best suit, but it is what it is. I get to spend more time with my family.
Ethan: 8 years old 2nd grade. I'm bored! I miss my school, my teachers, my friends, and cub scouts.
Sharlene Elmore Stout Music director of Spirit of Unity Church
Disappointed not to see my family or watch my grandchildren play sports, but continued to attend Bible studies and Sunday School over the phone.
Steve Mallon Photographer Sascha Mallon Artist
Steve: I fell even more in love with my wife. I’m thankful for the home we have together and how we were all able to appreciate each other and also give each other space. We are still laughing late at night together!
Sascha: I am used to being home a lot. In the beginning I used the time to make colorful childrens’ masks for underserved communities through Cope NYC, and I work remotely doing Zoom calls for art projects with oncology patients for The Creative Center NYC. Unfortunately, I am not sure if I can keep my job. I am so very thankful for my husband, my daughter, our dog and beautiful house.
Cabot Parsons Visual Theater Artist and Puppeteer Melanie Parsons Executive Assistant for a NYC Advertising Agency
Cabot: I’m lucky to still be teaching, remotely, acting for teens at a dance studio in Middletown. Three hours of Zoom meetings is exhausting and not fulfilling, but the kids are still engaged and that is what matters. All my spring performances of my short puppet piece in Boston and Baltimore are canceled. I rededicated my theater work to puppetry a few years ago while recuperating from several leg surgeries after our house burned. 2020 was going to be my year to become known in my field. My sleep cycle is wildly disrupted, and I am worried about our family members in Texas. I’m furious at our friends in Texas who aren’t taking this seriously, knowing that they or people like them might bring the virus in contact with my 84-year-old diabetic dad. I’m angry a lot. I want to perform again but that won’t be happening soon. All my performer friends, from Broadway folk to puppeteers to fire acts, have had their whole lives wiped out for the foreseeable future. But sure, let’s hurry and make certain people can get her hair done.
Melanie: I feel a sadness that doesn’t seem to go away. Having lived in New York during 9/11 and the blackout, I remember seeing the very best of people and at moments the very worst. During this quarantine, I’ve been so disappointed in people and their responses and actions, mostly in regard to others. Before all of this, I would have said I was very optimistic and did try to see the best of any situation. I hope more than anything that I will be able to feel that way again. I am very lucky to be in this crazy time with my husband and dog; they have kept me sane and laughing as much as possible.
Steve Blamires Author, Historian Jennifer Mackiewicz Arts
Jennifer: I moved to Beacon 19 years ago from Nevada. I was working for the artist Michael Helzer and, after 11 years, it was time to get out of the desert. I became the senior administrator at Dia:Beacon. When I arrived, Main Street was boarded up and Beacon was not a destination. I got involved with the community, served on boards for a community center gallery (now closed) and for BACA (now called Beacon Arts). And met so many wonderful people! But it wasn’t until the towers fell that I felt like a New Yorker. Steve, whose main income is as an historian on expedition cruise ships, lost all his contracts for the coming year. I have been underemployed or unemployed since 2008, so at the best of times, it’s been a struggle. Just two days ago, Steve’s unemployment came through, as did a pension from Scotland he didn’t even know he had. So we are OK for now.
Alvin Bell Barbershop Owner Church Deacon
Mostly concerned with missing my church family. Miss the routine of the same customers showing up for a haircut every 2-3 weeks. I give lots of hugs. Can't do that anymore.
Allyn Peterson Massage Therapist Jennifer Meister with Naomi, 4, and Riley, 8
Jennifer: I miss family terribly. I used to see family in New York City about every other weekend, but now it’s been about two months. One thing I’ve enjoyed is cooking more, gardening and riding bikes as a family. The thing I like least is not knowing when it will end.
Riley: I like homeschooling because whenever you want, you can take a break and rest.
Allyn: I’m a private person, so I think the isolation affects me less than others, generally. There is a sense of normalcy I certainly miss, but I also hope our remote connectivity keeps evolving. Not long ago, our ancestors “shut down” life during the winter because the cold proved too great a risk. We’re learning a lot about essential services and adapting productivity.
Robert Merino and Betsy Rivera with Robert Merino, 12, and Jennifer Velasquez, 15
Robert: I am Peruvian. I have worked at the Cardinal Health warehouse in Montgomery for 11 years. We supply medical materials for hospitals. Since March I have been working day and night. I disinfect myself before I get home. I know that soon the day will come where I will be home for a longer time so I can also hug my family without fearing I will contaminate them. [Translated from Spanish]
Betsy: I am from Puerto Rico and have lived in Beacon for 25 years. I’m a teacher and work with special children with autism and Down syndrome. They do not understand why we can’t meet for class and why we have to be at home. I miss them so much. At home I help my children with their schoolwork and we prepare meals and desserts together and we make masks for the children to protect themselves. And we draw positive pictures and put them on the windows for our neighbors. We have faith that everything will pass and we will be free. [Translated from Spanish]
Robert: It all started in school like a normal day. It was a Friday. So I was ready for the weekend. Once Monday arrived, school was canceled. I didn’t have a big reaction. I kind of predicted schools were going to close. Overall, quarantine isn’t that bad. As long as you stay home, wash your hands and stay active, you should be fine.
Jennifer: I study and review alone to teach myself the lessons and prepare for tests. I’ve been home since March 14. It is very sad and scary to watch the news to hear that many people are dying and not having hope since there is no medicine or cure. It seems so unreal to see everything closed.
Charlie Whitted Bus Driver
I have never experienced this in my 70 year old life. I don't like wearing a mask. I can't see my family and I can't watch my grandkids play basketball.
Paul Sellers
He misses all his fellow church members. He misses his soul clan/ motorcycle club where he plays cards and watches sports. All gone. Paul is everyone’s big brother and his friends gravitated to Paul to talk with and receive guidance and wisdom.
Kolt Reagle and Goose
I spent a good amount of time feeling scared like everyone else. I would start painting and almost instantly stop before I picked up a brush and question why I was working, who was I painting for if the world was shut down? It was so much easier to feel negative and wallow in the uncertainty. But I would wake up every day and get excited about the stuff we were going to work on that didn’t mean anything. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad or just a silly idea. It was freeing. What day of the week it was didn't matter. It got old though, we were without focus and ignoring the future.
Patrick Mangan Painter Sharon Brant Painter
Patrick: In these difficult times, I am lucky to have my wife and an environment that makes the process of art possible.
Sharon:
This is the perfect time for renewal.
Now we can:
Renew the way we do things.
Accept changes in our daily lives.
Become creative.
Cultivate inner peace by promoting self-control and self-restraint.
Become quiet.
Be patient with others and ourself.
Create a sanctuary of your surroundings.
Have conversations with yourself.
Thank your mind and body for its physical and emotional strength each day.
Cultivate inner peace.
Remember all great artists, writers, composers, musicians, actors, designers,
humanitarians, and scientists who have given themselves time to create in solitude.
Who was I during this time? The news was terrifying and the unknowns and potentials were boundless. I was a single person with two dogs in a new town with family a 48 minute drive away. And as we knew, if you ended up in the hospital, no family would be by your side. I was renting in an elevator building with many people not understanding the importance of wearing a mask. And what about surfaces? We still didn’t know how easily Covid could be contracted by touch. I stayed the calmest when I was out creating these portraits. Beaconites are so interesting. I loved meeting everyone and now have a deeper feeling of community that often takes a long time to develop. I wanted to begin new friendships but alas, I was the masked photographer who probably won’t see most of these people until life resumes without Covid standing in the middle. Yet these folks remain within 5 minutes of my new home that I purchased the day before the lockdown began and finally got to move into in August.