UPPER MANHATTAN — Uptown’s art scene puts its mark on Women’s History Month by kicking off the neighborhood’s third annual Women in the Heights exhibition.
Artwork from 27 women who live in Washington Heights and Inwood is on display at Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance’s (NoMAA) gallery through April 30, featuring slick photography, classic portraits, textile art, and contemporary art incorporating balloons or mobiles made of wire hangers.
Dozens packed NoMAA last week to sip wine, discuss art and kick off the show, reported blog Uptown Collective.
Rita McKee, whose artwork goes by the name RoughAcres/RL McKee, said she was humbled to participate in the show and be among classical artists curated by Andrea Arroyo, a Mexican-born, New York City-based artist whose work has been seen worldwide.
"I comfort myself with the knowledge I can recognize a universal truth when I see it expressed in human interaction... and increasingly, I can capture it to my satisfaction," she said of her "opportunistic" or "accidental" photography she shoots when images "speak" to her.
Inwood artist Karin Dando-Haenisch's work, which is featured for the second time this year, drove home the unique experience of being an artist in Upper Manhattan.
"The open spaces and proximity to water, the parks, the lower building heights, the strong community connections — these elements come together for me in a symbiotic way," she wrote in an email. "I find inspiration daily in all that is around me and I feel the freedom to create here."
"As uptown women artists come together in the NOMAA exhibit, we learn who we are, the work that we do, and the connections we have with each other," she said. "That is inspiring as well."
McKee and Dando-Haenisch are joined by artists Deborah Adams, Yael Ben-Zion, Diane Drescher, Risa Hirsch Ehrlich, Leila Elias, Leah Foster, Isabel Gandía, Xóchitl Gil-Higuchi, Claudia Gill, Michelle Orsi Gordon, Kathleen Granados, Maggie Hernández, Sasha Kopelowitz, Amaryllis Leon, Lilia Levin, Trish Mayo, Dindga McCannon, Rosa Naparstek, Nancy Rakoczy, Mary Sauer, Diana Schmertz, Evelyn Simon, Ruthy Valdez, Bonnie Walker, and Gesche Würfel.
The Women In The Heights art show runs through April 30 at 178 Bennett Ave., at 189th Street, 3rd floor. Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
