Women at the Helm

I contemplate the visual artist, writer, poet, songwriter and performer, Patti Smith with a focus on her writings and photographs for the 2011 exhibition, "Camera Solo," at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut.“Camera Solo” was the first museum exhibition of Patti Smith’s photography in the United States and included “seventy photographs taken by her Polaroid camera, one multimedia installation, and one video work."Image Credit: "Robert's Slippers," 2002 -- Wadsworth AtheneumSTAY CONNECTED with Women at the Helm:> Website: Beyond the Paint with Bernadine> Substack: @bernadinefranco>Email me at bernadine@beyondthepaint to join Women at the Helm monthly newsletter

Women at the Helm features and celebrates the contemporary British artist Tracy Emin. We explore her iconic installation "My Bed" and dive into her "jagged recollections" from her memoir, "Strangeland.".Learn more about Tracy Emin:>Tracy Emin at the Tate Museum>Read her evocative memoir:Strangeland>Image Credit: Ben Gurr.STAY CONNECTED with Women at the Helm:> Website: Beyond the Paint with Bernadine> Substack: @bernadinefranco>Email me at bernadine@beyondthepaint to join Women at the Helm monthly newsletter

In this inaugural episode of my new podcast series, Women at the Helm: Intersection of Women Artists and Writings, I explore Book Dedications. .Writers highlighted in this episode:Janet FitchPoet, Mary Oliver.Image Credit: James Abbott MacNeill Whistler, "The Beach at Selsey Bill," 1865 New Britain Museum of American Art.Stay Connected>Website: Beyond the Paint with Bernadine>Substack: Bernadine Franco Substack>Subscribe to Women at the Helm Newsletter: email me at bernadine@beyondthepaint.net

Introducing a new podcast series: Women at the Helm: Intersection of Women Artists and Writing. Formerly Beyond the Paint with Bernadine podcast, Bernadine takes you on a new expansive journey that celebrates women artists through the written word; books, essays, poetry and more..Stay Connected>Website: https://beyondthepaint.net/>Sign up for Women at the Helm monthly newsletter on my journey in writing a "memoir" about women artist and other literary meanderings. Email: bernadine@beyondthepaint.net

This special episode celebrates and includes a conversation with two contemporary, American female artists, Sally Brown and Amy Chaiklin and their upcoming duo exhibition Sisterhood: Portraiture: Sally Brown and Amy Chaiklin. .The exhibition, a curation of sixty works; thirty mini-depictions of feminist artworks in self portraiture by Brown and thirty ink and graphite portraits selected from Chaiklin’s Cultured Pearls Portraits Project,honors the sisterhood or real women artists that have inspired and influenced their work and practice. .Learn More about the show:Exhibition opens September 8, 2023 at the Monongalia Arts Center, West Virginia https://monartscenter.com/Follow on IG: @sisterhoodportraiture Follow the Artists:Sally Brown: Sally Jane Brown IG: @Sallery_art.Amy Chaiklin: Amy ChaiklinIG: Amychaiklin.Special thanks to Hall Rockefeller and the women of Less than Half Salon

After 5 years and over 100 conversations with women artists, gallery owners and collectors, I am taking an extended hiatus from the show. I will embark on a writing journey to fulfill my deep desire to craft and publish a memoir about my engagement with the visual arts. All the ways "looking at art" has impacted my life. It will also celebrate women artists who liberated me from both imposed and self-imposed constraints. A wild ride indeed!.For updates on my writing journey and other art adventures, stay connected by signing up for my newsletter: bernadine@beyondthepaint.net or fill out the short form on my website: beyondthepaint.net.Thank you for your support and friendship. We will see each other soon...

In this episode, join me and woodcut printmaker, storyteller and artist Julie Goldstein into the worlds of 18th century Icelandic sea women and female, Japanese Ama pearl divers. Goldstein captures the stories of these "anonymous" women, memorializing them through her vivid portrayals. Goldstein's reverence for women lost in history books is awe-inspiring. ."Sea Woman," solo exhibition is at Bridgette Mayer Gallery, opened June 28-August 13, 2022. Learn more at www.bridgettemayergallery.com.Stay Connected with Julie Goldstein:website: www.juliegoldsteinstudio.comIG: @swmwithme.View images highlighted in this episode:www.beyondthepaint.netSign up for my newsletter: www.beyondthepaint.netEmail me: bfranco@beyondthepaint.net

As many of you who listen to this podcast know, I am a visual arts educator, historian, speaker and of course, a podcaster. I never considered myself a maker. Until now! I took up photography to learn and experience first-hand the artistic process. This episode journeys with you my immersion into a photography series titled "The Other Side of the Mirror," employing a toy camera, the Holga..Go to my website to see all the images from the series: www.beyondthepaint.net

Abstract and Conceptual female artist Valerie Ellis draws us into her visual world through her curiosity of the human mind and condition. A psychotherapist for twenty years, Ellis paved an unconventional pathway in making art. .Her visual vocabulary is submerged in a very hands on practice of pulling, spreading, crumpling media like paper and paper pulp. Her works deeply connect the viewer to the internal psychology of the human mind and experiences. .This episode includes an in-depth conversation with the artist. Stay connected with Valerie Ellis: www.veryvalerieellis.com; IG handle @very_valerie_ellisImage Credit: "Brown Skin," from First Impressions series; Valerie Ellis website

I am thrilled to have as my guest the female, multi-disciplinary artist and educator Jamie Smith. "Smith’s monochromatic drawings, wooden wall-hanging sculptures, and installation work incorporate personal and culturally-resonant symbols in an attempt to reckon with the fragility of life, new beginnings, the passage of time and the depths of loss." Her visual expressions are an "engulfment" of her female experiences..This episode focuses on her new passion project; the design of Mother Time tarot card deck, inspired by the imagery of the Rider Waite Tarot. .Stay connected with Jamie Smith, her work, practice and her community of creators:INSTAGRAM- @jamiesmithstudioWEBSITE- www.jamiesmithstudio.comNEWSLETTER- Sign up to receive art studio updates, new artwork and upcoming classes. Sign up here. COMMUNITY- Thrive Together Network is a community of female identifying visual artists and is an online space where members can support one another and learn about the business side of art. https://thrive-together-network.mn.co/ Start a free trial today!ART- Enjoy a free month on Skillshare using this special link: https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/jamiesmithstudio?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=onJamie's classes include How To Create A Business Plan for Artists, How To Make A Vision Board and more!.Resources and images discussed are at www.beyondthepaint.net

Ann Stoddard is a contemporary interdisciplinary artist, a feminist and an environmentalist. Her work, practice coupled with social activism engage with nature, from rivers in and around Maryland to Corn Fields and beyond. This episode includes some historical perspective of female, pioneer ecofeminists and a lively conversation with Stoddard..List of resources and the images discussed can be found at my website: www.beyondthepaint.net. Visit Ann Stoddard website at www.annstoddard.net and at the A.I.R. Gallery at www.airgallery.org..Image credit: A.I.R. Gallery/Ann Stoddard

The powerful 'virtual' exhibition "Awakening and Furor" at the Roaring Artist Gallery celebrates contemporary women artists and shapes the way we see women represented. The multi-media artworks; paintings, sculptures, video art and textiles express and are a response to the perpetual injustices of "women's rights." .On the show, a conversation with the recipient of the Juror's Award, abstract painter Lucy Pike and the gallery owner and curator of Roaring Artist Gallery, Katie Bradford Osborne. We talk womanhood, the feminine experience,, the parallels of nature and motherhood, and insights into designing an visual arts exhibition. ."Awakening and Furor" exhibition runs until November 13, 2022. To tour the show and participate in artist talks, visit roaringartistgallery.com IG handle: @roaringartistgallery.Resources and images discussed in this episode are listed at beyondthepaint.netImage Credit: Lucy Pike website: lucypikeart.com

Taking a short sabbatical from podcasting; will be back in two weeks with new conversations with women artists..Please enjoy one of my favorite episodes (#130); a celebration of the female artist Deborah Wasserman. Since the recording of the show, we have become good friends in the arts. Her evocative, large scale paintings, photographs and collage works merge the female figure in painted landscapes and in her performative works. .Please visit my website: beyondthepaint.net to view works discussed and resources for the show. Search: Deborah Wasserman.Deborah Wasserman website: deborahwasserman.comIG profile: @deborahwassermanartImage credit: Deborah Wasserman (from her "Bindle" series)

In this fascinating episode, we will look at the women of Surrealism: Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. All three artists worked in Mexico throughout the 20th century. We will examine their distinctive personal, visual vocabulary and consider the ways "place" informed and liberated their practice. We will round up the episode highlighting the contemporary Surrealist painter Rita Maikova. .Resources are listed at my website: www.beyondthepaint.net.In episode #163, you can listen in on a conversation I had with Surrealist Rita Maikova exploring her work and practice. Link to full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-163-rita-maikova-surrealist-female-painter/id1354994893?i=1000571461885. Image Credit: Frida Kahlo Foundation

Multi-media and performance artist Nicole Peyrafitte employs a fascinating practice in her multi-works. Through her astute observations and interplay with nature, she immerses her body, her research to compose multi-media installations. .In my conversation with Peyrafitte, we explore a site-specific installation for the exhibition "Women and Other Wild Creatures: Matrilineal Tales," at the Sapar Contemporary Art Gallery. The multi-media installation titled "Antediluvian Sympoiesis," encompasses video, text, photography and Peyrafitte's body in engagement with horseshoe crabs and sanderlings on a beachscape. It draws and calls out the artist's "response-ability" as a healing practice. .Website: nicolepeyrafitte.comIG handle: @peirahittaCover Image Credit: Nicole Peyrafitte

In Islamic art, representations of women and the female figure are controversial. Hend Al Mansour, from Saudi Arabia, currently residing in the United States, examines Islamic social practices. Her multi-media works celebrate and critiques Islamic Arab culture. The artist, through Islamic aesthetic addresses gender equality, sexual independence and role of women. This episode includes a conversation with Hend..Hend Al Mansour website: https://www.hendalmansour.com/Artist Statement: https://www.hendalmansour.com/artist-statement.htmlA.I.R. Gallery: https://www.airgallery.org/.Description credit: Hend Al MansourImage Cover credit: "Facebook 1".Special thanks to Nine90 Group sponsoring this episode. www.nine90.com

Contemporary female artist Kathryn Hart returns to the podcast in an in-depth conversation exploring her multi-media works through the lens of love, grief and transformation threshold. Hart's evocative works are an extension of a very present love story between herself and recently deceased husband Dennis. Join me into the poetic beauty of Hart's sculptures, photographs and monoprints. .Kathryn Hart website: http://www.kathryndhart.com/homeAIR Gallery: https://www.airgallery.org/.From Episode 99: Kathryn Hart: "What Pulses Beneath the Skin"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-99-kathryn-hart-what-pulses-beneath-the-skin/id1354994893?i=1000499668312.For more content on women artists, art talks and tours: www.beyondthepaint.netCover Image: Kathryn Hart: "Gilded," monoprint

Join me in a conversation and exploration of the Surrealist contemporary painter of Ukraine, Rita Maikova. Her fantastical paintings express the interior of her mind and spirit, "all the parts of me," says Maikova. Infused with feminine and maternal energy, Maikova's works and practice are informed by the Surrealist aesthetic, Ukrainian folklore embedded with personal iconography and symbols. .Currently, Maikova is exhibited at the Sapar Contemporary Art Gallery in "Women and Other Wild Creatures: Matrilineal Tales" until August 26, 2022. https://www.saparcontemporary.com/. Learn more about Rita Maikova: IG handle @ritamaikovaart: Twitter: @rmaikova1Podcast Episode Image: "Magic Forest," oil on canvas, 2022

Historically, Ukrainian art history books have "failed to give Ukranian women artists their due." This episode looks to two 20th century women artists who left an idelible impact on the story of art in Ukraine: Early 20th century Modernist: Alexandra Exter and mid-20th century photographer Iryna Pap..This episode is an entryway to an upcoming series of conversations with two contemporary, female artists of Ukraine: Figurative painter Iryna Maksymova, and Surrealist painter Rita Maikova and American artist Nicole Peyrafitte. They are part of the exhibition, "Women and Other Wild Creatures: Matrilineal Tales,” curated by Dr. Nina Levent, at the Sapar Contemporary Art Gallery in New York. Visit: www.saparcontemporary.com to learn more..Resources for this episode are available at my website: www.beyondthepaint.netEpisode Image: Artist Alexandra Exter

In part 1 of my episode on Digital Art (#159), I explored digital art as a medium, and the ways artists employ digital platforms from production to presentation. This included installation, video art, virtual reality and sound and music environments..In part 2, I focus on two contemporary female artists working in Digital art; an emerging artist Ande Ja Johnson who employs the art tool Paint 3D app from Microsoft and the Digital collagist Eugenia Loli. This episode includes a conversation with the artist Ande Ja Johnson. .Resources for this episode are at my website: www.beyondthepaint.net Eugenia Loli: IG handle: @eugnia_loli Ande Ja Johnson: IG handles: @ _dej_j .Special thanks to NIne 90 Branding and Design for their generous support of this episode. www.nine90branding.comImage Credit: "Cotton," Ande Ja Johnson.Ande Ja Johnson is a visual arts teacher at a small private elementary school, Trinity Day, in Hartford, Connecticut. Learn more and consider supporting an undeserved student at www.trinityday.org. Thank you!