Click on the image above for the virtual tour!

The Westbeth Gallery is Temporarily Closed Due to COVID-19 *

Welcome to a Virtual Tour of The Westbeth Gallery in the West Village of New York City! These virtual tours will be of limited release, in response to our temporary closure. This recreation of The Westbeth Gallery represents our continued endurance to promote The Visual Arts, brought to you by The Westbeth Gallery and the Westbeth Artists Residents Council. April, 2020.

Sign of the Times art exhibit was scheduled to open at the Westbeth Gallery on March 19, 2020. The exhibit was postponed due to the crisis. Here is a virtual creation by Westbeth Visual Arts chair, Mourrice Papi, of what you would have seen had you attended the opening.

Sign of the Times brings together a group of eight artists, with disparate skills and visions, who distill and interpret the world we are living in.

With painting, sculpture, installation, photography and hybrids of such mediums, our group present a varied take on documenting our times.

Each artist has presented work with their interpretation of what “Sign Of The Times” means to them.

Illtyd Barrett – Sculpture
For Sign of The Times Barrett will explore the phenomena of the rise of populism and
consumerism which has led to a climate of anti-intellectualism and religious fundamentalism. Using hand-made pigments and substrates, Barrett proposes to exhibit both sculpture and 2D elements reflecting the above concerns.

Christina Duarte – Painter
Now is the time to recognize that society requires women to behave in a particular way that often hides their true selves. My pieces are a diptych dialogue about women showing two sides of their personalities as a narration of rising against prejudice, sexism and the stigma of personal struggle.

Elizabeth Gregory-Gruen – Visual Artist
I search to understand the chaotic jolts of real life experiences that break our humanity. Using random 12-gauge shotgun blasts to lacerate the perceived “perfection” of my work produces a disruptive visceral reaction to the current environment allowing emotions to resonate.

Steve Joester – Photographer
Steve Joester is an award winning photographer and mixed media artist living and working in New York. As a leading Rock and Roll photographer in the 70’s and 80’s, Joester documented the leading bands in London and NewYork.

Stephen Hall – Painter
I feel as an artist living right now, the compulsion to document the precarious place our planet is in, is paramount. While calling out the erosion of our ecosystems and perhaps political actions, I also try to create beauty to remind us of what we are at risk of losing.

Martin Mahoney – Photographer
Always had a keen interest in photography which has intensified recently due to the alarming acceleration in the gentrification of his beloved East Village , attempting to capture what’s left of the old neighborhood and its denizens, which are being replaced by glass boxes, banks and bubble tea joints.

Rob Plater – Painter
As an American, I’ve struggled to both understand and cope with the various stigmas and stereotypes used as tools for social engineering. My paintings function as a satire and a direct statement about that struggle to blend in as opposed to being perceived as the “OTHER”, through the use of masks. Do the masks properly serve to hide our deeply imbedded insecurities? Or do they further push the narratives about us that we so desperately want to bury away from modern society?

Robert Ross – Sculpture
STOP, DANGER, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL, KEEP TO THE RIGHT, TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED, CAUTION, DEAD END AHEAD>

“As the lockdown drags on, I’ve had several meltdowns. One day my Verizon Fios went out. Not having the Internet scared me. I was shaking when I couldn’t get a signal and saw the red light. I recalled that, in the past, unplugging it for a minute or two, then replugging, usually restored the connection. I did that and said a prayer. It came back!

Another time my smartphone stopped working. I got a signal that it was overheated. I had never ever seen that before and I freaked out. I called my computer-savvy contacts, grateful I still had a land line. I took it out of the case, put it aside for an hour. They said it would probably come back. After it did (more prayers), my 15-year-old grandnephew, an iPhone wiz, told me to turn down the brightness and delete any apps I’m not using.

The other meltdown came from a dental problem. A temporary crown cracked and fell apart. (Yes, I know, I need an implant). I took an ugly selfie and called my dentist. He thought it would hold up until he could see me. Told me to file down the jaggy edges.”

-Kate Walter in The Villager Sun

Read the entire article HERE

Click image!

This month I launched a new theater and literacy project for children who are homeschooling due to COVID restrictions. My goal is to encourage home play making among children ages 5-17. To do this I have created an online library of funny, interesting, age appropriate plays that children can access for free while they are under quarantine. Currently, there are 8 authors represented on the site, with more plays being posted every week. Most importantly, the site is starting to get some traffic from families and the feedback has been wonderful.

I hope you will check out Stay At Home Plays HERE

When kids engage with plays that are a good fit for them, language skills such as interpretation, fluency and vocal expression don’t have to be taught. They just happen. Also, there is the social aspect of reading plays—to get the most out of a play you really have to read it with someone else. Dramatic literature written specifically for child actors has an incredible potential as a teaching tool. So why don’t we, as parents and teachers, read more plays with children?

Kids are stressed. They need to have fun. So do we.

So why not read a play? Make a joke! Add a costume or a prop. Become someone else for a few minutes and see where it takes you and your child.

And if you are a playwright reading this, we are imploring you—send us your plays! Kids need your imagination, your vision and your humor. You can save the world, one living room at a time!

Playwright info HERE

About Jenny Lombard
Jenny Lombard is a NYC public school drama teacher as well as a writer. Her plays have been produced at Ensemble Studio Theater, The Atlantic Theater Company and others. As a TV writer, she has written for MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. She is also the author of the middle grade novel Drita, My Homegirl.

The donations of food boxes were made possible by funding from both IAC, a consortium of companies headed by Barry Diller, and The High Line. Donations were coordinated by Speaker Corey Johnson of the NYC Council, and spearheaded by Erik Bottcher, Chief of Staff for Speaker Johnson’s office. THANK YOU TO ALL!

In addition to Erik, also shown in the photograph are a few members of the Westbeth Emergency Response Committee which was formed in early March consisting of resident volunteers – filmmakers, actors, painters, writers, musicians, photographers, etc. Organized into a system of communication and feedback via floor captains, the committee has coordinated the distribution of free masks ( many handmade by volunteers from the Westbeth Beautification Committee), free safety glasses (a donation from former resident), information bulletins, shopping assistance, and emergency help.

The Committee has worked closely with the Westbeth Board of Directors, the CEO of Westbeth, and the Westbeth Artists Residents Council who themselves have worked tirelessly with Westbeth’s office, maintenance and security staff to ensure a safe, healthy and positive environment for residents and essential personnel.

Click on images to enlarge.

Volunteer Opportunities City Wide

Contact NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson for info. The demand for help is enormous.

Corey Johnson’s Chief of Staff, Eric Bottcher has identified various community and and church organizations in our neighborhood that could use help during the crisis. It could be as simple as making a phone call to chat with apartment-bound senior, or delivering medication.

Contact Eric at: ebottcher@council.nyc.gov