Exhibition: July 11–26, 2018
Opening Reception: July 10, 2018, 6–8 pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 1–6 pm

From its origins in Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Greenwich Village studio in 1914 to its relocation to the Meatpacking District in 2015, the Whitney Museum of American Art has always sought to support living artists at critical moments in their careers. Many of the Museum’s staff members, who make the Museum’s exhibitions, programs, publications, and day-to-day operations possible, are artists themselves. For the third time in its history, the Whitney’s Staff Art Show will be held in a public space, offering staff an opportunity to share their work and deepen connections with one another as well as a wider audience. This year’s exhibition will include the work of over ninety artists, presenting a wide range of mediums and content and reflecting the diversity of thought and artistic practice among the Whitney’s staff.

When: Wednesday Sept 26, 2018 at 7PM
Where: Westbeth Community Room

An evening of selected short stories and memoirs.

Alison Armstrong’s books include The Joyce of Cooking (1986); Gazelle: Nine Monologues (2017); and Pentimenti: Selected Memoirs (2018). Her essays and reviews have appeared in literary journals, and her fiction and poetry in BOMB, Exquisite Corpse, Mid-American Review, and Notre Dame Review. Armstrong teaches at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and exhibits annually with Japanese Artists Association.

More info about Alison, Here

Jack Dowling had a successful career as a visual artist but more recently has devoted himself to writing, publishing stories in the Hamilton Stone Review, among other publications. As Westbeth’s visual arts chair for some fourteen years, he lent his considerable curatorial skills to the shows at Westbeth’s gallery—and he continues help artists exhibit their work to great effect.

More info about Jack, Here

Exhibition Dates:
August 4 – 24, 2018

Opening reception:
August 4 Saturday
3pm – 6pm
Closing reception:
24 August Friday
3pm – 6pm

Artist talk:
18 August Saturday
3pm – 5pm

Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 1-6pm.

Through her work, Brigitta Varadi explores pattern and repetition of gesture that relate to the invisible and everyday rituals of working life and the constructed environment. Her projects combine painting, textile, video and public interventions.

Brigitta’s latest project MARKINGS gathers together and explores the different marks used by farmers to identify their sheep in the North West region. With the use of traditional techniques and a system of marks used by shepherds, her works examine the mechanics of remembering and reminding. Creating a dialogue with farmers and place the project also opens on to a broader reflection concerning the signs and forms of identification humans use to identify animals, plants and territories.

Váradi’s works bear affinities with socially committed art, but they were not created in the name of political activism. Instead, she examines the disappearing traditions and daily activities of small, secluded communities around the world: her grandmother mopping up her kitchen floor several times a day, the “liberty” tea made by inhabitants of New York State and the marking system of the dwindling community of shepherds in Ireland. Research always plays a key factor in her creative process, for instance taking pictures and recording videos, and her finished works often necessitate experimentation with an entirely new technique.

‘The act of inscription—more than the content of the inscribed markings—is paramount. In visual and material fidelity, each artwork represents a person, one whose occupation and knowledge, their ownership and memory, leave a bold mark on the canvas. These graphic representations—and they are both mimetic representations and abstractions—could be equally at home on a damp Irish hillside or in the modern art gallery. In the shared gestures of the farmer and the artist, two lineages come together…..Indeed, embedded into these artworks—literally felted and matted, smeared onto their surfaces—is a history of labor and tradition: men’s and women’s, commercial and domestic, craft and fine art. Like Pollock straddling his drip paintings, Varadi crouches atop the wool as she felts it, counting, rolling a single piece—the fleeces of five sheep—up to 25,000 times. She works each textile as if making pastry, turning it to ensure even shrinkage as its wet fibers hook together. The physical properties of wool fight back, taxing Varadi’s body as she transforms it from raw material into singular artwork.’
excerpts from essay by Andrea Alessi (Link to full essay: Marking memory

BIO:
Brigitta Varadi was born in Hungary and currently she divides her time between Co.Leitrim, Ireland, New York, USA and her native Hungary. Brigitta’s work is found in many public and private collections including a government commission by the Office of Public Works for The Department of Education and Science, Athlone, Ireland and is recently completed a collaborative public art commission for Sligo County Council, Ireland (2017).
Brigitta Varadi latest solo shows were held at the Budapest Gallery, Hungary (2017), Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Ireland (2015), Serbian Church Gallery Hungary (2015), Textile Arts Centre New York. (2014). She has participated in the New York Foundation for the Arts IAP Mentoring Program (2016) and been awarded fellowships by the Wassaic Project, NY (2016) Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Ireland (2015), Textile Arts Centre, Brooklyn (2014), LOCIS, European Cultural Program (2014) and TRADE, Ireland (2011). She has been artist in residence at the Marble House Project, Vermont, NARS Foundation, NY, Chashama, NY, Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ireland and KulttuuriKauppila, Finland.
She is a recipient of numerous awards from the Arts Council of Ireland, Leitrim County Council and Culture Ireland. She was the grand winner of the Art Slant 2016 Prize. Her work has been reviewed in the Irish Times and included in several books. Brigitta was acknowledged for her contribution to the arts of Ireland by the President, Mary Mc Alesse, 2008.

In addition to developing her own practice, Brigitta works on commissions and exhibitions, developing projects with people of all ages and abilities within the community sector, schools, prisons and arts centers. She has co-designed and facilitated the Creative Lab for the United Nation, Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, Germany (2013). She is currently the Residency Director at chaNorth, chashama a nonprofit organization that supports artists by giving them space to create and present their work, while fostering community development through the arts

‘Indeed, embedded into these artworks—literally felted and matted, smeared onto their surfaces—is a history of labor and tradition: men’s and women’s, commercial and domestic, craft and fine art. Like Pollock straddling his drip paintings, Varadi crouches atop the wool as she felts it, counting, rolling a single piece—the fleeces of five sheep—up to 25,000 times. She works each textile as if making pastry, turning it to ensure even shrinkage as its wet fibers hook together. The physical properties of wool fight back, taxing Varadi’s body as she transforms it from raw material into singular artwork.’
excerpts from essay by Andrea Alessi

Link: Brigitta Varadi website

Some images from the show!

Benedict Gallagher, sheep farmer with sheep

Sheep Markings
County Donegal, Ireland

Benedict Gallagher and son, sheep farming County Sligo, Ireland

Noel Ruane sheep marking 80″x80″
Ox Mt sheep wool, silk, merino wool.

Denny Dolan, sheep farmer, County Lettrim

When: Sunday August 12, 2018 2PM -3:30pm
What: Talk and Q&A with Ilana Aminov BSPharm, RPH

With: Catering by Michael Stewart of Tavern on Jane St
Entertainment by Eve Zanni and Isaac Raz

The 8th in a series of wonderfully detailed and health-conscious talks sponsored by Grove Drugs and Westbeth Artists Residents Council.

CBD oil is the short form of the term cannabidiol oil. Cannabidiol is a natural component of industrial cannabis or hemp. CBD oil is cannabis oil that has a significant content of cannabidiol. It is made from the flowers, leaves and stalks of hemp and not from its seeds like hemp oil.

While they are similar in some ways, there are important differences between hemp oil and CBD oil. As a consumer, it’s easy to get confused by phrases such as “cannabis oil” and “marijuana oil,” especially when many companies seem to use these terms interchangeably.

Which one is used for cooking and is a fantastic moisturizer? And which is the one to be used to treat various ailments and disorders without the intoxicating effects of marijuana.

Find out on Sunday August 12.

When: Sunday September 9, 2018 2PM -3:30PM
Where: Westbeth Community Room
Who: Ilana Aminov, BSPharm,RPH and Michael Drew Embrey, host
Why:CBD oil and hemp oilis said to have a wide variety of health benefits for humans and other animals alike.

Entertainment: Eve Zanni and Isaac Raz
Catering: Michael Stewart at Tavern on Jane

Brought to you by Westbeth Artists Residents Council and Grove Drugs

CBD oil is the short form of the term cannabidiol oil. Cannabidiol is a natural component of industrial cannabis or hemp. CBD oil is cannabis oil that has a significant content of cannabidiol. It is made from the flowers, leaves and stalks of hemp and not from its seeds like hemp oil.

Some things which are said to be alleviated by CBD Oil / Hemp Oil:
1. Relief for Chronic Pain
2. Calms Childhood Epilepsy
3. Reduces Anxiety and Depression
4. Fights Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria
5. Reduces Inflammation
6. Reduces Oxidative Stress
7. Help for Schizophrenia
8. Promotes Healthy Weight
9. Improves Heart Health
10. Improves Skin Conditions

When: Tues Sept 11, 2018
1PM – 4PM

where: Westbeth Community Room

In the United States, October through May is considered flu season. Most people will get the flu between late December and early March, which are typically the coldest months of the year. The cold weather combined with the low humidity allow flu virus particles to remain in the air for longer, making it easier for them to spread from person to person.

It takes roughly two weeks for the body to develop antibodies against the vaccine. If you’re exposed to the influenza virus before you get the vaccine, or within the two-week time frame after you get it, you can still catch the flu. For this reason, the CDC recommends that adults get vaccinated against the flu by the end of October.FREE Everyone welcome.

Flu vaccines work by stimulating your body’s immune system to create antibodies — large proteins that neutralize harmful bacteria and viruses. The antibodies developed as a reaction to the flu shot help to fight off any viral infection that you’re exposed to during flu season.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The efficacy of a flu shot varies from year to year, and between individuals. The factors that determine how well the flu shot prevents illness include the age and health of the person receiving the flu shot and the similarity between the strains circulating and the strains vaccinated against. Overall, the CDC has found that receiving a flu shot lowers the risk of catching the flu by about 50 to 60%. Those are odds worth considering if you’re unsure about getting the flu shot.

Sponsored by Westbeth Artists Residents Council and Northwell Lenox Hill.

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2018 Festival Exhibition BODY: Unseen/Reclaimed

Curator: Katya Grokhovsky

Exhibition: October 5th –27th, 2018
Westbeth Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 12–6 pm

Opening Reception: October 4th, 2018, 6–8 pm

Panel: October 18th 2018, 6-8pm
Closing Reception and Performances: October 27th, 6-8pm

Public Festival: October 11-14th, 2018: Along 14th street, Manhattan

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2018 BODY NYC is curated by Katya Grokhovsky, presenting projects by women, female identifying and non-binary artists, taking place along 14th Street, NY on October 11-14, 2018, accompanied by a coinciding group exhibition Art in Odd Places 2018 BODY : Unseen/Reclaimed at Westbeth Gallery on October 4 – 27,  2018.

The theme BODY explores agency, politics and status of the “other” in an urban environment, through various media including performance, installation, sculpture, photography, sound, video and text.

This year, forty five selected local, national and international participants challenge notions and societal constructs of gender, age and beauty, analyze contemporary ideas of self, death, sex, viscera and health, explore issues of otherness, body image, language, memory and belonging through staging of multimedia interdisciplinary projects, movement and participatory works, artifacts and ephemera, considering issues of exclusion, displacement and absence in the current discourse.

Art in Odd Places aims to stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. AiOP reminds us that public spaces function as the epicenter for diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas.

Artists: Elaine Angelopoulos | Jessica Elaine Blinkhorn | Kasie Campbell | Stacey Cann | Deborah Castillo | Donna Cleary and Kathie Halfin| DON’T MOVE: Kat Cope, Kelly Savage, Kate Frazer Rego | Dominique Duroseau | Catherine Feliz | Dakota Gearhart | Maryam Monalisa Gharavi | Nicole Goodwin | Claus Hedman | Martha Hipley | PEI-LING Ho | KINSFOLK : Holly and Jackie Timpener | Daniela Kostova | Luiza Kurzyna | Joanne Leah | LEGACY FATALE | LuLu LoLo | Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow | Nadja Verena Marcin | Giulia Mattera | Daniela Mekler | Esther Neff | Rose Nestler | Laura Nova | NO WAVE PERFORMANCE TASK FORCE : Amy Finkbeiner and Christen Clifford | Jody Oberfelder | Sierra Ortega | Verónica Peña  | Maya Pindyck | QUESTIONS COLLECTIVE | X senn-yuen rance  | Autumn Robinson and Lyra Monteiro (The Museum On Site)| Yali Romagoza | Clarivel Ruiz | Jody Servon | Meg Stein | Jaime Sunwoo | TANGA!: Rachel Chick, Andrew Prieto, Alfredo Travieso | THE DoMystics: Monique Blom and Arantxa Araujo | Denise Treizman and Adam Brazil | Grace Whiteside 

Performance Is Alive is the Proud Media Sponsor for Art In Odd Places 2018: BODY

http://www.artinoddplaces.org/

WHEN: October 12 – October 28, 2018
WHERE: Westbeth venues

ABOUT

In 2017, The Present Theatre Company, Inc. (creators and producers of FringeNYC – The New York International Fringe Festival) announced a one-year hiatus from producing the event, in order to conduct The Blank Canvas Project – a year of re-imagining the festival and strategic planning for the future. In August, as a part of a twentieth anniversary celebration event presented by the FringeNYC Alumni Association, FringeNYC 20/20: A Vision for FringeNYC’s future was announced.

The NEW York International Fringe Festival returns in October of 2018 with both a FringeNYC and FringeBYOV segment, as well as other exciting programming and changes to be announced via this website.

FringeNYC has presented over 3000 performing groups representing every continent, prompting Switzerland’s national daily, The New Zurich Zeitung, to declare FringeNYC as “the premiere meeting ground for alternative artists.”
FringeNYC has also been the launching pad for numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits, and regional theater productions including Urinetown, Matt & Ben, Never Swim Alone, The Jammer, Debbie Does Dallas, Dog Sees God, Brandon Teena, Dixie’s Tupperware Party, 21 Dog Years, The Irish Curse, Jurassic Parq, The Fartiste, Silence! The Musical and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche; movies including WTC View and Armless; and even a TV show (‘da Kink in My Hair).
FringeNYC alumni include Bradley Cooper, Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory), Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, CNN’s Inside Man), Mindy Kaling, Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin), Alex Timbers (Rocky), Leigh Silverman (Violet), W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story) and Chris Lowell (Enlisted), among countless other success stories.

FringeNYC is a production of The Present Theatre Company, Inc., under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. Ms. Holy was selected as a “Person of the Decade” in nytheatre now’s Indie Theater Hall of Fame.
Contact Information

info@FringeNYC.org

Where: Westbeth
When:
Saturday, October 13, 2018
12:00PM to 5:00PM
loop Tours every 30 minutes
Sunday, October 14, 2018
12:00PM to 5:00PM
loopTours every 30 minutes

FREE

Westbeth is the largest artist community in the US, if not the world. It was conceived in the 1960s as a partial solution to the acute need to provide affordable housing and studios for artists and their families. In so doing, it became one of the first examples of adaptive reuse of industrial buildings for artistic and residential use in the United States. Located in New York City in Manhattan’s Far West Village, it is a complex of 13 buildings which were formerly the site of Bell Laboratories (1868-1966), one of the world’s most important research centers. It was here that the first talking movie, the condenser microphone, the first TV broadcast, and the first binary computer were demonstrated.

With innovative funding from the J. M. Kaplan Foundation, and Roger Stevens of the National Endowment for the Arts, Westbeth became an ambitious renovation project designed to create 384 live-work spaces for artists of all disciplines and their families under the direction of developer Dixon Bain. Westbeth opened in 1970. It was added to the National Registrar of Historic Places on Dec 8, 2009. Subsequently, the New York State Historic Preservation Board nominated it to be on the State Registrar of Historic Places. In 2011 the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously designated Westbeth Artists Housing a New York City landmark.
Tour Info

Led by Westbeth residents, the guided tours will include highlights of The Bell Lab era of the building, the conversion to artists housing, and information on the artists of Westbeth. Additionally, visitors can go on a self-guided tour of over 20 artists’ studios in the complex.