Susan Binet on Gina Shamus, Crafts/Photographer

Both were original tenants.

In the early 1970s, I met Gina Shamus, an artist who also lived at Westbeth. I enrolled in her pottery classes, which she gave in her apartment on the third floor. I wanted to learn more about handbuilding clay pots. She was a great teacher, and she had a gas kiln in the Sculpture Studio located in the basement of the building. All the classwork was completed on-site by firing in the kiln, then glazing our pieces and firing again to finish.

Around that time, the tenants were desperately trying to get tenant leadership organized, and I asked her to put my name forward during a meeting. I could not attend the meeting, but I gave Gina a little bio with my interest and my background. Lo and behold, I was nominated for chair of the maintenance committee in the newly formed Westbeth Meeting.

After Gina stopped giving her pottery classes, she branched out into photography. She used her artistic talent as a photographer to create note cards, which she sold in local gift shops on Hudson Street, including Golden Rabbit. When Anne Brody and Jennifer Cooke founded the Beautification committee, Gina was the publicity contact. Posters for the Flea Market, designed by Helen Dubin, were given to Gina, who navigated the publication of them in the local newspapers.

Gina was a multitalented artist who fervently contributed to the growth and blossoming of the Westbeth Artists Housing complex.

Ed. note: Gina Shamus died in 2019.

Photos: Mirja Hovila-de Grab, 1971-2