Elizabeth Foundation for The Arts

Last but not least, we’re excited to welcome Cecil Howell to the new member cohort! ✨

Howell is an artist and landscape architect based in New York. Her work includes drawings, installations, essays, and the built environment. Across these media, she studies how we form and are informed by landscape. She received her MLA from UC Berkeley and BA from Kenyon College.

Howell has been an artist-in-residence at MacDowell, New Hampshire; Oak Spring Garden, Virginia; 100 W Corsicana, Texas; Blue Mountain Center, New York; Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, among others. Her work is published in Orion Magazine, Burnaway Magazine, and Wonderground Journal.

Images:
1. Cecil Howell.
2. “A footnote so tiny it slides off the page”, pastel, flashe, earth.
3. “Afterwards”, pastel, flashe, earth.
4. “In both ways at once”, pastel, flashe.

We are pleased to announce George Scheer as EFA new Executive Director!

Scheer brings over 20 years of creative leadership and arts management experience to the EFA. Co-Founder and Executive Director of Elsewhere, an experimental museum and artist residency in North Carolina, Scheer most recently served as Executive Director of the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans. He succeeds EFA’s Founding Director Jane Stephenson, who departs the organization following 32 years of service.

Scheer joins the team at a critical moment as we strengthen the foundation of our programming and operations, grows board leadership, and expands patron support. “I am thrilled to join an organization like EFA, which makes supporting and sustaining artists within a holistic arts ecology core to its mission,” said Scheer. “EFA exemplifies the essential role of an artist-centered institution in fostering the next generation of artistic and critical thought.”

Image: photo of George Scheer by Dave Katz.

Our upcoming Spring exhibition 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙤𝙠𝙚 curated by Janet Loren Hill, will be on view from March 14 – April 25. Join us for the Opening on March 14, 6-8 pm!

The exhibition features works by Paul Belenky, Kevin Dudley, Jonathan Ehrenberg, Sean Fader, Amy Hill, Akira Ikezoe, Rudolf Lingens, Polina Tereshina, and Huidi Xiang.

A joke creates its own logic. Operating on timing and playing on our expectations, jokes disrupt our typically unquestioned assumptions, making them appropriately strange. In this way a joke can turn on power and dislodge obscured systems, or it can simply provide a whimsical counter to an otherwise hum-drum existence. In Running Joke, nine artists deploy humor, play with time, and craft recurring symbols in their work with a wry wit.

We are looking forward to hosting our upcoming exhibition “Psycho-Tropics/Belonging Elsewhere” curated by Sofía Shaula Reeser-del Rio at EFA Project Space

This exhibition will be on view from March 15 - April 27, 2024. Join us for our Opening Reception on Friday, March 15, 6-8 PM.

The exhibition features works by artists Natalia Almonte, Yazmany Arboleda, Edward Cabral, Ojos Caribe, Jill Cohen-Nuñez, Patricia Encarnación, Nicole Mouriño, Christopher Paz-Rivera, and Estefania Velez Rodriguez.

Psycho-tropics: Belonging Elsewhere is a collective inquiry into transformation and resilience. The eight artists in this show engage in a profound exploration of cultural liminality, questioning the symbiosis between individuals and their environment. This introspective journey delves into the influences of de-colonial practices and nature, (re)constructing and challenging prevailing notions of American-ness. By inviting us to carve out spaces of refuge and construct alternative realities to our anxious-driven society, the exhibition becomes a celebration of collective hope in the face of progress—a poignant reminder of our shared humanity and the power of personal histories in decentralizing monolithic narratives. A communal table welcomes engagement and fosters contributions to a zine-like catalogue that aims to decentralize narratives embracing the unknown

EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is pleased to present new work from last year's, 2023 - Kahn | Mason Studio Immersion Project (SIP) Fellows: Sade Boyewa El, Chang Yuchen, Krystal DiFronzo, Bryan Fernandez, Fay Ku, Yelaine Rodriguez, Stephanie Santana, and Gabrielle Vazquez .

Kahn | Mason SIP Fellowship is an intensive studio fellowship from February - May designed to immerse artists in the world of printmaking. Fellows acquire new techniques and build upon existing skills. Artists, from all media, interested in making printmaking a regular part of their creative practice are invited to apply. Applications for 2025 will open in June!

Join us tonight 6–8 PM, for the opening of “Seeing Is Realizing There Is Always More to See” ! 👀

We’ll celebrate the work of all the EFA-affiliated artists involved. From Lise Kjaer’s observant romanticism, to Amir Hariri’s constructivist interiority, to Tooraj Khamenehzadeh’s exploration of the landscapes of mystical pilgrimage, a range of stories remind us that the epic lies just beneath the surface of the everyday.

Sharon Kendrick curates work that reminds us that perceiving can lead to the realization that there is a hidden depth or abundance of things yet to be seen or understood.

Image: Tooraj Khamenehzadeh, Untitled from the series “The Poetry of Bewilderment”, 2020.

“The Ceremony Must be Found: Ritual as Artistic Practice” curated by Anna Cahn at EFA Project Space will be on view from January 18 - March 2, 2024.

Join us tonight for our Opening Reception from 6-8 PM!

The exhibition features works by artists manuel arturo abreu, Marielys Burgos Meléndez, Dana Davenport, Caroline Garcia, Catalina Ouyang, Vivek Shraya, and Qualeasha Wood.

Image Credit: Catalina Ouyang, doubt I (the wreck and not the story of the wreck / at the floor of the flood / primordial lovers / groaning dreadfully / What have we done so wrong.), 2020, Hand-carved alabaster, hydrocal, pigment, resin, carved maple, epoxy clay, found fabric, oyster shells, woven leather, drag net, 36 x 16 x 11 inches. Courtesy of Lyles & King Gallery.

Looking forward to EFA Project Space's upcoming exhibition “The Ceremony Must be Found: Ritual as Artistic Practice” curated by Anna Cahn. The exhibition will be on view from January 18 - March 2, 2024. Join us for our Opening Reception on January 18 from 6-8 PM.

This exhibition was selected as part of the EFA Project Space Open Call for exhibitions and projects with the 2024/25 theme, “Folklore.” The exhibition features works by artists manuel arturo abreu, Marielys Burgos Meléndez, Dana Davenport, Caroline Garcia, Catalina Ouyang, Vivek Shraya, and Qualeasha Wood.

https://www.projectspace-efanyc.org/the-ceremony-must-be-found

Slide 1: Caroline Garcia, Image still from Queen of the Carabao, 2018, 1-channel digital video, color, sound, 30:00 mins.
Slide 2: Vivek Shraya, Trisha, 2016, Photographs and text, dimensions variable.
Slide 3: Marielys Burgos Meléndez, Invocations: Oshún (Río Espíritu Santo, El Yunque, Puerto Rico), Ritual Performance/ Performance Photography, 2021/2023, Photography by Paola López.

EFA Studios is pleased to announce “Seeing Is Realizing There Is Always More to See”, the first exhibition in 2024 opening on January 24, 6 – 8 PM at EFA's 3rd floor space! 📢

Curated by Sharon Kendrick, this exhibition presents EFA-affiliated artists whose work reminds us that the act of perceiving can lead to the realization that there is a hidden depth or abundance of things yet to be seen or understood. The artists here perceive and share things that may be hidden in plain sight, suppressed, or living deep in their imagination. From Lise Kjaer’s observant romanticism to Amir Hariri’s constructivist interiority to Tooraj Khamenehzadeh’s exploration of the landscapes of mystical pilgrimage a range of stories remind us that the epic lies just beneath the surface of the everyday.

https://www.studios-efanyc.org/exhibitions

RBPMW OPEN CALL
Submission deadline: January 30th, 2024

The Miami International Fine Arts and EFA Robert Blackburn invite printmakers worldwide to apply to participate in their 2024 International Printmaking Juried Exhibition with the theme Myths and Legends of the World.

https://www.rbpmw-efanyc.org/mifaxprintshop
MIFA Gallery MIAMI x EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with EFA! 👐🏼 Give back to the arts community by acquiring unique pieces in our Benefit Online Sale or make a direct impact by donating to EFA!

Your contribution nurtures a haven for artists, fostering the legacy of creativity and public engagement.

Explore the collection at https://www.efanyc.org/benefit-artworks. Sale ends on December 1!

Photo by Lucas Hoeffel.
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This Thanksgiving, celebrate creativity with EFA! 🎉 Our Benefit Online Sale features an array of affordable artworks supporting artists and our vibrant community.

Discover the collection at the link in bio or visit https://www.efanyc.org/benefit-artworks.

Sale ends December 1!

Image 1: Kerry Downey, “The rot of which emits fluorescence,” 2020
Image 2: Beth Sutherland, “Orange Net,” 2020
Image 3: Susan Silas, “there is no time without heat,” 2020 - 21

Support our artist community and EFA by collecting affordable art in the Benefit Online Sale!

See all available artworks at the link in the bio or visit https://www.efanyc.org/benefit-artworks. The sale ends on December 1!

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) is a 30-year-old non-profit in Mahnattan’s Garment District. We provide artists with affordable studios, public exposure, and a vibrant community while championing art's power to transform society. EFA is a haven for professional artists fostering creativity, innovation, and public engagement with the arts.

Image 1: Frances Jetter, “The Republican Platform Against Choice,” 1992
Image 2: Xin Song, “Wood Black,” 2018
Image 3: Lauren Gohara, “She's in the Money: The Richest Women in the World, April 19, 2023,” 2023
Image 4: Ali Osborn, “Harbor,” 2020

Thank you for joining us at the EFA Greenhouse Disco Benefit! 🪩 Our online art sale is live with 100+ amazing pieces up for grabs!

Cheers to our amazing community of artists who generously donated work. Special thanks to Thomas Oliver’s for the delicious eats, Grimm Artisanal Ale () for keeping us hydrated, and Teremana Tequila () for adding some extra kick. 🥂 And, of course, props to DJ Flora Kamimoto () for keeping the groove going strong!

Check out the link in bio or visit www.efanyc.org/efa-benefit to browse through the stunning artworks. ✨

Photographer: Lucas Hoeffel .hoeffel

Over 100 artworks are ready for the Benefit Disco TOMORROW. 🪩 Last chance to get your tickets for early access to our sale, both on site and online!

November 9, 2023
FLOOR 2, 323 W 39 ST NYC
5 - 6 PM | VIP Champagne Hour
6 - 8 PM | Party

🥂 for GA and VIP tickets or visit https://www.efanyc.org/efa-benefit-party

Adreinne Waheed’s work will be featured at the EFA Greenhouse Benefit Art Sale! 🪩Get a GA ticket now or become our VIP to enjoy an early access of all artworks.

Ms. Waheed is a visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work bears witness to and holds space for the beauty, brilliance and resilience of Black folks across the diaspora.

Ms. Waheed is an accomplished photo editor who, during her 20 year career, has produced and directed photo shoots for publications including Vibe, Essence and Time Inc. Books. Her photography has been published by The New York Times, i-D, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, and Photo District News; and has been featured by Spotify, Curology and the NAACP's Twenty 20 in Black.

Ms. Waheed is the recipient of the 2019 Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts SIP Fellowship and the 2020/21 Svane Family Foundation Ark Commission. In 2010, she created the Waheed Photo Archive, which was acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in 2015. Her coffee table book, Black Joy and Resistance, was released in December 2018 and is now sold out. She is currently working on a second photo book to be released in Fall 2024.

🥂 for GA and VIP tickets or visit https://www.efanyc.org/efa-benefit-party

Image 1: Artist portrait
Image 2: “Black Joy Is..,” 2018, photographic print
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Chakaia Booker’s work will be featured at the EFA Greenhouse Benefit Art Sale! 🪩Get a GA ticket now or become our VIP to enjoy an early access of all artworks.

Booker is a New York based International sculptor who has extensive experience in creating work for sculpture parks, as well as, work for recreational parks, gardens, indoor, outdoor, public and private areas in urban and rural settings. Her sculpture encompasses environmental and recycling issues. Architects, engineers, landscape architects, lighting designers, and most important, fabricators, have been a part of a team collaborating in all of the work.

🥂 for GA and VIP tickets or visit https://www.efanyc.org/efa-benefit-party

Image 1: Image of artist working at the EFA RBPMW with master printer Justin Sanz .snza
Image 2: “Untitled "I",” 2011, 3 block, 2 color woodcut with 7 piece chine collé
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Join our EFA Studios community! Artistic excellence is the primary criterion for acceptance into the EFA Studio Program, apply for the EFA Studio Program today ✨

Members receive:
🙌 Two-year renewable memberships with a private subsidized studio
🙌 Valuable professional development resources and studio visits with top arts professionals
🙌 Increased promotion and visibility
🙌 A robust artist community
🙌 Membership to the Robert Blackburn Printmaking workshop
🙌 Access to the EFA North Fork Residency

Apply by Dec. 1

for details or go to https://www.studios-efanyc.org/application-home.

Image: Michael Mandiberg in their EFA studio. Photo by Lucas Hoeffle .hoeffel
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🎉 FLASH SALE Ends Today! Treat yourself at our Silent Auction, featuring a spa day, basketball game, and hotel stay—all exclusive to the Greenhouse Benefit Disco, November 9, 5–8 PM. 🪩

Get a discounted ticket NOW to bid on:
✨ Complimentary Spa Day for 2 at Sojo Spa Club
✨ VIP Brooklyn Nets Tickets in the TGI Suite
✨ Family Membership to French Institute Alliance Française
✨ Exclusive Family Portrait & Luxury Hotel Stay by Bradford Portraits

GA and VIP tickets are available at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/722333929227/?discount=DISCOFLASH🥂

Get a sneak peak at the Benefit Silent Auction items: tickets to renowned shows, family memberships, and much more! The only way to bid on these is to attend our Greenhouse Benefit Disco on November 9, 5 - 8 PM 🪩

Get a discounted ticket NOW to bid on:
✨ Reserved table to “Sleep No More” at The McKittrick Hotel
✨ Family Membership to Museum of the City of New York
✨ Tickets to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Tilles Center
✨ Stay tuned for more!

GA and VIP tickets are available at the link in bio 🥂

Limited artist print T-shirts by Kosuke Kawahara are available for Silent Auction at the EFA Greenhouse Benefit Disco!🪩

Don’t miss out the chance to get Workshop/Class vouchers for EFA RBPMW, and Art Sale pieces donated by Kawahara!

Kawahara’s works speak to notions of growth, decay, modes of communication and perception, spiritualism, interdependent relationships, and human behavior in ever-shifting environmental conditions. The whole process of creating a work from the start to its end is a process of the artist constantly exploring and (re)constructing the alternative space around darkness.

✨Secure your general admission and VIP tickets at: https://www.efanyc.org/efa-benefit-party

Image 4: Artwork for limited print T-shirt
Image 5: “Untitled, Triptych,” 2018 - 2022, oil, ink, animal glue on paper

🍃🪩Shining a glittery spotlight on our Greenhouse Benefit Disco DJ ! 🪅

🎟️Tickets to hear Flora spin are available at the link in our bio!

🎧DJ Flora is going to be mixing on her very own authentic vintage turntables to keep the disco vibes bumping all night long ~~

🕺🏽💃🏻She specializes in mixing an energy from the past with a contemporary twist, blending classics with the rhythms of today

Fast or slow, dance or lo-fi, Flora always gets your body groovin'✨

EFA is committed to showcasing local artists of color and we're
so excited to welcome Flora into our community as our featured DJ!

Last day of Open Studios!
Come support our artists on this rainy day! ☔️😸

In addition to Open Studios, check this out from .rbpmw !

Making Impressions: Archives, Printmaking, and Robert Blackburn

October 12, 2023 – January 14, 2024

Helio Salcedo

Kabuya Pamela Bowens-Saffo

AJ Smith

Robin Holder

Making Impressions: Archives, Printmaking, and Robert Blackburn is a collaboration with the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (EFA RBPMW) and the Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Vasari Project; this two-site exhibition is located at North Dade Regional Library Miami, FL., and Blackburn 20|20, an exhibition space affiliated with EFA RBPMW, NYC.

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Over thirty-five years ago, art librarian Barbara Young and master printer Robert Blackburn collaborated to combine two nationally touring exhibitions: In a Stream of Ink and Through a Master Printer: Robert Blackburn into one at the Miami-Dade Public Library titled Forty Years, Robert Blackburn and the Printmaking Workshop. Young then invited Blackburn to visit Miami and share his knowledge with the community.

Blackburn 20|20 looks at the print collaborators and educators who helped organize these exhibits such as, Robin Holder with the first of the three exhibits in 1984 with the exhibition In a Stream of Ink; or AJ Smith who had some hand in bringing Through a Master Printer to Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts; Kabuya Pamela Bowens-Saffo with communication with Barbara Young; and Helio Salcedo, a Miami-based printer who also worked at the shop. By highlight those who supported Bob and the Printmaking Workshop, we hope to activate the archive to generate new relationships. Thank you to

OPENING TONIGHT: EFA OPEN STUDIOS 2023 ✨

Come and visit our 72 internationally recognized member artists, EFA Project Space and EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop .rbpmw, all located in midtown Manhattan!

October 12 (THU) 6 – 9 PM (opening night)
October 13 (FRI) 6 – 9 PM
October 14 (SAT) 2 – 6 PM

📍323 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018

Click the link in bio for more info.

Please spread the word! We will see you tonight at our biggest annual event 🎉

Image: Pamela Council, Let Go Byes Be Go Byes // We Never Dreamt of Labor I & II, 2022.

Opening proudly sponsored by: , and
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#2023

Our 2024 Open Call for SHIFT: A Residency for Arts Workers is NOW LIVE!

Six New York-based artists will receive a shared studio space, artist honoraria and production fee, career development opportunities, group catalog production, as well as monthly peer critiques and guest studio visits. The residency period starts from January 2024, and ends in July, 2024, culminating in a curated group exhibition at EFA Project Space.
Since its inception in 2010, SHIFT residency has been providing peer support, mentoring, and studio space for over eighty artists who work in arts organizations in New York (as administrators, educators, accessibility consultants, etc.) to advance their personal creative practices. SHIFT recognizes the contribution of arts workers to the art community, and for whom their livelihood is a passion and responsibility, demanding patience, attentiveness, and creativity. The SHIFT residency honors these artists’ commitment to the arts community with a supportive and collaborative environment.
SHIFT has hosted artists working in a range of media, from sound and installation to painting, performance, and social practice. In addition to its role as a support network, SHIFT promotes advocacy for arts workers and seeks to increase equity and representation within the field.

The deadline to submit a proposal is October 29, 2023. Link in bio for more information.

🪩Tickets are now LIVE for the EFA Greenhouse Benefit Disco! Follow the link in our bio to purchase! 🥂

🌾The EFA Greenhouse Benefit Disco is an inaugural event hosted by the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts to celebrate our vibrant community of artists.

✨This electric affair will take place at the EFA Project Space Gallery at 323 West 39th Street on Thursday, November 9th at 5pm. We encourage guests to dress in festive floral and/or disco attire (floral prints, shimmer, metallics, and sequins).

🪴The festivities will feature:
* Art Sale of over 100+ works donated by artists of the EFA community
* Small bites catered by Thomas Oliver’s
* Drinks and cocktails, courtesy of Grimm Artisanal Ale ( ) and Teremana Tequila ( )
* Silent Auction with can’t-miss items
* DJ Flora Kamimoto ( ) on the turntables bringing the disco energy

🪷Get down at the EFA Greenhouse Benefit Disco as we bring together members from the arts community for a night of art, music, and dancing! We hope to see you there.

‘s exhibition Return to Sender was featured in !

Maya Pontone writes: “The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights ostensibly protects Americans’ freedom of speech and expression; however, for incarcerated people, this fundamental civil liberty is often compromised. A new art exhibition in New York City, curated by prison abolitionist Mariame Kaba and co-organized by nonprofit PEN America, puts a spotlight on the harsh realities of carceral censorship experienced by currently and recently imprisoned artists, authors, and readers.”

Read more at the link in our bio.

Image: Hector (Bori) Rodriguez, “War Against Censorship” (2023), colored pencils, #2 pencils, glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint, acrylic varnish, 36 x 36 inches framed (image courtesy the artist and Mariame Kaba)

Special moments from last week’s powerful “Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship” opening !

Curated by Mariame Kaba .nia

On view until October 18!

All images courtesy of 🌱✨