Throughout the year I have been buzzing around shows and events to gain insight into what is happening in the industry and to feed my inspiration. In this post I have compiled some of my more memorable experiences from the 2023 art calendar with an emphasis on New York where I am based.
Top 5 Exhibitions and Experiences
1) Women’s Work
July 21, 2023 – July 7, 2024,Center for Women's History at New-York Historical Society, NYC
I found this exhibition inspiring in relation to my work Female Faces. The display sources around 45 objects from the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library collections to demonstrate the historical trends that encouraged women to take certain jobs and how essential women’s labor efforts have been to American society. The exhibit shines a light on inequalities that still persist today whilst also showing the strides society has made in equality over the years.
2) Astra Lumina: An Enchanted Night Walk Amongst The Stars
Queens Botanical Garden (and other locations)
This night walk experience at Queens Botanical Garden is a celestial pathway of lustrous light, cosmic visions and astral song. I really love living in New York and experiencing the city at different times so I found this night exploration very enticing. The combination of lighting, projection and sound sends you into a mesmerizing wonderland, and what feels like another dimension. It is a truly unique way to experience the botanical garden and have a moment of reflection.
3) Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time
April 9 – August 12, MoMA, NYC
The elegance and beauty of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintingshas always been something I have really appreciated. This exhibition was a 2023 highlight for me as it offered a glimpse into the artist’s working methods. As the title insinuates, the exhibition was designed to encourage viewers to take time to look. As well as paintings there were works in charcoal, pencil, watercolor and pastel. O’Keeffe’s drawings show and attempt to capture not only nature’s forms but its rhythms and movements.
4) Frieze Art Fair May 17 – 21, NYC
Art fairs such as Frieze are quite an overwhelming experience. This event is full of people from all over the world from art lovers, tourists, artists, to the who's who of the art industry. The fair features work from over 1000 artists and 200 international galleries so there is a lot to see over the weekend. It is the perfect opportunity to network, to meet new people and spark conversations over an artwork.
5) SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
This experience gives the viewer an unparalleled immersive view of New York City from 1000 feet above the ground. If you are scared of heights this will not be for you! This is an unmatched opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the city and an overview of the human experience of the busy metropolitan connections.
Top Books and Talks
In the Company of Women, by Grace Bonney
As you know from my Female Faces series, I am inspired by the women around me. This book was published in 2016 but came to my attention this year. It features over 100 entrepreneurial women of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and careers. Each story represents someone who has overcome barriers to become an expert in their field and offers intriguing insights and life lessons.
Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire
This book is about the science behind the study of creativity – a topic that I find fascinating. The contents offer a glimpse inside the mind of highly creative people based on the research done by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman. Along with Huffington Post reporter and writer Carolyn Gregoire, they delve into the latest findings of neuroscience and psychology to explore the practices and habits of mind that promote creative thinking.
If you are signed up to my newsletter you would have seen this inspiring TED talk already. Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the best-selling book Eat Pray Love, which was adapted into a movie with the female lead performed by Julia Roberts. In this talk Elizabeth explores interesting theories that she has about the source of her inspiration and what propels her to write. She believes that something out there in the Universe offers her divine visions and feeds her with a drive to write. This talk is a great cure for when you suffer from a creative block.
Please share your 2023 highlights in the comments as well as what you are looking forward to seeing from the 2024 art calendar.
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