Edith Evans and I kicked the New Year off with a bang at CERES gallery with an informal program entitled “Humor in the Service of Feminism”. CERES gallery was founded in 1983 and has been going strong since then. It was originally started as a program of the NY Feminist Art Institute and now is a not-for-profit artist run gallery dedicated to the promotion of women in the arts. We heart that a lot. The gallery exhibits a broad spectrum of work which we could not help but notice upon entering the fabulous and open space. Currently on view is an exhibit by Ceres members entitled “Inside/Outside” which includes the works of Joan Arbeiter, Marilyn Banner and Ellen Halloran, to name a few. The show runs through January 28th. Check it out here http://www.ceresgallery.org/
After donning masks at a nearby loading dock Edith and I proceeded to the gallery space a little before 6PM. Joan Arbeiter ,who had everything set up and ready for our talk, greeted us with her infectious smile. The audience was warm and welcoming and we were glad to look out and see many new and different faces in the crowd. After showing our work via a powerpoint presentation the evening quickly turned into a lively chat about the definition of the word feminist, the future of feminism and what current events are happening in NYC by women artists. It was as if we were sitting a living room which happened to feature only fabulous paintings by women. The female art vibe that permeated the night certainly inspired a terrific dialogue with artists in our own hometown.
Afterwards we went down in the elevator with some tipsy art lovers who had had one too many at a recent opening elsewhere in the building. Seeing two gorilla masked women seemed to sober them up. We exited and returned back to our loading dock to de-mask, leaving CERES with warm hearts and newfound feminist friends.
Love,
Aphra Behn
January 12, 2012
