“Hanging Out” (artwork by Lauren Rothstein)
The annual exhibition of members, students and faculty of the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences concludes the summer season with a celebration of the artistic vision and productivity of the entire LBIF artist community.
Gallery director Kate Whitlock described it as “a feel-good show, a highlight of the summer.” Around 40 participants showed over 80 individual artworks together, all created over the past two summers. See them before September 2.
The jury recognizes outstanding work, but not in order of merit. “That’s what member-student-faculty is all about,” said Whitlock.
This year’s judge was Donna Mason Sweigart, chair of the art department at Rowan University’s Ric Edelman College of Communications and Creative Arts, who spoke and announced the winners at the opening reception on Saturday.
According to LBIF Managing Director Daniella Kerner, her research focuses on 3D modeling, 3D printed functional objects, large-scale body jewelry and fashion, computer-aided design, rapid prototyping and alternative digital manufacturing techniques.
In her talk to the LBIF audience, Sweigart focused on some of her notable projects with other artists who have explored relationships with each other and with the plant world: Pakistani-American Muslim Erum Javed (dandelion), Indigenous Scandinavian Sámi artist Teresa Faris (Iceland moss), and cultural geographer Jen Kitson (trillium, a symbol of Toronto).
“Obviously, growing up right next to the Pine Barrens was very meaningful to me. So I think I have a connection to the plant world and maybe think about sustainability in a different way than other people just because of the place I grew up,” Sweigart said.
She moved from New Jersey to Florida, then to Seattle, Washington, and then to the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas, about an hour from the Gulf of Mexico, where the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge is located. There she became interested in hummingbirds, butterflies, and pollinator habitat.
Sweigart’s collaborative work spans the areas of decolonization, native and invasive plants, and sustainability. The concept of plant decolonization reimagines botany and horticulture in a way that is more inclusive and recognizes the contributions of Indigenous communities.
A traditionally and digitally trained jewelry artist, Sweigart said her scholarship “explores feminism, ecology, and immigration.” She helps design and create “sculptural installations and wearable runway-style art performances.”
She described her creative practice as thoughtful about bodies, ecology, and ways of perceiving places and environments; disenfranchised perspectives through wearable media (for example, textiles) and forms (such as jewelry); the legacy of colonialism in shaping extraction practices; and borders, regenerative economies, and multi-species collaboration, “which are critical to addressing environmental justice and biodiversity crises.”
Her reading recommendations include Weaving Mariengras by Robin Wall Kimmerer and The Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.
Before announcing the MSF winners, she described it as “a beautiful show and it is very difficult to choose between all the wonderful works.”
The ribbons went to:
• Anna Salibello (member and ceramics resident) for her wood-fired stoneware “Untitled”, organic, abstract and intuitive in its forms reminiscent of tree bark and hollow tree trunks.
• Jennifer O’Reilly (Faculty) for “Snake With Watermelon,” jewelry made of tourmaline, freshwater pearls and smoky quartz.
• Sandra Kosinski (member and ceramics resident) for the stoneware ceramic “Moonscape 3”. She makes the glaze herself, she noted. The elegant bulbous vessel impressively exceeds the limits of clay thrown on the potter’s wheel.
“It’s not about the prize, it’s about the joy,” Kosinski said to his friend and fellow member Guna Mundheim, who also received a ribbon for “Loveladies Backyard” (colored pencil on paper).
• Lauren Rothstein (Faculty) for “Hanging Out” using water-based ink and block printing on paper: Five women’s one-piece swimsuits on a clothesline convey the epitome of a relaxing day at the beach.
• Sally Eisenberg (member) for her abstract acrylic painting “Into the Blue.” The royal hue dominates while a rainbow of supporting colors balances the geometry and depth.
• Michael Golden (member and ceramics resident) for “Vessel 3-24”.
• Judy Birle (student) for “Beach Clams,” a watercolor from Carol Freas’ class. The delicate brushwork evokes the smooth, wet surface of three common clams, stacked neatly on top of each other.
• Gavin Shwahla (Faculty) for his landscape photography “Azorean Pool of Dreams.” Clouds reflected brilliantly in still water create a chaotic world in Shwahla’s playful manipulation of reality.
• And Kate Whitlock (contributor) for “Sun Tarot Card,” created with Sakura 005 micron pen and ink on coffee-stained paper.
Meanwhile, the main gallery stage will host a retrospective exhibition of 15 striking works by the late artist, educator, and lecturer Howard Weinstone (1928-2023), whose works are in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, as well as in numerous private collections.
Weinstone’s nude figures, life-size and larger, are reduced to their simplest forms, conveying the most information possible to the viewer to convey the most meaning. The choice of color is paramount.
“This exhibition shows only a small portion of his body of work, but gives a good sense of the various forms of expression he employed,” the descriptive label states. “From his large, vibrant color block paintings to the more delicate watercolors and photographs, Howard’s creativity is on full display.”
