Teena Liesenfelt is a breast most cancers survivor. So is her mom and so is her grandmother. She’s additionally president of the Broward Artwork Guild, which opened its newest exhibit, “Think Pink,” in honor of Breast Most cancers Consciousness Month.
“A walk through the ‘Think Pink’ exhibit feels like a profound journey through my own experiences and emotions,” says Liesenfelt.
The exhibition opened on Thursday, Oct. 3 and runs by way of Friday, Oct. 18 on the Broward Artwork Guild Gallery, 2052 E Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
When the decision was put out for artists to submit, the works wanted to showcase the colour pink or convey themes associated to breast most cancers consciousness.
“Each piece of art resonates deeply, capturing the raw vulnerability, strength, and resilience that define the cancer journey,” says Liesenfelt, herself an artist. “The colors, textures and forms evoke memories of the battles fought, the moments of despair and the triumphs celebrated.”
The Guild, now in its 74th 12 months, is the biggest and oldest lively guild of artists in Broward County and works to encourage and promote the work of native artists, in accordance with Liesenfelt.
With work, sculptures, pictures and jewellery gadgets on show and on the market, works showcase the colour pink or convey themes associated to breast most cancers consciousness.
“Seeing all the works of art in the ‘Think Pink’ exhibit takes me back to my own journey with breast cancer,” says Liesenfelt. “…All these pieces of art in one place brings back so many memories and feelings of both despair and triumph,” she says, including that she finds solace within the work and luxury that she shouldn’t be alone in her journey.
The works had been judged by mixed-media artist Lori Arbel of Parkland, who was chosen by the Broward Artwork Guild. Classes included Greatest in Present, second and third place, 4 honorable mentions and a Judges’ Recognition Award, all bearing in mind talent degree and what Arbel decided was greatest representing the theme of the exhibit. On opening evening, the artwork was on the market with a portion of the monies raised going to breast most cancers help companies.
“There is a wonderful array of mediums and techniques, intimate subject matters, wonderful compositions, mindful titles and a love of art for art’s sake,” says Arbel.
Arbel is an artist and former highschool artwork instructor. She additionally created the #Marks4TheirLives, an all-virtual exhibition that’s searching for 1.5 million “artful marks,” every representing kids’s lives taken from within the Holocaust.
“In addition to the remarkable artistry in ‘Think Pink,’ there are emotions and thoughts embodied in each piece,” says Arbel, who has judged different artwork displays and proven her personal work at museums and galleries.
“We all know someone who has faced this challenge and this exhibit is a reflection of our shared experiences and symbolizes the strength of community, the importance of empathy and the collective desire to inspire hope and healing,” she says, including that the exhibit is private; her grandmother fought breast most cancers.
Pompano Seashore-based artist Maria Galligan, 81, works totally on massive canvases utilizing thick layers of oil paint referred to as impasto, to create her impressionist-style, colourful work.
Her 3-feet-by-3-feet brilliant pink, whimsical flower portray titled, “Does Pink Make You Smile?” is on show within the “Think Pink” exhibition.
Galligan, who was born in Hungary, fled the nation in 1948 on the age of 5 together with her household to flee the Soviet takeover, and first tried her hand at oil portray in 2000 after stumbling throughout an artwork ebook in a bookstore. She recollects telling herself, “I want to do that.”
She joined the Broward Artwork Guild the next 12 months and says, “The Guild is a wonderful place for new artists to have a place to feel welcome and let their art grow.”
She credit Liesenfelt for her power and dedication to the Guild.
“Teena is always encouraging and welcoming to new members,” she says. “She welcomed me and the Guild was the first place I exhibited my work.”
Additionally on show are the works of Lighthouse Level artist Susan David, 69, a mixed-media artist who creates colourful and light-hearted collages utilizing recycled jewellery and objects she finds in thrift outlets, yard gross sales and auctions.
“Piglet,” her 15-by-5-inch pink sculpture collaged in reclaimed jewellery and sealed with liquid glass, presents a whimsical and light-hearted depiction of the pudgy animal with a small inexperienced fowl perched on his foot.
David has been a member of the Broward Artwork Guild for eight years.
Though she initially labored with true-to-life human figures, resembling her Templar Knight, a full-size male model sans head embellished in non secular memorabilia, David says she now prefers to work in additional manageable-sized “critters” and nautical photos, which mirror her Florida life-style.
Different artists within the present embrace Fort Lauderdale-based photographer Jane Kreinberg and Tammy Seymour (The Turtle Woman), a watermedia artist who focuses on wildlife and conservation topics.
Whereas the challenges of breast most cancers are actual, Liesenfelt hopes viewers will go away the present with an uplifting message.
“The ‘Think Pink’ exhibit is a sanctuary where pain is transformed into beauty and where the silent struggles of many are given a voice,” says Liesenfelt. “It’s a cathartic and empowering experience for the artists to reaffirm the strength and solidarity of the breast cancer community.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: “Think Pink” Exhibition
WHEN: Midday to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; midday to six p.m. Thursday. By way of Friday, Oct. 18.
TICKETS: Free
WHERE: Broward Artwork Guild Gallery, 2052 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
INFORMATION: (954) 537-3370 and BrowardArtGuild.org
This story was produced by Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an impartial journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Go to ArtsCalendar.com for extra tales concerning the arts in South Florida.
