Source: https://langhornetimes.com/finding-joy-a651f35e2373
Sep 13, 2017
Langhorne Times
Too often, the dawn of a new day is met with resistance. Many struggle to find motivation to go to their non-dream job or complain about minor issues and ailments. While most are hitting the snooze button over and over, Robyn King is enjoying the sunrise and simple pleasure of being alive — something the Bensalem-based artist conveys in her work. Through Sept. 15, guests at the Bucks County Visitor Center can experience the beauty of nature and message of hope at King’s vibrant yet serene exhibit.
Providing hope: Half of all proceeds from Robyn King’s piece “Hope” benefit research and awareness for RSD, an internal disorder she was diagnosed with that causes tremors and pain. SAMANTHA BAMBINO / TIMES PHOTO
Throughout her artistic career, King has become a quadruple threat specializing in photography, painting, digital art and in her spare time, poetry. Growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, King discovered her knack for creativity as a child when she preferred coloring and drawing over all other hobbies.
When it came time for college, King knew she wouldn’t be happy unless she was creating art. Though at first hesitant at her decision, her parents supported her passion and after some research, found that the Moore College of Art & Design was one of the best in the area. It was an all-girls school, but that was perfectly OK with King — she was there to become an artist, not date.
Until that point, King was self-taught and lacked the portfolio required for admission. She enrolled in a last-minute summer class to create the best one she could in a limited amount of time, and brought it to her interview. After one glance, it was evident to the dean that King didn’t have any formal training. Still, she loved the aspiring artist’s work.
King was allowed to begin classes at Moore on probation, which meant if she faltered in any, her education would be cut short. Determined to succeed, she surpassed all expectations and graduated with top honors on the dean’s list.
“Them taking a chance on me wasn’t wasted,” she said.
During her freshman year, King took basic general education classes before having to select a major her sophomore year. She always envisioned herself as a comic book artist, so she chose illustration. But things took a turn junior year during a basic photography course.
“I fell in love with it,” she said. “I thought, I have to do this.”
Following her instinct, she switched her major to photography and ended up minoring in illustration. With this well-rounded background, King is able to utilize a variety of skills in her work today, whether it be watercolor or typography. Her “old school” education, as she calls it, also allows her to fascinate and teach young artists who grew up in the age of technology and never spent hours developing photographs in a darkroom.
After graduation, the ambitious artist set out to get her career started, but things were put on hold after an accident left her fully disabled. King was diagnosed with RSD, “Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy,” also known as complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS. To look at King, one would never know anything is wrong. RSD is something internal that spreads over time and causes tremors and constant pain.
“It’s an invisible disease,” she said.
Unfortunately it’s not well-known, though it was brought into the spotlight by Paula Abdul, who was previously diagnosed. Several years ago, a friend of King passed away from RSD. For King, who was unaware the disorder could cause death, this was a shattering reality. To raise awareness, she turned to what she knew best — art.
Her piece “Heaven Sent,” a digital creation made from an original painting, was sold to raise money for RSD research and awareness. It ended up being the most popular piece on her website.
The message behind “Heaven Sent” is hope and positivity, something King lives by every day. Despite the severe physical pain, she doesn’t take painkillers. King endures purely through positive thinking.
Last May, King hosted her first solo exhibit entitled “A Peaceful Mind,” and each piece was created with the goal of helping those suffering or in distress ease into a meditative state. While planning the exhibit, she tested the pieces on both herself and her friends. If something didn’t evoke the calming emotions she wanted, it wasn’t included.
“I only used the ones that were the strongest,” she reflected.
King wanted people to connect with her pieces and feel a sense of joy — the same emotions she felt while creating each of them, usually while on a beach. Several of these meditative pieces can be seen at the Bucks County exhibit as well as several photographs from a family cruise. All of them are uplifting, joyful and colorful, with many capturing the serenity of daybreak at sea.
“I got up with the sun,” she said of her time on the cruise. “It’s the birth of a new day. Anything is possible. Your slate is clean.”
Also featured at the exhibit are “Heaven Sent” and “Hope,” the proceeds of which go toward rsds.org to benefit research for RSD. Through her art, King encourages people to see the world as filled with endless possibilities and each day as a new beginning, despite the struggles they may be going through.
“I say what I am,” she said. “I say that I’m happy.” ••
King’s exhibit is open daily until Sept. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Bucks County Visitor Center, 3207 Street Road in Bensalem. Visit 1-robyn-king.pixels.com.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
A look back By Samantha Bambino
Local residents discuss their favorite moments, lessons learned and new year’s resolutions as we prepare to ring in 2018
Source: https://langhornetimes.com/a-look-back-1841c8733e0eDecember 27, 2017
As 2017 quickly comes to a close, we took a minute to reflect on the lives, stories and passions of individuals featured in the Lower Bucks Times over the past year. To end things on a high note, we asked a few of our interviewees to share their favorite moments and highlights of 2017 as we get ready to welcome a new year.
Robyn King
Story: “Finding joy” was featured in the Bensalem Times. The local artist shared her inspiring outlook on life as she closed out an exhibit at the Bucks County Visitor Center.
What was your favorite moment or highlight of 2017?
“It was the end of the sixth round of the Art Olympics competition. I was anxiously awaiting the judges panel votes to see if I would move on to the final round of the competition. When I did not receive an email on the day they had stated, I decided to check my junk mail. Still nothing. At that point, I gave it one more day then contacted them asking if I was eliminated — no response. ‘That is strange,’ I thought. They were always very happy to answer questions. I figured they were busy and I was eliminated, so I let my followers know on social media and thanked them for all their support. I was disappointed, but also very proud for getting so far in the competition.
After putting the contest behind me, I was very surprised and excited when, a week and a half later, the contest website contacted me apologizing for any inconvenience. The site was down due to a computer issue, and they were not able to notify anyone by email. I finally uploaded my entry I had previously picked out, which was also in my last exhibit at the Bucks County Visitor Center, entitled ‘Grateful.’ That is exactly how I felt when I finally was able to hit send, uploading my entry!”
Resolutions for 2018?
“Create artwork where the proceeds will benefit cancer and RSD; challenge myself by painting larger-scale paintings; write a book combining my art short stories and poetry; and continue meditation and positive life energy practices.”
Any lessons learned in 2017 that you’ll carry into the new year?
“Life is a true learning experience. This past year has taught me many things. The most important one is to never lose faith and to always remember, today’s the day when anything is possible. I will carry this with me into 2018 and for the rest of my life.”
Drucilla Van Wright
Story: “A place of empowerment” was featured in The Bristol Times. The founder and director of H.O.P.E.E. House provided an in-depth look at the transitional space, located at 200 Otter St., which helps women in recovery gain empowerment.
What was your favorite moment or highlight of 2017?
“My favorite highlight of 2017 was celebrating the one-year anniversary of H.O.P.E.E. House on Sept. 1. It gave me a chance to look back over the first year and assess the challenges and visualize a greater endeavor in time to come. Since September is National Recovery Month, we chose to hold our celebration and recognition on the day of our first 3K Walk for Recovery. We sought permission to utilize the Bristol Spurline for the event and the turnout was awesome. We have the event on the 2018 calendar and we are looking for a date in September again.”
Resolutions for 2018?
“I really had not thought about a resolution for the upcoming new year. But, based on the past endeavors and outcomes, some things became profound and thus, I resolve to never give up on a God-given vision. I will not abandon women in recovery and I will continue to empower them to change and gain a new way of living — clean and sober.”
Any lessons learned in 2017 that you’ll carry into the new year?
“The major lesson that I learned is that not everybody who can will do or support, and promises will be made in vain, but I must not let that discourage me. I must keep my eyes on the mark and remember the goal is to help women help themselves.” ••
Art By Robyn King At FineArtAmerica
Shallowtail Butterfly #2
Fly Like The Wind
Open Pathway Meditative Space
Frozen Delaware River SunsetA Rally For All-women Art School
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150911101533/http://articles.philly.com/1990-09-13/news/25875618_1_art-school-benefit-art-show-school-galleryBy Lucinda Fleeson, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: September 13, 1990With the unfurling of a green school banner and a rousing feminist speech at an outdoor convocation at Logan Circle yesterday, students and administrators at Moore College of Art and Design reaffirmed their commitment to retaining its status as a school for women only.
Officials of the 146-year-old school formally announced that they had, at least temporarily, abandoned discussions begun last spring of a possible merger with the University of the Arts. The discussions provoked an outpouring of sentiment among students, faculty, alumna and staff, who organized over the summer in opposition to the plan.
"We did it," student government president Amy Szalony triumphantly told the 550-member student body. She said later in an interview, "For right now, this puts (merger talks) to rest. I don't know if it means it will forever, but I hope so."
Nearly all the officials and students attending yesterday's ceremony wore green and white ribbons, the school's colors, and buttons with the slogan, ''Forever Moore."
Traffic was blocked off on Race Street at 20th in front of the school. The ceremony, the first such for Moore in recent memory, became more of a celebratory pep rally than a formal event.
Declining enrollment at Moore and the University of the Arts had in part spurred the merger discussions.
Acting president John van Ness said yesterday that Moore's board of managers has decided instead to undertake an exhaustive study of the school's finances in order to plan its future. "It doesn't exclude the possibility of a relationship with the University of the Arts or any other institution," he said.
But, he added, "we feel pretty strongly that if anyone can create an argument for single-sex education for women, we have as strong a case as you can make."
Students have begun to work with the college administration in recruiting students and planning a benefit art show to raise funds for scholarships, said Szalony.
The keynote speaker at the convocation, Ann Sutherland Harris, a University of Pittsburgh art historian, recalled how her experiences as a student at women's schools encouraged her to lead and speak out.
She urged the college to select a woman as the new college president and tweaked the school gallery for featuring male artists in its last four major exhibits.
"This is not the place for people who are embarrassed by the word feminist," she said.
Top women artists? Progress, yes, but still disparity in visual arts.
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160102043640/http://articles.philly.com/2006-10-27/news/25417094_1_women-artists-frankenthaler-art-historyBy Happy Craven Fernandez
Posted: October 27, 2006"Why have there been no great women artists?"
Linda Nochlin asked this explosive question in 1971 and changed the study of art history. Then and now, her seminal essay, published in Art News, posed a question that still provokes debate.
Do the names Peeters, Neel, Frankenthaler and Lin - all accomplished women artists - trip off your tongue like Van Gogh, Picasso, Eakins and Calder?
If challenged to name the top 10 best-known or contemporary artists, how often would you include a woman on the list?
In a recent survey of the highest-paid artists in America, all of the top 20 were men.
On Oct. 19, Moore College of Art & Design, the first and only women's visual-arts college in the nation, honored three artists at the fourth-annual Visionary Women Awards. Groundbreaking feminist art historian Linda Nochlin was one of them. Also honored were Philadelphia-based educator and curator Thora Jacobson and nationally acclaimed photographer and Philadelphia native Mary Ellen Mark.
As president of Moore, I find it tremendously satisfying to recognize the accomplishments of our awardees and the lasting contributions they have made to the visual arts. This year, however, I've had cause to reconsider the unsettling question posited by Nochlin: Why aren't there more famous women visual artists?
Is it lack of equal opportunity? Is it overt or covert discrimination? Is it because women lack innate ability? Is it rooted in society? How far have we come in the 35 years, and how much further have we to go?
A few statistics may shed light, and there is certainly some good news. According to survey results recently released by the College Art Association, women now hold 64 percent of tenure-track art history positions in higher education, up from 43 percent in 1987-88. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2005, 123,084 women were employed as visual artists; that's 52.6 percent of all people employed in the visual arts - up from 47.9 percent in 2002.
In the auction houses, too, there has been some progress. Within the last two years, sales by women artists have broken price records. A work by Agnes Martin sold for $2.6 million, a piece by Joan Mitchell reached the $2.7 million mark, and Marlene Dumas recently sold a piece for $3 million.
However, there is still tremendous disparity. A May 1, 2005, New York Times article, "The X Factor," notes that of the 861 works offered by Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips de Pury & Co. during their spring contemporary art sales, only 13 percent were by female artists. In those auctions, of the 61 pieces assigned an estimated price of $1 million, only six were by women.
Sadly, when it comes to solo shows at galleries and museums, women also do not receive as much exposure. Last month, writing for the Village Voice, Jerry Saltz looked at the fall exhibition schedule of 125 New York galleries and reported that, of the 297 solo shows by living artists, only 23 percent are by women. Troubling, too, is that the U.S. Census reports that females continue to earn less than males in all sectors of the visual arts.
Given the existing cultural environment, there is obviously still work to be done.
Clearly, Moore's unique position as an institution that sets the standard of excellence for educating women for careers in art and design takes on greater relevance and importance.
Moore is called not only to bring attention to its Visionary Women awardees, but also to continue to take a leadership role in breaking down barriers, both subtle and overt. Moore is singularly equipped to shape an environment that more equitably showcases, values and benefits from the talents of women visual artists.
We must all - educators, journalists, business and political leaders, curators and collectors - continue to challenge ourselves to be consciously inclusive, or risk missing the next great woman artist.
Happy Craven Fernandez is president of Moore College of Art & Design.
Contact Happy Craven Fernandez at hfernandez@moore.edu.
No comments:
Post a Comment