January 7th – February 23rd
Artists’ Reception: Thursday, January 12th 6-8pm
“Marking A Moment” The Birmingham Society of Women Painters January 7th – February 23rd 2023 Artists’ Reception: Thursday, January 12th 6-8pm The Woods Gallery’s “Marking a Moment” exhibit showcased the Birmingham Society of Women Painters.
Juried by Kathryn Pistor, “Marking a Moment” featured a wide variety of painting styles by 20 of the group’s members. The subject matter, ranging from landscape and florals to abstraction, marks a moment in time from this dynamic painting group, originally established in 1944.
The juror recognized 1st was Ellie Gause’s painting “Kaye;” 2nd -Shirley Gower’s “North Carolina Plums” and 3rd Fran Wolok’s “Arizona Trial”.
For more than Sixty years, the Birmingham Society of Women Painters (BSWP) has brought together artists of merit to further their shared interests. Founded in 1944 to provide formal instruction and workspace for women painters, the BSWP is today a dynamic organization of over 50 artists working in diverse media. A commitment to the highest standards in creative expression and art education links the generations of BSWP members.
Birmingham Society of Women Painters (BWSP)
The BSWP includes professional artists as well as women for whom art is a high-priority avocation. Membership is limited with new members chosen through a highly selective process of nomination and portfolio review. Members exhibit individually and as a group in several venues annually. Their work is shown and has won awards in statewide, national and international exhibitions and draws viewers in galleries, public spaces and corporate settings. Member’s pursuits also include authorship of books and reviews, teaching, gallery ownership and management, and service on exhibition juries. Individual and organizational accomplishments are discussed at monthly meetings and accrue to the benefit of the full BSWP membership through shared knowledge and recognition. The organization operates on a cooperative basis, with all the members contributing to group projects and initiatives. The BSWP is highly regarded for its tradition of promoting arts awareness and education. In 1957, the organization won support from business and community leaders to found the Bloomfield Art Association. Three years later, the coalition developed an innovative proposal to transform an obsolete Birmingham public-works facility into a vibrant community center for the arts, which continues to thrive today as the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC). Through the years, BSWP members have served on the BBAC board and as faculty members, and provided generous financial support. Members are also involved with museums and other Detroit area arts programs. The BSWP is proud of its exceptional history of supporting the achievements and leadership of women in the arts.
Kathryn Pistor –
“Marking the Moment” exhibit juror, Kathryn Pistor’s love for art grew with her from childhood in a creative house with a talented artistic mother. She always loved gathering the color and beauty of the ‘outside’ she so happily played in. As a child and later as an adult, she brought that play to canvas and paint to recreate the life of beauty and color. This is the attitude of art and creativity she carries today. Pistor graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a degree in Art History. She loved all the learning. It was during those years that artists of the past inspired her for paintings not yet painted. From della Francesca to Emil Nolde, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Joan Mitchell, and David Hockney, she was handed an abundance of art dreams. Pistor brings these artists, resting still in her paint stained art books to each one of her paintings, her teaching, and the guidance she is asked to share. The reward of being a working artist leaves her silent at times. She is filled with gratitude, respect and humility knowing her work hangs in residences and businesses from Berlin to Gig Harbor. Pistor enjoys sharing a passion for life’s beauty and creativity with others . . . hopefully teaching those who crave the freedom of art through painting and imagination