Inez de Brauw, Antonius-Tín Bui, Jordan Ann Craig, Regina Durante Jestrow, Hans Gindlesberger, Amra Khan, Jess Lincoln, Massiel Mafes, Lilian Martinez, Kirk Maynard, Henry Morales, David Najib Kasir,
Anna Ortiz, JD Raenbeau, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Preetika Rajgariah, Omar Rodriguez-Graham, Ernest Shaw Jr.
Still Learning
We are celebrating our 12th Made In Paint exhibition with a truly extraordinary group of artists from countries including Mexico, Canada, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, and those with recent heritage from Cuba, Guatemala, India, Syria, Palestine, and Vietnam, and from members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities as well. While the world outside was (is) clearly on fire, our goal has always been to provide some respite for these artists in this serene bucolic setting – a place filled with all the materials and support for these folks to be able to put other things aside and to indulge and be totally absorbed by their work.
Their art is as diverse as their background, including portraiture, abstract, and still life, and utilized materials including fiber, collage, paper, sewing, woodcut, photography, and airbrush. They created on canvas, board, paper, yoga mats and on the floor in every one of our mediums, including oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel. Beautiful, whimsical, challenging, introspective, all of which came together as an example of the world-class talent we have been so honored to exhibit in this very unexpected area of New York State. While this Made In Paint exhibition is just a small taste of their work, what is not seen is the value this diversity has created for all of us and our entire community.
The Golden Foundation Residency Program is located in a rural community. It sits in one of the most beautiful areas of New York State. Around every turn in the road is an amazing vista of rolling landscapes filled with forests, quiet meandering rivers and streams, tilled and untamed land, and is dotted with dairy cows, horses, or other livestock. During the season it’s easy to go foraging for berries, mushrooms, fiddleheads, and more. The previous generations here were steeped in agriculture and in the value of pitching in when neighbors were in need; they were indeed proud to serve, everyone knew one another, and it was common as people rode past their homes, mostly on dirt roads, that they would always share a friendly wave. They rarely left the area and this created a very close-knit community, but also quite an insular one. As such, outsiders – people of different cultures, mindsets, ethnicities, and races – were seen as invaders.
Fifty-seven years ago, my parents, Sam and Adele, moved to this community. Being Jewish New Yorkers, they were subjected to the same silent suspicion as if they were from a different country and here to change the local way of life. Eventually they found community, but mostly from recent transplants who had also come from downstate. Many were looking for the same things those local residents already had: a beautiful area, quiet and away from the congestion and the frenetic pace of the city and suburbia.
The start of Golden Artist Colors 45 years ago was also met with great distrust. It was certainly an unusual business and one that worked originally with artists also from New York City. With the growth of the company, and the great deal of employment that Golden Artist Colors offered for the local community, much of that suspicion subsided.
In 2012, when we opened the doors to the Golden Foundation Residency Program, our hope was that this unique, one-of-a-kind facility would continue to bring a world of diversity via artists to join and meet our local community. To possibly open this community to the wealth of ideas, inspiration, and the joys of learning about one another, while treating the artists to the world of materials that, for most, would have been out of reach.
In this 12th year of our exhibitions and 13th year of the program, we could not have been more blessed with the level of diverse talent that has been attracted to the residency. Our hope has always been that this isolated setting would provide artists with a unique opportunity to explore and experiment to try new things. That the Materials and Applications Specialists at Golden Artist Colors would provide insights into materials that would aid in that exploration. That the team of Jess and Lori, led by Emma at the Golden Foundation, would make sure that each artist was treated with hospitality and have access to resources that would make their month truly memorable and valuable.
What was given back to us by these artists was much greater than we could have possibly offered. Their generosity of spirit and willingness to engage with our community was so inspiring. Most of our staff of employee owners visited the residents while they were here. And I learned that many of our neighbors were already championing diversity. To that I especially want to thank all our local friends for their support, and Edsel for always making our artists feel like invited guests to the Columbus Public House. While we worked to provide a safe environment for these artists, it is clearer than ever that many have become less safe outside our community in this current climate. These artists have become part of our family, part of the fabric of our community. We need to make sure they are safe to continue to inspire us all.
Artists create the clearest mirror of ourselves. They allow us to see the unseen or the world we want to close our eyes to. We need them now more than ever. Whether or not they have our support they will continue to create. I am sure it is not by choice, but by force of nature. It remains our responsibility to continue to celebrate our diversity, to support equity and fairness. To make sure we invite these ideas and these visionaries into our lives and to make sure they have a place at the table. It has been at our dining table at the residency that I have learned so much. Made In Paint 12 is a celebration of this diversity and incredible talent. As you look through these pages or have the good fortune to visit the exhibition, it will be clear that these artists have given us the opportunity to see a diverse, challenging and moving vision. It is our hope that their gift inspires us to continue the work that we might open that opportunity across all our communities.
Mark Golden
President, Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts
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