future / past: collage workshop

Collage Workshop with future / past artists Anjelika Deogirikar Grossman and Molly F. McCracken

Curated by Beth Ferraro

Gallery Y: 1325 W St NW • Washington, DC

Make a collage postcard to keep for yourself or send to someone special. Painted collage papers, scissors, repurposed cardboard postcards, date stamps, and homemade cornstarch glue will be available to create something colorful and unique.

Look at the future / past exhibit to get ideas or inspiration for your postcard. Chat with the artists and participants to discuss the exhibit and connect with the community.

For more details: https://www.ymcaanthonyboweneventspacedc.com/galleryy

WOMEN IN MONOCHROME is an ongoing series, started in 2022, with women cut out of old National Geographic Magazines and resituated in abstract, monochromatic landscapes and interiors. This series' intention is not to rescue the women out of situations where they may or may not have understood that they were being photographed for publication, through the lens of what was most likely the male gaze but to honor and gift them an alternative. Removing them from that past and putting them in a fanciful beautiful location where they can rest without the pressures/expectations of society looking at them.

I work with mixed-media collages and assemblages in my studio space. Collage lends itself to a small space and can easily be left and resumed around interruptions that inevitably come from having three children. I love the process of creation and am not afraid to try new mediums, which often make their way into my work. The feeling of using tactile items like scissors, paper, and glue combined with the taking apart and reassembling of paper or other objects is soothing and meditative. The idea that I can remake something that has been cast off into a beautiful or meaningful new piece resonates deeply.

The feelings and ideas that I am compelled to transform into work include my feminist and anti-racist values, which stem from my own lived experience as a woman and mother. My work showcases women’s strengths but also our vulnerabilities and the pressure we feel in our various roles in society. Current events, particularly environmental issues and struggles with privilege, racism, and colonialism are at the forefront of my mind. I intend to bring these issues to light, in a way that is sensitive, visually appealing, potentially humorous, and always thought-provoking. I encourage people to find a connection with my work, through a deeply felt emotion or simply an appreciation of color and shape.

As an activist artist and educator, I am motivated to explore social and political issues in my work and to be in partnership with the community. My work explores politics and activism through art — from imagery and symbols to typography and slogans. I value the power of community engagement and my north star is to create and nurture communities of belonging.

Growing up as a third-culture kid, my mom started a family tradition where we would mail postcards back to ourselves. I have always loved collecting mail ephemera, and I still collect stamps with my dad. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, I started the “Letters to my Future Self” (series) incorporating vintage stamps.

Drawn to inspiration from textiles, political posters, and patterns found in nature, I work most closely with watercolor, collage, and fiber arts. I find collage to be an accessible medium and one of the most fulfilling ways to get value on paper. Collages allow me to focus on composition and explore color. I create collages with found paper, painted paper, and mail ephemera.

Beth Ferraro is a social art practitioner, curator, photographer, and creative facilitator with a focus on community impact and engagement. She has a BFA in Photography and Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology and worked in journalism as a Photo Editor with several publications, including Newsweek and Flaunt magazines. Following her time in New York City and Australia, she was the Creative Director and Curator at Honfleur Gallery and Vivid Solutions Gallery in Anacostia for seven years. Ferraro has also managed residency programs, artists' studios, pop-up spaces, and placemaking projects in partnership with communities. Recently, she served as a Cultural & Art Coordinator for an Artisan in Residence pilot program with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of Asian Art Museum, working with artisans from Armenia, India, the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, and China.

Ferraro has worked with numerous organizations on site-specific public art initiatives, community projects, public programs, and art installations including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, Martha's Table, Department of Energy and Environment, Culture House DC, Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC, Southwest Business Improvement District, Van Alen Institute, City First Foundation, and Washington Project for the Arts.

Since 2019, Ferraro has been the Creative Director & Curator at Gallery Y at the YMCA Anthony Bowen. Ferraro has lived in the District of Columbia since 2004. She is also a yoga teacher for seniors, a swimmer, a paddleboarder, a novice gardener, and an avid bicyclist.

Gallery Y is open every day, except 12/24. This exhibit runs through January 24, 2025. It's free and open to the public. No appointment is necessary. Contact the curator with any questions: [email protected]

image by Anjelika Deogirikar Grossman

Host or Publisher Gallery Y at YMCA Anthony Bowen