Are you a little tired of 50th-anniversary tributes to the muddied memories of Woodstock this summer? Here’s another anniversary to consider: While some were slogging through rain and traffic in 1969, artist Joan Snyder was creating her breakthrough painting Lines and Strokes in her studio on Mulberry Street.
Snyder has come a long way since— recipient of a National Endowment for The Arts award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The MacArthur Fellowship, and selection as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ongoing “Epic Abstraction” showcase of top large-scale works by Louise Nevelson, Jackson Pollack and other powerhouse artists.
The Goetemann Artist Residency is very pleased this year to welcome Joan Snyder as its 2019 Distinguished Artist Teacher. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Snyder on Sunday, August 18 at 2 PM at a special talk at Cape Ann Museum (27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester). She’ll be interviewed by her filmmaker-writer daughter, Molly Snyder-Fink. As of this writing (August 11), tickets to this free event are still available (call 978-283-0455).
For a uniquely personal look at Snyder (and a preview of what may be covered in their Cape Ann Museum talk), read this article by Snyder-Fink. As a leader of a distinctly personal and feminist and bold direction in modern art, Snyder stands as mother to us all in this quote from the piece by her daughter:
My mother’s journey as an artist, and her resulting body of work has taught me many lessons, and I am still learning. Foremost, she has taught me that if you are going down one path and another one presents itself that fills you with intrigue and hunger, take that one. It may be painful, but it will make you a stronger, clearer person.
You know how it goes—you mean to get to that list of chores at home and then to the studio to get art work done, then something gets in the way.
