The 19th Amendment & Ratification | VOTE 2020

Suffragette – Vote 2020, by Diane Dompka

Suffrage is very personal to me. Coming from Rochester New York I stand in the footsteps of legends like Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. 
“I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand. There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.” Susan B. Anthony
Frederick Douglass started his newspaper in Rochester, New York. After returning to the U.S. in 1847, using £500 (equivalent to $46,030 in 2019) given him by English supporters, Douglass started publishing his first abolitionist newspaper,  The North Star, from the basement of the Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, New York.
My father owned a printing and advertising company in Rochester and was always fighting the good fight. That is how I grew up, and when in high school I wrote a paper about anti-apartheid. My parents raised me in a way that I never thought there was anything I could not do because I was a woman. I became one of the first female woodworker and furniture designers in the country and now, after 50 years in Washington DC, one of my prime initiatives is being realized as the Zenith Community Arts Foundation is building a mobile wood shop to train finish and rough carpenters and teach woodworking skills. https://www.zcaf.org/
Having come to Washington in 1968 to attend George Washington University my college years were one demonstration after another. I even spent a night incarcerated at the DC Armory for protesting. Never being afraid to tell truth to power, as most DC politicians will confirm, I was nicknamed Megaphone Margie!
A friend, Johanna Neuman wrote two books on the subject. The titles are below with links to her website. https://www.johannaneuman.com/
“And Yet They Persisted: How American Women Won the Right to Vote“
“Gilded Suffragists: The New York Socialites Who Fought for Women’s Right to Vote“
Another fabulous Washington production, “19: The Musical” is a must see whenever they perform again. They are doing online events. Check out their website.  https://www.19themusical.com/
Produced and written by Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw, with music by Charlie Barnet. Contact: info@19themusical.com
This fabulous musical premiered earlier this year at The Women’s Museum. Check out their website.
So many Zenith Gallery artists are making art about woman’s empowerment. Several are featured here and many more in our gallery and on our website. The gallery is now open regular hours. You can plan your safe visit with remote temperature checks at the door, limited attendees, and face masks required. All are welcome but please call first before arriving.

The Journey, by Carol Newmyer

JULY 4th ~ 2020

“Vote” earrings in American Suffrage colors by Hsu Studios

Independence Day
What is Independence Day? Is independence freedom? Does independence mean freedom? Are we free? What does that even mean? Who is independent? How long does it take to receive freedom? We still do not have freedom when Black people are walking down the street and getting stopped for no good reason whatsoever and end up dead. When over 700,000 residents in DC cannot vote but still must pay taxes – is that free? When states with little population get to decide who the president is – is that free? When our government has more respect and concern for their confederate statues than for our soldiers – is that free?
At least I am free to speak my mind. I would say some of the freest people around are artists, they get to express themselves through their work. We honor all of them today who tell truth to power. That is our way to freedom!
Today we are showing how some artists depict our flag. Some have choosen neon and barn wood, like Philip Hazard. Others with humor, like Keith Norval. Artists that create jewelry with meaningful themes, like Hsu Studios. Cheryl Edwards, with 151 bullets representing all the types of bullets that have been used to kill people across the country in her work titled Americans V. The detail in this work is Michael Brown.

“The first thing you notice are the spent bullet casings embedded in a spiral against the red and white stripes of the American Flag. Then you notice the pearls in the place of stars, “tears” according to the artist. Looking closely against the red strips you can make out ghostly photo transfer images of black males that have recently made headlines, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Michael Gray, and Trayvon Martin. Edwards points to an image in a hoodie, “that is Barack Obama” in reference to Obama’s remark following the shooting of Trayvon Martin, that if Obama had had a son, he’d look like the 17 year-old boy.”  Maggie Gourlay

Gavin Sewell incorporates different themes in his mixed media collage flags. His work can be commissioned on any subject or theme. We have many of his works here at the gallery, some on canvas and others assemblage wood boxes.
Rachael Bohlander has created a variety of themed flags including a Pride Flag, and Mirror Flag and her Lady Liberty.
Artists are compelled to make statements through their art. We are empaths. Artists explain how people felt throughout history with art, music, dance and many art forms going back to Cave Painting!
My request is that we treat people the way we want to be treated. And let’s not forget to treat mother Nature with respect or we will not be around much longer.
And please VOTE, VOTE, VOTE
Creatively Yours,
Margery Goldberg

“Alienable Right to Life” by Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, with names of gun violence victims since Columbine

Honoring Juneteenth 2020

Juneteenth

Over the centuries and millenniums freedom has come with a huge cost. Not the least of which is human lives. When you grow up Jewish you are quite aware of those costs. My family took Freedom for All very seriously. In high school I wrote reports on the evils of Apartheid.  
My first year in college I wrote a paper about the Black Panther party and went to their headquarters in DC to research. I recently found the paper I wrote. I was indicted by GWU for painting on the sidewalk (in water base paint) for my final project in my dance composition class when I threw a Happening I was painting Jail Nixon-Free Bobby.
Fast forward – today we are taking up the cause to rebuild a statue which has caused much pain over the years. This being the Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Freedman’s Memorial or the Emancipation Group, located in Lincoln Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. 
Frederick Douglass, who dedicated this statue, was quite disappointed in Thomas Ball’s depiction of the ex-slave in shackles at Lincoln’s feet. We are proposing to remove the kneeling man and replace him with a standing black man, as was initially imagined. The funding drive for the monument began, according to newspaper accounts from the era, with $5 given by a former slave, which would be about $120 today, a lot of money at the time. We are beginning to work with the National Park Service on this project. We would like to raise the money by asking everyone to pitch in $120, symbolically honoring the sacrifice of the original contribution.
We would love to commission nationally known Washington artist, Vinnie Bagwell, who can give new voice to the ancestral story in the manner intended. We will show you some of her other work, including a statue of Frederick Douglass, which she has done more than once. She completed a fabulous sculpture of Marvin Gaye in Marvin Gaye Park in DC. Below she describes her Frederick Douglass piece. Ms. Bagwell expresses so eloquently what it feels like to create these important icons.  
We are also showing several other artists whose work depicts the civil war. Hubert Jackson, Curtis Woody and Richard Levine.

Frederick Douglas Circle (Photo by Hollis King)

“Frederick Douglass Circle” was originally designed for the City of New York Central Park Conservancy’s 2004 Frederick Douglass Circle Public-Art Competition for the northwest corner of Central Park in New York City. The 24″ h. maquette was purchased by the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center in Highland Beach, Maryland, with funding from Black Entertainment Television (BET) as a centerpiece for the great room in 2005. In 2008, a 7′ bronze of the design was commissioned by Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York to celebrate “the history, achievements, and aspirations of people of color”.    
A representational bronze sculpture of Frederick Douglass, seated in an antique chair, embellished with panther-head armrests and clawed feet, makes an intense hand-gesture to impart his point: “Until color shall cease to be a bar to equal participation in the offices and honor of the country, this discussion will go on… Until the American people shall make character and not color, the criterion of respectability, this discussion will go on…” The words are legibly embossed on the paper he holds.
The bronze rests upon a two-tiered, polished Mesabi® black granite pedestal. A 15′ d. textured granite apron surrounds the 6′ pedestal. A continuation of the above quote, sandblasted in-pavement, states “…In a word, until truth and humanity shall cease to be living ideas and mankind shall sink back into moral darkness, and the world shall put evil for good, bitter for sweet, and darkness for light, this discussion will go on…”
Viewing the sculpture from behind: The back of the chair has a bas-relief image of an enslaved African in shackles. “AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER?” is etched in the ribbon below him.
Artists are the stewards of civilization, and art in public places defines who we are as people and provides an account of our history for the next generation. When I began sculpting in 1993, there were few examples of African Americans as “people” in public art, and even fewer black sculptors doing the work. That hasn’t changed very much.
There comes a point in your life when you realize your place in the link to the past and the future, and I realized: No one will do this for us, so I faithfully portray the innermost thoughts and feelings of people of color, with all the fire and romance which lay dormant in our history. I believe that people, such as myself, are not only choosing art, we are choosing the life of the artist. Art offers us a different way of living. My happiness is achieved through fidelity to a worthy purpose.   
                                                                                                                                      Vinnie Bagwell

NEWS CHANNEL 4 – Call for Changes to Capitol Hill Statue of Lincoln Standing Over Freed Black Man “We believe it can be repurposed because the investment that Black people made in the statue is important” By Shomari Stone * Published June 16, 2020 *

What Father’s Day means to me

“My Grandfather’s House” by Najee Dorsey

To me, every day was Father’s Day!

Daddy’s girl, that is me. Most people who know me know that I worshiped the ground my father walked on. When they handed out fathers I was given the Rolls Royce edition.

Albert Goldberg

I cannot imagine growing up without a father – he taught me so much. He was the most generous and caring person I knew. We referred to him as a love machine. Everyone loved him.  My sister and I loved him alive for 6 years after all the cardiologists and doctors thought he would not make it through the night. Now that he is gone, I sit at the desk I made for him 45 years ago, I wear his name on a bracelet I wear every day, I carry his briefcase.  He is with me always. He taught me so many things. He taught me about business, that I should follow my creative passion, and especially that there was nothing I could not do because I was a woman. He made everything seem effortless, running a company with over 100 employees, endless amounts of community service, and helping people he did not know.
I wish for every child born in this world to have a father like Albert. What an incredible difference it makes in a child’s life to have loving, supportive, and caring parents. There would be a lot less messed up people in this world if they had wonderful parents.
Today we are featuring art about Men and fathers, and the things, subjects and art we think men would like.
Najee Dorsey is both an incredible artist and arts entrepreneur. Books will be written about him. Like myself he is both an artist and art entrepreneur. Here is more about Najee~
As an artist, Najee Dorsey has developed much in his craft over the years, and has become known for his mixed media collage, digital media collage images of little known and unsung historical figures, as well as nostalgic scenes from African American life in the southern United States. In his work, as Najee chronicles moments in Black life throughout history, he maintains that “stories untold are stories forgotten”. Far from the days after dropping out of arts college, and becoming uncertain about his future in the arts, Dorsey has forged a successful career as an artist, being featured in numerous solo and group museum shows, television broadcasts and print publications — a major feat for any artist. As well as these accomplishments, he has skillfully combined his creative edge, and business acumen to develop a steadily growing online community that documents, preserves and promotes the contributions of the African American arts community.
 Creatively Yours,
Margery E. Goldberg

HANDS UP – DON’T SHOOT

“I just wanted to go out and play, Hands Up-Don’t Shoot” “When I first started doing these mosaic sculptures in 2018 I had hoped that its meaning would have been irrelevant by the time I finished.” Chris Malone

Resistance and Protest

Everyday since “not my president” took office we have said how it can get worse, now we say everyday it will get worse.

Mother Nature certainly has her hand in this. Last night lightning hit the Washington Monument. during a thunderstorm. The world’s largest free-flying American flag has been ripped in half after a thunderstorm. The Acuity Insurance flag, located in Wisconsin, was ripped in half after a thunderstorm. It is measured at 70′ by 140′ and weighs 340 pounds.

The Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has changed the name of a plaza outside the White House to “Black Lives Matter Plaza” in a rebuke to President Trump.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, also unveiled a two-block long mural painted onto the street leading up to the White House declaring “Black Lives Matter.” She also demanded that Mr. Trump remove federal soldiers from Washington.
As DC residents we are familiar with the Exorcist Steps. My question to you, do you feel like everyday your head just spins around your neck? The events of these times are dizzying to say the least.
What is your most frequent emotion? Hate, anger, rage, shock, hopefulness, loving Mother Nature? To Whatever entity you pray, we need all of you to pray this weekend. We want our democracy back We want our health back, our city back, our country back, our integrity as a nation back.

Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a two-block long mural painted on street leading to White House, and changed the name of the plaza outside the White House to “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

Attorney General William P. Barr and the heads of other government departments have worked in concert to deploy a massive show of force in the nation’s capital. A Washington Post analysis of those deployments suggests that at least 16 law enforcement and military agencies have personnel on the ground in the District, with thousands of soldiers, police and agents actively engaged in the effort to maintain order.

All of the Police
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bureau of Prisons
Customs and Border Protection.
Defense Department
Department of Homeland Security
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Federal Protective Service
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Justice Department
Metropolitan Police Department
National Guard on Thursday indicated that soldiers and airmen from 10 states were supporting the D.C. National Guard this week. That included personnel from Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. The D.C. contingent numbers 1,200, with an additional 3,300 personnel from those 10 states. National Guard helicopters have also been identified over the District, including one instance in which a low-flying helicopter used and apparent effort to disrupt a protest.  
Pentagon Force Protection Agency

Transportation Security Administration.

U.S. Army.
U.S. Capitol Police (Congress).
U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. Park Police (Interior Department).
U.S. Secret Service.
 Creatively Yours,
Margery E. Goldberg

RESIST PERSIST INSIST

Resistance and Protest

This is the American way; this country was founded by protestors.

Now our President backed by his gang of imbecilic and corrupt monsters, encouraged by the pathetic and repugnant Congressional Republicans and stacked courts continue to undermine our Democracy and Rule of law.
Artists have taken up the cause for as long as people have been protesting. Artists, poets, musicians, dancers, actors the list goes on, we feel this to our core and have a need to express it.

I came to Washington DC in the fall of 1968, six months after the riots tore apart sections of DC.

Riots in Rochester, New York, c. 1964

Rochester New York, my hometown, had our riots before that in 1964. We were helped by Saul Alinsky to solve our racial divide, a name that became familiar in the 2016 elections.When I came to George Washington University we had marches and moratoriums every fall and spring between 1968 and 1972, and for a time the campus even was under martial law. As it happens an ignorant CIA agent who had infiltrated our campus radicals blew his cover to me. An 18-year-old college freshman. The US Marshall who was on campus he owned a boat with. So, a year later I blew his cover, which exposed that he had been at campuses all over the country. He ended up having people kicked out of the military and freaked out all his so-called friends. He of course threatened me with telling his superiors, but I knew he would make himself look even dumber if he told them he blew his cover to a college freshman who he never managed to get in my pants! TMI!

My first night arrested was at the DC Armory. Really an incredible experience.
As I believe I mentioned in prior posts my nickname in college was Megaphone-Margie, because I could be heard over a crowd. @megaphonemargie is my personal twitter handle if anyone is interested in reading my political views. I try and keep it separate from our gallery Twitter, which is @ZenithGalleryDC, but sometimes they collide.
Everything is colliding these days. Just last week we learned that the pandemic has taken over 100,000 American’s lives, we are in the midst of a financial meltdown, the killing of another unarmed black man, George Floyd, and now protests all over the country and the world.
Stand up for your rights, stand up for justice and speak up to let people know how you feel, but do not harm anyone or destroy their property or they win, and you become as bad as the people you are trying to stop.
We just had an election here in DC, and in the Nation’s Capital we can not figure out how to send out absentee ballots?  And while the polls were open for at least 10 days our turn out was pathetic, and those who did turn out were met with long lines. What’s with DC residents? We’ve known about absentee ballots for a few months. Most of you were at home – why not send in for one? And why would you not go vote in advance if you did not get a ballot? A few of my friends did because they did not trust the mail, and the early voting precincts were EMPTY!  We have so little representation in this city, the Congress treats us like a Territory.  Why would you not exercise the few rights we have. If you do not vote – do not complain.

There is no acceptable apology from the city screwing this up so badly. Oh, we will get it right the next time.  Really you did not get it right this time, and there is no next time for the primary election. Entire states vote by mail, it is just not that hard.

The entire system from the Board of Elections, Board of Ethics in Elections, DPW and DDOT can not even communicate the proper information to the campaigns. We need one agency to oversee all of it, not this piecemeal approach that makes it hard to find information.

Protest please and be careful. I did it for years and will still do it again. I am just incredibly sorry that this country worships the dollar more than human lives.
Here are several of our artists who take protest seriously! There are many more you will be seeing in the next few days.  
Creatively yours,
Margery E. Goldberg

You are not alone

“You Are Not Alone” by Bradley Stevens

We have two crises in this country
One is the Covid pandemic, ignored for months by lack of presidential leadership and ultimately left to the governors to handle, some extremely competent and others not. This pandemic has had a secondary effect as it has ripped the scab off the skin of racism in all forms in our country. And it has exposed the harsh reality of poverty in this country. Food desert is now a common term. Our country’s inability to effectively mobilize our pandemic response is disheartening at the very least. We are lagging behind most other countries who have met the crisis with assiduous and mandatory testing and tracing. Our failure to meet these standards is a humiliation for a country that used to be the first to conquer and eliminate diseases such as smallpox, polio, Ebola and have found effective treatments for HIV.
No matter how successful you are, if you are black, brown, Indian, Muslim, Jewish, Asian LGTBQ (and so many more it is hard to list all the groups that are persecuted including women) you must tell your children how to avoid encounters with the police, racists, rapists, Neo Nazis, pedophiles, and the list goes on.
Hate is poison, it is toxic for your body.
Love heals.
Art heals.
Laughter heals.
Fear, frustration and desperation are normal responses to horrific events. The cold, callous, non-caring way the police officer who nonchalantly had his knee on the neck of George Floyd, with his hands in his pocket, while taking a man’s life exhibits a lack of a human soul so deep it boggles the mind.
Within days artists have expressed themselves by painting murals and portraits honoring George Floyd. Please look at them, they are a click away.

Our next show will be about what artists did during their time in Isolation.
However today we have some great news. The US has reentered space by a very ingenious private citizen, Elon Musk. We are capable of greatness. The spaceship Dragon made it into space and along with it a piece of art called Human Kind by artist Tristan Eaton, commissioned by Musk.

“Human Kind” by Tristan Eaton, commissioned by Elon Musk to be on board the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

My point is to be your best self. Find out what you love to do and either do it or learn how to do it. Do not be afraid to take risks. I never would have opened an art gallery and art center three quarters of a block from 14th Street only ten years after the riots in DC. If I had any idea how difficult would be, I might not have done it. Similarly with starting a non-profit, and of course my first venture opening a woodworking studio in 1973 when there was no female with solo woodworking studios.
It is time to follow your passion and not harm anyone else. Bring people up, do not drag them down. Vote in the change you want to see, and do not burn down your own community. And for those who choose to stir up trouble in other people’s communities I ask what do you want your legacy to be? Is this how you want your children to remember you?
It is time to dig deep and find the good in yourself, then share that with the world.

Creatively yours,

Margery E. Goldberg

“NASA Heroes and Sheros” by Hubert Jackson

“Jean La Fitte’s – New Orleans” Joyce Werwie Perry

 

One hundred thousand Souls

“She is Tossed by the Waves” by Elissa Farrow-Savos

Art and Humanity
Zenith Gallery is a large family of artists, clients, patrons. friends, and employees, current and former. Most artists are empathic by very nature, and this pandemic hurts to the core. It is testing our humanity on so many levels. Do we care enough to wear a mask? By their actions each person answers the question, do I care about you?

In some ways, and for some, it is bringing about the best of humanity and in others it brings out the worst. For many artists it brings out the depth of their feelings. Artists have a supporting relationship with nature and all our planet’s life forms. Throughout millennia artists have used the human form for expression. We learn so much from art history about how people lived, died, rejoiced, fanaticised, and agonized from artists depictions and creations. From the visual arts to music, literature, theater, and dance, every art form tells us something about the human spirit.

We are now facing the undeniable truth of this horrific pandemic. One hundred thousand preventable deaths. Each was a mother, father, child, sibling, or grandparent loved by many.

In the words of our next president, Joe Biden:

“To those hurting, the nation grieves with you. There are moments in our history so grim, so heart-rending, that they are forever fixed in each of our hearts as shared grief. Today is one of those moments. 100,000 lives have now been lost to this virus. I think I know how you are feeling. You feel like you are being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest. It is suffocating.”
American lives lost in all wars since, and including, the Vietnam War: 104,147
Vietnam War: 58,220
Korean War: 36,574
Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,418
Persian Gulf War: 2,386
Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,349
No one was called to defend our country, especially first responders, nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, bus drivers, food bank volunteers, and so many more but these noble Americans and frankly people from every country on earth have stepped up and volunteered to help. These people, whether paid or unpaid, did not sign up to die for their job. But they do it anyway. We salute you, your bravery, unwavering spirit, and grit to endure the unimaginable. We hope our art brings some rejuvenation to your spirit.
We are, without a doubt, all in this together.
Please take care of yourselves and your families and know that you’re not alone!

Creatively yours,

Margery E. Goldberg

“Couple in Periwinkle” by Hubert Jackson

“Golden Sisters” by Hubert Jackson

MEMORIAL DAY 2020 – We Salute LAURA TAYLOR

Portraits of Veterans by Laura Taylor

Memorial Day- Laura Taylor
We are proud to represent Laura Taylor, Petty Officer First Class US Navy. Laura stays continually active with Veterans groups and she loves painting portraits of Veterans.
Laura exemplifies the wide range of Americans that serve and have served in the US Military. She approaches her art with the same determination and dedication that she practiced while serving our country.
I encourage everyone on this Memorial Day Weekend to remember all our Veterans, active duty service members, and all our first responders. They are willing to give their lives for us, the ultimate sacrifice.
Here is Laura in her own words:

Laura Taylor

As we move into this Memorial Day Weekend, I always take time to reflect on those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and thank their veteran families for their support.
A veteran is a person who wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including one’s life. 
Throughout my career as an artist I have had the privilege of drawing and painting many of these faces and being able to personally thank them for their service. Every Veteran has a story and no two stories are the same… I am always amazed how each portrait reflects that. 
As a United States Navy Veteran myself, who has had many family members who served as well, I feel that my families “need to serve” for this great nation comes deep from our roots. My painting, Essence of Growth, is a self-reflection of what my time in the service means to me. Deep love for our country, rooted into the ground I proudly walk on, with a continued mission to spread that energy with love and respect.
I have been creating paintings and drawings in a variety of mediums since 1988. I have been selling commissioned art since 2010 and instructing classes since 2014.
In 2017, I was selected to be one of ten veteran women featured in the Women Veteran Art Exhibition, a unique collection of art that toured many Veteran Hospitals and partnering corporations such as Starbuck’s Coffee.
I have been published in several art related books including: Stars & Stripes, The American Flag in Contemporary Art, and participated in a companion exhibit to the book, Stars and Stripes: Zenith Salutes the Flag.
In July 2018, I exhibited in the Parallax Art Fair in London, England.  In recent years I have started a Veteran Portrait Program with a mission that states “To gift portraits to our Veteran Community as a way to give back… and thank them for their Honor, Commitment and Courage!”
In 2019 I had the privilege of hosting in partnership with the Veteran Art Institute the second Women Veteran Art Exhibit at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
My story has been featured by Geico as part of their Military program with a commercial that was specifically produced to air during the 2017 CNN Heroes Award Ceremony with emphasis on PTSD. 
Sincerely,
Laura Taylor

Stars & Stripes: The American Flag in Contemporary Art, a book by Ashley Roony celebrates America by featuring the art of sixty-four artists and their representations of the American flag and other patriotic symbols in their art.

MEMORIAL DAY and THE CONSTITUTION

“United We Are, III” by Rachel Bohlander

Memory Day and the Constitution

This is what our Veterans, current military, and first responders dedicate their lives to.
Now as Americans we need to dedicate ourselves to a free and fair election. Some countries fine people for not voting, and I am all for that. Why would you not vote, or fill out the census, especially now while we are home-bound?
No liberty should be taken for granted. Artists, not just in America but all over the world, know this. In many countries artists can only paint or perform what the government allows.  Artists, like scientists, are often the forward thinkers of our time and to deny both is to deny the Liberty and Truths that this country was founded on.
This pandemic and this presidency has shown us what happens when you deny science and endlessly lie while praying more to the almighty dollar than caring about people’s lives. Mother Nature is honest. You may not like what she does sometimes, but it is a fact. A hurricane is a hurricane and global warming is a fact. Humanity is teetering towards extinction and if we continue to disregard science and natures warnings we could be a very short-lived experiment on planet earth’s history.
Here are some statistics: 4.54 billion years ago the earth was formed. For 300 million years cockroaches have been here (and are still thriving). The dinosaurs lived for 175 million years and humanity, in one form or another, has been here for 200,000 years. Humans, just 0.01% of all life, have destroyed a tenth of the earth’s wilderness in the past 25 years and are responsible for the extinction of 83% of wild mammals.
The insatiable desire for money and power has done this. Our biggest challenge now is to learn how to live in harmony with nature. Mother Earth will do quite fine without us but we cannot survive without her. We can not beat her and why would we want to? Everyone on this earth needs to figure out a way to reduce our carbon footprint.
Observing nature is one way to learn. Understanding what our founding fathers wanted for this country and going back to those values is of paramount importance. We all have contributed to the global crisis and now we all must come together to make sure we will survive. Look around, breathe the air, and remind ourselves why we evolved and how we can make a difference.
Please have a thoughtful and healthy Memorial Day.

Creatively yours,

Margery E. Goldberg

“Persist” by Rachel Bohlander

“Lady Liberty Crying” by Katharine Owens

“Right to Life” by Suzanne Brennan Furstenberg

Stars & Stripes: The American Flag in Contemporary Art, a book by Ashley Roony celebrates America by featuring the art of sixty-four artists and their representations of the American flag and other patriotic symbols in their art.

MEMORIAL DAY – 2020

L-r: Reveille by Gavin Sewell; America by Philip Hazard; Neon Flag by Margery Goldberg

Dear Zenith Art Lovers,
According to History.com it is unclear where exactly the Memorial Day tradition of commemoratiin our fallen soldiers originated. Numerous different communities that may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings are cited – some records showing that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemoration was organized by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.
Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war – a tradition that began with a World War I poem. Struck by the sight of bright red blooms on broken ground, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian who served as a brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit, wrote a poem, “In Flanders Field,” in which he channeled the voice of the fallen soldiers buried under those poppies.
This year, as we honor those who gave their lives for our country, and those who serve today in our military, let us not forget those who willingly serve on the front lines fighting the Covid pandemic and saving lives. It is a daunting battle and we are ever grateful to the doctors, nurses, first responders, and volunteers across the U.S. and the globe. This Memorial Day we need to remember everyone who is sacrificing to save our population and our planet.

Maybe we should call it both Memorial and Memory Day.
When we do not know or remember history we are likely to repeat it. Because the U.S. used to be the leading country on eradicating diseases many Americans have lost memory of the devastating effects of these diseases. I grew up during the Polio epidemic. Before that was the 1918 influenza, and before that was smallpox. We eradicated all of them, and more recently, measles.
We have lost more people to this Pandemic that the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. We need to stop fighting science and each other, we are one people, one planet, what effects one can affect all.
Please take care of yourself, honor our first responders, honor each other, and treat everyone how you would like to be treated yourself. They truly deserve it and we all need it.
Creatively yours, 
Margery E. Goldberg

“Freedom Isn’t Free” by Curtis Woody

“Sam’s Boots” by Katharine Owens

“These Colors Don’t Run” by Keith Norval

 

 

Jennifer Wagner Mosaics

It is Spring and we are all cleaning and refurbishing our homes. Our artist, Jennifer Wagner, can do so much to brighten up different spots in your home, both indoor and out.
She can even work with your children on the project. Does your shower need a freshen up, your kitchen backsplash,  or an outside mural on a garden wall? She can design new windows, transom and cover up concrete steps and walls that look worn and tired. Do you like birds in your windows? Her ideas are endless, she welcomes your ideas, and she is great to work with. A tireless worker, Jen puts her heart and creativity into each piece.
Please give us a call and we can arrange a visit. You might want to start with sending images so she can be thinking about it until she can come to your home. If it’s your yard, then anytime will work.
Creativity is an incredible antidote to anxiety.
Stay safe, and enjoy the art!
“I have always loved the “feel” of a space. Talking with clients, being in their environment, looking at the challenges of the space, these moments combine to create an art piece that elevates a home or business and speaks to the collaboration of the clients desires and the artist’s interpretation.”      Jennifer Wagner

Ava’s Mural Door

Kitchen backsplash

Coony exterior pediment sun mosaic

Cannery Way outdoor mosaic wall

Group project in process – all can join in the fun and creativity!

Official Portraiture of Bradley Stevens

Artist, Bradley Stevens with Judge Emmet G. Sullivan at the unveiling of his portrait.

Dear Zenith Friends,
I have never met him, but I can honestly say I love Judge Sullivan. He is the poster child for an independent Judiciary. The opposite of what the head of the Senate dragged the Senators back to DC to do, which was to confirm partisan judges. Not to work on the Covid pandemic, but to confirm right wing Judges.
Judge Sullivan was appointed to the bench by three different Presidents. Two Republican and one democrat. In 1984 President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. President George HW Bush appointed him in 1992 as an Associate Judge to the District Court of Appeals, and in 1994 President Bill Clinton appointed Judge Sullivan to the Federal Bench. After AG Barr asked for the case against Michael Flynn to be dropped this is what Judge Sullivan did. U.S.Judge puts Justice Department’s move to drop charges against Michael Flynn on hold. He is asking for amicus briefs from relevant parties.
Bradley Stevens is the go-to portrait artist and historical copyist for the Smithsonian, Congress, and more. He did a fabulous portrait of the Connecticut Compromise for the Senate meeting room. (See below) You must have a certain personality to do this kind of work and Bradley has all those characteristics.
In Bradley Stevens’ words: “One of the most rewarding aspects of being a portrait painter is having the opportunity to meet interesting and talented people from all walks of life. Often, the intense collaboration between artist and subject leads to lasting friendships.
My work with many judges in various courts is no exception. Painting the portrait of a judge, federal or otherwise, is a daunting (and intimidating) prospect. Yet, all the judges whose portrait I have had the honor to paint, have overwhelmed me with their warmth, humor and engaging spirit–not to mention their impressive intellect. My job is to look beyond those black robes and try to capture the whole person, with all their accomplishments and humanity.” 
 
We are proud to share with you a few of these extraordinary portraits.  
Creatively yours,
Margery E. Goldberg

‘The Presidents from Virginia’ original composition, 60″ x 108″, oil on linen, collection of University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Thomas Jefferson, Edgehill Portrait, original and copy, collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

George Washington, Lansdowne Portrait, copy after Gilbert Stuart, oil on linen, collection of Mount Vernon, Alexandria, VA

Mother’s Day Rembered

“Mother and Daughters” by Hubert Jackson

Dear Zenith Friends,
Mother’s Day. What do Mothers want the most? To see their children happy, healthy, successful, fulfilled, engaged in life.They want grandchildren, but probably should not ask when!
They want to be with their family no matter how large or small. Now this is the hard part given our current situation. Some cannot be together now. Even though in some families they have not spent this much time with their children in a long time. They say there will be a surge of homeschooling now that people have the handle on it.
Mothers are all ages. Our children are mothers, our sisters and cousins are mothers, and even some fathers have to be mothers!
I believe that being a mother is as much of a state of mind as a physical actuality. I am a stepmom to wonderful men; they have families and I have grandchildren. Being a mom does not mean you had to give birth to them. If that were true then everyone who gives birth would be a great mom. Fortunately, most are fabulous moms. Some over-mom and they hover, and as a dear friend says, you give them roots so they grow wings.
The preeminent mother of them all is Mother Nature. She is all wise and she is in control. If anyone had any doubt, these last few months should leave no doubt in your mind. We will either abide by her demands or we will perish.
What does your mother, daughter, sister or any woman that means something to you want?
Something personal, no matter how small. Zenith is here to help you with that. Whether it be a piece of jewelry, a work of art, a gift certificate so she can pick out her own. How about a commissioned portrait of Mom or the entire family? Today you can see a number of those artists to choose from. Hubert Jackson, Davis Morton or Bradley Stevens have very distinctive styles, so you have a lot to choose from.
It is time to show your mom or any mom in your family some appreciation. They are doing more than ever.
“Not for All the Stars” by Lea Craigie-Marshall  (see more art by Lea Craigie-Marshall)

Birds and Bees

“Beez” encaustic on panel by Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

Dear Zenith Art Lovers:

No this is not about the talk (we have with our children).
I am blessed – my property is filled with birds and bees. We can learn so much from them.
For many years I had two birds’ nests under my deck by the outside of my woodshop before I converted it to the gallery. Now the shop is going to the bottom of my property. I was outside carving with my chainsaw one day and saw the birds taking turns sitting on the nest. Not wanting to bother them I held off with the loud chainsaw and did something quieter. A month later another set of birds were in the other nest, and I really had to get the work done. Well, that did not seem to bother them at all, and much to my surprise they just kept sitting there.  But the fun part was on its way. After the eggs were hatched I would watch both mother and father taking turns finding worms and feeding the baby birds as they were chirping up a storm.  Boy are they noisy and hungry!
My point is how utterly attentive both male and female birds are to their young.  Parenthood seems to be second nature to them. I wish that were true for all humans.

One of the blessings this spring is that we can hear the birds and bees, we can see them, and they have fresh air to breath. This “time out” is good for our planet and we must figure out a way to not go back to the way it was. It is obvious to me that Mother Nature is really fed up with Humans and our deliberate misuse of our planet.
Atlantis, by Margery E. Goldberg

 

We cannot win; we can only live in harmony with nature.
Artists have always painted, sculpted and created gorgeous works of art about nature, birds and bees specifically. Today we bring you many different interpretations of artists depictions of  these wonderful  Aves and Insecta (Latin names) for their inspiration.
Marcie Wolf-Hubbard uses Encaustic as her medium, Suzy Scarborough- collage, paint, and a very unusual technique in putting it all together. Barbara Kobylinska uses found objects, Kristine Mays, Donna M. McCullough, David Bacharach, and David Hubbard fabricate metal. Stephen Hansen uses paper mache and design cast for his pieces.
Larry Ringgold finds driftwood and uses a multitude of pieces to form his animals. And I use domestic and exotic hardwoods by lamenting and carving to put together my sculpture.
What ever the media we all glorify the majesty of our planet.

Happy Birthday Margery Goldberg

 

70 YEARS ON THE PLANET | 42 YEARS OF ZENITH GALLERY | 20 YEARS OF ZCAF

Dear Zenith Friends,
I was born in Rochester NY May 3, 1950. Great parents and a wonderful childhood afforded me opportunities to become me. At the age of four I attended my first dance class and by 10 was taking sculpture classes at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery. From that time on I knew I was a sculptor. I never wanted to be, or thought I was a painter.  My parents were extraordinary – they never told me there were things I could not do because I was female. My Dad, otherwise known as Albert, owned a printing and advertising company and taught me about business from an incredibly young age.

 

My school would not allow girls to take Woodshop! Well I showed them. Rochester continues to be a hot bed of woodworking. I grew up around it. From high school I came to college in Washington at George Washington University as an art major, dance minor, along with Eastern Religion and lots of revolution. It was a fabulous and exciting time to be at GWU. My SHERO then and now is Maida Withers, who is still teaching dance at GWU. 1973 I opened my first woodworking studio in Georgetown, and in 1978 opened Zenith Gallery and Zenith Square at 15th and Rhode Island ave. NW.

We developed a 50,000 square foot artists studio complex. In 1986 we moved the gallery to 7th Street NW where we stayed for the next 24 years. 2009 brought big changes and we moved the gallery to my home in Shepherd Park, DC where we keep Zenith going with salon style exhibitions.

In 2000 (when I turned 50) we started the Zenith Community Arts Foundation. Now after 20 years we are working on accomplishing one of my main goals for the non-profit, building a mobile woodshop to train the next generation of finish and rough carpenters and woodworkers.

Here’s a visual trip down memory lane.
Creatively Yours,
Margery E. Goldberg

Where the wild things are

THE WILD AND WONDERFUL
   Sculpture of Larry Ringgold
Dear Zenith Art Lovers,
Spring planting, Maypoles, flower baskets and Mother Nature. These are some of the things that the month of May brings to mind. I choose to write about Larry Ringgold who uses driftwood to create incredible animals, fish, birds, trees and more. He wanders the shorelines to find limbs downed by storms and other natural causes to create his wood zoo. He embodies mankind’s healthy relationship with Mother Nature on so many levels.
For those of us who love our planet and acknowledge scientific evidence for global warming, I am sure you share my outrage at what “not my president” is attempting to do to this country and earth. Here is a link to an article about one of his latest plans to open all Wildlife Refuges to fishing and hunting. This stretches my ability to understand the level of evil and degradation he has inflicted on our country and world. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-open-wildlife-refuge-land-hunting-fishing-70055210 

These actions are a knife in the heart to anyone who understands the consequences of these actions.

What makes artists special, besides their talents and creativity, is how deeply they care, feel, emote and absorb the pain around us. Most artists are soulful and care deeply about other people and our fellow earthly inhabitants.
On the bright side, just as suddenly as it first formed a record-breaking ozone hole has healed. The largest ozone hole to ever open up over the Arctic is now closed, after first opening up earlier this spring. This is encouraging news.  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arctic-ozone-hole-largest-closed/
This is Mother Nature’s time to heal, and we must listen to her if we are going to survive.
Please meet our artist of the day, Larry Ringgold.
I was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay. I grew up crabbing and fishing with local watermen and have always felt a connection to the bay.  I have been a Carpentry/Woodworking Teacher and woodworker for over 42 years.The driftwood thing is an endeavor that was made possible by hurricanes and the opening of the Conowingo Dam.

Due to the massive flooding, great amounts of all types of wood drifted down to the Maryland beaches. I have always found driftwood art fascinating and now I have plenty to pick from.
I saw my first driftwood sculptures in California in the 70’s and since then found others online doing magnificent work such a Deborah Butterfield, Matt Torrens and Heather Jansch. I have found their work inspiring but different from my own in design and construction.   Larry Ringgold

“Homage to Vince”

“Peeps the Tree Frog”

The Fabric of our Lives

TEXTILE ART
   The Fabric of our Lives
Dear Zenith Art Lovers,
I always find it remarkable the different ways artists use their materials. Fiber, cloth, wool, can be woven, appliqued, dyed quilted, deconstructed, and patch-worked. These incredibly talented artists show many ways that fiber and cloth can be used to make art. Each of these artists use their medium quite differently.
In times of tension and uncertainty the softness of the materials calms our senses while expanding our minds. Loose yourself in the landscapes of Amanda Richardson, swim through the layers of Susan Klebanoff’s multidimensional tapestries, wonder through the paths of Sereix’s scenes, and travel the world with the wide range of people, places and landscapes of Mihira Karra.
Please enjoy these creative and talented artists.
Creatively yours,
Margery E. Goldberg
Mihira Karra is a fabric collage artist originally from Calcutta, India and grew up in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. She started sketching and using pastels as a child and realized her passion for portraiture and figurative art as a twelve-year-old when she sketched her first portraits of her great aunt and grandmother. She focused mainly on portraits of family and friends early on as she used them as live models to pose for her. She later used photographs as inspiration for figurative work. Her work in International Development has also inspired portraits of women, men and children from her travels around the world.
More recently, Dr. Karra has delved into the world of fiber arts. She is fascinated with the potential of fabrics as a medium thanks to an inspiring workshop under the tutelage of renowned fabric artist Laura Breitman. She is currently “painting” with fabric and using fabric as a medium for portraits and figures.

Amanda Richardson was born in Cornwall in 1957 and has lived there for much of her life. She left to take her degree at Goldsmiths College, London University, but her work is essentially involved with wild places and so she was drawn back to her county. In 1986 she left Cornwall to spend ten years on San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest of America, working from the dramatic landscapes of islands, mountains and water. Further travels have taken her north to Alaska and south as far as New Zealand.

Her work reflects a fascination with plants as they grow in their native environment, and rocks shaped by wind and water. Both birds and insects are included in her work as they are an integral part of her wild garden, itself a part of her working process.
Throughout her career Amanda Richardson has shown in galleries and is available for commission, which she has done many. Her work varies in scale from pieces suited to domestic interiors to works on a grand scale for public buildings. The first major commission was in 1979 in conjunction with the Royal School of Needlework. This was an embroidered fabric collage 9′ x 7′ to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Bath family at Longleat House. American clients include Boeing, Universities of Alaska and Washington State, BASF, Waldorf Astoria, Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels.