Standing Strong by Joanne Lefrak

In collaboration with the Richard Levy Gallery, the Women’s International Study Center and Acequia Madre House are pleased to present, STANDING STRONG by Joanne Lefrak. This body of work features scratched portraits in plexiglass. The exhibition debuts two new portraits that were completed during the artist’s residency at the Women’s International Study Center in June of this year. The women featured in Lefrak’s portraits are connected to the cultural community of New Mexico.

Joanne Lefrak scratches portraits of women she knows into plexiglass surfaces. Authenticity is primary. Her portraits are not idealized and she is unconcerned with social obsessions for youth or perfection, rather Lefrak’s subjects are middle-aged women who are fully empowered and in the prime of their lives. The shadows cast from the scratched renderings define each image making visible the beauty of persona, age, and the power of the women.

Also on display at the Acequia Madre House is a coinciding exhibition of artwork by some of the women featured in Lefrak’s portraits including Francesca Benitez, Rose B. Simpson, Edie Tsong and Martha Tuttle.This pairing offers a deeper understanding of who these women are and the type of work they create.

In addition to being an artist, Lefrak is the Director of Education and Curator of Public Practice at SITE Santa Fe and a strong advocate for promoting women in the arts. Her work has been exhibited at MASS MoCA, ev+a in Ireland,  Albuquerque Museum, and the New Mexico Museum of Art, among others.

Richard Levy Gallery shows contemporary art in all mediums by emerging and established regional, national, and international artists. The gallery presents 6 exhibitions annually at the Albuquerque location in addition to pop up presentations and art fairs in other cities.

The Acequia Madre House was built by three remarkable women—mother, Eva Scott Fényes; daughter, Leonora Scott Muse Curtin; and granddaughter, Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo—who made significant contributions intellectually, culturally, and financially to Santa Fe and far beyond. Continuing and reviving this tradition of these three women, Acequia Madre House is the home of the Women's International Study Center and is a space for contemporary art that engages with history. www.womensinternationalstudycenter.org