In collaboration with the Richard Levy Gallery, Acequia Madre House and the Women’s International Study Center, are pleased to present a pop-up exhibition in Santa Fe, 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 Francisca 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.