IMPACT 2022: Art that Bears Witness

Exhibit: May 20 – June 30, 2022

Gallery Hours:
Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm
Wed. May 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22, 10:00am-7:30pm
Sat. May 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25, 10am-3pm

Opening Reception:  Friday May 20, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Lecture: Wednesday June 8, 6:30pm-8:00pm (WHEN ARTISTS SHOUT: Social and Political Commentary in Western Art A Lecture by Marcy B. Freedman) Learn more and Register

IMPACT 2022: Art that Bears Witness presents the work of a diverse group of artists working in a wide variety of media that use art to denounce and challenge racism and discrimination by gender, class and immigration status, and to raise awareness of reproductive rights, public health and access, and environmental issues.

Through the ages, artists have used their creativity to call to action, protest, support, attest, and provoke lasting and meaningful change. Ranging from abstraction to more figurative work, from personal to more universal, from literal to more poetic, the artwork in this exhibition invite and engage us to be aware of inequities and systemic institutionalized practices that are racist and oppressive, and that can be abolished.

Participating artists in this exhibition include John Ahearn, Lizzy Alejandro, Laura Alvarez, Dotty Attie, Shahaan Azeem, Aileen Bassis, Edward Bear Miller, Stacy Bogdonoff, Michele Brody, Suzanne Broughel, Aleathia Brown, Serge Bulat, Maryanne Buschini, Kevin Byrd, Brett De Palma, Nicky Enright, Patricia Espinosa, Jennifer Figueroa, Coleen Fitzgibbon, Angela Fremont, Susan Grabel, Alyssa Herrera, Susan Hoeltzel, Monique Islam-Salas, Kyung Jeon, Carla Rae Johnson, David Kalal, Anne LaFond, Elaine Luther, Katrina Majkut, Cecilia Mandrile & Lynn Bechtold, Tali Margolin, Mary McFerran, Fani Miller-Beard, Marilyn Miller, Traci Mims, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, Tomo Mori, Taeesha Muhammad, Linda Negrin, James Offenhartz, Tom Otterness, Kristi Pfister, Carol Reed, Nelson Santiago, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, Nia Simone, Arle Sklar-Weinstein, Jean-Marc Superville Sovak, Lynn Tomlinson, Keil Troisi, Karen Viola, Tammy Wofsey, Marcia G. Yerman.

The artists’ books, collage, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video in this exhibition boldly, directly, meditatively, and at times with humor, ask us to participate and take on these timely conversations that are rapidly evolving in the midst of a Pandemic, global warming, displacement due to wars and violence, and polarized ideologies.

– Juanita Lanzo, Curator, IMPACT 2022: Art that Bears Witness

We began planning for this exhibition almost a year ago with a series of conversations with a small group of artists and individuals who care deeply about the challenges of our time, and about making the communities we live in better, more empathetic places. At that time, the pandemic, racism – more specifically the Black Lives Matter movement – and criminal justice were the issues consuming media attention. Today, the war in Ukraine and the devastating loss of life weigh heavily. While the artists’ work in this show was submitted and selected before war broke out, it is hard not to believe that artists will once again play a vital role to bear witness to the horrors playing out in Ukraine and move people to take some small action to document and address the tragedy that is unfolding. They are our clarion callers.

 Thank you to Kevin Byrd, Bonnie Bradley, Marilyn Miller, Rochelle Udell, and Henry Welt for their commitment, passion, and expertise in shaping this exhibition. Without their belief in Bethany and their many hours of help, this exhibition would not be possible. Finally, we are deeply grateful for Juanita Lanzo’s care and expertise in curating this exhibit.

 – Abigail Lewis, Executive Director, Bethany Arts Community

Juanita Lanzo is a visual artist, art director, educator and independent curator working in the Bronx and living in East Harlem.