From April 7 to April 29, 2017, artist Dorothy Krakauer will be displaying artwork via a solo show at RIO II Gallery in New York City which is part of the Broadway Housing Communities program. The show, titled “Transformations” will be Dorothy’s second solo show at the venue. Her first—“Trees & Leaves”—was displayed in September of 2014.
Dorothy Krakauer is an award-winning international artist and curator who works in a variety of mediums including watercolors, oils, charcoals, pencils, photography, and pastels. She is also a co-founder of Fountain House Gallery and serves on the Gallery Steering Committee. Dorothy’s artwork has been featured in “ART News,” “Arte News Publishing Magazine,” “Studio & Gallery” and more. In the 1970s, Dorothy supervised the renovation of the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Turkey, where she created an original painting of Saint Francis of Assisi, designated a National Art Treasure of Turkey. Dorothy first got involved with RIO II Gallery in 2014 thanks to her professional photographer friend, Rafaelina Tineo. “I am a guest artist at the gallery and I curated an exhibit for another artist,” Dorothy explained. “I am also helping other artists with their shows in the gallery in the future. The artwork I am exhibiting in this show was created over a time span of several years, from 1994 to 2017. It is inspired by a moment in time, a certain object, a certain experience, a certain sound, a smell…It’s hard to answer as many things inspire me but all the artwork is based on nature and my relationship to it. I do not have a favorite piece of art in the show; each piece has its own beauty and story.”
Along with the exhibition, the RIO II Gallery will host a performance of “Transformations,” a play by Agnes Koci and Patrick McEvoy that was written in honor of artist Modigliani. Fittingly, both the play and the art display share the same name. The play is set in the early 1900s and follows the story of struggling artist Modigliani and his lover, Jeanne. To inspire creativity they drink absinthe, also called “green muse”, and explore the border between reality and dreams. Agnes Koci is a Hungarian artist who was born and raised in Szabadka, Serbia. Agnes has been dancing and acting since childhood. In 2008, she moved to New York City and trained at the renowned Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Agnes has been a faculty member of the Hummingbirds Institute since 2014, a studio of yoga, dance, and music exclusively for people with special needs. Agnes’ co-writer, Patrick McEvoy, is a writer and editor for numerous sports publications. Patrick has also published stories in an array of comic book anthologies and has had several of his plays performed at the Players Theatre. Agnes got involved with the Rio II Gallery through Dorothy and Patrick came onboard via a previous association with Agnes. “I emailed him with my wild idea for the ‘Transformations’ play and he was interested in the project,” Agnes explained. “He wrote the play based on both of our passion towards Modigliani’s story. He had a great talent that was not understood while he was living and that often happens to artists. He died young and in poverty and there is that beautiful and sad love story that his wife killed herself after his death. Both were so young and both were artists. The play’s style is interesting. I will be acting in it and I will do a bit of improvisation since we want the audience to be a part of the play. I love when people have to react quick, you can’t be prepared for certain things in life either and those reactions are always beautiful and truthful. We will also be incorporating modern dance spiced with tango elements.”
I Dream of Mountains Dorothy Krakauer Oil on Canvas 40inx30in 2012[/caption]Agnes is currently working on another play titled “Extended One Girl Show” which is a comedy about love and romance. She is also working on the production of a movie and preparing for Columbia University. Dorothy is scheduled to collaborate with international artist and curator Diane Ponder on several two-person exhibits in New York and Chicago. Dorothy also has several photographs on display in Chelsea’s Montserrat Gallery and some of her photos were chosen to be put on view in public-access areas at the Radiation Oncology Department of the Mount Sinai/Roosevelt Hospital in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City.
RIO II Gallery is part of the Broadway Housing Communities program that boasts several facilities in New York City, including 583 Riverside Drive which RIO II Gallery is in the building known as Dorothy Day Apartments. The building contains seventy apartments for low-income families, a childcare center for resident and neighborhood children, and space for employment training services and educational, technology, and cultural programs. The RIO II Gallery overlooking the Hudson River is part of these programs and provides opportunities for local artists to exhibit their work and engage the community.
To learn more about the gallery, visit its official website. Dorothy Krakauer’s official website is here and Agnes Koci’s site is here. To learn more about Broadway Housing, see here.
So thrilled to see this beautiful article on the internet! Thank you so much, Meagan, and to everyone who has worked on and is working on this project with me!