You, Me, Us: Artwork in Response to Bullying
November 1, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
LOCAL ARTIST RESPONDS TO GAY BULLYING WITH POSITIVE ABSTRACTIONS
Artist Maura McGurk shares moving body of work and begins local art call for youth in support of Homeless Youth Services & Sylvia Rivera Food Pantry of MCCNY
New York, New York – October 30, 2011 – Jackson Hall Gallery of MCCNY, curator Heidi Russell, co-curator/artist Maura McGurk and A Purpose for Art present a special exhibition: “You, Me, Us: Artwork in Response to Bullying”, showing Thursday, November 3 – Monday, November 14, 2011, with an opening reception on Thursday, November 3 from 6 to 8pm at the Jackson Hall Gallery, 446 W 36th St, NY, NY (between 9th & 10th).
Maura McGurk moves the viewer with magnificent colors and textures in her latest body of work promoting love, acceptance and tolerance…a direct, positive response to the bullying epidemic, especially gay bullying. The exhibit is the first in a series of four, which is organized by A Purpose for Art, whose goals also include promoting and supporting local artists and further educating the public on bullying and the NY Anti-bullying Act. A portion of all proceeds will benefit the various outreach programs of the MCCNY.
McGurk says that although the subject matter of teen suicide and gay bullying is weighty, her message, like that of the It Gets Better Project, is uplifting and supportive. As such, the artwork itself is colorful and attractive. Event organizer Anthony Matulis agrees. “I have often found abstract work ostentatious and intimidating in the past, however Maura’s work is inviting and encourages positive dialogue.” Furthermore, Maura takes her message to local youth and encourages them to participate in the dialogue by initiating a two-month long call for youth art to culminate in a joint exhibit with Maura and other artists in January and February, celebrating MCCNY’s 40th Anniversary.
Maura has exhibited her paintings at various venues in New York, New England, and Italy. One of her sketchbooks toured the United States and can be seen as part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Art Library. The artist has participated in numerous charitable events affiliated with the It Gets Better Project and victims of Hurricane Katrina and currently teaches art in Manhattan.
###
If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact curator Heidi Russell via phone at 646.272.8879 or via email at heidirussellpublicist@gmail.com.
Comments (0) | Tags: art exhibitions, publicity
Artist Puts Money Where Mouth Is, Donates 10% of Exhibition Proceeds to It Gets Better
August 8, 2011
Photo courtesy of Jeff Campbell
Artwork created in response to gay bullying raises money for foundation combatting anti-gay teen bullying and suicide
(New York, NY)
Maura McGurk was so moved to hear of the suicides of several teenagers in Fall 2010, bullied because they were gay, or at least thought to be gay, that she began memorializing her anguish for the teens in paintings.
Simultaneously in the Fall of 2010, columnist and activist Dan Savage founded the It Gets Better Project, which sprang from the same concern for bullied gay teens.
In July 2011, McGurk and the It Gets Better Project came together when she exhibited her anti-gay bullying artwork in Norwich, Connecticut and donated 10% of proceeds from sales to the non-profit organization, to support their work with LGBT youth.
McGurk contacted Savage and It Gets Better because of their shared interest in saving teens’ lives, and told them about the exhibition. Savage was already acquainted with her work, since he owns one of her anti-gay bullying paintings, called, appropriately enough, It Gets Better.
McGurk’s artwork was on view at the Wauregan Gallery in an exhibition entitled Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying. From that show, she sold five paintings of various sizes on paper and wood panel, as well as 18 painted puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces were part of an installation that was dismantled and sold piece by piece during the exhibition. The sales generated a donation of more than $160 for It Gets Better.
McGurk says that although the subject matter of teen suicide and gay bullying is weighty, her message, like that of the It Gets Better Project, is uplifting and supportive. As such, the artwork itself is colorful and attractive.
“I want my work to have a chance to tell its story, and so I try to make it beautiful through colors and textures, so you want to spend time with it,” McGurk said. “And if you spend time with it, hopefully something else will emerge. Lots of art has been made about war and tragedy, and some of it is really bleak and ugly. Let’s face it–tragedy is ugly. But I can’t make my work that way; that’s not me.”
McGurk’s anti-gay bullying artwork can be viewed on her website.
More about Maura McGurk: Believing in art’s power to change the world, Maura’s current work supports LGBT youth by taking a stand against gay bullying. Maura is has exhibited her paintings at various venues in New York, New England, and Italy. Her work is held in over sixty private collections in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
Comments (0) | Tags: art exhibitions, contemporary art, donations of artwork, gay art, gay bullying, It Gets Better, suicide
Maura McGurk Featured in “At the Edge” Magazine
August 5, 2011
The premier issue of At the Edge magazine, an independent art publication which focuses on emerging artists in New York City, features artist Maura McGurk and her crusade against gay bullying.
The article discusses McGurk’s July 2011 solo exhibition, entitled Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying. The paintings in the exhibition were inspired by the deaths of several teens who committed suicide in Fall 2010 after being bullied because they were gay (or were thought to be gay). McGurk teamed with the It Gets Better Project to publicize the event, and donated 10% of proceeds to them to support their work with gay youth.
An excerpt:
McGurk says that although the subject matter is weighty, the work itself is colorful and attractive.
“Whenever people hear the words abstract art, or gay art, or political art, they say “Uh oh”. I want my work to have a chance to tell its story, and so I try to make it beautiful through colors and textures, so you want to spend time with it. And if you spend time with it, hopefully something else will emerge. Lots of art has been made about war and tragedy, and some of it is really bleak and ugly. Let’s face it–tragedy is ugly. But I can’t make my work that way; that’s not me.”
The magazine has a particular passion for artists affiliated with the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. McGurk exhibited several paintings at the West Side Neighborhood Alliance (WSNA) offices during the HK Artist Studio Tours in June 2011, and the WSNA is covered in an article in the current issue as well.
Other articles include a history of Hell’s Kitchen, a monograph on Victorine Meurent (Édouard Manet’s model for Olympia and Le déjeuner sur l’herbe) and a spotlight on the International Women Artists’ Salon.
Details regarding purchase, as well as a launch party, will be released soon.
Comments (0) | Tags: art exhibitions, contemporary art, It Gets Better, publicity
Lavender Menace art exhibition covered in Norwich Bulletin
July 11, 2011
Photo courtesy of Jeff Campbell
Comments (0) | Tags: art exhibitions, publicity
Maura McGurk’s Art Blog Featured on CTMuseumQuest.com
May 30, 2011
CTMuseumQuest.com, the website devoted to exploration of each and every one of Connecticut’s museums, has featured Maura McGurk’s art blog in its recent article about the Norwich Arts Center Gallery. The article discusses the Abraham Lincoln portrait contest.
The website has identified over 650 museums and historical sites in Connecticut (not bad for the third-smallest state in the country), and plans to visit and review each one of them. The list is currently at #211.
Comments (0) | Tags: Abraham Lincoln Caper, art museums, publicity
July is for Patriotism, and for Giving Back, Says Artist
May 26, 2011
July is shaping up to be a charitable month for Maura McGurk; she will donate 10% of proceeds from her art exhibition about anti-gay bullying to The It Gets Better Project, and donate an original artwork which will be auctioned off in support of the New Bedford Art Museum.
It Gets Better will promote McGurk’s solo exhibition, which will take place at the Wauregan Gallery in Norwich, CT, with an opening reception during Norwich’s monthly First Friday celebration, on July 1. The artworks on display will take a stand against gay bullying by presenting McGurk’s thoughtful yet colorful take on teenaged suicides due to bullying.
“As we think about how to be patriotic during July, let’s remember that there’s nothing more American or patriotic than supporting our kids,” McGurk said. “Having this conversation [about bullying] is saving lives, and The It Gets Better Project is saving lives. I wish it could be more [than a 10% donation] but a girl’s gotta eat!”, she laughed.
Works for sale will include framed paintings on paper, paintings on wood panels, and an art installation which will be sold off piece by piece.
McGurk’s other charitable focus during July is a donation of artwork to an art auction in support of the New Bedford Art Museum. The theme for the artwork is New Bedford/Southcoast Through the Lens.
“I donated a little painting of a bird last year, and I have a special place in my heart for the New Bedford Art Museum. I lived down the street while I was in grad school, and liked to walk over there to see what was going on, and brought my students there for field trips,” McGurk remembers.
She will be co-curating an exhibition of artists’ sketchbooks at the museum during 2012, with fellow artist and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth alumna Alison Wells.
Comments (0) | Tags: abstract art, Acrylic painting, art exhibitions, Art installations and performance, contemporary art, donations of artwork, gay art, gay bullying, It Gets Better, political art, sketchbook, suicide
It Gets Better Project to Support Maura McGurk’s Solo Art Exhibition
May 25, 2011
The It Gets Better Project, founded by Dan Savage in response to several teen suicides caused by anti-gay bullying in Fall 2010, will support artist Maura McGurk’s solo art exhibition at the Wauregan Gallery in Norwich, CT during July 2011.
The exhibition will feature artworks that take a stand against gay bullying. McGurk began this body of work in Fall 2010 because of the same concerns about teen suicides due to anti-gay bullying. McGurk says that although the subject matter is weighty, the work itself is colorful and attractive.
“Whenever people hear the words abstract art, or gay art, or political art, they say “Uh oh”. It sounds confrontational, or weird, or people say I don’t understand art nowadays,” McGurk said. “I want my work to have a chance to tell its story, and so I try to make it beautiful through colors and textures, so you want to spend time with it. And if you spend time with it, hopefully something else will emerge. Lots of art has been made about war and tragedy, and some of it is really bleak and ugly. Let’s face it–tragedy is ugly. But I can’t make my work that way; that’s not me.”
After a pause, she added, “Like Harvey Milk said: You gotta give ‘em hope”.
It Gets Better, Acrylic/Mixed media on panel, 6 x 6, In the private collection of Dan Savage
McGurk contacted It Gets Better because of their shared interest in saving teens’ lives, and told them about the exhibition. It probably didn’t hurt that founder Dan Savage was already acquainted with her work, since he owns one of her anti-gay bullying paintings, called, appropriately enough, It Gets Better.
The It Gets Better Project will promote the exhibition and have provided their name and logo for use in advertising. McGurk will donate 10% of proceeds from the exhibition to the non-profit foundation. “I wish it could be more, but a girl’s gotta eat!” she laughed.
“There is a wide range of pricing, with affordable pieces, and a fun aspect where an installation of puzzle pieces will be sold off piece by piece. There’s something for everyone, so I hope at the end of the month, I have a nice big check to give to The It Gets Better Project”.
McGurk’s anti-gay bullying artwork can be viewed on her website. To purchase a painting, please contact Maura McGurk at maura@mauramcgurk.com or through her website.
Comments (2) | Tags: abstract art, art exhibitions, color, donations of artwork, gay art, gay bullying, It Gets Better, People in the news, political art, suicide
Maura McGurk Interviewed by The Norwich Bulletin
May 6, 2011
Procession of the Orphans: Rejected Lincoln portraits move to new gallery space
Maura McGurk and other artists discuss their views of the judging of the Lincoln portrait contest sponsored by the Slater Museum in Norwich, CT.
The Slater has defended itself against charges by the artists and others that it acted in an unethical manner by changing the contest rules, and notifying the participating artists of the change only when they arrived on the deadline with their completed portraits in hand.
Exiled artists in Norwich’s Lincoln contest given apologies, by Kelly-Ann Franklin, The Norwich Bulletin, Norwich, CT. Published April 27, 2011.
Comments (0) | Tags: Abraham Lincoln Caper, art contests, art museums, interviews, professional ethics, publicity
Maura McGurk Blog Featured in The New London Day
May 6, 2011
Maura McGurk’s blog regarding the Lincoln portrait contest sponsored by the Slater Museum is quoted extensively in The New London Day. The Day reveals the backlash among the contest entrants, the artistic community, and citizens of Norwich, CT regarding so-called “unethical” practices in the portrait judging.
Lincoln artists cry foul, by Claire Bessette, The Day (New London, CT). Published April 26, 2011.
Comments (0) | Tags: Abraham Lincoln Caper, art contests, art exhibitions, art museums, professional ethics, publicity
Dan Savage Takes Home Painting About Gay Bullying
April 5, 2011
It Gets Better, Acrylic and mixed media on panel, 6 x 6, In the private collection of Dan Savage
Dan Savage and Maura McGurk were both profoundly affected by a series of teen suicides in the fall of 2010. The suicides were particularly notable and received national media attention because they occurred in a cluster, and were caused by acute bullying because the boys were thought to be gay.
Ever since, Savage and McGurk have separately been hard at work.
From Seattle, Savage created the It Gets Better Project, which provides a platform for adults to upload supportive videos targeted at bullied teens. These testimonials, many by adults who were bullied and attempted suicide themselves, assure young viewers that a happy and productive future awaits them. They ask for patience and perspective, and offer understanding and hope. It Gets Better also became a book, edited from the ten thousand and counting videos, and reached the New York Times Bestseller List in March 2011.
In New York City, McGurk began painting a series of abstract paintings about the boys who committed suicide, and the circumstances that emerged about incidents of gay bullying. Classes of schoolchildren have toured her studio to see the work, and the paintings have been exhibited twice since February 2011. McGurk is still adding to the series, and some of the paintings have now found homes in private collections.
Enter Dan Savage, again. He came to New York City on the It Gets Better book tour, and took home a McGurk painting titled, appropriately, It Gets Better.
Contact McGurk to purchase a painting in support of LGBT youth and take a stand against gay bullying: maura@mauramcgurk.com.
Comments (0) | Tags: abstract art, contemporary art, gay art, gay bullying, It Gets Better, People in the news, political art
Maura McGurk, International Women Artists’ Salon Member Spotlight
February 26, 2011
In celebration of her first solo show, Maura McGurk is in the Member Spotlight at the International Women Artists’ Salon. Check out the article for more on her artistic motivation and work on gay bullying.
Comments (1) | Tags: gay art, gay bullying
Maura McGurk’s First Solo Show: Pride and Prejudice, An Exhibition on Gay Bullying
February 17, 2011
Maura McGurk’s first solo exhibition will feature paintings created in response to gay bullying.
McGurk began this body of work in fall of 2010, on the heels of several suicides by teenaged boys who had been bullied by classmates. These suicides were well-publicized due to their sheer number and proximity in time: five suicides in the month of September received national attention, though possibly up to ten were documented in the US that month.
McGurk was shocked and saddened by this news, particularly the story of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year old who killed himself after being secretly filmed during a date and subsequently outed by his college roommate.
“I couldn’t get him out of my head. Imagine, he had just begun his freshman year–he wasn’t even a month into college”, said McGurk.
Around this time, McGurk went to the Vermont Studio Center for a month-long residency, where she began working on paintings that expressed her remorse about Tyler.
“I began the first painting by stenciling alot of words–literally quoting events–because this story was so specific, and involved texts and tweets and name-calling. But as I delved deeper into the story, I began unleashing colors more than words, and using dripping, dangling shapes and unsettling colors like yellow-greens to show the heartbreak, rather than talk about it.”
As an abstract painter, McGurk was surprised to realize that human figures were emerging in these works, though not necessarily in a realistic style. Legs appear in two paintings–In Secret, where they are bent at a vulnerable angle, and Fragile, in which a pair of cartoonish, spindly legs parade on their own in a field of green paint. Another, more classically abstract painting, Encounter, calls up the human figure less directly by using pinks and flesh tones, and a ferocious pencil scribble to suggest limbs and bodies in motion.
McGurk acknowledges that such expressive bursts of drawing in many of the paintings came from a sense of urgency and upset over the suicides. “The drawing within the paintings was a way to let out the heartbreak I was feeling for these kids. Just a very immediate, reflexive kind of thing that came from not knowing what to do with this terrible sense of loss. Sadness for kids I didn’t even know. Most of the paintings are built up slowly and thoughtfully, layer by layer, but sometimes I was too upset to work slowly and then the pencil came out and dug in.” Indeed, some of the pencil marks are not drawn lines at all, but desperate and furious tracks carved again and again through the paint.
-
- Fragile, Acrylic on panel, 6″ x 12″
-
- Encounter, Acrylic and pencil on panel, 24″ x 24″
-
- In Secret, Acrylic and pencil on panel, 36″ x 48″
The public is invited to the opening reception of Pride and Prejudice, on February 22, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, at the Sapphire Lounge in New York City.
For related content, please also see:
Maura’s Lavender Menace Paintings, related to gay issues
Maura’s Sketchbook Project
Maura’s It Gets Better Project video
Comments (1) | Tags: abstract art, art exhibitions, contemporary art, figurative art, gay art, gay bullying, interviews, It Gets Better, political art, suicide, Vermont Studio Center
The Only Art Worth Doing Is the Art That Makes Things Better: An Interview with Maura McGurk
February 7, 2011
Bridge, Acrylic/Mixed media on panel, $3000
In an interview with fellow artist Gina Marie Dunn, Maura McGurk discusses her creative process and inspirations for creating political art. She also considers some practical issues about being a fine artist, and, true to form, even finds a way to reference the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry.
Please access the full interview here.
Comments (0) | Tags: abstract art, artistic practice, baseball, contemporary art, creative process, gay art, interviews, political art, publicity
Equality on Trial: Prop 8 Reenactments, Scene 2
October 2, 2010
Wait No More NYC, a group of New York City activists working for LGBT rights, reenacts testimony from the Prop 8 trial in Washington Square Park. Featuring Maura McGurk, Kris Lew, Eddie Jones, Julia Yoler, Tom Crockett, and Michael O’Day.
Sandra Stier testimony, Part 1:
Sandra Stier testimony, Part 2:
What if a historic trial happened and nobody could see it? This year, Americans could not watch the Proposition 8 trial—Perry v. Schwarzenegger—because Prop 8 supporters successfully appealed to block cameras from televising the trial.
Wait No More NYC, a group of activists lobbying for full equality for LGBT people, brought testimony from the trial to Washington Square Park, with actors embodying the roles of the real-life plaintiffs, lawyers and other witnesses.
Conceived of by Cleve Jones and the Courage Campaign, Equality on Trial allowed everyone to bear witness to the moving testimony that reveals discrimination, but ultimately speaks of love, the hope for equality, and full recognition of the importance of all our lives.
Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, Alan Cumming, Patricia Clarkson, and other supporters of gay marriage all over the country have reenacted their own scenes. See the Equality on Trial website for more information, and to view other reenactments.
Comments (0) | Tags: Art installations and performance, gay
Garden Party to Support New Bedford Art Museum
October 2, 2010
Maura, at the Garden Party, with Feathered Nest artwork
The New Bedford Art Museum is pleased to announce the Garden Party On the Bay on Friday evening, July 23, 2010 hosted by Phoebe and Chip Perry at their Marion home. From 6:00 – 9:00 P.M. guests will enjoy live jazz, strolling on the lawn, sailboat gazing, an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. All proceeds support the educational programs and exhibitions of the New Bedford Art Museum allowing it to continue its mission of engaging the public in experiencing, understanding and appreciating art.
A creative and generous parliament of artists has taken their cue from the Museum’s exhibition Taking Flight!: The Birds of John James Audubon from the Collection of the New Bedford Free Public Library. Organized by Jean Kellaway and Phoebe Perry, each artist has interpreted Audubon in their own media. Their work will be the center of the Museum’s Silent Auction. The Garden Party on the Bay will be a rare opportunity to collect the work of an important area artist and keep the Museum flying at the same time.
