Garrett's Artwork Is Inspired By Martha Graham And The 19th Amendment

A multidisciplinary exhibition of works by Margaret Garrett in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment goes on view this weekend at Planthouse, a gallery in New York City.

Titled “19,” the show includes video and painted collages inspired by 19 poses chosen from Martha Graham dances by the Graham company to honor the centennial of women’s right to vote. The exhibition will also feature a suite of woodblock and chine colle prints made at Flatbed Press in Austin, Texas and published by Planthouse Gallery. “The 19,” an essay by North Haven artist April Gornik, will accompany this exhibition.

“As a longtime admirer of Martha Graham, I was immediately captivated by the idea of working with these poses to make work in celebration of the 19th amendment,” said Garrett, a Shelter Island resident. “In creating these pieces, I felt like I was working with a very potent alphabet, an intimate language about dance, women and power.”

Born in North Carolina and raised in Pennsylvania, Garrett trained to be a dancer and went on to dance with the Pennsylvania and Cleveland Ballet Companies. In her early 20s, she discovered painting, finding something spiritually akin to dance in the movement of line and color, and switched her focus to visual art.

Garrett’s paintings, prints, and videos have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country including Planthouse, Danese/Corey, the Flag Art Foundation, Birnam Wood and the Parrish Art Museum. Her work has also been included in the Armory Show, Art on Paper, Dallas Art Fair, and the Baltimore Museum Contemporary Print Fair. She has been awarded residencies at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and in Assisi, Italy, and has collaborated on two projects with Flatbed Press in Austin, Texas. Garrett’s work is held in numerous private and corporate collections. Museum collections include the Parrish Art Museum and Guild Hall Museum.

“Margaret Garrett: 19” opens with a reception at Planthouse, 55 West 28th Street, Manhattan, on Thursday, September 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. The show runs through October 18. Masks are required and limited number of people are permitted in the gallery at a time. For more information, call 212-564 5502.