Women And Their Art

In “The Curator’s View,” an illustrated talk at the Parrish Art Museum on Friday, February 28, at 6 p.m., Alicia G. Longwell, Ph.D., The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator, Art and Education at the Parrish, will highlight works on view by women artists in the exhibition “What We See, How We See.”

The artists represented span generations and genres, from 19th century landscape painter Edith Mitchill Prellwitz to 20th century artists Perle Fine and Alice Trumbull Mason, to renowned contemporary artists — many of whom are based on the East End — who continue to practice today including Jennifer Bartlett, Audrey Flack, Mary Heilmann, Valerie Jaudon, Katherine Porter and Dorothea Rockburne.

“For centuries, social conventions limited the training available to women artists, the subjects they could render, and the ways they could market art to patrons,” said Longwell. “Much has changed in this history and we’ll explore the transformation through the lens of works currently on view by outstanding women artists.”

“What We See, How We See,” is a seven-part exhibition that contextualizes work by a variety of artists through the lens of how they see and interpret the world around them, presenting distinct approaches by artists working in abstraction and figuration, from the late 19thcentury until today. Organized into individual thematic galleries, the projects offer a nuanced and compelling exploration of the nature of seeing. Most of the women artists in the exhibition are represented in “The Artist’s Hand: Circles, Squares, and Squiggles” which explores abstract gestures and the concept of mark-making as defined by the colors, textures, and gestures artists rely on in their creative process.

Admission to the talk is $12 (free for members, children and students). The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Visit parrishart.org for details.