ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
US+U offers a 3-6 month residency to artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing, video/interdisciplinary media or any combination of the aforementioned.
Each artist is granted a free non-living studio space, & access 5 days a week.
(Hours TBD)
Artists will submit an application form that requires scope of project idea/summary of work to be completed during the residency, medium and materials used.
Artists are expected to work in the studio a minimum of 16 hours per week and participate in an open studio as well as our public precollege workshop program. *Artist will teach a 4 -series free workshop based on their own artistic practice while they are a part of the program.
Workshop will be one 3- hour session a week for 4 weeks.
At the end of the residency, an exhibition of the artists’ work is presented in the gallery.
The gallery is located in downtown Yonkers with access to Westchester County networks and has a position in one of the hottest and fastest growing art scenes in the tri-State area; see *In Yonkers, a Shuttered Jail Becomes Part of a Budding Art Scene*, and *Converting a Run-Down Power*
*Please send an email with "AIR" in the subject line to:
urbanstudioinquiries@gmail.com
to make a inquiry/receive an application.
Current Artist-in-Residence
Mike McManus
PRESS RELEASE
Urban Studio Unbound
16 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
URBAN STUDIO UNBOUND ANNOUNCES ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FOR 2022
MIKE MCMANUS TO JOIN A GROWING ROSTER OF ARTISTS TO PARTICIPATE IN
URBAN STUDIO UNBOUNDS’ SIGNATURE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
YONKERS, NY, AUGUST 24, 2022 - Urban Studio Unbound announces Mike McManus as its awarded Artist In Residence for 2022-2023. McManus was chosen out of a number of applicants to join the coveted program that partners emerging and mid-career artists to embrace, ideate and ponder a wide range of artistic approaches to their work.
McManus was born and raised in the Bronx & for a decade has occupied a Brooklyn metal shop he converted into a studio. He has amassed a body of work spanning sculpture, painting, drawing, etching, jewelry, furniture and floral
design. McManus says “ I’m honored for the opportunity to enter a clean studio space that will enable a creative point of departure , allowing me to introduce textile work into my oeuvre - a long studied yet seldom practiced medium.”
To create this latest series, McManus will be drawing from his 2011 experience in the Sololá region of Guatemala where he studied natural dying and weaving techniques, along with his personal study of the American craft of quilt making.
McManus will be inviting the Yonkers community to participate by calling on residents to donate garments, sheets, scarves, rags, etc. to be used to create textile pieces for the city.
“We are happy to welcome artist Mike McManus to our residency program. He brings a passion for his practice and genuine enthusiasm for a relationship with the community. As artist he is thoughtful and innovative, exploring his personal aesthetic over a range of mediums. He is a unique person with a generous soul. We are looking forward to the energy he’ll bring to the gallery environment and look forward to how we can support his creative journey “-Curator and Co-Director Melissa Starke
In May 2022 McManus taught Frida’s Flower Crown making workshop at Hudson River Museum and had his fourth solo exhibition entitled Dirty Flowers: For the Heart of NYC, at LUME Studios, Feb. 14, 2022, with recording artists Infinity Song. His Prayer Language series was featured as part of Many Ways to Raise a Fist- a dance performance by Jerron Herman at the Whitney Museum of American Art during the 2019 Whitney Biennial.
Urban Studio Unbound offers a 3-6 month residency to artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing,
video/interdisciplinary media or any combination of the aforementioned. Each artist is granted a free non-living studio space and access 5 days a week. Artists submit an application that requires a scope of project idea/summary of work to be completed during the residency, along with details on the medium and materials used during their residency. Artists are expected to work in the studio a minimum of 16 hours per week and participate in an open studio, as well as US+U’s public education program. Artists that are chosen for residency will teach 2 workshops free of charge to the community, based on their artistic practice while they are a part of the program. At the end of the residency, a solo exhibition of the Artists’ work is presented at Warburton Galerie.
For more information on Urban Studio Unbound, its programs, exhibitions and artists, visit urbanstudiounbound.org or follow @urbanstudiounbound & @warburtongalerie on Instagram and Facebook
Press Contact
Melissa Starke
732-829-2511
AIR 2021-2022
Haifa Bint-Kadi
PRESS RELEASE
Warburton Galerie Presents: I was a Point, I was a Circle, a solo exhibition of work by artist Haifa Bint-Kadi
YONKERS, NY, June 15, 2022 - Continuing its commitment to bringing the public exemplary art exhibitions featuring both emerging and established artists, Warburton Galerie presents I was a Point, I was a Circle, June 25th- August 4th, 2022. This exhibition is the culmination of Haifa Bint-Kadi’s 2021-2022 residency.
Bint-Kadi is a first Generation American, a Palestinian, a daughter of refugees, a Muslim and a mother. Her artwork expresses the exploration of self, displacement, of marginalization, mixed-race heritage and a need for belonging as she seeks to define and embrace her identity. The shows title is an elegiac ode by Huda Al-Namani which Bint-Kadi discovered during her first year in college. It is a discussion between the Self and the Other, the Individual and Society, the Womb and that which is Birthed from the womb and refers to the many cycles within life and our own lives. The artist says “To me it represents the constant need to affirm identity without despair. Hope within darkness can defiantly birth renewal and transformation. I Am, despite all circumstances.”
The exhibition features work across a range of media, focusing on painting and sculpture from her What Once Was, Still is and Will Forever Remain Series as well as mosaic work.
The artist describes her process in the following way- “My work reflects tension as I use mark-making, layering and repetitive strokes in an abstract expressionistic style to create history on the canvas. I place importance on associations with people, objects, memories and geographical locations that have impacted my identity. These associations become visually represented in my work through the use of cultural elements like ground mica, henna, Turkish coffee, embroidery and found objects, playing on Middle Eastern iconography. I find joy in the radical juxtaposition of objects, forms and curious marks. By experimenting with relationships between dissimilar objects such as matchboxes and old photographs, I’ve developed ideas about the use of space in my art. When I compare and contrast these forms, I find a sense of comfort and place. These abstract forms communicate the tensions of finding self, but they also hold an indelible space for my own history as my identity has developed.”
The reception will be held from 6:00-9:00pm on Saturday, June 25th to celebrate the accomplishments of this artist and her tremendously thoughtful and impactful body of work.
For more information, contact Melissa Starke | Curator & Director | melissastarkeusu@gmail.com
Good Bones, Acrylic, Ground Mica, Turkish Coffee & Red Sulfate, 60" x 48", 2021
Abu Kisha, Acrylic, India Ink, 36" x 36", 2020
US+U/Warburton Galerie is pleased to welcome artist Haifa Bint-Kadi as our Fall 2020 Artist in Residence!
Haifa Bint-Kadi is first Generation American, a Palestinian, a daughter of refugees, a Muslim and a mother who loves and hates nostalgia. She finds the process of remembrance fascinating and perplexing - almost all of her art work involves the process of archiving memory and utilizing its devices for the preservation of place, identity, culture and lived experiences.
“An archive is a system that makes an order of memory, knowledge, and that which is marked valuable for record-keeping. Historically, archives have focused on tangible items like photographs or documents, but I create visual archives as representations or manifestations of my own personal memories, memories shared with me by community members or memories I find in researching historical documents. Preserving memories, however incomplete, acts to heal and to fulfill a desire to reclaim and make present identity and culture, often in alienating spaces. For example, in a space undergoing gentrification, historic buildings, neighborhood businesses and greenspaces may not be the only thing disappearing. When a place undergoes vast change, community members feel a deep need to share their experiences of place, which in turn, create a shared public history and healing. Sharing lived experiences through our memories breathes fullness and harmony into our bodies, existence, and societies, often allowing us to transcend that which is traumatic.
My work explores the cyclical nature of time by reaching into the past to transmute energy and working across creative disciplines to re-make archives that respond to change. I make an effort to recruit the past to heal the living.”
During her residency, she will complete a body of work that includes paintings, mosaic and sculpture. She will utilize this time and space outside of her normal working environment to research, reflect and engage with local community members as part of her praxis to archive community member’s memories.
Her most recent work, What Once Was, Still is and Will Forever Remain, takes a critical view on borders, the colonization of space, radical dislocation and displacement. Utilizing a variety of cultural materials such as Turkish coffee, Henna and rose water, she creates conceptually layered paintings that evoke a visceral experience of memories of Palestinian villages that have been destroyed by the Israeli military to make room for new settlements. She will continue this series as well as work on a new mosaic series entitled Woman Warriors. Through large-scale narrative mosaic portraits, the Woman Warriors series archives and identifies women who accomplished great achievements, but who have been largely erased from history.
While onsite she will conduct a series of weekly mosaic classes which will include beginning and intermediate classes, as well as conduct community art workshops. Both of these initiatives are open to the public, with a required enrollment.
Join us in welcoming Haifa on board and come visit her in her new onsite studio on September 19th, 630-930 during the opening of the new exhibition! You will also be able to see her at the gallery every Wednesday starting Sept 23rd!
Seen here: two mosaics from her Woman Warriors series, 3 new sculptures from her What Once Was, Still is and Will Forever Remain series
AIR Oct 2017-June 2018
Henry Burgos
US+U is pleased to announce the opening reception for Artist in Residence Henry Burgos’s Solo Exhibition entitled “Hastily Drawn Approximations”
Burgos makes a wide range of work- paintings, drawings, sculpture and video whose narratives address daily interaction and relationships – people he comes across, nature/animals, urban architecture/landscape and how he navigates through this all.
The title, chosen by the artist, references an excerpt from the book “The Brain: The Story of You” by author David Eagle. The passage describes peoples tendency to only retain a small amount when presented with a visual subject- a painting, an object, etc. He reports that our minds leave out fine details of whatever it is we may be looking at and tend to only grasp a “hastily drawn approximation” -just enough for us to get an idea of what is in front of us. It is only when we take the time be totally present and assess this object or being, that we grasp the actuality of its existence. Burgos feels this idea is strongly connected to to human nature/the way in which culture has pressed us to instantly absorb and quickly interpret. There are a number of pieces in the show that appear incomplete and drawn in a hastily manner. However, this intentional approach provides a starting point but then asks the viewer to take a longer look to complete their interpretation.
In addition to paintings and drawings this exhibition will also include a pop up shop featuring items from the hand made clothing line Bulb&Arrow, where Burgos is founder and creative director. The brand translates Burgos's work in yet another way and he says was creatively conceived to “reflect faith in one self’s creative abilities and ideas, then shooting towards them as fiercely and focused as an archer. When you shoot towards your goals, you’re bound to hit something."
The exhibition opens on Saturday June 15th, 5:00-8:00pm. A sneak peek of preview video installations can be seen on Thursday June 6, 5:30-7:30 during the First Thursday Gallery Hop. Both events are free and open to the public.
Resident AIR Oct 2017-Present
Alexandra Momin
US+U is pleased to announce our next Artist in Residence is Digital/Mixed Media Artist Alexandra Momin!
Statement from the Artist
As long as I can remember, I have always loved New York City and have lived there since the late 90s. I’ve been acutely aware of how the city has changed over the years. I also became aware that I was building my personal histories on top of the histories of others. Some histories repeat themselves. Others change. How do the experiences of others affect our own? This city has layers and layers of personal stories and “energies” whether we choose to become aware of them or not. They are ghostly vibrations culminating around us.
My work is an exploration of these urban landscapes. These landscapes are built upon and excavated many times with different media, often beginning as photographs or stills from videos I’ve created. Specific areas are digitally removed and replaced with other photographs or manipulated video stills, creating random patterns and symbols. The image is then printed onto aluminum, acrylic plexi, or rag paper. Additional layers are added by screen printing and painting. These additional layers help to unify the chaos underneath. Each layer signifies a personal history or energy that converges to create a distorted yet subtly familiar view.
During this residency, I would like to push the boundaries of each medium I’ve been working with. This opportunity would allow me to carry out my digital form of collaging into a more sculptural form using plexi, aluminum, wood, and paper. Additionally, I plan to create a video installation bringing motion to the abstracted landscapes. Having the space to spread out with my materials and tools as well as the time to explore new techniques would be invaluable to me. With a minimum of 4 months, I will be able to accomplish a cohesive body of work that transcends my previous attempts to portray emotion within urban landscape.
AIR Feb 2017-Oct 2017
Amanda Ioco
US+U is pleased to announce, Amanda Ioco as our Artist in Residence (AIR) from March 2017-September 2017.
Solo Exhibition
September 30th 2017- October 14th 2017
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Amanda Ioco spent her residency working in a variety of mediums, including; painting, mixed media drawings, and assemblage sculpture. This ongoing series is comprised of unique still life set-ups, incorporating personally collected objects. Things such as oyster shells, flowers, and wine bottles are transformed in size and color to stand out, allowing the viewer to discover their own connection to them. The show included the actual objects she works from giving the audience a look into the artists mind/process. “I wish to explore the connections we have to the objects we keep versus what we throw away. I have found that some of my most beautiful collected items are often deemed disposable.” Amanda Ioco was born and raised in Long Island, New York. She lives and works out of her studio in Astoria, Queens.
AIR Jan 2016-March 2016
Cynthia Gallagher
US+U is pleased to announce, Cynthia Gallagher as our Artist in Residence (AIR) from January-March 2016.
Solo Exhibition
October 8th 2016 - October 22nd 2016
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Cynthia Gallagher is two-time recipient of grants from the NEA and The New York State Council for the Arts. Her paintings, prints and drawings are in private, corporate and museum collections to include- The Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC and The Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC.
Ms. Gallagher has exhibited her work in New York City, in the US and internationally in Sweden, France and Venezuela. She taught at Parsons School of Design/New School for 15 years and currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology.