For Immediate Release
Announcing Major Upcoming Exhibition of 36 artists at the Staten Island Museum
(Staten Island, NY – April 7, 2022) The Staten Island Museum announced today that thirty-six artists will be featured in Yes, And: a survey exhibition of art and artists connected to Staten Island. Opening to the public on June 10, 2022, this exhibition will be a current version of the Staten Island Museum’s longstanding tradition of holding juried art shows for more than 70 years.
Yes, And presents recent work in video, performance, painting, photography, installation, drawing, and more. Together, thirty-six artists express themes of connectivity, resilience, and vitality, reflecting this time in history when a global pandemic continues to teach us the fundamental importance of relationships and the meaning of place. This hyperlocal exhibition references life on an island, legacies of self-determination, land development over time, and the enduring power of nature. Yes, And explores what it means to be connected to Staten Island.
“The Staten Island Museum has long been committed to presenting local artists with exhibiting opportunities. We recognize how the past two years have impacted our local artist community, and the museum wants to use this exhibition to shed light on the creative community here and make more visible the stories they have to tell. As we celebrate the Museum’s 140th Anniversary, this is the right moment to revive a longstanding tradition and support artists with a major group exhibition,” states Janice Monger, Staten Island Museum President & CEO
The Staten Island Museum is providing $30,000 in stipends to participating artists in accordance with W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy) and thanks to support from Amazon, New York State Council on the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and Staten Island Advance/SIlive.
The theme Yes, And suggests the abundance of experience on and perception of Staten Island. This complicated and prodigious borough contains a multitude of narratives that cumulatively offer an earnest impression of life in the United States.
The title is a reference to a classic improv rule-of-thumb requiring performers to accept what another participant is suggesting, and then build on it. In this way, Yes, And presents an expansive theme for artists to consider and encourages the open sharing of ideas and perspectives.
The complete list of artists follows:
| Irma Bohorquez-Geisler | Nathan Kensinger |
| Mary Bullock | Sizhu Li |
| Robert Bunkin | LuLu LoLo |
| Linda Butti | Jahtiek Long |
| Arlette Cepeda | Paul Moakley |
| Edward Coppola | Bill Murphy |
| Lisa Dahl | Zahra Pars |
| Day de Dada | Samuel Partal |
| Natasha Do | Sage Reynolds |
| Alanna Dunn | James Richards |
| Kevyn Fairchild | John Sanderson |
| Phyllis Featherstone | Mike Shane |
| Volker Goetze | Stevie Ray Soloway |
| Susan Grabel | Rob Stephenson |
| Terry Hardy | Alana Urcia |
| Griselda Healy | Amanda Wu & Zach Rothman-Hicks |
| Kay Healy | Yu Zhang |
| Katarina Jerinic |
Yes, And includes films such as “Managed Retreat” by Nathan Kensinger, an important document of Staten Island’s rapidly changing landscape, which creatively captures aspects of the borough’s history and ecology that would otherwise not be seen..
Jahtiek Long presents photography and video with the goal of shifting the narrative of Staten Island. “You don’t know what it’s like” calls into question which stories are told and untold. He illuminates problems unique to the borough, while expressing pride and urging the public to look more closely.
Terry Hardy’s recent work focuses on the intimacy of loss and memorializing those who are forgotten. For Yes, And, the artist created “The James Zappalorti Memorial Mandala” made of silk flowers collected from graveyards throughout the Southeastern United States. In 1990, Vietnam War veteran Jimmy Zappalorti was murdered near his home on the South Shore of Staten Island because he was gay. The highly publicized murder helped lead to New York State’s first hate crimes bill passed in 2000.
The design features elements from Jimmy’s life: the Navy compass, cross, patriotic colors, sunsets, being a gay man, the Staten Island countryside with a nod to the colored shapes of his family’s stained glass business on Androvette Street.
LuLu LoLo is inspired by the museum’s natural science collection to create “Listening to Birds”, an interactive installation featuring taxidermy and photography from the museum’s collection alongside an audio compilation of native bird songs. The artist asks guests to record in writing their response to the bird songs and the memories they inspire.
Kay Healy’s ”Pile” presents screen-printed, painted, and stuffed fabric objects that represent the complexities of the last two years marked by social uprisings and a global pandemic. Every piece in the installation has a story, many of which were inspired by interviews conducted by the artist around the significance of personal objects. Through this life-size installation, Healy investigates themes of home, loss, displacement, and resilience.
Participating artists were chosen from over two hundred submissions in response to an open call. The selection panel was comprised of respected colleagues in their field including artist Ayana Evans; art dealer and former gallery director Florence Lynch; curator and gallerist Anthony Spinello; artist, curator, producer, and educator Ed Woodham.