Every Woman Biennial is here to dazzle, disrupt, and dance in the streets of the East Side
The superheroes of the Every Woman Biennial: curators Finley, Molly Caldwell and Erin Ko chose 400 artists for this year’s show
Photo by Bob Krasner
The “Every Woman Biennial,” a salon-style group show that includes 400 women and non-binary artists in a variety of mediums, doesn’t just sit quietly on the walls of the Pen + Brush gallery. It vibrates with intelligence, talent, energy, variety, humor and just about everything else that you’d want to see in a multi-artist exhibit.
This year’s theme, “Spectalia,” invited artists (over 800 of them) to submit work that was “carnivalesque and over the top and really colorful and joyful and spirited,” according to C.Finley, the founder of the EWB and a curator as well, along with Molly Caldwell, Ash Edes and Erin Ko.
“And,” she continues, “I think it is really successful. I feel like the work is better, and also the space is better. Pen + Brush is a gorgeous space, and it’s three times larger than what we’ve had in the past.”
Speaking of the past, being in this particular gallery also puts the show into some historical context.
“It’s a dream come true to be in a space that has been honoring women for 131 years,” says Finley. “Dawn Delikat, Parker Daley Garcia and Bird Piccininni, who are the leaders in that organization, are incredible women. They are phenomenal human beings; their hearts are so big. They took us seriously.”
The public opening on March 8 (there was also a VIP reception the night before) started off with a performance in the blocked-off street by the Kinesis Project dance theatre, led by Melissa Riker. Titled “Memory of Threads”, the work was created by Riker in collaboration with the dancers.
In the piece, the performers unfurl a long orange “dress,” designed by Asa Thornton and fabricated by Celeste Cooning, which represents a number of things, as Riker explains.
“We are paying a lot of attention to this thought of what threads us together,” Riker explains. “What is the thing, what are the threads you pay attention to when someone is far away and you’re still caring for them? What are the things that pull you to others? What is the delicate nature of us that helps us feel?”
Further, Riker notes that the piece morphed into a flash mob dance party, bringing the community together and that “spectacle as rebellion blends with the idea of care and connection. That care and connection and spectacle can all be one thing.”
Performance plays a big part in the show, as performance artists popped up during the opening; some pretty interesting events are planned during the run.
Finley mentions a boxing bag full of ice, a cyborg mirror performance that is AI-driven, Katherine Helen Fisher (“The Ozempic Mommy”), and a slew of others that are “absolutely mind-blowing, fascinating, and unique.” All performances are listed on the website calendar at everywomanbiennial.com.
The mix of art is as varied as the artists, who were all thrilled to be part of the celebration.
Marlene Weisman, who is in the show for the first time, noted that “The EWB is strikingly unique, not only because it gathers and celebrates female-identifying energy and makes statements on some important stuff, but also due to the subversive playfulness that much of the art has. Molly, Finley, Erin & Ash did a fantastic job curating—they not only chose very strong work, but also wove it into a coherent vision through the way that they’ve installed it at the Pen + Brush.”
Courtney Minor, also a first timer, enthused that “There’s so much great feminine energy here! I love it!”
Finley found herself a bit overwhelmed by the response from the crowd.
“The amount of love that I felt when we closed the doors on the second night was almost too much to hold,” she admitted. “I could not believe how many people came up to me, thanked me, expressed their gratitude for bringing them together, even though the line was a long wait to get in. People were meeting each other and introducing each other to their art, finding friends, finding moments. We need to bring joy and love to the community and I’m very proud of what all of us are building together.”
The Every Woman Biennial is a non-profit organization that welcomes donations on everywomanbiennial.com. Also, feel free to contact them if you’d like to volunteer.
The show runs through April 11 at the Pen + Brush gallery at 29 East 22nd St.. Gallery open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
