Endless Second Chances
August 15 - September 15, 2024
Opening Reception > August 21, 6:00-9:00 pm
El Barrio’s ArtSpace > 215 E 99th St, New York City, NY
El Barrio’s ArtSpace is pleased to present Endless Second Chances, NYC-based artist Joanne Steinhardt’s first solo exhibition in the space. The exhibition will consist of sculptures and textiles created over the last two years in reaction to the loss of a body of work. The opening reception is scheduled for August 21, which is the 6th anniversary of the theft.
El Barrio’s ArtSpace is pleased to present Endless Second Chances, NYC-based artist Joanne Steinhardt’s first solo exhibition in the space. The exhibition will consist of sculptures and textiles created over the last two years in reaction to the loss of a body of work. The opening reception is scheduled for August 21, which is the 6th anniversary of the theft.
Joanne Steinhardt’s work offers second chances to pushed-aside materials and objects, exposing what is considered useless or invisible.
From Rolinda Ramos, Director of Programs for El Barrio’s ArtSpace, “I like activating unconventional spaces. Joanne’s highly collaborative style has made it possible to tap into spaces that have never been utilized in this way before. Since we don't operate like conventional galleries it has been fun to see the potential of the space through collaborative eyes.”
From tiny to enormous, scale is a key factor in the work. The challenge of scale breaks expectations for any given object, offering altered perspective. Highly representational tiny scale model environments are contained inside objects once precious and defining to their owners, such as a pan, a shoe or a toilet.
Additional near-exact-replica scale pieces address topics such as challenged mobility, as in the Walking Canes constructed of spiraling staircases. Discarded bed linens, pillowcases, rags, and dish towels are morphed into large scale pieces with hand embroidery harkening to the history of repurposing and women’s work.
Each piece begins with reclaimed objects that are no longer useful for their intended purpose, discarded or buried in deep corners of closets and storage units. Presented as sculptural mixed media, each one is driven by the nature of its source material. Each item’s history is paired with a new future. By altering these objects their story is retold.
Loss and trauma drew Steinhardt to this practice and these materials. The theft of a body of work in 2018 closed all studio production. According to Steinhardt, “Almost three years after the theft, I finally started to create miniature replicas of the stolen work. I then expanded into other objects from the past using them to facilitate my own healing, and in that process started to address larger issues.” Because she felt useless, as a creator without creations she resonated with pushed aside and discarded items.
The work prods the viewer to lend their own experience to a narrative that is constructed within each piece. Wonder and beauty is contained in each work, inviting the viewer to come close, and allowing space for hard discussions of women’s place, disease, aging, reproductive rights, abuse, and assault. They connect the viewer to their own moment of introspection, creating space for deeper societal and cultural discussions.
Exhibition Dates and Location
15 Aug 2024 – 15 Sept 2024
215 East 99th Street, NYC NY - Lower Gallery
Opening 21 August the 6th year anniversary of the theft of The Cookbook Project
Additional Public Programming to be announced including artist talk
Private and small group showings with artistic team by appointment throughout the run of the show
Artist Bio
Joanne Steinhardt explores the intersection of disposability and invisibility specifically in consideration of people who do not fit-in or serve the acceptable purpose they were culturally assigned. Steinhardt considers the idea of of “second chances” for those set aside through reclaiming materials left, discarded, or saved but buried in deep corners of closets that are no longer used for their intended purpose. She brings these objects to a new purpose joining their history with a new future. Steinhardt holds a Master Fine Arts degree from Maine College of Art and a Bachelor of Science in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. Steinhardt's work has been exhibited at Les Moulins Gallery, Boissy-le-Châtel, France, El Barrio ArtSpace, The Equity Gallery, Carter Burden, Artsy, The Shim Network (New York) and The Tampa Museum of Art, Polk County Museum, and Covivant Gallery (Florida). She has lectured and led workshops at numerous institutions around the US and abroad, including New York University Tisch ITP, Parsons, The Garden School, The Pingry School, Harrison School for the Arts, and La Biennale del fin del Mundo in Ushuaia, Argentina. Before relocating home to NYC, Steinhardt achieved tenure in both the Art and Communication Departments at the University of Tampa where she conceived a multidisciplinary Electronic Media Art and Technology Program designed to support those interested in a self-directed academic Major combining art, communication, English, music, computer information systems, and entrepreneurship. Steinhardt lives and works in the metro New York Area.
About El Barrio’s ArtSpace
El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 is a community-driven project that has transformed an abandoned public school building in East Harlem into an arts facility with 89 units of affordable live/work space for creatives and their families and 10,000 square feet of complementary space for arts organizations.
About ArtSpace
America's leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts. Delivering critical infrastructure for the creative workforce: affordable artist housing, workforce housing, artist studios, arts centers, and commercial space for arts-friendly businesses.