Andrea Arroyo
“A Rose in Harlem”
Opening reception: Friday, June 12th, 6-8pm
Exhibit on View: June 12-August 20, 2015.
Rio III Gallery at Sugar Hill
898 St Nicholas Avenue, 9th fl. (@ 155th St.), New York NY 10032
www.andreaarroyo.com
“A Rose in Harlem” an art exhibition by renowned artist Andrea Arroyo will be on view from June 12 through August 20, 2015, at the recently inaugurated Rio III Gallery of the Sugar Hill building, which was designed by award-winning architect David Adjaye.
Andrea Arroyo’s work examines the status of women in society, celebrating the strength and resilience of women, while tackling notions of gender, race, and identity.
Her new exhibition features drawings, prints and site-specific works that are informed by historical and contemporary women of Sugar Hill. Through this exhibition, the artist commemorates the notable women of her neighborhood as well as its proud dedication to the preservation of old roses, which makes it the only Heritage Rose District in the country.
Among the works on display is “Homage to the Women of Sugar Hill”, a piece that features a myriad of female figures on white paper cutouts intertwined with lace. This site-specific work references past and present life along the Harlem river and honors the indigenous women of the Algonquin Nation, the women of Colonial New York, and the women of all backgrounds, including the most recent wave of immigrant women, who play an integral role in the radiantly diverse upper Manhattan community.
“A Rose in Harlem”, the piece from which the exhibit gets its name, features subtle drawings on black paper cutouts layered with lace, which find inspiration from the women of the Harlem Renaissance, including writers Zora Neale Hurston and Dorothy West, as well as artists Augusta Savage and Lois Mailou Jones.
The show also features two ceiling pieces titled “Ms. Marjorie” and “Take the A Train,” these large-scale drawings on white paper scrolls were created during live artistic collaborations with the legendary musician Ms. Marjorie Eliot, who hosts Sugar Hill’s Parlor Jazz.
About the artist: Andrea Arroyo is an award-winning artist with an extensive trajectory. Her work is exhibited, published, reviewed and collected extensively, and is in the permanent collections of The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Museum of Mexican Art, The Richmond Museum, and The New York Public Library.
Ms. Arroyo is an honoree of the 2015 Uptown Art Stroll and was selected by President Clinton as Global Citizen Award Artist. Additional honors include: Outstanding Woman of New York, 21 Leaders for the 21st Century; Groundbreaking Latina in the Arts; Official Artist of the Latin Grammys; Outstanding Latina of the Year; Woman of the Week, Women in the World Foundation, and the New York City Council Citation Award for Achievement in Art. She has received multiple awards from New York Foundation for the Arts, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, the Puffin Foundation, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Her permanent pubic art includes glass art for the Gun Hill Rd station of the New York City Subway, murals for public schools in New York, and other projects for private, corporate and institutional sites.
Ms. Arroyo’s work has been published in numerous journals, including The New Yorker (cover art), The New York Times, and The International Herald Tribune. It has also been the subject of over 150 features in the international media.
For additional information or to contact the artist please visit: www.andreaarroyo.com.
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