Posted by Westside Rug on March 22, 2022 at 3:40 pm
Earrings green and Liz Curtis.
Lisa Cava
Located on Amsterdam Avenue 82nd Avenue, between the Richard Corman Photography Gallery and the Sophia Storage Center, is the unique art gallery founded by the Upper West Side mother and son duo.
The Wild Goose Gallery hosts art shows, but unlike regular galleries, it’s also a space that welcomes local artists to stop by and work with them. Residents of the neighborhood can see the works of these artists.
The Wild Geese Gallery is the brainchild of 23-year-old Pearce Green and his mother, Elizabeth (Liz) Curtis. Green is an artist working in a variety of media and a college student studying creative writing. Curtis is a seven-time US Pro Latin American Ballroom Dance Champion and World Finalist.
Earrings and his paintings.
As you walk through the gallery, you may be attracted to the large paintings in bright, bright colors. West Side Rag had the opportunity to visit and chat with Green in a gallery surrounded by his work. “I feel that making really bright art is right for me. When I started painting, I always reached for a bright Crayola marker.”
Green noticed that when Covid hit, he was painting more than ever. “I started painting relentlessly in my apartment during Covid, and the walls were approaching,” he said. “I was also walking around looking at many empty storefronts.”
Liz Curtis happened to visit his friend Richard Corman in his gallery after unloading some boxes at the Sophia Storage Center in the same building. “We agreed that the empty space next door would be perfect for an art studio,” Curtis said. She called her landlord, Ren Sophia, to discuss it. “Len loved the idea of keeping Brock alive with art,” she recalled. A lease agreement was signed, and in November 2020, the vacant space became “Pierce Green Art”.
From the beginning, Green wanted to bring artists together in an informal environment. “We wanted to create a place where artists who normally don’t have access to the gallery settings could display their work. We wanted to create a collaboration space,” says Green. He also wanted to create an atmosphere where neighbors could see the artist at work. The words quickly spread, the artists were drawn to the space, and soon the gallery was lively. According to Green, artists often worked late into the night.
“Young artists pass by. You’ll see piercings splashing paint, throwing clay on the wheel, and then painting next to him on the floor,” Curtis said. “The energy of space reminded me of when I was a young dancer and sweating with my friends.”
In February 2022, Green and Curtis renamed the gallery “Wild Goose Gallery”. “The original name” Pearce Green Art “was a placeholder,” Green said. “The gallery wasn’t just for me. [The new name] When immigrants like my grandparents were called “wild geese,” I was inspired by Mary Oliver’s poems and the history of my Irish family, “Curtis explained.
The works of Max Geller and Sophie Goodwin from “Artist in Residence” are currently on display at The Wild Geese Gallery, along with green paintings, until March 25th. Geller and Goodwin worked in the gallery during the winter, Geller worked on small sculptures, and Goodwin worked on oil paintings.
Kadir Lope Sneeves.
The next show from March 31st to April 24th will bring Cuban artist Kadir Lopez Nieves, known for his neon signs, to New York. Havana-based Nieves is currently working on a piece of this exhibition called “Island-to-Island”. The show will represent “the islands of the world connected by heritage and friendship,” Curtis said.
“From island to island.”
From 7:30 pm to 10 pm on March 31st, there will be an opening night gathering to celebrate Nieves. If you are interested in attending, please check your attendance at [email protected]
Additional exhibits are planned for this spring at The Wild Geese Gallery, including the work of Upper West Side photographer Henry Michaelis from May.
The Wild Goose Gallery is open to the public 24/7 from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Exhibit installation times may vary. Follow Instagram’s Wild Geese Gallery (@ wildgeese.gallery or www.wildgeesegallery.com) for more information and updates. Note: The website is still under construction. The Wild Goose Gallery can also be reached at 917-371-2355.
