Page 8 - Boca Club News - December '20

Page 8, Boca Club News
New Art Exhibition, “Mira Lehr: Planetary Visions from

Spaceship Earth,” Created During Pandemic Quarantine

During the pandemic quarantine this year, the celebrated Lehr. “Together, we can
artist Mira Lehr has created more work now than ever meet this challenge and
before in her six decades of artmaking. Her new series, use this time to transcend
Planetary Visions, represents a bold departure for the across borders and places,
artist. Her current solo exhibition featuring this new series with a unified vision for
at Rosenbaum Contemporary gallery in Boca Raton runs the world. We must now
through January 16th. The gallery features online initiatives work together to address
to allow art lovers from all over the world to experience global problems without
Lehr’s new work across digital platforms. This year also thoughts of artificial
marks the 60th anniversary of Lehr’s visionary founding separations between
of Continuum, one of America’s first women artist co-ops, human beings.”
which she pioneered in 1960. “The title Planetary
“This is a major turning point for humanity. Because of Visions refers to the need
the global pandemic, for the first time in human history, the for all of us to remain
entire population of the planet is thinking about the same focused on this shared
problems ─ and grasping for the same solutions,” says Mira vision that we need. We What This Earth Does Not Remember, I and II, by Mira Lehr, from the new series Planetary
are a one-world landmass Visions (acrylic, ink, gunpowder, ignited fuses, burned and dyed Japanese paper, and handwriting
island, surrounded by on canvas), 2020.
water, flying across the
galaxy on our Spaceship Earth. What happens in one part with current COVID-19 safety guidelines. Additionally,
of our world affects all of us, and the pandemic proves this reservations for private in-person viewings may be made in
like never before,” adds Ms.Lehr. advance by calling (561) 994-9180. Private zoom viewings
“Planetary Visions also refers to the mythical places are also available, exclusively with the gallery owner for his
featured on some of these newer paintings, my visions of personal walk-through online of the show.
environmental flashpoints happening around the globe,” Mira Lehr’s solo and group exhibitions number more
adds Lehr. “While these are all imaginary places that I than 300. She is a graduate of Vassar College (1956) with
envisioned as an armchair traveler during the pandemic a degree in Art History, under the mentorship of Linda
quarantine, the climate issues depicted are very real: rising Nochlin, the renowned feminist art historian. She has been
seas, air pollution, global warming, and more. These issues collected by major institutions across the U.S., including
also point back to the pandemic. Each invented place the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (Washington),
represents different climate challenges that are alarming, the Getty Museum Research Center (Los Angeles), the Boca
and time is running out for our planet Earth.” She ignites Raton Museum of Art, the Perez Art Museum (Miami), the
gunpowder fuses across the landmasses to create the visual Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (NY).
effect of fuses from a ticking time-bomb. Critics are calling Lehr “the Godmother of Miami’s art
The new exhibition features a selection of twenty works scene” because in 1960 she created one of the nation’s first
by Lehr, spanning nearly 2,000 square feet, with the entire co-ops for women artists, in 1960. At the age of 86 and with
Mira Lehr with one of her new works, Norweky, from the front of the gallery dedicated to this new show. The gallery a career that spans more than six decades of artmaking, Lehr
series Planetary Visions, (acrylic, ink, burned and dyed is located at 150 Yamato Road, in Boca Raton, Florida. The is creating more new work now than at any other point in
Japanese paper, ignited fuses, and handwriting on canvas), exhibition may be viewed on-site during regular gallery hours her life ─ with a heightened sense of urgency about the
2020. Photo by Michael E. Fryd. (Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) in accordance planet and climate change.
“Arts with Heart” Online Cultural and Lifestyle

Fundraiser Advances Habitat for Humanity’s Mission:

Building Homes, Communities, Hope

To “ring in funds” during the holiday season, Habitat the organization’s Board Member Alisa Cohen of Cohen Build and so pleased this year to help drive this new arts
for Humanity of South Palm Beach County hosted an Laser & Vision Center, Rita Ursini Bartmon of Frame-It initiative that is in my everyday wheelhouse,” noted Arts
“Arts with Heart” fundraiser, an art-full online auction of and Pat Howard of Sklar Furnishings began arts community with Hearts Co-chair Lisa Vander Ploeg. “So proud that in
cultural and lifestyle arts. The robust “Works of the Arts” outreach in early summer. addition to our interior design firm’s art donations, more
gallery showcased the talents and generosity of Florida fine Something for Everyone Who Embraces “The Arts” than a dozen of our vendors stepped up in this holiday
and visual artists, sculptors, art galleries, photographers, The auction gallery featured a broad spectrum of the arts, season to help raise much-needed funds so that more Habitat
crafters, performing artists, home/jewelry/fashion designers, including signed originals (oils and acrylics, watercolors, families can realize their dream of homeownership.”
beauty and wellness authorities, lifestyle brands, golf and painted tiles, Tryptych pairings, sculptures, crafts (planters, Habitat builds because it believes that everyone,
country clubs, culinary artists and vintners. jewelry, accessories), Murano-style glass and resin objets everywhere should have a healthy, affordable place to
According to “Arts with Heart” Co-Chairs Bonnie Kaye d'art to the performance, designer fashion, lifestyle and call home, especially those hard-working, low-income
of Kaye Communications and Lisa Vander Ploeg of VPA experiential arts. Fine arts and crafts themes included sports, families who have yet been able to qualify for traditional
Interior Design, who are both annual Habitat for Humanity florals, abstracts, wildlife, animals, geometrics, gardens, mortgage financing. To give a “hand-up, never a hand-out”,
of South Palm Beach County WOMEN Builders, 100% of inspirational, etc. Pieces and experiences ranged in value the nonprofit depends upon volunteer labor, tax-deductible
the “friend and fund” raiser sales went directly to advance from $65 to $2,500 and items sized from small jewelry donations of money, materials, services and property and
the organization’s mission of “building homes, communities pieces to original paintings as large as 48’ x 48’ square. fundraising initiatives like Arts with Heart to fulfill its
and hope.” The funds helped to provide a “hand up” for “Every year I venture out of my comfort zone to join mission. To learn more about how to register to bid on Arts
hard-working, low-income families who have qualified for hundreds of women to raise the roofs and power tools to with Heart silent auction items or more about HFHSPBC,
a zero-interest mortgage with Habitat and are waiting for build homes during annual Habitat for Humanity’s WOMEN visit: www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org.
their safe, well-built, affordable homes to be completed.
Novel Way to Raise Awareness and Financial Support
“Arts with Heart was a new, creative way to raise
awareness and financial support for the local Habitat
for Humanity organization during the age of Covid-19
by providing the general public with an upbeat, visually
beautiful interactive, yet apart “community moment of
giving,” shared Co-Chair Bonnie Kaye. “Since we know
that most donors and sponsors during the Covid crisis prefer
to support entertaining and/or enlightenment initiatives in
which 100% of funds go directly to fulfill the nonprofit
mission, this online auction delivered the perfect mix.” Arts
with Heart Co-Chairs and committee members that include

Third Quarter First Quarter
December 7 December 21

New Moon Full Moon
December 14 December 29 Ornate Bouquet by Lennar Gogli (Giclee on Canvas, Limited
Golden Resin Egg from Simons Hackman Interiors, LLC Edition #6/275)