“Unfolding Art from Soho to Sobro” Art Exhibit at South Broadway Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM July 2 – August 28, 2007

For the months of July and August, New York City artists Lynne Mayocole and Irene Christensen (Soho) will exhibit with former New York artists Veronica Piastuch and Sue Orchant at the South Broadway Cultural Center (Sobro). A major feature of the exhibition "Unfolding Art from Soho to Sobro" will be the installation of over 8 foot long Japanese accordion "books" called orihon. The paper is handmade, long-fibered washi paper and these books were traditionally used to house Buddhist sutras. It was thought that the draught created by the falling pages had healing properties if directed to the ailing parts of the human body. It is the hope of the artists to help heal what is broken on our planet though their visual imagery. Each of the four artists has utilized these unfolding objects to record her creative imagery in a variety of media. The accordion books reflect the different artistic environments of east and west coast as well as the different life and art experiences of each artist. This exhibit may be the first ever in New Mexico to use this orihon medium. In addition to orihon, there will be ceramics, paintings, drawings and silk works. South Broadway Cultural Center is located at 1025 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM. Gallery hours are from 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday. For further information call 505-848-1320.

Historically, New Mexico has always been a migration point for East coast artists. Veronica has known Lynne since the early 1970s in Soho when artists “pioneered” the area before it became gentrified. Lynne remains a vital force of the current Soho art community which has seen many changes. In addition to making her art, Lynne is the President of Artists Talk on Art, a panel series on art in Soho. She remains a professor for college level art. She will be living in New Mexico for two months this summer. Irene Christensen is originally from Norway and her magical work lives in many personal collections, galleries and museums. The Museum of Modern Art in NYC houses one of her books, “Everglades in Mind.” In 2003, Veronica envisioned this show in order to create a dialog between New York City and New Mexico. She invited Sue Orchant and Lynne invited Irene. For Veronica, this show is a thank you to Lynne for being her “big art sister” over three decades ago in New York City. Much of Lynne’s work, especially the accordion books, focuses on the expressive face - us, in all our frantic, frivolous, frustrated and ultimately finite moods. Irene Christensen’s art is about painting as a magical act and she likes to maintain a sense of wonder in her art. Veronica and Sue’s work honors our sacred interconnectedness and also view their art as a magical act.