One of the rooms at Arcipelago

P I A Z Z A S ,  V I N E Y A R D S  & F I G U R E   E I G H T S . . .

Join Gabrielle Senza for DRAWING ON DESIRE,
a sensual art retreat and experience-of-a-lifetime,
to discover your true creative spirit!

Together, you will travel to a gorgeous, artist-owned guest-house near Tuscany, complete with olive trees and an organic vineyard. Hospitality and creativity abound at Arcipelago di Arte et Agricoltura – it is truly, la dolce vita!

Here you will have opportunities to harvest not only the ripening grapes from the vines (should you choose to), but your own, ripe creativity, sensuality, and verve as well.

Our ten-day journey begins October 1st, 2013.

“Rather than teach people how to paint, I want to teach people how to see. I want my art students to feel their way into being their fully expressed selves.” – G. Senza

We will experiment and play in the visual and performing arts, exploring new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.

This is not your ordinary how-to art class! Imagine tapping into your intuitive, sexual, creative source – feeling into your very core – the genesis of pleasure, life and creativity.

It’s all about fun, and it’s about seeing – even with your eyes closed!

Drawing on Desire participants will have time to go off on adventures and to visit historical sites surrounding Tuscania – for example, you could take a day trip into Rome or Siena, make a visit to the wild hot spas of Viterbo, or drive out to the seaside. . . (So many wonderful options!)

The cost of the Drawing on Desire Retreat is $2,850, double occupancy (single occupancy is an additional $325) – and excludes airfare from Logan International Airport to Rome. Meals & accommodations are included, except when out on excursions.

A non-refundable deposit of $700 is required to hold your place.  Reserve your spot now!

Car rentals, massage therapists & yoga instructors are also available, as well as private apartments with cooking facilities for those who wish to do their own cooking or have strict dietary restrictions.

To learn more:
Please contact Gabrielle at ecoartgirl@gmail.com
or call 413-717-0031.

To view where you will be staying visit: http://www.arteagricoltura.com/eng/agriturismo-tuscania-tarquinia-viterbo-bed-and-breakfast-tuscania.php

Come! It’s time to harvest your treasures!
. . .

WEEKENDS THROUGH DECEMBER
Saturday 11:00 – 5:00
Sunday 11:00 – 3:00
And by appointment.
413.717.0031

You are invited to come by the studio to view a wonderful selection of intimate drawings, pastels, paintings, prints and photographs, all affordably priced (($5 & up)) and ready to go!

Just perfect for that special someone who has always wanted to own a work of art by Gabrielle Senza!

Free to attend – though donations are warmly welcomed.

20% of all proceeds will go towards Sandy Relief Efforts.

Bring friends! Spread the word!

This is a rare opportunity to buy directly from the artist AND help victims devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Fun and surprises guaranteed!

Come to:
ELEVEN
11 School Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(Located in the same building as Individual Laundry – the laundromat across the street from the old Bryant School)

For more information, call:
413.717.0031

ecoartgirl [at] gmail [dot] com

http://www.facebook.com/events/446803725381444/

Here is my most recent song.  I may – if I can make it sound good enough – post a recording of it. . .  Please let me know what you think!  xoxo

MIDNIGHT SNOW  
© Gabrielle Senza 2012

I want to tell you

Something I’ve told no-one

Under the black sky

I watched you sleeping

Ohhhhh–

Ohhhhh–

That night in early March

My heart was getting stronger

I didn’t know

It would later be

Smashed into a million

Pieces when you left me

Walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the snow

You didn’t even

Leave a note or say goodbye

It was far too dangerous

To tell the truth

You and I both know

It can’t be said

Imprisoned by the lie

Until we’re both dead

And walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the midnight snow

Walking in the snow

The year saw me stretch into new areas of creative expression – blasting into totally new territory for me – in addition to creating installations, drawings and paintings, I pushed myself to explore performance, video, music, spoken word, sound and dance – combining many of these disciplines with the intent to create more experiential expressions of my ideas.

I’ll give you a quick rundown. . . Just over a year ago, I put Matteo on a plane for Paris and used the two weeks he was away as a self-imposed Artist Residency @ Chez Moi.  During that time I created several new pastels, prints and drawings.

In July I premiered my very first performance piece called I Tuoi Segreti for the Berkshire Fringe Gala and in August I spent two weeks in Scranton PA creating a temporary site-specific wall drawing with graphite powder and my bare fingertips called Terra Temporalis for the Everhart Museum.  Savoir-Faire generously donated the materials for the project and support for the project came from donations from several individuals (maybe even you!) through our crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter.  I was also lucky enough to find Ian Ryczak who generously gave more than 30 hours of his time to videotape the creation of the work over the 2 weeks I was there as well as the destruction of the piece when the show closed at the end of 2011.

In the fall I created 2 more temporary wall drawings – one as part of my solo exhibition of paintings, drawings and pastels at Sanford Smith Gallery in Great Barrington; the other for Jim Benson’s YBar in Pittsfield.

In September I celebrated my birthday by launching a new business called Computer Tutor Gals – a team of tech-savvy tutors who teach individuals how to master their electronic devices.

From the beginning of December into February I was busy renovating my new studio and shared workspace for professional creatives called ELEVEN.

In February I started taking a singer-songwriter class and have written a fair number of new songs, including some about domestic violence, Hurricane Irene, and deep friendship.

March was a busy month with the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers, and I was honored to be a speaker on two panel discussions about the film called Miss Representation.  In addition, I spent two weeks in Vermont creating the 4^th Terra Temporalis installation, this time in the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, as part of the exhibition “Bridging Earth and Sky”.  Also in March, I began Co-Hosting with Seren Mastriani, Radio 2 Women on WBCR-lp, an award winning program featuring guests talking about issues pertaining to women.

In April my work was included in an exhibition called Inside/Outside at Thompson Giroux Gallery in Chatham NY, and in June it went to SoHo for a  group show called Arcadia at OK Harris.

Several articles and a couple of features came out in papers around Scranton, Brattleboro and the Berkshires.

This year I spent much of May devising a soundscape for two cellos working with a couple of professionals – Francis Morris and Beth Craig.  It was for a beautiful play called Isis-Chernobyl, A Tale of Uncertain Fruit.

I was also invited to start writing a column in the Advocate on being an artist, activist and single mother, and have published two already.

Dear Friends & Family,

These last 12 months have been an unbelievable whirlwind of creativity.  The year saw me stretch into new areas of creative expression, finding resonance and meaning in territory I’ve hitherto never explored!

Day 1 at BMAC (March 2012)

Aside from creating installations, drawings, and paintings for museum and gallery exhibitions, I pushed myself to explore performance, video, music, spoken word, photography, sound and dance – combining many of these disciplines with the intent to create richer, more experiential expressions of my ideas.

Today I want to share with you the fruits of this bountiful harvest and to enroll you in supporting the mission to carry on the momentum of all this creative work.

Since I suspect your inbox is as crowded as mine, I will keep this email short and, instead of sharing all of the exciting projects here, I invite you to hop over to my blog where you can read a relatively brief rundown of all the great things that have been happening over the last 12 months.

I am super excited about all the innovative ventures of this past year, but one of my favorites was that of engaging friends, family, collectors, museum members, and art fans in actively supporting my creative process.  First we did it through a Kickstarter campaign, then a sponsorship opportunity and now, we’re doing it again with a brand new independent initiative.

Improv Cello Soundscapes for Isis-Chernobyl (May 2012)

I WANT TO ENROLL YOUR HELP!

In order to keep the creative momentum going, I am launching a crowd-funding campaign (with exciting rewards for backers!) that will support the intensive investment of time, energy, initiative, and expense in creating a new performance piece I am developing to premier on July 8th as part of a benefit event for theBrattleboro Museum and Art Center and the amazing environmental organization350.org.

In just a few short weeks I will be presenting for the first time a multi-disciplinary performance piece comprised of solo improv cello, spoken word, movement, and a live demonstration of how I created Terra Temporalis, the 16 x 20 foot wall drawing I created three months ago at the Brattleboro Museum.  Intended as a project that helps wake people up to the fragility and vulnerability of our environment, Terra Temporalis will be completed when I destroy the drawing by obliterating it with a roller and fresh paint. The performance will be videotaped and, once edited, made available on YouTube.

It took two weeks to create the drawing – rubbing powdered graphite onto the wall with my bare fingertips.  The final performance and ultimate destruction of the work will take about 40 minutes.  There will be a short intermission, then award-winning environmental comic actor-playwright, Kathryn Blume will present a short play called, Coming to Town.  All this on July 8th!

ELEVEN, My new studio & shared workspace in GB (February 2012)

OKAY, SO ARE YOU READY?

My goal is to raise $5,000 to cover development, production, marketing and documentation of the project.  Any funds raised over and above the goal will be donated directly to the beneficiary organizations – that’s in addition to 100% of the admission fees collected.

As I said earlier, it has been a prolific year and I am very excited to share the fruits of this bountiful harvest with you!

FEAST YOUR EYES on the abundance of juicy creative REWARDS FOR BACKERS - all rare works of art that I am offering in exchange for your support!  By contributing to this funding campaign you will not only be providing the crucial capital it takes to allow an artist to create beautiful art and meaningful experiences, you will also be rewarded with some of the very fruits generated by such creativity.

So I invite you to SELECT YOUR REWARD and keep the creative momentum going!
There are several levels to choose from – so EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE!
It’s all about shared vision and community action.  I hope you’ll join in the effort.

Thank you in advance for your generous support.
I look forward to sharing the ripe fruits of your participation!

Much love & joy to you,

xoxo

Gabrielle

* * *   REWARDS FOR BACKERS   * * * 

Choose the level YOU want and help make history today!  

Your name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist

BACK THIS PROJECT with $25+ and you’ll receive:

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage     
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
3 Small Prints from the Terra Temporalis pastel series (randomly selected)

BACK THIS PROJECT with $50+ and you’ll receive:

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 signed Limited Edition 12 x 12 inch print from the Terra Temporalis pastel series (randomly selected)
>  Please add $10 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $100+ and you’ll receive:

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
2 signed Limited Edition 12 x 12 inch prints from the Terra Temporalis pastel series (randomly selected)
>  Please add $10 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $250+ and you’ll receive:               

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 Original Artwork – a signed original drawing on wood
(randomly selected)
[Limit: 10]
>  Please add $15 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $500+ and you’ll receive:

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 Original Pastel – a signed original pastel from the Terra Temporalis
pastel series , 14 x 11 inches matted
(randomly selected)
[Limit: 5]
>  Please add $15 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $1000+ and you’ll receive:

The Promise of Light, II (Small)

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 signed Limited Edition 11 x 22 inch giclée print from The Promise of Light series
[Limit: 5]
>  Please add $50 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $2500+ and you’ll receive:

The Promise of Light, II (Large)

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 large Limited Edition 22 x 44 inch giclée print from The Promise of Light series
[Limit: 2]
>  Please add $50 for shipping within the US.

BACK THIS PROJECT with $5000+ and you’ll receive:

Maiden Voyage Diptych

Name listed on the Terra Temporalis IV webpage
Boundless love for eternity
Handwritten Thank You note from the artist
1 Original Artwork, Maiden Voyage Diptych, (2 pieces, 30 x 44 inches each)
1 Lunch Date with the artist in Manhattan or the Berkshires
[Limit: 1]
>  Please add $50 for shipping within the US.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Select your reward by clicking on the $$ amount you wish to contribute.

2.  In the PayPal box, enter the amount you’re contributing + shipping cost if necessary

3.  On the final check out page, enter your shipping address if you’d like your reward shipped.

SPECIAL NOTES: 

>>  Rewards will ship in August.  Please be sure to include your shipping address and additional shipping fee if applicable.

>>  Contributions will be directed through the Berkshire Art Kitchen’s secure PayPal portal.

>>  You do not need to have a PayPal account to use the service – just a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card.

>>  Please enter TERRA TEMPORALIS FUND in the Special Comments box located on the final Check Out Page.

If you have any trouble with your order please call:  413-717-0031

About the Artist 

Gabrielle Senza is an internationally recognized multi-disciplinary artist whose work is included in the collections of institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA New York, Lifetime Entertainment, JP Morgan Chase and Fidelity Investments, among numerous others, and exhibited in solo and traveling group shows throughout the U.S. and abroad.

“The terrain I explore through my work – be it installation, video, painting, photography, sculpture or drawing – is guided by intuition, deep listening and the connection to the emotional charge of a place – internal or external. The process aids in guiding my personal journey towards the light.”

The exhibition, Bridging Earth and Sky will open to the public
Saturday, March 31, 2:00 pm

Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro VT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     

BFWW FEATURES ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY
MISS REPRESENTATION

Screening Followed by a Panel Discussion with Four Distinguished Women Leaders

(Lenox, MA – February 21, 2012) – The Berkshire Festival of Women Writers will feature a new documentary Miss Representation at the Simon’s Rock Lecture Center on Wednesday, March 14 at 7pm. The film will be followed by a panel discussion. Miss Representation is an expose on how American mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence, and the perception that women’s worth lies more in youth, beauty, and sexuality than in leadership capacity.

San Francisco-based director Jennifer Siebel Newsom comments, “We’re instigating and re-instigating a dialogue that needs to be raised because much of the media continues to send young people really dangerous messages.” Siebel Newsom who has a 16-month-old daughter continues, “I want my daughter to grow up in a world where there’s less violence towards women, more respect, equality.”

The movie features interviews with leading women in many fields including Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, and Gloria Steinem; first-hand stories from teenagers and young women; and often surprising statistics on women in leadership positions in America today. After premiering at the 2011 Sundance Festival to great acclaim, Miss Representation was highlighted as one of the top 50 best things to happen to women in 2011 by the Huffington Post.    

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with four speakers:  Dr. Elizabeth Debold – a researcher and consultant specializing in higher order human development, cultural evolution, and gender. A founding member of the Harvard Project on Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development, Dr. Debold is co-author of the bestselling book, Mother Daughter Revolution: From Good Girls to Great Women; Dr. Kristine Barnett – Assistant Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of Women as Empowered Learners and Leaders (WELL) at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, MA; Gabrielle Senza – Berkshire-based multi-media artist and activist, and former adjunct professor at Simon’s Rock, Cooper Union, IS183 and Mass MoCA. Senza is the founder of The Red Collaborative, a national grassroots organization empowering survivors of abuse through collaborative public art projects; and Maura R. O’Connor – freelance foreign correspondent and magazine journalist whose work has appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, Guernica, Slate, NPR, The Daily, Miller-McCune, The New York Post and TIME.com. O’Connor is a graduate of Simon’s Rock.

The screening and panel discussion will be held at the Lecture Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington on Wednesday, March 14 from 7-9:30pm. Suggested donation: $5.                                        

For more information:       www.berkshirewomenwriters.org          www.missrepresentation.org

Miss Representation Press

“This film is not a passive experience – it is visceral – it will shock you and disturb you, but ultimately awaken you and inspire you.”                                                                                      Marianne Schnall, Feminist.com

“The film’s message is unequivocal: the mainstream media has double standards for women leaders.”                                                                                                                               Politico

“A documentary that will spur questions and conversations, one that could inspire and change lives.”

                                                                                                                 HITFIX

#####

Opening Reception: March 17th, 4-6 pm  57 Main Street Chatham, NY.

Thompson Giroux Gallery is excited to announce a new exhibition featuring landscape painting by Gabrielle Senza, Frank Curran, Mark Howie, Christe Scheele and Sasha Chermayeff; paired with the outdoor constructivist sculpture of Roger Phillips. Roger’s clean geometry mirrors nature by not only reflecting the environment but ”they echo the most fundamental aspect of nature to replicate itself and create order.”  The order Sasha Chermayeff creates is of confident brushwork and color, capturing a moment and squeezing nature into a ten square inch painting.  Frank Curran making simple observations, Christie Scheele painting not just light but the air itself, Gabrielle Senza trusting her intuition to embrace the feeling of a scene and Mark Howie revealing the emotional potential of a landscape. Roger Phillips sculpture is designed for indoor or outdoor installation and provides the perfect combination to the paintings by providing a point of reference for us to respond to the energy of the natural world.

OUTSIDE/INSIDE runs from March 17th – April 29th, 2012

The gallery is open 11am – 5pm, Thursday through Monday . For more information visit www.thompsongirouxgallery.com or call the gallery at (518) 392-3336.