By Carol Tannenhauser
There are two weeks left to see a small but powerful exhibition of paintings and drawings called Crossing the Red River at the Bloomingdale Library, 150 W. 100 Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
Artist and longtime Upper West Sider Curtis Wallin recalled that he had “been feeling the weight of the world and of those who are being displaced and need to cross over to safety.” He had the idea for the series in the early months of the invasion of Ukraine. “I was listening to a friend, a concert pianist, play Beethoven’s Op. 27 #2 Sonata quasi una fantasia…[when] the initial image of a person standing in a swirling red river surrounded by a black world came to me.”
“We all face challenges,” Wallin explains, “and taking chances as we move through the world is paramount to our survival. By stepping forward into our own ‘Red River’ armed with hope and beauty, we start our own journey seeking a path to safety, acceptance, and happiness, crossing into the next phase of life.”
Crossing the Red River
Drawings and paintings by Curtis Wallin
Bloomingdale Library, 150 W 100th St NY, NY 10025
Through February 28, 2023
To my fellow WSR readers, these paintings are much more poignant and deep than you can see in the online photos. Do yourself a favor and go see them in person while you have the chance!
Thoughtful, compassionate, and creative.
Crossing the Red River captures the mess our species has created on planet Earth and also gives us hope to slog on and forge a way forward to bring out the best in us.