Blog — Elisabeth Frischauf

“Unnatural Election: Artists Respond to the Impact of the 2016 US Presidential Election" at Puffin Cultural Forum

The Puffin Cultural Forum presents “Unnatural Election: Artists Respond to the Impact of the 2016 US Presidential Election.” The exhibition runs from Sunday, September 24 through Friday, November 10 and is curated by artist and activist-curator Andrea Arroyo featuring images by over 230 international artists. “Unnatural Election” initially launched a day after the U.S. presidential election on November 8, 2016 as an online project that invited artists from around the world to submit their reactions. The response was massive and immediate, so far, Andrea Arroyo has received more than 300 works by over 230 artists from 37 countries, and the project keeps growing.

This third physical installation of the exhibition features prints as well as original art that question the election’s impact on social justice, race and gender issues, human rights, immigration, economic justice, the environment and international relations. Images feature paintings, drawings, illustrations, photographs, collages, quilts and poems by a vastly diverse group of artists who tackle concerning issues in styles that include literal, shocking, humorous and poetic.

The project aims to keep asking the ever-relevant questions: How do we face the impending challenges of the new presidency? How do we recover, rebuild and resist? Previous physical installation of “Unnatural Election” were held at Kimmel Galleries, New York University, and Out North Gallery in Anchorage, Alaska; the project will be traveling to additional venues in 2018.

The Exhibition Opening will be held at the Puffin Cultural Forum on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 4:00 pm. Participating artists will be in attendance to present their works along with a discussion panel lead by artist and curator-activist Andrea Arroyo. The Opening is free and open to the public. Snacks and refreshments will be served.

Artists Include:

Andrea Arroyo, Mexico/USA; Ercan Akyol, Turkey; Lalo Alcaraz, USA; Maryam Amirvaghefi, Iran/USA; Marta Barragan, Mexico; Yael Ben-Zion, Israel/USA; Suzanne Benton, USA; Barry Blitt, Canada/USA; Serge Bloch, France; Steve Brodner, USA; Sue Coe, USA; Marco De Angelis, Italy; Denise Deleray, USA; Liza Donnelly, USA; Randall Enos, USA; Felipe Galindo/Feggo, Mexico/USA; Cau Gomez, Brazil; Sylvia Hernandez, Puerto Rico/USA; Martin Kozlowski, USA; Peter Kuper, USA; Robert Sikoryak, USA; Elizabeth Starcević, USA and Muhammad Zaman, USA (Complete list available upon request.)

Award-Winning Artist and Curator

Andrea Arroyo is an award-winning artist and curator working in a range of media including public art, painting, drawing, illustration and site-specific installation. Her public art projects and commissions include The Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum, The New York Women’s Foundation, El Museo del Barrio and The International Museum of Women. Honors received include New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships, Global Citizen Award Artist, Clinton Global Initiative, 21 Leaders for the 21st Century and Outstanding Woman of New York. Andrea Arroyo has received multiple grants from the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, the Puffin Foundation, the Harlem Arts Alliance and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Her artwork has been published extensively, including on the cover of The New Yorker and The New York Times, and has been the subject of over two hundred features in international media.

Arroyo’s curatorial projects include “Tribute to the Disappeared,” “AriZONA: Artists Respond to the Immigration Issue,” “Women in the Heights,” “Political Neighgbors” and “eARTh Alert.”

Puffin Gives Voice to the Arts

Puffin Cultural Forum, a project of the Puffin Foundation Ltd., is a gallery and performance space located at in Teaneck, NJ that seeks to give voice to the Arts, ideas and culture engaged in making the world a better place. The Puffin Cultural Forum explores the space occupied by the Arts and the struggle for human rights in an endeavor to realize the Foundation's governing motto: "...continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people." We deeply believe in the crucial role that the arts play in shaping our consciousness, and the role of artists as agents of social change.