A Very Anxious Feeling: Voices of Unrest in the American Experience - Catalog - Page 15
DEDICATION
Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo
“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”
Edward Hopper
As one of the most celebrated collectors of
contemporary art for decades, there is nothing
about the tried and the true that has ever
interested Beth Rudin DeWoody. Instead, it is her
extraordinary eye for discerning talent, and her
empathetic heart that knows no bounds, which
guide her as she intuitively collects works by
artists, many at the very beginning of their careers
when they need that encouragement and support
the most.
And it is here at the Taubman Museum of Art, in
an oasis of serenity nestled beside the Blue Ridge
Mountains while COVID-19 continues to ravage
the country, that we have the privilege to glimpse
deep inside the prophetic souls of our artist
brothers and sisters. Their messages to us are
even more prescient than before.
Listen carefully.
I want to thank my dearest friend, Beth Rudin
DeWoody, for opening up her collection without
hesitation to the Taubman Museum of Art so that
you, the audience, have an opportunity to explore
the world of ideas she has so deftly assembled.
This is the second exhibition culled from her
collection, with more to follow.
I want to thank Jenny Taubman for introducing me
to the Taubman Museum of Art, and for her warm
and welcoming embrace as I celebrate my first
anniversary as a board member. It is a pleasure to
connect the NYC art world with our museum.
I want to thank Cindy Petersen for her enthusiastic
and nimble response under the most adverse and
challenging of circumstances as she oversaw an
exhibition that would resonate with all members
of this beautifully diverse city. Although we can
not travel without restrictions or fear of disease,
this moment has evolved into an extraordinary
opportunity to bring these talented individuals
directly to you in your own backyard.
And lastly, along with the gifted curators who
organized this exhibition, Amethyst Rey Beaver
and Eva Thornton, and collaborators Laura Dvorkin
and Maynard Monrow, we say from our hearts to
yours, look at the artwork—and listen carefully.
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