Shirley Gorelick (1924-2000) was known for her large-scale, realist portraits that drew from Western painting traditions but also challenged them, through the depiction of people who were not typically the subjects of these traditions: bi-racial families, middle-aged couples, and a friend who was disabled. In assessing Gorelick’s legacy today, these portraits are pathways to learning about the artist and her circle of friends and family. Gorelick’s work also offers an opportunity to consider the larger role of portraiture as expression of friendship, care, and community as well as how these personal, relational depictions are remembered over time. 

In collaboration with the Shirley Gorelick Foundation, Soft Network has organized two programs that consider the connections between portraiture, community, and legacy. A selection of Gorelick’s portraits will be on view during both programs.

The first program on October 28th will feature short presentations and conversation between artists practicing community portraiture — John Ahearn, Rigoberto Torres, and Betty Yu — along with historian Marcelo Gabriel Yáñez, speaking on the community-based photography of Sheyla Baykal (1944-1997) and artist/curator Max Warsh speaking on Shirley Gorelick.

The second program on October 30th will focus on artist interviews as a method of remembering and defining community. Various approaches and resources will be presented by Penny Arcade and Steve Zehentner of the Lower East Side Biography Project; Lauren Shadford of Voices of Contemporary Art (VoCA); and Max Warsh.