SUSAN BROWN
City Taxicabs (2022)
Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 in.
Courtesy Pure Vision Arts (New York, NY)
Susan Brown (b. 1957) is a Long Island native, born in Copiague and a resident of Sayville since childhood. She has been a member of Pure Vision Arts (PVA) since its inception in 2002. For over two decades, two to three times weekly, she diligently sets out in the wee hours of the morning, makes a 2-hour trek to the PVA studio in the Chelsea Arts District, and devotes her hours to producing new work.
Her paintings depict diverse themes including childhood memories of growing up on the Great South Bay, summers on the beach, Fire Island in all seasons, ferry rides, her fascination with Manhattan, and, her signature, gridded pictures of her mother wearing hand-made clothing. When asked about the “mother series,” Susan remembers the dates her mother wore each dress or blouse, and the history of the garment represented. She fondly recalls a childhood where the record player was virtually always playing jazz and 1950’s rock & roll as she drew, the inspiration for her lyrical brush strokes.
Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art; New York Transit Museum; The Mayor’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities; Art Enables; Outsider Art Fair; Musée de la Création Franche; Google Headquarters; Sheen Center; Autism Museum; Penny Hotel; Pure Vision Arts; and resides in many private collections.
PURE VISION ARTS
NEW YORK, NY
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Pure Vision Arts (PVA) was founded in 2002 by The Shield Institute a not-for-profit human-service agency that educates and supports New Yorkers with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Pure Vision Arts is New York’s first specialized art studio and exhibition space for people with developmental disabilities. PVA is staffed by trained professionals with backgrounds in art education, fine arts, and art therapy who provide mentoring and support to the artists who attend the studio.
Pure Vision Arts is ultimately about facilitating social change by creating opportunities for access and inclusion in the arts for people with neurological challenges. Many PVA artists have led extraordinary lives and the sheer power and uniqueness of their work helps to break down negative public misperceptions and stereotypes about people who have disabilities. In a very short time, PVA has become a vital resource for new and emerging artists of vision who would otherwise remain culturally and socially isolated.
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Tours of the Pure Vision Arts studio are provided for art collectors, aligned agencies, potential program participants, prospective volunteers, and other interested individuals and groups. As interest in PVA has expanded, so have the number of requests for tours of our studio and overall facility. While we make every effort to accommodate each request, please bear in mind that our time and resources to meet this growing demand are limited.
Contact Us at 212-366-4263
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