The Girls’ Club / A Necessary South Florida Initiative

Michelle Segre, Face Head, 2004, gouche, pencil on paper, 29.75” x 22”

By Tamar Mitchell

The Girls’ Club, located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, was founded in 2006 by artist Francie Bishop-Good and her husband David Horvitz. Located in a building designed by award-winning architect Margi Nothard of Fort Lauderdale’s Glavovic Studio, this space distinguishes itself as being the only private collection in the world specializing in the work of women artists.

The Girls’ Club functions as a laboratory of ideas to further the development of young creators. In a recent interview with ARTDISTRICTS, the artist Michelle Weinberg, Creative Director of this space, commented: “…Girls’ Club’s mission is to educate the public, nurture the careers of female artists, and to serve as a resource for art students and scholars, curators, and practicing artists.” To accomplish this mission and in conjunction with exhibitions that extend beyond regional boundaries; workshops, conferences, talks, etc. are organized to provide for contemporary art education and diffusion within the community. Worthy of note are the digital imaging and multimedia workshops, which have been created in collaboration with institutions, such as: Women in Distress of Broward County, the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center, Women on the Rise (a program of the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami), Young at Art Museum and the Pace Center for Girls. These workshops are focused on greatly influencing the lives and sensibilities of the women and girls of Broward County, providing them with knowledge that will guide their professional endeavors and change the way they look at the world.

The Girls’ Club has a tradition of presenting excellent exhibitions. Currently on display is “Set to Manual,” which brings together more than thirty artists. This exposition includes works that are marked by passionate artistry. As its curator Michelle Weinberg commented: “Once upon a time, contemporary art spectators were required to digest lengthy manifestos and divine obscure subtexts from the flimsiest of art gestures. Today, too-conceptual art is on the wane, as is detached, slick neo-Geometric painting, and art based solely on appropriation of other art. Current art production is rife with obsessive tinkering, elaborate drawing, and one-off handmade technologies. The spare objects of minimalist art have been replaced with rich surfaces, vivid imagery and virtuosic techniques to delight the eye and inspire the imagination.” Following these directives, pioneers like Kiki Smith and Nancy Spero; internationally recognized artists such as Vija Celmins, Tara Donovan and Pipilotti Rist; and young creators like Jen Stark, Pepe Mar, Amparo Sard, Gean Moreno, among others, have been assembled.

In conjunction with the show, the Girls’ Club has organized projects like: Set To Manual Video Program, Set to Manual Web Project under the direction of Felice Grodin. Also included is a series of Artists in Action! presentations. Through these, artists Diane Arrieta, Samantha Salzinger, Margi Nothard and TJ Ahearn aka Jane Hart share with the public how they developed the concepts that govern each of the works they exhibit on this occasion. During each Artists in Action! session, visitors can acquire works at very reasonable prices. This program includes an educational component and an intent to encourage the collecting of contemporary art. (See www.girlsclubcollection.org for information regarding the Artists in Action! schedule.)

The Girls’ Club is one of the South Florida art scene’s most interesting cultural options. It is a space established and guided by artists, in which creativity rules in an atmosphere of learning and intense collaboration.

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Girls’ Club. 117 NE 2nd Street (between Andrews Ave. and 3rd Ave.) Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Phone 954.828.9151    info@girlsclubcollection.org