History

Pen + Brush began 2022 with Deborah Jack: 20 years, a retrospective exhibition featuring twenty years of work by Deborah Jack (b. 1970, Netherlands). Jack’s work asserts new levels of relevancy as we deal with an increasingly COVID- riddled global climate where notions of identity and home are constantly becoming and reforming. This state of the in-between and our shared scattering is seen and felt deeply in Jack’s work. Short films show liminal spaces, water or landscapes, that are immersed in tones of grey and haze, usually paired with a requiem-like sound element, leading viewers to feel as though they are constantly on the precipice. This continuous push can be seen as a metaphor for trans culturalism and its aftermath within today’s globalized art world.

2020 and the Pandemic brought a fierce and rapid need to get essential funds in the hands of important emerging artists who needed support during the historic loss of jobs, incomes, and sales. Pen + Brush hosted a virtual exhibition throughout 2020 with the collection ranging from $20 to $200 and included original works, prints, limited editions, and objects made in the time of quarantine.

In the 2018, we launched P+B’s first literary magazine in the organization’s history, the bi-annual Pen + Brush In Print. After 124 years of supporting women in the literary arts, the magazine further expands a platform for sharing the voices of women writers.

Pen + Brush was featured alongside major art institutions – from MoMA to the Whitney to Lincoln Center – in this episode, demonstrating that we are still an important part of the cultural milieu after nearly 123 years. But even more importantly, the segment shared the story and work of one of our talented artists, Josephine Barreiro, providing her with exposure on a local, national and international level. Watch the video at NYC-ARTS.org.

On October 6, we debuted our new electronic publishing platform with four inaugural works selected by our reading board. Publications are available here on our publications page and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, and Kobo.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed “Pen and Brush Day” on October 23, 2005. He cited the organization’s history and contributions “in a city that is both the artistic capital of the world and a bastion of opportunity” as cause for recognition: “Pen and Brush’s initial vitality shows no sign of waning. Every season, its galleries host numerous exhibitions, workshops, forums, discussions, concerts, recitals, and readings.” Bloomberg quoted Pen and Brush Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marianne Moore, “Beauty is everlasting / and dust is for a time,” concluding that, “For 110 years, Pen and Brush has helped female artists and writers express themselves through enduring works of art.”

The purchase of the building on 10th Street in Manhattan marked the beginning of a period of stability for the organization’s programming. For 29 years before this, various locations had to be rented for all Pen and Brush activities, including meetings and exhibitions. The image shown here of the building shortly after its purchase was taken – fittingly – by Jessie Tarbox Beals, the first published female photojournalist in the United States.

In 1893, Miss Janet C. Lewis of New York, a painter, sent a letter to a number of female acquaintances proposing the establishment of a new group exclusively for women interested in pursuits of both art and literature. The purpose of this organization, as Lewis described, was to be for mutual improvement, advancement and social intercourse. The entity was to be called the “Pen and Brush.

“The founders of Pen and Brush planted the seeds of an open and mutually beneficial organization for women artists and writers.” – Janice Sands, Executive Director

The first official meeting of Pen and Brush was held in the Fifth Avenue Hotel on March 29, 1894.