Petroleum Paradox Opening

Artist Opening for Petroleum Paradox at Denise Bibro Fine Art  Please Join Us! Thursday, May 24 6-8 p.m. 529 West 20th Street, NYC. Denise Bibro Fine Art is pleased to host the Women's Caucus for Art exhibition Petroleum Paradox: For Better or For Worse?, juried by Eleanor Heartney, on view May 24 through June 23, 2012. Opens Thursday, May 24 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at 529 West 20th Street, NYC. Co-President for New York WCA, Marcia Annenberg, states: "this exhibit seeks to raise awareness of the imminent danger of uncontrolled climate change, caused by an excessive dependency on fossil fuels... It is our generation that has been called to this task."  To paraphrase Eleanor Heartney, "... the thoughtful works that comprise this exhibit present questions, such as 'How do we balance economic development, environmental protection, and geopolitical stability in an ever more precarious world? What are we willing to give up today to avoid catastrophe tomorrow? Where should we commit our resources? How should we define our social and economic priorities?'" The variety of perspectives of the artists involved employ photography, video, painting, and sculpture. These artists reinforce the paradox at the center of our environmental predicament. Heartney notes, human creativity and innovation are at the root of our difficulties, but they are also the source of our potential salvation. Artists in the exhibition:  Elaine Alibrandi, Scott,Anderson, Marcia Annenberg, Krisanne Baker, Ulla Barr, Kristen Baumlier, Cheryl Bookout, Paul Bouchard, Tracy Brown, Lois Bryant, Allegra Burke, Donna Catanzaro, Rachel Clark, Janet Culbertson, Michael D'Antuono, Derek Decker, Sherri Denault and Margie Glass Sula, Liz Dodson, Alice Dubiel, Sally Edelstein, Johnny Everyman, Trish Foschi, Pam Foss, Terri Garland, Catherine Gilbert, Carla Goldberg, Maeve Grogan, Livia Gus, Karen Gutfreund, Andrew Hamill, Aimee Hertog, Suzanne Hodes, Roxane Hollosi, Shelah Horvitz, Patti Jordan, Robin M Jordan, Vesna Jovanovic, Noreen Larinde, Amy Larsen, Molly Magai, Paho Mann, Brandi Merolla, Barbara Milman, Mitzi Mize, Andrea Morganstern, Sandra Mueller, Rosa Naparstek, Patty Neal, Rob Neilson, Lynnda Pardoe, Bonnie Peterson, Sara Petitt, Roxanne Phillips, Stefani Rossi, Soledad Salame, Loredana Sangiuliano, Samuel Scharf, Debbie Schore, Manju Shandler, Lynnette Shelley, Katherine Sifers, Simone Spicer, Greg Stange, Deborah Mills Thackrey, Linnea Tober, Lucy Traeger, Michelle Waters, Margi Weir, Jenifer Wightman, Roscoe Wilson, Helen Zajkowski, Patrcia Zalisko.    Notes from Karen Gutfreund, Exhibition Director:  Art can be a powerful, productive force and instrumental in sparking change or critical thinking.  The Women's Caucus for Art is committed to supporting local, national, and global art activism.  Art can produce a visceral response and can provoke, inspire, or disturb, and opens your eyes to worlds other than your own. While the artist may not consider themselves to be a revolutionary, by bringing to light issues and concerns, art can effect change. We need of works that help us to understand what is happening in our society, who we are, where we come from and where we're going.   With Petroleum Paradox: For Better or For Worse, we asked for works that stir emotions, discussion and debate about our petroleum-dependent world. Examples include, but were not limited to, works that address the impact of collecting, processing and delivering fossil fuel on the environment; global warming; the power of big oil companies to control countries and governments; an imagined life without fossil fuel; and life forms that were the origins of fossil fuel. The discovery of oil, in 1859, in Pennsylvania, transformed our way of life; we are enveloped by petroleum products-from the shoes we wear, to the materials our clothes are made of, to the way we heat our houses, to our modes of transportation. Oil dependency pollutes the environment causing respiratory illness, endangers wildlife, and necessitates the large scale loss of life as we search to secure sources of oil overseas. How do we initiate change with this rush to grab dwindling non-renewable energy assets, instead of focusing on renewable energy and the prevention of global warming? This exhibition manifests the artists response to the Petroleum Paradox and what is happening in our oil dependent society and world.   Eleanor Heartney, Contributing Editor, Art in America and Artpress, chose 72 artists for Petroleum Paradox with 31 works in the gallery at Denise Bibro Fine Art and an additional 43 featured in the catalog. This show is in collaboration with Denise Bibro of Denise Bibro Fine Art.  We are honored to work with these artists and to showcase their work. We believe in the power of artists to create, connect, and change the world.        We hope that you will join us in our celebration of 40 years of women and the arts! Regards, Karen Gutfreund Vice President and National Exhibitions Director Women's Caucus for Art