Whitney Oldenburg: left behind at MOCA Jacksonville

Whitney Oldenburg, Feeding Frenzy, 2022, tickets, rock, wood, aluminum, resin, string, staples, helmets, ear plugs, cloth, zipper pulls, red yeast rice, glue mixture.

MOCA Jacksonville is pleased to present the first institutional survey of the work by Jacksonville native and EFA Studio Member Whitney Oldenburg (b. 1987).

Whitney Oldenburg: left behind
On View: November 20, 2025 – April 19, 2026

The exhibition left behind presents a selection of Oldenburg’s recent sculptures, accompanied by a special presentation of the artist’s drawings.

Oldenburg’s sculptural works begin with fragments from repurposed consumer items, remnants from older work, and her own discarded personal belongings; materials that already carry traces of use, and memory, that she seeks to sublimate in her practice. Acting as a conduit for a profound reflection, this materiality is transformed with the presence of other unhampered materials that will define the unexpected final shapes and textures her work adopts. With this process, the artist directs our attention to the complex relationship we have with the objects that we surround ourselves with in our contemporary culture; and invites us to explore, with her, the way we form attachments to objects, gadgets, articles, and things, and how we allow these to become a symbolic part of us. In this way, Oldenburg’s practice invites us to reflect on the complex interplay between material possessions, social dynamics, and value systems, as she gently probes the looming transition away from a future dominated by extractive processes and an overwhelming saturation of disposable technology, toward a more mindful, less consumption-driven social paradigm.

This exhibition was curated by Senior Curator Ylva Rouse. All works courtesy of the artist and CHART Gallery, New York. Special thanks to Clara Ha, and the Eden Arts Foundation.

Print Culture: On the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

Chakaia Booker at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, New York.

Barry Schwabsky reviews Press & Pull: Two Decades at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in Artforum, and explores the history of the workshop and Robert Blackburn’s legacy.

”In 1971, Blackburn’s workshop transformed into a nonprofit, and since 2005—two years after his death—it has operated under the auspices of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts as the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. Throughout its history, across the shifts in organizational structure and in address, what Blackburn maintained was the printshop’s ability to function as both a community arts resource where anyone could come to learn and a place where professional artists could come from around the world to experiment with printing as an open-ended artistic process. As Curlee Raven Holton, one of the many artists who was mentored by Blackburn, recalled in the 2014 catalogue, the workshop has been “a place of acceptance where artists from New York City, Ohio, Oklahoma, Greece, Thailand, or South Africa formed an international exchange, the united nations of artists.” (I’m particularly intrigued by the number of Indian or Indian-born artists who passed through, among them Devraj Dakoji, Zarina Hashmi, M. F. Husain, and Krishna Reddy.) “For many artists new to the city,” Holton continued, “the Workshop was the only open door that would embrace them regardless of where they had come from or their professional rank.” It was probably the most truly integrated art space in New York; this, too, was part of Blackburn’s vision. He wanted to make a place that would welcome other Black artists—and a place that would welcome everyone else. His stance was founded on the faith that art and life are not zero-sum games, but fields in which cooperation and collaboration increase the potential of all participants. “I’ve always been an integrationist,” Blackburn declared. “I think an artist’s way of life has to be one that is trying to make things one, and not trying to fragment.”

—Barry Schwabsky, Artforum

Press & Pull: Two Decades at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is on view through November 15, 2025.

The James Gallery at CUNY Graduate Center
365 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Camille Eskell: One Thousand and One Threads

EFA Studio Member Camille Eskell’s solo show opens at KAPOW Gallery on Friday, September 5.

On view: September 5 – 28, 2025

Opening Reception:
Friday September 5th, 6 – 9 pm

VIP Preview – Thurs. Sept. 4th (please call for appointment)

KAPOW
23 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002

Melissa Joseph: Tender

Melissa Joseph with her Brooklyn Museum commission, Tender. Photo: Paula Abreu Pita

EFA Studio Member Melissa Joseph Scales Up Poignancy in Public Spaces With ‘Tender’

“It is not always easy for an artist to meet the demands of public scale—especially when their practice is grounded in material intimacy, process and the translation of deeply personal narratives. But Melissa Joseph, an artist who has rapidly gained recognition in recent years for her use of wool felt in work that reanimates emotional moments drawn from her family archive, was up for the challenge. Even as her mode of work lends itself to more contained formats that echo the quietness of memory through touch and introspection, she accepted commissions at the Brooklyn Museum and art storage firm UOVO’s Brooklyn location that showcase her work in expansive form designed for broader public engagement.

Reflecting her rising visibility not only in the market but also in institutional circles, Joseph participated in the Art Production Fund’s Art in Focus program at the Rockefeller Center. This year, she was awarded the prestigious UOVO Prize in partnership with the Brooklyn Museum—an annual honor that recognizes an emerging Brooklyn-based artist with a solo exhibition at the museum, a $25,000 cash award and a large-scale billboard presentation at UOVO’s Bushwick facility, on view through June 2026.”

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Watson Mere: African Voices Presents Lineage

Cover of Summer/Fall 2025 issue of African Voices. Work by Watson Mere of artist and activist Harry Belafonte

EFA Studio Member Watson Mere will present work in an exhibition hosted by African Voices, and his work is featured on the upcoming issue’s cover.

“On Sat., July 26, 2025, African Voices magazine will host an opening exhibition for Brooklyn artist Watson Mere and a launch celebration for our special issue honoring the art and activism of Harry Belafonte! Mere's art graces the front cover of our Summer/Fall 2025 issue. We invite you to enjoy an afternoon of art and celebration. Contributors from the issue will share their poems and stories, including writer Gia Anasi-Shakur who will share her work. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcomed. The event will be held at the AV Gallery, 325 Lafayette Ave. (corner of Grand Ave.) in Brooklyn.

"We're proud to showcase Watson Mere's art and celebrate the legacy of actor and activist Harry Belafonte whose film Beat Street helped defined New York City as the capital of Hip Hop culture and art. He was one of the first 'Artvists' who leveraged his influence as a world-class actor to fight for justice during the Civil Rights era," said publisher Carolyn A. Butts. "Our issue, guest edited by award-winning poet Keisha-Gaye Anderson, is timely as we are continuing the struggle to preserve our cultural institutions and access to jobs, education and affordable housing.’”

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Billy Gerard Frank: 1-54 Caribbean Spotlight

Billy Gérard Frank, Who is Queen Now?, 2022, mixed media, fabric, acrylic on paper, 36 x 24 in.

EFA Studio Member Billy Gerard Frank will be in this year’s 1-54 Caribbean Spotlight exhibition in Miami.

ATLANTIC ARTHOUSE is a hybrid collective of galleries, artists, designers, creatives, and art professionals from the Caribbean Mid-Atlantic, dedicated to expanding access to and facilitating the acquisition of art and design from the region.

Its unique hybrid format—blending culturally specific e-commerce with in-person curated exhibitions and dynamic programming—creates a dedicated space for underrepresented contemporary creatives from Caribbean, Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and LatinX communities.

By increasing visibility and fostering connections with collectors who value diversity and understand the impact of their investments, ATLANTIC ARTHOUSE helps shape a more inclusive art market.

Through thoughtfully curated group exhibitions, ATLANTIC ARTHOUSE explores the convergence, currents, and histories of the Caribbean Mid-Atlantic. For the 1-54 Caribbean Spotlight, it proudly presents eleven exceptional visual artists from the region.

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