For more information contact:
Karen Hunter McLaughlin
kamcl@artessaalliance.org, 215-676-5134
www.artessaalliance.org
For Immediate Release
Local Women Artist Group Expands Vision and Mission
Philadelphia area arts collaborative announces new name and mission under Artessa Alliance.
Cheltenham, PA, May 19, 2020—Fifteen artists, all members of the mother’s cooperative MamaCITA, the award winning local women’s artist group founded in 2006, are making the bold move of reinventing themselves as Artessa Alliance. The move reflects the evolution of themselves as artists and the organization itself.
“Our original mission to support mothers seeking relief from the isolation of parenthood seems to have grown up with our children. We have more freedoms but still cherish the support and opportunities our women’s collective very much provides,” said Karen Hunter McLaughlin, one of the earlier members who helped facilitate the group during its transition.
“We decided to grow our collaborative to allow for diversity of age, background and community interests and to share our strengths and experience with more than just mother-artists.”
Artessa Alliance was chosen on the premise that these women are a tessellation of visual artists–-each single member made stronger by their combined power.” The name change accompanies a revised mission, to include the group’s value of inclusion and its new vision around the aims they are striving to achieve as artists.
As MamaCITA, the visual artists have fifteen years of collaborative exhibition experience. They have shown extensively in the tri-state area in venues that include; MCCC Fine Arts Center, The Painted Bride, and the Capitol Building in Harrisburg. As a group they are also included in permanent collections at several Mission First Housing developments as well as the Einstein Medical Centers in Montgomery County and Philadelphia. They will continue to work with their longtime affiliate, Cheltenham Center for the Arts.
“In building the new vision, we revisited our most important achievements over the course of our collective, the core values that have held us together, and what we hope to accomplish for our future,” explained Rebecca Schultz, one of the newer members who joined after moving back east from California.
At the heart of that exchange is the recognition that their most important connection is finding camaraderie in their art practice and assisting each other in bringing their original art to a conversation with the community through exhibitions.
Artessa Alliance will continue to support women, and women identifying artists, but they’re leaving behind the motherhood requirement. The group’s evolved mission will continue to include their foundation of supporting each other with creative opportunities
As original member Kimberly Mehler adds, “We are allied women artists who adapt to the world around us engaging individually and collectively with the community. As we move forward monitoring and adjusting, our vision is to explore, learn, and hone our mission– continuing to speak to our audience through our art.”
Artessa Alliance will move forward with our new mission while the name MamaCITA will survive in a new format under Melissa Tevere.
Facts:
- Artessa Alliance is affiliated with the Cheltenham Center for the Arts and currently maintains a membership of 15-20 women.
- The cooperative has 15 years of collaborative exhibits throughout the East Coast working under the name MamaCITA.
- Artessa Alliance is a collective of women identifying visual artists.
Notes:
Artessa Alliance is currently planning its 4th biennial exhibit at Cheltenham Center for the Arts in February 2021. The exhibit theme will concentrate on community in a time of solitude. It is planned as their first invitational show which will launch the new mission and seek to diversify their future membership.
About Artessa Alliance— The Artessa Alliance is a group of women-identified visual artists from the Greater Philadelphia area who are dedicated to our respective creative practices and committed to supporting each other and collaborating on creative projects.
For more information visit https://www.artessaalliance.org/about
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#artessaalliance #reimagine #reinvent #changemaker #womenartists #womeninthearts #philadelphiaarts
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Links to Artessa Alliance Social Media outlets and images released for use.