Art Opening Reception: Friday, March 8, 2024 / 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm @ 12 Vassar Street
Laced and Lusty by Naomi Berkery
Naomi Berkery attended Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, NY receiving an MFA in Art and Design Education with a concentration in Art Therapy. For 25 years she lived in New York City creating and exhibiting her artwork throughout the 5 boroughs and the Tri-State Area. Relocating back to her childhood home of Newburgh, NY in 2019 with her husband and Pit Bull rescue, Naomi submerged herself in the established bustling Art Community in the Hudson Valley area. Working out of her studio in Safe Harbors on the Hudson and in conjunction with The Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, NY, she creates highly emotive portraiture pieces that are colorful, bold, vibrant, playful, and at times overpowering, and are influenced by the fusion of city meets nature through Street Art and Graffiti, Surrealism, Neo Expressionism, the gorgeous outdoors in the Hudson Valley. “My artwork is a deeply personal celebration of authenticity and visual expression,” she explains. “It is an emotional journey towards self-discovery and acceptance – a visceral beckoning for my audience to experience my deepest thoughts through their very own eyes, making connections to their own experiences. I play with contrast, extremes, representation, the disconnect between the ‘self’ we present to the world and the softer underbelly we go to great lengths to conceal by manipulating the intangible and reworking it physically to be in real space tangible through materials, texture and imagery.” Naomi is a member of several Hudson Valley artists groups and communities and regularly participates in Newburgh Open Studios and Newburgh Illuminated. She is a permanent resident artist at Ilon Gallery in Harlem and, along with her works found in many private collections, she exhibits her artwork at local businesses and galleries as well as in New York City. Since 2003, she has taught Art to Special Needs students in grades 4th to 12th in Manhattan and currently works with over 300 students diagnosed with severe learning disabilities including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, NVLD, and EF.