Women in the Heights: Shade
17th annual exhibition
CURATED BY ANDREA ARROYO
February 25 – April 24, 2026
ARTIST TALK THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 6-8pm RSVP
NoMAA Gallery
4140 Broadway (176 St)
Gallery hours are Saturdays 1-5 (excluding holidays) or by appointment. Email studios@nomaanyc.org
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS from Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood:
Yael Ben-Zion, Gina K Callaghan, Arcadia Caraballo, Gwendolen Cates, Karin Dando-Haenisch, Rose Deler, Carol Diamond, Dale Emmart-Lieberman, Kat Gooch-Breault, Wilhemina Grant-Cooper, Jyoti Gupta, Alison Hamilton, Avery Hines-Mudry, Kathy Houle, Carolina Jimenez , Flor Khan, Chae Kihn, Andrea Kornbluth, Christy Martinez, Francesca Messina, Margo Moore, Rosa Naparstek, Mesoma Hammida Onyeagba, Paula Maria Persiani, Bonnie Jean Phillips, Leah Poller, Liz Ritter, Yumi Rodriguez, Darcy Rogers, Susan Rubin, Anne Saint-Pierre, Diana Schmertz, Maria Schoenhammer, Uniqua Simmons, Elizabeth Starčević, Janet Stewart, Kathleen Sweeney, Tania Taubes, Rafaelina Tineo, April Kristine Tsosie, Yona Verwer, Linda Vigdor
Shade explores the intersections of light and shadow—literal, social, and emotional. In every culture and community, shade carries layered meanings: it can offer refuge or concealment, protection or defiance, acceptance, or rejection.
From throwing shade to sheltering in shade, from colorism in race to color range in art, shade speaks to power, presence, and the unseen forces that shape how we move through the world.
How does shade define visibility? How do we navigate the tension between exposure and cover, clarity and ambiguity, belonging and otherness?
Rose Deler
You Have to be Taught, 2026
Acrylic stain on canvas
12" × 10" × 5"
You Have to be Taught, 2026
Acrylic stain on canvas
12" × 10" × 5"
Yael Ben-Zion
Zebras (from the project INTERMARRIED)
2012
C-print
20" x 20"
Zebras (from the project INTERMARRIED)
2012
C-print
20" x 20"
Kat Gooch-Breault
How We Prevail, 2026
Acrylic on panel
24" x 36" x 2.5"
How We Prevail, 2026
Acrylic on panel
24" x 36" x 2.5"
Kathleen Sweeney
Solar Power Series: West, 2023
Photograph, archival Giclée print
33" x 23"
Solar Power Series: West, 2023
Photograph, archival Giclée print
33" x 23"
Alison Hamilton
Brother for the Blues, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
Brother for the Blues, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
Margo Moore
Yellow Study, 2026
Oil on canvas
48" x 36"
Yellow Study, 2026
Oil on canvas
48" x 36"
Dale Emmart
Urban Smoke, 2020
Ink and gouache on paper
22" x 30"
Urban Smoke, 2020
Ink and gouache on paper
22" x 30"
Flor Khan
Chisme, 2026
Mixed media
20" x 20"
The piece examines migration, womanhood,
and the quiet ways stories are carried.
Chisme, 2026
Mixed media
20" x 20"
The piece examines migration, womanhood,
and the quiet ways stories are carried.
Carolina Jimenez
AMBRILLA, 2026
Laser cut wooden frame, archival print
17" x 18" x 1"
AMBRILLA, 2026
Laser cut wooden frame, archival print
17" x 18" x 1"
Janet Stewart
People United by Cause, 2021
Acrylic on masonite
18" x 24"
People United by Cause, 2021
Acrylic on masonite
18" x 24"
Susan Rubin
Roxanne, 2023
Giclee with hand added pigments
on archival paper
20” x 20”
Roxanne, 2023
Giclee with hand added pigments
on archival paper
20” x 20”
Yumi Rodriguez
Axis Mundi, 2023
Mixed media, primarily handmade
watercolor paint, on fabric
48" x 72"
Made largely with recyclable materials and handmade pigments derived from plants and food waste, this painting emerged during a period of climate policy work in Cartagena, Colombia, following an encounter with an ancient ficus tree. Sitting at the base of its roots, Rodriguez entered a meditative state and received a vision that later revealed itself as an expression of the Axis Mundi—a cross-cultural archetype symbolizing the connection between earth and sky, often embodied by a sacred tree.
Axis Mundi, 2023
Mixed media, primarily handmade
watercolor paint, on fabric
48" x 72"
Made largely with recyclable materials and handmade pigments derived from plants and food waste, this painting emerged during a period of climate policy work in Cartagena, Colombia, following an encounter with an ancient ficus tree. Sitting at the base of its roots, Rodriguez entered a meditative state and received a vision that later revealed itself as an expression of the Axis Mundi—a cross-cultural archetype symbolizing the connection between earth and sky, often embodied by a sacred tree.
Kathy Houle
Tree, Fort Kochi, India, 2016
Photograph
9" x 16"
Tree, Fort Kochi, India, 2016
Photograph
9" x 16"
Gwendolen Cates
Sitanka Wokiksuye, 2000
Analog photograph
16" x 20"
Every December, several hundred Lakota and other Indigenous riders undertake an annual 300-mile two-week pilgrimage on horseback and in prayer from the site of Sitting Bull's assassination on the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota to Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, where Miniconjou Lakota Chief Bigfoot and hundreds of his people - mostly women and children - had fled looking for refuge.
On December 29, 1890, as many as 300 were massacred by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. Twenty soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Those medals have never been rescinded.
Sitanka Wokiksuye, 2000
Analog photograph
16" x 20"
Every December, several hundred Lakota and other Indigenous riders undertake an annual 300-mile two-week pilgrimage on horseback and in prayer from the site of Sitting Bull's assassination on the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota to Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, where Miniconjou Lakota Chief Bigfoot and hundreds of his people - mostly women and children - had fled looking for refuge.
On December 29, 1890, as many as 300 were massacred by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. Twenty soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Those medals have never been rescinded.
Gina K. Callaghan
Christopher Street Park, 2022
Photograph
11" x 14"
Christopher Street Park, 2022
Photograph
11" x 14"
Uniqua Simmons
Visualize, Kujichunguza (Introspect), 2023
Fiber
Kujichunguza in Swahili means introspection.
35” X 35” x .5”
Visualize, Kujichunguza (Introspect), 2023
Fiber
Kujichunguza in Swahili means introspection.
35” X 35” x .5”
April Tsosie
Manhatta, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
'Manhatta' reflects my personal Navajo (DIne) identity in the form of incorporating traditional Navajo rug designs and patterns.
Manhatta, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
'Manhatta' reflects my personal Navajo (DIne) identity in the form of incorporating traditional Navajo rug designs and patterns.
Mesoma Hammida Onyeagba
Cozy Enigma, 2023
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Cozy Enigma, 2023
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Maria Schoenhammer
Morning Mist, 2024
Silver gelatin print
8" x 10"
Early morning at Lena Lake in
Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana.
Morning Mist, 2024
Silver gelatin print
8" x 10"
Early morning at Lena Lake in
Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana.
Karin Dando-Haenisch
Leaf Forms, 2014/2024
Digital photographic print
16" x 16"
Leaf Forms, 2014/2024
Digital photographic print
16" x 16"
Rafaelina Tineo
Chicano, 2016
Mixed media
Growing up, I listened to the song "Angelitos Negros," an original poem by Andres Eloy Blanco, sung by Eartha Kitt and Javier Solis in Spanish. This piece of music helped me appreciate and honor my black ancestors.
18 .5" x 7" x 18.5"
Chicano, 2016
Mixed media
Growing up, I listened to the song "Angelitos Negros," an original poem by Andres Eloy Blanco, sung by Eartha Kitt and Javier Solis in Spanish. This piece of music helped me appreciate and honor my black ancestors.
18 .5" x 7" x 18.5"
Anne Saint-Pierre
Water/Agua #1, 2024
Photograph pigment print.
Limited Edition of 12, 2 APs.
14" x 11"
Water/Agua #1, 2024
Photograph pigment print.
Limited Edition of 12, 2 APs.
14" x 11"
Rosa Naparstek
Shades of Brown, Skewed, 2025
12" × 10" × 5"
Antique frame, rusty wire, packing paper,
old clip board, weathered travel leather
toiletries case.
Shades of Brown, Skewed, 2025
12" × 10" × 5"
Antique frame, rusty wire, packing paper,
old clip board, weathered travel leather
toiletries case.
Elizabeth Lorris Ritter
Portrait of an Artist, 2022
Digital photographic print
8" x 10"
Portrait of an Artist, 2022
Digital photographic print
8" x 10"
Darcy Rogers
Palenquera at Rest, Cartagena, Colombia, 2024
Photograph
16" x 24"
Palenqueras travel from San Basilio de Palenque (the first free African town in the Americas) to the tourist town of Cartagena daily.
Palenquera at Rest, Cartagena, Colombia, 2024
Photograph
16" x 24"
Palenqueras travel from San Basilio de Palenque (the first free African town in the Americas) to the tourist town of Cartagena daily.
Linda Vigdor
Minds and Souls, 2025
Flashe & oil on canvas
48" x 61"
Minds and Souls, 2025
Flashe & oil on canvas
48" x 61"
Wilhelmina Grant-Cooper
Colorism: Access Denied, 2026
Found object assemblage
17" x 14" x 4"
Colorism: Access Denied, 2026
Found object assemblage
17" x 14" x 4"
Diana Schmertz
Title IX, 2018
Laser cut watercolor painting on paper
22.5" x 17"
Title IX is a 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program, is laser cut throughout. This law is targeted for reversal in Project 2025.
Title IX, 2018
Laser cut watercolor painting on paper
22.5" x 17"
Title IX is a 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program, is laser cut throughout. This law is targeted for reversal in Project 2025.
Avery Hines-Mudry
Untitled, 2025
Pencil on paper
14" x 14"
My portrait reflects my biracial identity with light and tones blending around a central scar, symbolizing historical racial divides. Around my face I wrote part of the Vision and Creed of Piers Plowman, an allegorical poem by 14th-century poet William Langland.
Untitled, 2025
Pencil on paper
14" x 14"
My portrait reflects my biracial identity with light and tones blending around a central scar, symbolizing historical racial divides. Around my face I wrote part of the Vision and Creed of Piers Plowman, an allegorical poem by 14th-century poet William Langland.
Leah Poller
The Daily Grind, 2023
Mixed media
14" x 20" x 20"
The Daily Grind, 2023
Mixed media
14" x 20" x 20"
Andrea Kornbluth
The Detained, 2025
Woodblock print
12" x 18"
The Detained, 2025
Woodblock print
12" x 18"
Wilhelmina Grant-Cooper
Passing the Paper Bag Test, 2026
Found object assemblage
Passing the Paper Bag Test, 2026
Found object assemblage
Rose Deler
Shades (wreckage), 2022
Plywood, paint, zip ties
Dimensions variable
Remnants of a vandalized public art installation, New York City.
Shades (wreckage), 2022
Plywood, paint, zip ties
Dimensions variable
Remnants of a vandalized public art installation, New York City.
Chae Kihn
Clown, Oaxaca Mexico, 2015
Photograph
20" x 22"
Clown, Oaxaca Mexico, 2015
Photograph
20" x 22"
Jyoti Gupta
80+ Fairness Products: To What End, 2016
Digital print on paper
13" x 23"
80+ Fairness Products: To What End, 2016
Digital print on paper
13" x 23"
Yona Verwer
Hebban Olla Vogala, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
36" x 24"
The title "Henbane Olla Vogala" comes from the oldest surviving line of Dutch poetry, a short, unfinished love song that echoes my own feeling of being caught between home and not-home; as a Dutch immigrant in New York.
Hebban Olla Vogala, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
36" x 24"
The title "Henbane Olla Vogala" comes from the oldest surviving line of Dutch poetry, a short, unfinished love song that echoes my own feeling of being caught between home and not-home; as a Dutch immigrant in New York.
Elizabeth Starčević
Darkness, War, Peace and a Little Bit of Hope, 2006
Weaving: cotton, llama and sheep wool
51.5" x 61.5" x 5"
Darkness, War, Peace and a Little Bit of Hope, 2006
Weaving: cotton, llama and sheep wool
51.5" x 61.5" x 5"
Tania Taubes
Dusk: Self-Portrait With Ania, 2025
Acrylic and gouache on canvas
24" x 36"
I’m the one with the one with the burro head.
My friend Ania’s beside me.
Dusk: Self-Portrait With Ania, 2025
Acrylic and gouache on canvas
24" x 36"
I’m the one with the one with the burro head.
My friend Ania’s beside me.
Bonnie Jean Phillips
Pan African American Joy - Harlem Parade,
2022
Oil on canvas
22" x 28"
Pan African American Joy - Harlem Parade,
2022
Oil on canvas
22" x 28"
Arcadia Reyes Caraballlo
Si no me dan Libertad, JODO! Resistencia y Luto, 2026
Charcoal, silver gems, acrylic and metallic watercolor on paper
24" x 18"
Si no me dan Libertad, JODO! Resistencia y Luto, 2026
Charcoal, silver gems, acrylic and metallic watercolor on paper
24" x 18"
Carol Diamond
Shades, 2025
Repurposed glass, scrap metal, epoxy
12" x 12" x 9"
Shades, 2025
Repurposed glass, scrap metal, epoxy
12" x 12" x 9"
Francesca Messina
Waiting, GW Bridge Bus Terminal, 2025
Digital photograph
18" x 24"
Waiting, GW Bridge Bus Terminal, 2025
Digital photograph
18" x 24"
Paula Maria Persiani
Blue in Bed Part II, 2025
Oil on paper
104" x 173"
Blue in Bed Part II, 2025
Oil on paper
104" x 173"
Christy Martinez
unveiled
unveiled
- This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
- Women in the Heights: Shade is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
- Support from New York State Senator Robert Jackson.
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