FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 23, 2008
CONTACT:
Flo Wiley
410 0030 ext 215
BETTY BLAYTON 3 GALLERY 40 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE EXTENDED TO NOV 22
GALLERY TALK AT CANVAS PAPER & STONE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
(New York NY October 23, 2008) The renowned artist and educator Betty Blayton is enjoying a 40-year
retrospective exhibition of her work in not one but three galleries at the same time. Known in arts circles
for her service with the Children’s Art Carnival and the Studio Museum of Harlem, this exhibit of Betty
Blayton’s work marks the first time she has exhibited in Harlem in nearly 20 years. This three-gallery
collaboration is a first-time ever presentation of a retrospective works exhibition of one artist shown
simultaneously at three galleries: Essie Green Galleries (419A Convent Avenue, NY 10031, 212 3689635) whose show closes Friday October 31; the Strivers Gardens Gallery (300 West 135th Street, NY
10030, 212 491 0503) which closes November 22; and Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery (2611
Frederick Douglass Blvd, Studio 2N, NY 10030, 212 694-1747) which closes November 22 but is
preceded by a Studio Talk with Betty Blayton, an equally rare occasion, on Saturday November 1 from
4pm to 6pm. The exhibition, So It Is With Us, Betty Blayton – 40 Years of Selected Works, is sponsored
by the Children’s Art Carnival, Community Works, and the Harlem Arts Alliance.
Betty Blayton’s works are represented in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The
Studio Museum of Harlem, The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, Philip Morris USA/Altria,
Fisk University, Spelman College, Sidney Poitier and David Rockefeller. Dedicated to arts education,
Betty Blayton assisted in the founding of the Children’s Art Carnival in Harlem, serving as its Executive
Director for thirty years. As one of the founding members of the Studio Museum of Harlem, she served
on its board from 1965 until 1975.
Essie Green Galleries features the works of such master artists as Romare Bearden, Charles Alston,
Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Charles Ethan Porter, Edwin
Bannister, Allen Stringfellow, Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, William S. Carter and many other artist of the
19th and 20th Centuries. Tues to Sat, 10a-6pm, & By Appt
Striver’s Gardens Gallery has been open since 2006 and has mounted three major exhibitions,
Syncopated Threads: Feel The Rhythm, See The Music-The Harlem Girls Quilter’s Circle; The Art of
Ryan Collier: A Community of Purpose and Promise; and Harlem Homecoming 2008: Selected Works by
Ademola Olugebefola 1968-2008. By Appointment
Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery is a contemporary fine art venue which focuses on emerging and
established artists in all media. Past exhibits include work by TAFA, Deborah Willis, Ray Llanos, Eric
Henderson, Diane Waller, Dianne Smith, Mary Heller, Francks Deceus, Charly Palmer and Aleathia
Brown. Tues to Sat, 10a -6pm, & By Appointment
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AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: Betty Blayton, Averlyn Archer (Canvas Paper and Stone), Lisa Hayes
(Strivers Gardens) and Sherman K. Edmiston, Jr. (Essie Green). Contact Flo Wiley at the Harlem Arts
Alliance: 212 410 0030 ext 215.