J A N I C E  G O R D O N





 MATTERS OF THE HEART

 
   Heart (awakening), 2007 Janice Gordon, 16"x13"x8"

In her ongoing series, Matters of the Heart (2006-present), Janice Gordon explores the complex nature of the heart as symbol, as the anatomical center of our being, and as the interface between matter and spirit. Materials such as coral, sheep's wool, horsehair, bits from well worn dolls, and the chambers of seashells are used for both their ancient associations and personal memories.

 

Heart (from the Irish sea), 2007 Janice Gordon, 4.5"x14"x10.5"

 
While Janice's working process is intuitive, her work is informed by the understanding of the physiological heart, gained through studying the historical and contemporary medical approaches to the heart. As part of her research, she had collaborative support from the cardiologist Dr. David Newman, who gave her the opportunity to observe cardiac interventions in the electrophysiology lab, and in open heart surgery. He also provided her with biomedical devices used in endovascular procedures that she has begun to incorporate into her work, thus combining the organic and the technological.



  Heart (lotus), 2007 Janice Gordon, 5.8"x8"x6.5" 

As part of the artist's collaboration with Dr. Newman, she was invited to make a presentation to cardiologists, suggesting the possibility that art can offer some insight into the relationship between the human condition and the medical understanding of the heart. She has lectured about her investigations into the metaphor and medicine of the heart at the United States Library of Congress Health Forum, and recently shared her work on the heart in a symposium in Italy led by the physicist David Peat, entitled "Art, Science, and the Sacred."
 

  Heart (interface), 2008 Janice Gordon, 16"x11"x7"


ABBREVIATED BIO

Janice Gordon lives and works in New York City. She received a B.A. in English literature at Whitman College in Washington State, and studied art history at the University of Loyola in Rome. Returning to NYC, she received a graduate degree in psychology from the New School, and studied four years at the Art Students League.

Janice's work has been exhibited in various venues including: the New York Academy of Sciences, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., the Hudson River Museum, The Heckscher Museum of Art, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art, among others.  Images of her work have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Sciences magazine and Provincetown Arts. She has received numerous awards including a Concordia Foundation Fellowship for residency at the Millay Colony, Full Fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center, and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, and received the Barbara Deming Memorial Award.


From June 26 to August 7, 2010
work from Janice Gordon's Matters of the Heart series
will be included in the
 "The Green Wave: Sustainability and Found Object Exhibition"
Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, New York  
http://www.safe-harbors.org


WEBSITE:  www.janicegordon.net