Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

To say that Eileen Kaminsky is a powerful creative force is to make an understatement. A collector, an encourager, a supporter, a mentor and friend are only some of the many parts that make up the whole of this legend. I heard about Eileen before I met her, first through the artist Shane Townley, and then from other artists and collectors and entrepreneurs in the art world, and then I was invited to an event at Gary Lichtenstein Editions that was a celebration of one of the collaborative projects between Gary Lichtenstein Editions and The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (also known as ESKFF) where residents in the Martin And Lorraine Kaminsky Studio Program work with Gary Lichtenstein to create silk screen artist prints of their work. Connecting people is something that Eileen Kaminsky believes in and does in an effort to create opportunities for artists to collaborate, to have discussions in a creative and open environment, and to develop their ideas and open their minds to new ones. I had the opportunity to sit down with her for a talk, something that I will always be grateful for, because her time and experience and wisdom are valuable. The art she collects and the artists she nurtures are priceless, but it is what is inside of her heart and her mind that makes all the difference.

Growing up with parents who took her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on a regular basis and who introduced her to art and culture at a very early age encouraged her creativity and helped her develop a life-long love of art. A degree in art history enhanced her already strong relationship with the art of learning about art, and in 1990, she began to collect her first works. A meeting with artist Yigal Ozeri, his dealer Ran Levady and later his then US dealer Mike Weiss, began a friendship with Yigal that led to her increasing her collection because of her love for his work, and through introductions he made and their travel together, her collection and outreach grew. In 2009 she started ESKFF which was at first envisioned as an online collection that is still available to be seen at ESKFF.com. When Yigal joined with artist Eugene Lemay in 2011 to start Mana Contemporary, it seemed a perfect fit for ESKFF, which soon began to develop the Studio Residency Program that is named for her parents and now annually awards 32 regional, national and international artists with three-month studio residencies, a stipend, and exposure through Professional Career Enhancement to visiting critics, curators and art experts, and that opens its doors for five weeks each summer to International artists; and the Sol Studio Program, a three week summer program that enlists Jersey City teachers and mentors to create an intensive pre-college program that supports 20-30 inner city High School students. The physical space of ESKFF at Mana Contemporary also opened opportunities for further collaborations with artists and entrepreneurs in the art world. In Eileen's words, her focus has changed from collecting the art to collecting the artists, because she had the opportunity through ESKFF to provide more help and support to emerging and mid-career artists than simply purchasing their work. Some of the artists who I have spoken with have described the residency as a life changing experience; others have given examples of the timeline that led from one part of their creative inspiration through the development of a new idea that helped them create the work that they later were able to present to a gallery for a show. I've visited with artists I know and who I have met through ESKFF, and for each one the story is different as we all have different stories that lead to our inspiration and creativity, but one thing that is a constant theme is that Eileen Kaminsky and ESKFF have had a positive impact on many artists' lives.

As I began to discuss writing this post with Eileen Kaminsky, she invited me to the ESKFF fundraiser which celebrated the collaboration of a work of art created by Jane Dickson that was then silk screen printed by Gary Lichtenstein in a limited edition of 75. This collaboration is the first of a ten year project which will invite ten different renowned artists to create works that will then be printed by Gary Lichtenstein Editions and also compiled into a portfolio book. While I was at the event, I saw Esther Goodhart, someone I knew through a very close mutual friend. Esther told me about her affiliation with ESKFF as the Committee Chair for the Eugene Humanitarian Art Achievement Award, an annual award presented by ESKFF for outstanding humanitarian public service to the arts, and she invited me to the Eugene Award Ceremony the following week in honor of Asian Heritage month where Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro would be presented with the award. Before the event, I had some time to talk with Eileen and photograph her, and I realized while we spoke that there is so much to her story that is so vivid and interesting that it could really be a book. That will have to wait for another time, but I hope she does write it - her lifelong work of art is a relationship with art and artists that is inspiring and encouraging to hear, for artists, collectors and art lovers of every walk of life.

The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (ESKFF)
At Mana Contemporary

http://www.eskff.com/

http://manacontemporary.com/

Gina Maffei, Director of ESKFF Hard At Work

Eileen Kaminsky At ESKFF

And In The Lobby Of Mana Contemporary

The ESKFF Office And Studio Space

Jane Dickson's "Chrysler Building"

Created For the ESKFF Fund Raiser
https://janedickson.com/

Jane Dickson and Eileen Kaminsky

At The ESKFF Fund Raiser At Wildchild Content
http://wildchildcontent.com/

Wines From Jersey Wine & Spirits
https://www.jerseywineandspirits.com/

Poured By The Owner Greg Levine

Esther Goodhart

Gary Lichtenstein

Jane Dickson

Eileen Kaminsky

Artist Charlie Ahearn
https://charlieahearn.com/

Delicious Taste Treats

Described By One Guest With The Words

"Eileen Only Has The Best"

Artist Shane Townley And His Wife Adela

Having Fun With The Fund Raising
https://shanetownley.com/

Melissa Marr

Director Of Operations

For Gary Lichtenstein Editions
https://www.gleatmana.com/

The Fabulous DJ Affect-One
https://www.mixcloud.com/djaffect1nyc/

Artists Walter John Rodriguez

And Shane Townley
https://walterjohn.weebly.com/

Eileen Kaminsky At Art New York
With Artist Anthony Liggins
Discussing His Work
https://www.artnyfair.com
http://www.anthonyliggins.com/

At The Eugene Award Presentation and Celebration

Delicious Asian Style Foods Courtesy of Esther Goodhart

Esther Goodhart Introduces Eileen Kaminsky

Yigal Ozeri

Presenting The Eugene Award

To Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro

Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro

The Eugene Award

For Outstanding Humanitarian

Public Service To The Arts

Jane Dickson's Silk Screen Print Edition
At Gary Lichtenstein Editions

Eileen Kaminsky In Conversation
With Jane Dickson And Gary Lichtenstein
At The Formal Release Of Jane Dickson's
"Chrysler Building"
100% Of The Proceeds Will Benefit
The ESKFF Artist In Residency Programs