A.I.R. Gallery
A.I.R. (Artists In Residence) Gallery was established as early as 1972, giving women a place to exhibit their work when few other venues handled art made by women. As a non-profit cooperative for 22 women artists from the New York area and 20 from around the United States, its goal has been to show quality and diverse work.
“When women found doors closed to them, they opened a space of their own,” says gallery director Kat Griefen. “Now, more than 30 years later, there is still a lot of work to be done, since women have not yet achieved representation equal to men.” She also emphasizes that sales and prices of women’s works are still noticeably lower than men’s. “Accolades are there (for women) but there is no comparison in prices.”
Having staged roughly 700 exhibitions, A.I.R. represents a cross-section of artists in diverse media, including ceramicist Liz Biddle, painter and artist book creator Susan Bee, sculptors Sylvia Netzer and Katsura Okada, and installation artist and photographer Sheila Ross, to name just a few. “We always have fresh work to share. Our mission is to continue to provide leadership and to meet the needs of today’s women artists,” says Griefen.
