NANCY AZARA + DARLA BJORK | A Shared Legacy: The Richards Gallery | Opus 40

Nancy Azara + Darla Bjork | A Shared Legacy  features a reception for the artist, Darla Bjork on Sunday, May 24, from 3:00 - 5:00 PM at The Richards Gallery | Opus 40, 356 George Sickle Road, Saugerties, NY 12477,

This two women  exhibition features the sculptures, paintings, and prints of the late feminist artist Nancy Azara (1939-2024), and encaustic paintings by her widow, Darla Bjork. Although their artworks were inspired by different sources (Azara explored matriarchal archetypes while Björk mines the psyche), both artists are neo-expressionists and emphasize the power of the gesture in their mark-making. Together for over 40 years, Nancy Azara and Darla Bjork were a couple during a transitional time in American history, from a barely tolerated union in the 80s through an official recognition of their relationship in 2011, when gay marriage finally became legal in New York State. The artists were both part of the New York Feminist Art Institute, an organization that grew out of the 1970s feminist movement and offered art and writing classes taught by women for women.