Surfergirl Gallery is the first New York City art gallery to showcase exclusively art pieces made by women artists. Founded in 2018 by Marcia Lorente Howell, this gallery is committed to promoting and supporting artists that have been systematically kept outside art museums.
Marcia is an artist herself. Currently living in New York’s West Village, she was born and raised in Spain. She got her training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Madrid and from her two grandmothers who were painters. She’s a modern impressionist and describes herself as a surfer. She paints surf and sunsets off photos she took of places she loves: “I’m seeking to catch the feeling of a perfect moment. I want to cause an effect on the viewer like they’re riding on a wave”.
Her gallery’s name is a perfect description of herself, a surfer girl. She has been curating art shows in New York’s Lower East Side with Pop Ups that sell out. She explained, “I’m doing this for every little girl who would like to make a living in fine arts”.
Surfergirl Gallery believes that art should be diverse and everyone should own some. The style of art this gallery exhibits is one that looks good and feels good, its language is color and joy. Marcia named it Arte Feliz (Happy Art) and said that “It’s art with a story that comes in every skin color and from every continent and background.”
Surfergirl has popped up with Parasol Projects twice this year at our 2 Rivington space. Both were group multimedia exhibitions that showcased ten women artists from all around the globe. The first Pop Up in May that sold out was called Invincible Summer, and in September she came back to present Walking on Water.
Marcia explains that she picks these topics because “The art we represent is happy and optimistic and we wanted to capture those good vibes in our shows. For Walking On Water every art piece was commissioned after the title of the show and that was a lot of fun, to see how each woman interpreted those three words. So different and so beautiful!”
She always organizes group exhibitions and said that the best part is the human side of it and how people react to the art. “It’s so inspiring how it all comes together almost magically and every artwork finds a home, someone who’s genuinely moved by it.”
We wanted to know how she discovers and connects with such amazing women artists and she told us it’s very organic. “Some are friends, some were complete strangers at first, artists that I admire that I reached out to. I always select work that I love and that I would spend money on and have in my home. So I suppose that’s brought some consistency to our aesthetic. And that’s led me to some kindred spirits to share my journey with, it’s such a gift.”
When asked about the plans of Surfergirl Gallery, Marcia was happy to announce they’ll keep popping up everywhere: Miami, Madrid and in New York again with Parasol Projects next year. They are also venturing into crypto and will have a gallery in the metaverse soon: “We’re artists and we can’t be sitting in a gallery”.
They’ve also started to do some work with brands that believe in sustainability and making art accessible as they do. And above all, Marcia mentioned that “In addition to our gallery shows and offering art curation services we’re a young marketing consulting firm with a strong focus in visual arts. 2022 is going to be fun!”
We can’t wait for the next Surfergirl Gallery Pop Up with Parasol Projects!
Surfergirl contact information
Website: www.surfergirlny.com
Instagram: @surfergirlny
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