When the Music Starts: Jazz Drawings by Jonathan Glass

Fountain House Gallery Presents “When the Music Starts: Jazz Drawings by Jonathan Glass”

On view: August 9 - 23, 2019
Opening Reception: August 13, 6-8 p.m.
Closing Reception: August 22, 6-8 p.m.
Curated by Sasha Nicholas

NEW YORK CITY – Fountain House Gallery, located at 702 Ninth Avenue and representing artists living with mental illness, announces the upcoming solo exhibition When the Music Starts. The show will open with a Reception, featuring a performance by the Colin Stranahan Trio, on August 13, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and will remain on view through August 23, 2019.

Curator Sasha Nicholas writes:

“Artist Jonathan Glass has been a fixture of New York City jazz clubs for nearly two decades. Pen and ink in hand, he uses his vigorous line to portray a jazz show as it unfolds, capturing the rhythmic energy of the music as well as the distinctive persona of each performer. This exhibition presents fifteen selected works, dating from 2012 to 2019, from the artist's vast trove of drawings. Produced in the city’s most illustrious clubs, including the Village Vanguard, Birdland, and the Jazz Standard, some depict widely-known figures, while others represent musicians revered among circles of passionate followers like Glass, who attends multiple shows each week.

“The exhibition title,’When the Music Starts,’ alludes to Glass’s customary practice: He waits for a set to begin before setting pen to paper, and then allows his drawing to evolve intuitively, in real time with the music. As a performer or details of the scene catch his attention, his focus jumps around to different areas of the sketch, but he is always careful to maintain areas of blank space, which he believes allow a drawing to ‘breathe’ akin to the silences between musical notes. Like jazz itself, Glass’s work radiates an exuberance and improvisatory spirit that speak to the dynamism of the creative act.”

This program is funded, in part, by generous support from the Hearst Foundation, Inc., the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the David Rockefeller Fund, and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

About Fountain House Gallery
Fountain House Gallery and Studio provides an environment where artists living with mental illness can express their creative visions and exhibit their work. Founded by Fountain House in 2000, the storefront Gallery in Manhattan sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. The Studio, located in Long Island City, is a collaborative workspace that furthers the professional practice of our artists. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain House Gallery cultivates artistic growth, makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community, and challenges the stigma surrounding mental illness.
www.fountainhousegallery.org