Virtual Gallery Talk: The Irresistible Pull

EventVirtual

The Latest Exhibition at the Freedman Gallery

Join MAS on Thursday, July 18th as we explore photographer Maureen Drennan’s exhibition The Irresistible Pull. The photo collection is the most recent exhibition at the Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Digital Gallery. Maureen will be in conversation with fellow photographer Susannah Ray. The pair will discuss Maureen’s process and career as a New York City born & raised photographer, and the exhibition’s exploration of Brooklyn and Queens’ industrial waterfronts.

If you missed this event, you can watch a recording of it on the MAS YouTube Channel.

About the Exhibition

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) proudly presents “The Irresistible Pull” by photographer Maureen Drennan. Merging two of Drennan’s projects “Island Kingdom” and “Rust Belt of New York,” the exhibit explores Brooklyn and Queens’ industrial waterfronts. Drennan’s lens reveals the soul of these neighborhoods, often dismissed as “off the beaten path,” yet integral to the tapestry of New York City. “The Irresistible Pull” immerses viewers in unseen lives and landscapes shaped by water, environment, and architecture. The exhibit invites exploration into the magnetic forces that bind people to a place and what compels individuals to these often-overlooked communities. Explore the exhibition here >

Thursday, July 18
12:00 PM — 1:00 PM

Tickets:
Free!

Attend
  • "The Irresistible Pull" by Maureen Drennan, now on view through August 31st.
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  • Virtual Gallery Talk: The Irresistible Pull, July 2024. Featured artist Maureen Drennan and artist/moderator Susannah Ray.
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About the Speakers

Maureen Drennan, Featured Artist

Maureen Drennan is a photographer born and based in New York City. Her work has been included in exhibitions at the Museum of the City of New York, National Portrait Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, JFK Terminal 4, Aperture, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Centotto Gallery, Transmitter Gallery, and Mrs. Gallery. Her images have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, California Sunday Magazine, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Photograph Magazine, Photo District News, Art 21 Magazine, American Photo, UK Telegraph, Refinery 29, and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. She teaches at LaGuardia Community College in New York City. Check out more of Maureen’s work here >

Susannah Ray, Moderator
Susannah Ray works on long form photographic projects, exploring how public space offers opportunities for escape, leisure, and transcendence. Many of her projects have occurred at the intersection of city and water, describing how New Yorkers’ lives are shaped by the waters that ring the city. Her solo exhibitions include Baxter Street, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Benrubi Gallery. Susannah Ray has two monographs and her work has been featured by publications likeThe New York Times, The New Yorker, and The British Journal of Photography. She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts and her BA from Princeton University. Check out Susannah’s work here >

About The Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Gallery

The Doris C. and Alan J. Freedman Gallery was housed at the former offices of MAS at the Villard Houses prior to the organization’s move in 2010. In 2020, the gallery was reimagined as a digital space made accessible to visitors from across the city and world. Both the digital gallery and its original programming at the Villard Houses have been made possible through the generosity of the Freedman Family.

Doris Freedman (1928 – 1981) served as New York City’s first Director of Cultural Affairs and founded the Public Art Fund in 1977. Alan Freedman (1923 – 1982) was the founder and chairman of the WNYC Foundation, which raised private financing to support public radio broadcasting in New York. Both Doris and Alan Freedman served as Presidents of MAS in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

View past exhibitions featured in the Freedman Gallery.

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