On a rain-slicked evening in late June, I stepped off East 22nd Street and into a room that felt more like an invocation than a gallery. The energy was thick with intention, reverence, and something even more sacred—continuity. What I stumbled upon was not merely an exhibition. It was a living archive of perseverance.
A chorus of women and gender-expansive artists proclaims, through brushstroke and breath, that creation is the purest form of resistance. The exhibition, No Matter What, stands as a remarkable beacon for the future.
Tucked into the architectural soul of Flatiron lies Pen + Brush, a cultural sanctuary with a lineage so rich it hums beneath the floorboards. Founded in 1893 by painters Mary and Janet Lewis—visionary women who dared to organize at a time when the world had yet to grant them autonomy—Pen + Brush has endured not as a symbol, but as a force. Its founding premise was clear: to provide women access to a serious, professional platform in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Over a century later, its commitment remains unwavering.
The early leadership—figures like Lillian Hamilton French and Grace Gallatin Seton—were not mere custodians of a club. They were architects of cultural equity, setting forth the bylaws and spiritual backbone of an institution that has weathered wars, waves of feminism, and the fickle tides of art world elitism. What they began was a movement, disguised modestly as a salon. What remains is a living legacy, more necessary now than ever.
Today, under the fearless direction of Dawn Delikat, Pen + Brush has reclaimed its place as a locus for art that matters. Delikat carries the weight of history with elegance, cultivating a space where underrepresented voices are not simply included—they are central. She is a curator of both ideas and futures, understanding that the gallery’s true power lies not in trends or auctions, but in its relentless refusal to compromise.
No Matter What, on view through Sept. 6, is not a show in the traditional sense. It is a séance. A reclamation. A testament to the artists who work without institutional safety nets, without time, without applause—with purpose. Featuring works by Betsy Carson, Nana Deleplanque, Dana Ellyn, Rebecca Foon, Diane Gorman, Patti Hudson, Jaclyn Jonet, Choro Leslie Meyers, Karen Sheinheit, Augusta Sagnelli, RBoots Shertzer, and Jesse Paris Smith, the exhibition forms a patchwork of stories stitched not by similarity, but by survival.
These are not artists adorned in the comfort of institutional validation. These are women and gender-expansive creators who make art while raising children, holding jobs, navigating grief, and bearing the weight of systemic exclusion. Each work on display carries a pulse. A memory. A demand.
The opening reception was marked by a hauntingly beautiful live performance from Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon, whose soundscapes bled into the gallery walls with the quiet power of incantation. As if summoned by the spirit of the space itself, Patti Smith arrived. No fanfare. No introduction. Just presence. Her quiet stride through the gallery was a benediction, a gesture of profound solidarity with those who create out of necessity rather than ego.
Pen + Brush does not posture. It does not shout for relevance. It simply continues—its impact rippling through generations like an underground spring. What happens inside these walls transcends market value or exhibition trends. This is where cultural healing begins. Where stories, too long silenced, are finally heard not as whispers but as symphonies.
Art remains our most potent weapon against ignorance. It softens where words fail, confronts where politics collapse, and stitches together what society insists on tearing apart. Spaces like Pen + Brush, and exhibitions like No Matter What, offer more than beauty—they offer blueprint. A way forward. A higher octave of human potential.
This is not a gallery show. This is an affirmation. A call to keep going. To make. To write. To remember that no evolution—spiritual, social, or otherwise—occurs without the artist.
Pen + Brush continues. Quietly. Powerfully. No matter what.
Pen + Brush is located at 29 East 22nd St. “No Matter What” is on view through Sept. 6, 2025. For more information, visit penandbrush.org.
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