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A fter Jason McCoy announced Susan Swartz' s representation with a debut solo show in New York earlier this year, New Orleans was the firstfirst city that came to mind. He knew that it would be the perfect first stop for the acclaimed artist, activist, and documentary film producer's pop-up series. New Orleans checked all of the boxes: not only is it a complementary backdrop for Susan's vivid artwork, but the artist shares the community's concern for the environment, health, food, and education. From April 27 through May 20, an array of Susan’s paintings and vases were on view at Ten Nineteen, an art gallery founded in 2019 by Elizabeth Monaghan in the Lower Garden District. Curated by Jason McCoy Gallery in New York, visitors and residents were able to experience her vibrant artwork and her message of wellness in real time, without having to travel to New York or to her studios in Park City and Martha’s Vineyard. “Susan’s work is inspirational to me because I sense that the artist is drawing on her interior self; she is working from her gut,” Jason McCoy shared. After a decade-long battle with mercury poisoning and Lyme disease, Susan completely changed her way of living, thinking, and eating. “I believe in the body healing itself,” she shared. “If you have a strong immune system, you really SUSAN SWARTZ "Nature's Bouquet 38" 2020, Acrylic on Linen, 72 x 48 in. Powers H EALING A Look Inside Jason McCoy Gallery's Pop Up Featuring Artist Susan Swartz BY M I CHAEL A BECH L ER // PHOTOS BY J OSH B R AS T ED ADORE • May 2023 19S U SA N SWA RT Z have a balanced life. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, and I don’t think there’s anything special but being really consistent.” In the process of healing, her work also evolved from realism to abstraction . Through each piece, she aims to inform and educate about nature’s fragility as well as its healing power, and during the pandemic, she began to incorporate 3D elements like flowers, fruit, and vegetables into her work. “As a survivor of two life threatening environmental diseases, I had to take even better care of myself when Covid hit. While I was juicing and chopping up all of the vegetables, the thought came to me: why not mix them into the paints?” Jason McCoy Gallery will soon bring Susan's expressive works to different cities around the country. To kick off the New Orleans pop-up, a public reception was held at Ten Nineteen on Thursday, April 27, followed by a dreamy private dinner for 40 in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Espirítmo, a Latin jazz trio, set the tone for the garden party. Staying true to Susan’s lifestyle and philosophies about food, Ralph Brennan’s Café NOMA created a healthy, farm-to-table inspired menu that was entirely gluten and dairy-free. Guests enjoyed each flavorful course from the Marinated Flank Steak over forbidden rice, baby carrots, and bok choy to the Peach and Mango Cobbler served with coconut ginger ice cream. Jordan Alston (senior), Strawberry Sculpture 20 ADORE • May 2023 “We connect very strongly with Susan's work here in New Orleans. The way she depicts flowers and nature deeply resonates with us. Her use of color and deliberate absence of color in the white paintings have a strong impact”. JOHN GEORGES, OWNER OF THE TIMES- PICAYUNE/THE ORLEANS ADVOCATE & NOLA.COMDiners included Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA; author Walter Isaacson; actor Doug Spearman; and Marcus Brown, an artist and sculpture teacher at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. During Susan’s visit to the Crescent City, Marcus invited her to give a lecture to his Level 3 students. (Susan is also a former high school art teacher.) In turn, Susan invited the class to create nature-inspired sculptures to be used as centerpieces for the dinner. They were accentuated by the elegant Petite Fleur by Lisa Brooking arrangements and table runners with Susan’s painting Evolution of Nature 26. Nature lovers are probably familiar with the “leave no trace” mentality, but Susan is leaving her first stop better than she found it: ten percent of all sales will support the Sculpture Garden. SUSAN SWARTZ Collection of Susan Swartz Vases 2019 - 2022 Acrylic on Bamboo “Susan wanted to give Marcus Brown’s students a platform for exposure and to highlight the important work NOCCA is doing with these incredibly talented young artists.” ROBIN MARROUCHE, DIRECTOR OF SUSAN SWARTZ STUDIOS ADORE • May 2023 21SUSAN SWARTZ "Nature's Bouquet 40" 2020. Acrylic on linen, 20 x 20 in. The pop-up was hosted at Ten Nineteen, located in the Lower Garden District. 22 ADORE • May 2023SUSAN SWARTZ Collection of Susan Swartz Vases, 2019 - 2022, Acrylic on Bamboo "Evolution of Nature 26" 2022, Acrylic and Mixed Media on Linen, 72 x 72 in. Attendees included artist Marcus Brown (pictured), Walter Isaacson, Susan M. Taylor, and Doug Spearman. ADORE • May 2023 23Next >