Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa loved to study people. She loved capturing the emotions on their faces, and always added their unique gestures or facial expressions. The pictures so accurately depict people’s emotions, that you can feel what they are thinking.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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One of Jo Ann’s favorites: “I love the colors and texture of the poppies and own three lithographs in the same series. Each is unique: one has more petal detail; another has ‘late afternoon’ lighting, and the last has ‘wiped plates’ to give shadow depth.”
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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The Artist was passionate about lighting, texture and the framing of her subject matter. Here in “Light In The Village” our eyes get drawn into the path before us. Notice the subtle detailing differences from one building to another.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa M. Goldsmith loved to paint the moods and “flavor” of the Human Landscapes around her, whether it was an individual portrait or a group gathering.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa’s work was very rich in detail and feeling… even the flowers at Joan’s feet feel hopeful, fresh and positive.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa continued, “I feel that Women today who are expanding their visions are in a sense being heroic.”
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa M. Goldsmith, when given a choice of any inspirational woman, chose Joan Of Arc. Elsa said: “She was leading an army, and as a little country girl, she was really out of her element in what she was doing…”
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Featured here, in front of the Installation are 5 of the 12 Creators of “The Sister Chapel” including: June Blum, Diana Kurz, Shirley Gorelick, Elsa M. Goldsmith, and Sylvia Sleigh.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Jo Ann shared “Years ago, I didn’t understand the importance of my mother’s Art Work. But, while sharing this, my Mother’s story, I realized how much she contributed to the gifts that I now share with the world… Authenticity and Essence. Thank you, Mom.”
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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It is an honor to be participating at the Grand Opening of "The Sister Chapel Exhibit" at Rowan University Art Gallery, Glassboro, NJ, especially because it is happening during Women's History Month.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Elsa M Goldsmith loved to capture the essence of her subjects. She often commented that "Young People" were fun to draw because their personalities were so unique.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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During her travels through the Italian countryside, she found herself mesmerized and intrigued by the ‘down-to-earthness’ of the people she met along the way.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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My mother loved to experiment with printing presses and plates… This intaglio piece was a rare example of this form in that she passed the plate thru the press two to three times to capture the mist of the dawn.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Living in Paris for a year, Elsa was inspired by our surroundings, and captured the intricacies of the buildings and small winding streets.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Time Out”, 1964-65, oil on canvas, 40 x 48 in. From a series of Paintings that represent a man named “William O’Neil”. A related Painting, “O’Neil #4”, (1964), 32”x42” was the winner of the International Gold Medal of Honor, in Cannes France in 1969.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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The Sister Chapel consisted of an eighteen-foot abstract ceiling that hung above a circular arrangement of eleven monumental canvases, each depicting the standing figure of a heroic woman.
Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Goldsmith of AuthenticBrandingWithHeart
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Celebrating "The Sister Chapel" and Elsa M. Goldsmith’s Contribution to this Historic Women's Art Movement Collection. These 12 Female Artists were "Pioneers" before their time & made a universal statement, in a male dominated art world.
Slideshow Main Photo Credits
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Slideshow Main Photo

In celebration and in honor of Women's History Month, the Rowan University Art Gallery will feature The Sister Chapel Exhibit which has been unseen as a collection for almost four decades. This special exhibit opens during Women's History Month on March 28th and runs until June 30, 2016. The Sister Chapel is a historic collaborative installation featuring the work of 12 women artist "pioneers" at the height of the women's art movement and first shared in its entirety in a New York exhibit in 1978.

Jo Ann Goldsmith, daughter of artist, Elsa M. Goldsmith will honor and represent her mother's contribution to the art world and the Feminist Art Movement by participating during the Gallery exhibit opening. On March 31, Rowan University Art Gallery West will host a panel discussion with five of the Sister Chapel contributing artists: Maureen Connor, Martha Edelheit, Diana Kurz, Cynthia Mailman, and Sharon Wybrants.

Art Historian, Andrew Hottle, PhD, is a not only a Professor of Art History at Rowan University, he is the author of a book about the Sister Chapel. This Gallery Exhibit could not have taken place without the tireless efforts of Andrew Hottle, the Executive Director, and the supporting staff of Rowan University Art Gallery.

Andrew shared these details about the Sister Chapel: "This, art collaboration was first conceived by Ilise Greenstein in 1974 and was first exhibited in New York in 1978. The exhibit was so popular it toured the U.S."

He continued by sharing, "My book is called, 'The Art of the Sister Chapel: Exemplary Women, Visionary Creators and Feminist Collaboration.' Andrew dedicated his book, "For all women, remembered or forgotten, who have shaped the history of art." Andrew said, "The Sister Chapel embraced the cooperative spirit of the women's art movement."

How did the name Sister Chapel come about? By using a nominal pun on Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel ceiling, Ilise Greenstein issued a feminist challenge to the patriarch conceptualization of history. The Sister Chapel was created as a non hierarchical, secular commemoration of female role models. This installation consisted of an eighteen foot abstract ceiling that hung above a circular arrangement of eleven monumental canvases, each depicting the standing figure of a heroic woman-the choice of the subject was left entirely to the creator of each work.

The Sister Chapel artwork created by each of these female artists included contemporary and historical women, deities and conceptual figures. The artists whose work appeared in the Sister Chapel included Elsa M Goldsmith, Alice Neel, May Stevens, Sylvia Sleigh, June Blum, Martha Eldheit, Shirley Gorelick, Betty Holliday, Diana Kurz, Cynthia Mailman, Sharon Wybrants and.Maureen Connor.

Jo Ann Goldsmith, in an interview about her mother, Elsa M Goldsmith, shared, "My mother's contribution to the Sister Chapel was the monument of 'Joan of Arc.' She stands proudly at nine ft. tall and symbolized the soul-searching hopes, fears, and faith of a women radically departed from the traditional female role."

"My mother was born in 1920, and graduated from the Parsons School of Fine and Applied Art. In Elsa's career, she worked as a staff illustrator for Newsweek Magazine, and as a lead Industrial Designer for Belle Kogan Associates. Elsa's industrial designs were used for glass, crystal, ceramics, decorative figures, reproductions of Paul Revere's silver bowls and even for children's playgrounds."

Jo Ann continued to explain, "My mother was committed to Women's Rights. She was the Chairwoman of the National Association of Women Artists and on the committee for the United Nationals International Women's Year. She championed for greater participation of women in the world of arts."

"Elsa M Goldsmith won many honors and awards during her lifetime including The Grand Prix Gold Metal of Honor in 1969; The Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Contribution to Women in the Arts in 1973; and during 1972-1973 her work was featured in the London Arts Museum, Ten One Artist exhibits in museums and cultural centers and four one artist shows in the New York Area. She won 22 major awards from 1972-73 in juried competition shows including seven first place awards for works in oil, etchings, drawings, and watercolors," shared her daughter, Jo Ann Goldsmith.

"My brother, Cris and I feel blessed to have honored our mother's wishes by keeping her extensive Human Landscape Art Collection of more than 700 pieces intact. Her works of art are currently located at two University Art Galleries including Rowan University Art Gallery West, and Queensboro Community College Art Gallery known as QCC Art Gallery. We are delighted this event was created to take place during Women's History Month."