PATTER HELLSTROM VISUAL ART

The traveling Mithila Painting exhibition was co-curated by Patter Hellstrom Visual Art / Curatorial and is filled with fantastic connections between traditional and contemporary subject matter and styles. The Ethnic Art Foundation is sharing this amazing work throughout the United States for two years. Our curatorial branch will assist with it's management. The show offers the Indian women artists of Mithila, increased global visibility and the opportunity to share their traditions and color filled images.

Assisting clients acquire artwork for placement within their spaces as well as commissioned site specific sculptures for their exterior public areas is rewarding. Understanding our clients specific branding, needs and vision, we tailor our approach each new assignment with the goal of delivering a one-of-a-kind solution that will make the art much more than just the same old prints on the wall. We will integrate the art into the concept of the property and have it interact with the visitors and make it part of the experience. One of the ways we strive to accomplish this is to utilize the talented pool of new, emerging, regional and national artists. We visit studios, shows, galleries and search the local areas of the projects we work to find these hidden treasures. The artwork on-site in the public spaces can become a destination in itself, being viewed by guests as well as casual visitors.

This unique art collection was formed in conjunction with the wonderful furniture, fabric, and design of New York City designer, Paul G. Brigido of Marcel Bequillard. Peter Zirnis and I, partners in Hellstrom+Zirnis LLC, selected 75 original works of art in a subtle and organic theme for the public spaces to act as counterpoints to the hotel’s geometric style. The hotel is filled with handcrafted millwork, contemporary lush fabrics, distinctive furniture shapes and crisp architecture in a neutral-toned palette. Paintings, prints and sculpture softened crisp angles and play off neutral tones within public spaces, while creating a sense of tranquility. Thirteen artists from six states comprise this collection, which is consistent with the Westin core concepts of personal, instinctive and renewal. Artists represented are from both east and west coasts. This transcontinental dialogue through the curatorial practice became a visual reflection on the natural world. The center point of this collection is a site specific mobile entitled “Renewal” by Philadelphia artist, Kate Kaman. The soft metal mesh leaves and copper tubing create a fascinating organic flourish, drawing viewer’s minds toward instinctive relaxation and renewal through the beauty of nature. The lobby is graced with a large-scale reproduction of “Seed Fusion”, an ethereal handcrafted lithograph by Tomomi Ono. This Japanese American artist uses seedpods as intuitive and abstract imagery to contemplate life force and the renewing energy generating from small seeds. The Westin Hotel opened January 2009 and will welcome guests for years to come into its serene and smart decor. The hotel was built in the Newport community, which is the largest and most successful mixed-use community in the world.

The sculpture, Pavonia Arcs, was commissioned for Newport on the Jersey City waterfront overlooking the Manhattan skyline. The 25 foot tall Contemporary Sculpture was created by Robert Pfitzenmeier in 2004 and is made of stainless steel. There is an exciting added element in this piece as it responds to the wind, moving like a sail. The changing vantage point of this work keeps in fresh year after year.

Artist / curator Patter Hellstrom believes that art is a vital part of life. Through the presentation of high quality works of art and art-related events she links together art and business communities. Patter Hellstrom Visual Art curates exhibitions in private and public venues.

JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; Mixing Art and Business By MICHELLE FALKENSTEIN Published: December 30, 2001 NYTimes ~ A collaboration between art and industry in Jersey City that began this fall has already produced results. Windows on Columbus, an exhibition space, has opened at the Mack-Cali Realty building on Christopher Columbus Drive, east of Washington Boulevard in Jersey City. The space is the result of meetings between ProArts, a Jersey City arts organization,and the city's businesses, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Fleet Bank, Provident Bank, DCC Systems, Mack-Cali and the Lefrak Organization. The Jersey City Museum and other local arts organizations also participated in the meetings. The first show is ''Space to Create: Artists' Studios at 111 First Street,'' photographs by Edward Fausty of studios in that building.It remains on view through Jan. 22 in a ground-floor window of the Mack-Cali building where passers-by can see it anytime, day or night. The collaboration was the idea of Patter Hellstrom, an artist and board member of ProArts. As corporations began moving to Jersey City over the past few years, Ms. Hellstrom said, she recognized an opportunity for relationships that would benefit the artists, the corporations and the community. ''I felt very strongly it needed to happen,'' she said. Michelle Falkenstein