April 2026
SHE'S ROCKING IT in NEW YORK, NEW YORK!
Phoebe Legere
Multi-disciplinary Artist & Founder of The Foundation for New American Art Photo Courtesy: Phoebe Legere What inspired your foundation’s Paint Brushes Not Guns program?
When the 2008 financial crisis hit, New York City public schools imposed severe arts funding cuts. I was appalled. When I was a kid, they asked me what instrument I wanted and handed me a cello. I was in band and chorus. We had art class once a week. That was the only thing that interested me. I was worried about the kids. If you do not nurture the artists of tomorrow, what do you have? I started Paint Brushes Not Guns because art and music are the best defense against addiction and the best medicine for traumatized children. What the record companies were promoting in 2008 — and still promote — is music that glorifies violence, conspicuous consumption, and degrading images of women. Children are exploited by this ‘machine’ which offers nothing for their souls. Children Discovering Creativity and Self-Awareness
Slideshow Photos: Courtesy of The Foundation for New American Art |
In what ways has Paint Brushes Not Guns helped children in impoverished and underserved communities?
We teach the most vulnerable children in the most dangerous neighborhoods. We help them express their emotions through color, movement, and storytelling. Everything we do is bilingual — Spanish in East Harlem and Poughkeepsie, Spanish and Bengali in Queens. We focus on ages 8 to 12. This is the group targeted and recruited by gangs and drug dealers. These are the girls who are trafficked. As our child psychologist Nina says, ‘Addiction is the opposite of belonging.’ We give children a safe space after school to completely express themselves. We teach them to be intellectually and artistically fearless, to overcome shyness. We teach confidence, vocal power, and digital arts. We have a podcasting studio. Having a loaded brush and the skill and confidence to make a strong painting about your inner life or a podcast about your lived experience provides armor. Nobody can take your story away from you. We tell them: Take a deep breath. Step forward. Claim the seat at the center of yourself. We believe that every child is a genius. If you are an artist, and if you are truly original and visionary, you will experience rejection, so we teach these kids how to stand up to the creativity crushers. What is one of your fondest memories about your interaction with the kids or a specific program that really excited them about art? It is always pure joy to be with the children. But when there is a breakthrough — when a child considered difficult and disruptive by teachers suddenly connects with their inner artist and begins to paint the story of their life with incredible passion — that is magic! I wrote a song for the young girls in our program called “Girl Power.” It recently dropped on Spotify and is on YouTube. This song is for kids. It’s their kind of music. Girls tell me the kinds of empowering messages they need to hear. I spent my life entertaining adults — performance art, visual art, music. This work with children gives me the greatest satisfaction and joy. 
Click the image above to hear "Girl Power."
SIGN-UP for PAINT BRUSHES NOT GUNS
Late spring Session Starts:
April 14th ~ 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Downtown Poughkeepsie, New York Send an EMAIL to enroll or REGISTER HERE. Caretakers are welcome, but enrollment is limited. |
Is there a comment from a parent that has stuck with you?
One parent, who is also a child psychologist, said this: "[The Foundation’s] teaching artists are professional dancers, top-grade visual and performing artists that have an intuitive understanding for children's need to feel known, seen, cherished, joined together, given a safe place. They came in, they left laughing. They had every aspect of their being touched upon emotionally, visually, kinesthetically. They all left excited about making new friends, feeling understood, and belonging. I can't think of a better way to promote well-being." The Foundation for New American Art is a 501(c)(3) registered New York State charity. For more than two decades, the organization has worked at the intersection of contemporary exhibition, rigorous arts education, and community-based practice, serving artists, children, and families across New York City and the Mid-Hudson Valley at four public spaces, nurturing the great artists of tomorrow. Paint Brushes Not Guns is a free after-school program funded by the organization.
About Phoebe:
Phoebe Legere is a visionary artist, composer, educator, and founder of The Foundation for New American Art.
In Phoebe’s words…My parents were both artists and two of the most creative people I have ever known. My grandparents were all musicians. My father taught at the Museum School in Boston and was one of the Boston Expressionists. He taught me how to handle oil paint, draw from a model, perspective, and deep concepts about communicating through art. My mother was an art director at Bonwit Teller and later the Harvard Coop. So, I grew up in an atmosphere of deep appreciation for design, color, visual ideas, and originality. Drawing was valued in our home and remains at the center of how I think, how I imagine, how I dream, and how I explain myself to other people. I left home to take a job in music when I was 15. I was signed to Epic Records at 16 and had a hit record. I know the music business backwards and forwards. Today, I teach art at NYU and incorporate science and math into my teaching because they are the core of design. I have lived a life in art and music. I was discovered by Michael Jackson at 15 and signed by Nat Weiss, the lawyer for the Beatles who co-founded Apple Records. I have experienced every kind of abuse imaginable, but art was armor for my spirit. Instead of going mad or doing drugs, I found my place in the art world as a curator of exquisite experiences for all ages. UPCOMING FOUNDATION EVENTS
Giant Public Art Flotilla
The Launch: June 28 at 11:00 a.m. Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn Includes free workshop. "Children of the River" Performance: 2:00 p.m. Waterfront Museum Theater We are teaching the ecology of the Hudson River by drawing and painting the animals who live in and around it. Note: In August, the Flotilla will proceed up the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie. A "live" performance about the life of the river will follow. Group Exhibition Opening Noise and Flesh: Crisis of the Image Opening April 8 ~ 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. New American Gallery, Suite #223 55 Bethune St. ~ New York, NY This exhibition is on view through May 20, 2026. |
WHERE IS SHE NOW?
Furry Friends Offer Safety and Companionship for Kids on the Spectrum
Michelle Brier
CEO/Co-Founder of BluePath Service Dogs® Photo Courtesy: Michelle Brier Follow Michelle on:
Your original feature appeared in the April 2020 issue of Sanctuary during the height of the COVID pandemic. Your business survived that period and has continued to thrive. How has BluePath expanded/grown since then?
Since our 2020 feature, BluePath has grown significantly in both reach and impact. At that time, we had placed just over a dozen service dogs. Today, we’ve expanded our placements, strengthened our training program, and increased our ability to support families in meaningful, lasting ways. What’s been just as powerful as that growth is the community that has rallied around this work over the past ten years. What started as a small, mission-driven effort has grown into a network of volunteers, puppy raisers, donors, staff, and families — all playing a role in making these life-changing placements possible. As we mark this 10-year milestone, it’s incredibly meaningful to reflect not only on how far the program has come, but on the people who have helped build and sustain it every step of the way. |
You have an exciting capital campaign going on right now called Anchoring Our Future.
Anchoring Our Future is the result of what we have been working toward since the very beginning — a permanent home for BluePath that brings all aspects of our mission together in one place. This campaign will allow us to establish a dedicated campus where we can carry out every stage of our work, from early puppy development to advanced training and placement, all within a purpose-built environment. It creates the foundation for how we grow in the years ahead, allowing us to increase the number of dogs we can train and place, and ultimately serve more families. What makes this especially meaningful is that the campus will not only support our dogs but also strengthen the experience for the families and community around us. It will be a place where people can connect more deeply to the mission and see the work in action. This feels like a natural next step — one that allows us to expand our impact in a way that is both thoughtful and lasting. You also created a new, short film titled "Hope in Motion: Breaking Barriers with Autism Service Dogs." What was the inspiration? Hope in Motion came from a desire to help people see what we experience every day. There are so many moments with our families that are incredibly powerful, but not always easy to put into words - the relief a parent feels, the confidence a child begins to show, the bond that forms between a child and their dog. We wanted to capture those moments in a way that felt real and honest. The film gives a closer look at the impact of these partnerships and helps bring the work to life in a way that resonates on a deeper level; it has been a meaningful way to share our mission with a wider audience. Watch Hope in Motion from BluePath's YouTube Channel
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What excites you most about what the business has accomplished over the past five years?
What excites me most is seeing how consistent and lasting the impact has been for families. Every placement brings its own story, but the outcome is often the same — greater safety, more independence, and a sense of possibility that may not have been there before. Those moments never lose their meaning. As we mark 10 years of BluePath, I find myself thinking about how far we’ve come — from those early days when we were just getting started, to now being a trusted resource for so many families. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the people who have been part of that journey, especially those who believed in this work early on. And what excites me most now is looking ahead knowing that there are still so many families we can reach and support in the years to come. About Michelle:
Michelle Brier is an accomplished nonprofit leader with a proven track record of driving mission-based impact. As co-founder and now CEO of BluePath, she has forged high-profile partnerships and expanded the organization’s reach to empower more autism families. Her leadership emphasizes driving strategic initiatives, enhancing organizational operations, and cultivating a dedicated community of supporters.
About BluePath:
Established in 2016, BluePath Service Dogs®, a nonprofit organization, provides expertly trained autism service dogs that offer safety, companionship, and opportunities for independence to children and families. The nonprofit focuses on reducing wandering behaviors, lowering parent stress, and increasing social interaction and confidence for children with autism. A large number of children with autism demonstrate a propensity to “bolt” or wander away from their families which poses a significant threat to their well-being and can make trips outside the home feel extremely frightening. BluePath’s expertly trained autism service dogs work alongside parents and caregivers to prevent wandering and keep children safe, which significantly reduces parents’ safety concerns. The service dogs also help children with more meaningful social interactions and allow families to feel a renewed sense of hope and empowerment.
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ASK THE AUTHOR
Poetry Helped this Writer Heal from an Abusive Past and Process the Traumatic Memories
Sarah Hanson
Photo Courtesy: Sarah Hanson 
Click Cover to Purchase or Learn More
About Sarah:
Sarah Hanson is an author, poet, and truth-teller. Her debut memoir-in-verse, Conjuring the Hurricane, offers one map of survival, weaving together stories of domestic violence, childhood trauma, sisterhood, grief, and second love. Her work has been featured in Sierra Nevada Review, The Literary Times, Saranac Review, and Anti-Heroin Chic, among other literary magazines. When she isn’t writing, Sarah can be found reading under a pile of cats (Darwin, Waffles, and Princess Leia), gathering in circles of women, or tucked in a coffee shop corner with a notebook in hand. She lives with her husband, Jay, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Did you always turn to poetry for healing, organizing your thoughts, understanding your pain?
I have been writing poetry since I was a teenager, although I didn’t have the craft or intentionality that I do now in my 40s. Even when I was young, poetry gave me a way to enter a feeling without needing to build a courtroom case of facts. It allowed me to turn the emotional kaleidoscope of an experience — again and again — looking at the same moment from different angles. I often write about a single event multiple times. Each poem approaches it differently, sometimes zooming closely into a sensory detail, sometimes stepping far back for perspective. Through those shifts, new understanding begins to emerge. Poetry has always been a way for me to write my way toward meaning rather than trying to arrive at it before I begin. In recent years I have deepened my study of the craft, learning techniques that help me create those emotional turns with more intention and artistry. But the heart of my process remains the same as it was when I first began writing: take a memory, look closely, rotate it gently, zoom in and out, and discover something I didn’t yet understand when I started. Your book Conjuring the Hurricane deals with domestic violence and abusive relationships. What do you hope readers take away?
At its core, the book offers three permissions: to recognize abuse even when it is disguised as love, to choose messy freedom over polished suffering, and to reclaim goodness on your own terms. There is a quiet crisis happening in plain sight. Many women remain in relationships that harm them not because they are unaware something is wrong, but because leaving can feel more dangerous than staying. Abuse often hides inside relationships that look normal from the outside. The threats may be subtle or overt, and the costs of leaving can feel enormous — fear of violence, judgment from others, loss of community, or simply the question of where you would go. I know this because I lived it. I remember standing in the kitchen cooking dinner while the man I was living with shouted from the couch in the next room. The sound of his anger filled the townhouse until my body folded in on itself. I slid down against the dishwasher, unable to breathe, thinking, ‘How did I get here, and how am I going to get out?’ At the time, escape felt impossible. I believed I would have to conjure a miracle. Conjuring the Hurricane offers women the permission to leave relationships that disguise control as love, to step away from communities that confuse containment with care, and to choose their lives in whatever way they can. If even one woman reads the book or hears me speak and chooses to save her life, even one day sooner than she otherwise might have, that is the only outcome that truly matters to me. Too often we stay because leaving looks difficult in the short term, but the longer we delay those decisions, the more of our lives we quietly give away. |
Your book is written in memoir-in-verse. Why did you choose this format instead of traditional prose?
When I first tried to write this story, I attempted a traditional narrative. I would sit down and try to reconstruct events in chronological order, but the process kept collapsing under the weight of memory. Certain images were vivid — the yellow truck my abuser drove, the pancakes thrown against the wall, the loaded handgun once left on my pillow — but the timeline itself felt blurred and unstable. Years after leaving the relationship, I was diagnosed with complex PTSD. One of the effects of prolonged trauma is that the brain prioritizes survival over preserving a neat sequence of events. Moments collapse together. Time folds. Memory becomes fragmented. When I began writing poetry, something shifted. Poetry allowed me to work within fragments rather than forcing them into a clean linear narrative. I could approach a memory through image, metaphor and sensation. I could circle a moment from multiple directions until the emotional truth became clearer. Over time, I realized that memoir in verse mirrored the way these memories actually lived inside me — not as neat chapters, but as flashes, images and sensations rising unexpectedly. The form allowed me to honor that reality rather than forcing it into a shape that didn’t fit. Writing about trauma can be incredibly difficult. What were some of the challenges? The most difficult part was reopening memories that I had long ago sealed away because they were too painful to keep active in my daily life. Often when I began writing about one event, it would unlock ten others I had completely forgotten. To ground myself, I returned to physical artifacts: childhood journals documenting my father’s explosive temper, the FBI assessment that evaluated the risk of future violence from my abusive ex, the photo of my finger that he had broken. These items reminded me that the events were real, even when my memory struggled to hold the full sequence together. But remembering was not only intellectual. The body remembers too. As I wrote, I often felt the same sensations of fear and smallness that I had experienced during those moments. Writing required me to move through those feelings again. That closeness to the emotional reality of events is part of what gives the book its raw honesty, but it came at a cost. After long days of writing or editing, I would often sleep ten or twelve hours from sheer emotional exhaustion. Even so, telling the truth of those experiences felt important. For many years the story of what happened inside that home lived only inside my body. Writing the book allowed me to finally bring it into the light. And if sharing that story helps someone recognize that her life is worth saving — sooner rather than later — then the difficulty of writing it will have been worth it. Find two of Sarah's poems in POETRY CORNER.
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OUT & ABOUT
Must-Sees at the 2026 Whitney Biennial
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Slideshow Photos: Myrna Haskell
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Whitney Museum of American Art
Now through August 23, 2026 Floors 1,5,6,8 99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY "Using a range of media and artistic strategies, artists explore interspecies kinships, familial relations, geopolitical entanglements, technological affinities, infrastructural networks, precarious ecologies, and shared mythologies. As an ensemble, their works suggest togetherness through difference — avoiding clear ideological declarations in favor of the unusual alliances, improvised provocations, and irreverent associations that are required to thrive in the present moment." ~ Statement Taken from The Whitney Website |
"On March 3rd, I attended the Press Preview for the Whitney Biennial 2026. There are 56 artists, duos and collectives participating in this year's exhibition. Curators shared, 'We compiled a dream list of artist studios we wanted to visit and met with previous biennial curators at the outset.' They explained that they didn't want to begin with a predetermined idea [or theme]; instead, they began by taking the opportunity to meet with new artists whose work they hadn't explored before.
Some readers may have spotted my tease in Myrna's Musings last month (additional information there) which promised to list my favorite works in the next Community Compass. So here are the works that held my attention: My absolute favorite was Michelle Lopez's "Pandemonium," a high-definition, digital video with stereo sound on a large, circular screen mounted from the ceiling in an enclosed space. There were benches up against the walls on all sides, so visitors could sit and enjoy the experience from below. The feeling was being swept into a tornado along with media clippings and other Americana debris. Through this piece the artist reflects on media overload, disinformation, and chaos through environmental collapse. Another artist whose work caught my eye was Erin Jane Nelson's series of ceramic sculptures which also serve as functional pinhole cameras used to create the accompanying photographs. The pinhole cameras have long exposures, from 20 seconds to up to 40 minutes long. The artist wanted to demonstrate how 'the landscape is moving and changing' versus a single snapshot in time, depicting the underlying ecological system of the New Mexico desert. Finally, Nour Mobarak's "Reproductive Logistics" was a grouping I spent some time with. The artist's relief sculptures were made from casts of her own pregnant body and incorporated biological materials. The accompanying Broad's Cast (Montage) consisted of recordings the artist made by inserting a microphone inside her vaginal canal to listen to the world and her own body before, during, and after her pregnancy. Sounds included telephone rings and those of the developing human life inside her. Each of these artists' works stood out to me due to unusual techniques or creative processes as well as the strong emotional and sensory responses the works elicit." ~ Myrna Beth Haskell, Executive Editor, Reports
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History of The Whitney Biennial
In 1932, the “First Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings" exhibition was held at The Whitney Museum of American Art, 10 W. 8th Street, New York, New York, from November 22 to January 5, 1933. Initiated by founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, it was part of a new, long-running series surveying contemporary American art. Juliana Force, the museum's first director, planned the next exhibition which opened on December 5, 1933. The "First Biennial of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolor and Prints" opened on December 5, 1933. The two different exhibitions alternated annually before merging into what is now simply called the Whitney Biennial. Starting in 1937, the Museum shifted to yearly exhibitions called Annuals. The current format — a survey show of work in all media occurring every two years — has been in place since 1973. More than 3,600 artists have participated in a biennial or annual.
Photo: The Whitney Museum of Art
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Women Health Experts Discuss the Benefits of Patient-Centered Holistic Care
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Photo Courtesy: Hudson Valley Women in Business
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"On March 7th, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel at the Hudson Valley Women in Business Health Forum held at Dutchess County Community College — one of many meaningful programs and networking opportunities they provide for women in the Hudson Valley region of New York. It was my first time moderating, so I did my homework. In truth, I would have done it anyway, but the role called for a deeper dive into each of these remarkable women.
What emerged was a shared thread in their journeys, a shift toward a more holistic approach to caring for their patients and clients. So I began the conversation there, inviting Tylene Lizardi, DPT; Amy Novatt, M.D.; and Katie Nasherson, LCSW, to reflect on how their work has evolved beyond treating isolated symptoms to truly understanding the whole person. Across disciplines, their stories echoed a common belief — that meaningful health outcomes require attention to the physical, emotional, and behavioral aspects of well-being. It was an inspiring reminder that when we broaden our lens, we create space for more thoughtful, connected care." ~ Laura Pensiero, Laura’s Corner Table Columnist, Reports
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About Hudson Valley Women in Business
Hudson Valley Women in Business is a nonprofit dedicated to championing women-owned businesses across the Hudson Valley region. Its mission is to empower, educate and uplift women entrepreneurs and executives, nurturing their growth and long-lasting success through a warm and inclusive approach. The organization provides educational programming, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer advisory support.
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Victorian Cemetery Steeped in Local History Provides Oasis for Visitors
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Slideshow Photos: Carol Lippert Gray
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"On a trip to Savannah, Georgia, I visited Bonaventure Cemetery, a Victorian-era burial ground renowned for its 100+ acres of scenic, Spanish moss-draped live oaks, elaborate monuments, and riverside views. Located on a former plantation, this 19th-century cemetery offers a tranquil, park-like experience — a hallmark of the Victorian ‘rural cemetery’ movement.
Our tour guide, Janine Rodriguez-Rogacki, donned a long black dress, black lace fingerless gloves, pearls, and the kind of top hat worn by Victorian horse-and-buggy hearse drivers. Originally a private cemetery established in 1846, the city purchased it in 1907. It is famous for its Victorian Gothic architecture, angel statues, and stunning azaleas." ~ Carol Lippert Gray, Associate Editor, Reports
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More About Bonaventure Cemetery
Bonaventure Cemetery was originally called Evergreen Cemetery. It was established on the site of the original Bonaventure Plantation when it became obvious the city’s existing cemeteries were nearing capacity. Evergreen Cemetery was purchased by the City of Savannah in 1907 to become the fourth of the five cemeteries the city currently owns. Since then it has expanded to nearly 103 acres.
Interesting Tidbits:
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SNEAK PEEK RECOMMENDATION
Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lillian Bassman: Bazaar and Beyond
Exhibition Open: Through July 26, 2026 The Met Fifth Avenue Gallery 852 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10028 |
An Overview (Partial Museum Statement)
Can fashion photography be dangerous? Lillian Bassman was told as much when, in 1950, she started making photographs so abstract that you could barely see the clothes. Depicting midcentury style for the pages of magazines, she distilled gowns and girdles to their essential silhouettes; in her photographs, chance gestures and elegant lines convey the sensations of garments, as their details dissolve into atmospheric blur. What Bassman did not show she evoked in her expressive prints — products of darkroom distortion, achieved with tissues, brushes, and bleach. The exhibition flips between the New School in Manhattan and the “New Look” in Paris, charting Bassman’s course from design apprentice to art director and accomplished photographer. Its rare vintage prints, collages, and maquettes lay out an unlikely history of modernism, refashioned for the pages of the popular press.
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About Lillian Bassman
Lillian Bassman (1917-2012) studied textile design in high school and modeled for the Art Students League. In 1939, she studied fashion illustration at Pratt Institute and worked as a textile designer. Alexey Brodovitch, the art director at Harper's Bazaar, offered her a scholarship to study with him at the New School for Social Research in 1940, and encouraged her to pursue graphic design. In 1945 she was appointed co-art director at Junior Bazaar and began creating her own photographs while there. When the magazine ceased production in 1947, she became a freelance fashion and advertising photographer, specializing in lingerie, fabrics, cosmetics, and liquor, and working chiefly for Harper's Bazaar and commercial clients. She retired from commercial photography in 1970. Lillian’s photography is notable for her unusual printing techniques and innovative graphic effects, which involve experimentation with gauze and tissue in the darkroom. This experimentation, combined with the close rapport she established with her models, created work that is memorable for its emotional atmosphere, impressionistic mood, and subtlety of intimate gestures. She also had a natural feel for negative space and elegance.
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ANNUAL COMMUNITY PROJECT
This is our 2026 Community Project. 
Our 2026 Community Project: We are looking for photos depicting your "sanctuary."
Click the image for instructions. |
READER RAMBLE
Shoutout a family farm in your area with interesting activities. 
Click Image to find Local Hot Spots and Send Us Your Recommendations
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Inspirations and Recommendations from Our Team
News and Educational Tidbits From Our Sponsors
April is Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month
"In fact, on average, women face a 10-year delay in receiving an autism diagnosis from the first time they present to mental health services."
~Autism Research Institute
"In fact, on average, women face a 10-year delay in receiving an autism diagnosis from the first time they present to mental health services."
~Autism Research Institute
