Interview with
Jean Newburg
Sculptor, Painter & Nonprofit Leader
Jean Newburg
Sculptor, Painter & Nonprofit Leader
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Jean Newburg is a sculptor and painter who worked for decades as founding CEO of Weston United, a nonprofit organization providing housing and services for homeless individuals with mental illness and other behavioral disorders.
Jean has been studying and making art since the 1970s concurrently with pursuing a career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In 1985, she became the founding CEO of Weston United, where she was able to bring her creativity to the workplace by developing three innovative employment programs - Urban Gardens, Visionary Bookstore and Gallery M. After retiring in 2016, Jean began painting and sculpting full-time. She is currently studying sculpture with Rhoda Sherbell at the Art Students League of New York (she previously studied at the National Academy Museum & School). She is also studying watercolor at the Woodstock School of Art, and, in 2017, started experimenting with abstraction and pastel landscapes. She is inspired by the natural beauty of Woodstock, NY, where she has owned a home for 25 years, and also by the cultural vibrancy of her native New York City, where she maintains an apartment. Jean has exhibited in galleries in New York City and the Hudson Valley region of New York. She is a member of the National Association of Women Artists. |
Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor, visited Jean in her Woodstock home to view her artwork and to learn more about her journey as an artist and nonprofit leader.
Tell me about Weston United.
I initially worked in psychiatric hospitals run by the state. After that, I lead Weston United* as its founding CEO. I had 100 staff members working for me. We had four apartment buildings to manage in addition to the employment programs – it was a round-the-clock job. I had always been sensitive to educational experiences, so I wanted to incorporate the arts into the programs. For instance, residents worked in the garden and grew flowers that were later made into dried flower arrangements. We also hired a full-time art therapist and a full-time music therapist to work at the different residential sites.
*Weston United provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supported housing, and case management services to help New Yorkers live more independently and manage their health effectively.
Has your artwork taken on a new direction since your retirement from social work?
I never realized how much work took out of me until I retired. I retired in 2016, and I’m really enjoying it! While working full-time, I always used art as a stress reliever, a way to use another part of me. Now, I create art simply because I want to explore and try new things.
Tell me about Weston United.
I initially worked in psychiatric hospitals run by the state. After that, I lead Weston United* as its founding CEO. I had 100 staff members working for me. We had four apartment buildings to manage in addition to the employment programs – it was a round-the-clock job. I had always been sensitive to educational experiences, so I wanted to incorporate the arts into the programs. For instance, residents worked in the garden and grew flowers that were later made into dried flower arrangements. We also hired a full-time art therapist and a full-time music therapist to work at the different residential sites.
*Weston United provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supported housing, and case management services to help New Yorkers live more independently and manage their health effectively.
Has your artwork taken on a new direction since your retirement from social work?
I never realized how much work took out of me until I retired. I retired in 2016, and I’m really enjoying it! While working full-time, I always used art as a stress reliever, a way to use another part of me. Now, I create art simply because I want to explore and try new things.
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What do you love about sculpture?
I was always a 3D person. I would collect found objects, such as shells and other things in nature, and make crafts out of them. I love the directness of working with my hands….whether it be crafting, gardening or sculpting. My uncle had mentioned an interest in sculpture years and years ago, and I immediately envisioned creating my own – I could literally feel it in my fingertips. But I had plans to get a masters in social work, so I had to put the idea of sculpting on hold for a while. Davidoff was my first piece accepted at a gallery. Please explain your techniques and process. I do not sketch at all. My sculptures are usually made from live models. Photographs work as well (this was the case with Monsieur Bleu). I start with clay. The oil-based clay is softened in a microwave, and then an armature (a metal framework for the sculpture) is made out of wire to the right proportions for a figure (7 ½ heads long is typical, but I have experimented with longer legs, etc.). Then, the figure evolves from a basic shape into my vision. I use a pasta machine for the hair – I like the vermicelli setting. |
Davidoff
Sculpture © Jean Newburg |
Once the sculpture is completed, a latex mold is created, and then it is cast in non-toxic Aqua-Resin. I am always stressed when the sculpture has to be transported for the mold making and casting phase. The sculpture has to be held during transport. I usually sculpt one to two pieces in a nine-month period.
And ‘Monsieur Bleu’ (in photograph with Jean above) is a sculpture from your imagination?
He was inspired from an ad I saw – a Bleu de Chanel ad. This beautiful man was jogging, and I wanted to capture that pose in the sculpture. There was no nude model to sculpt from in this case, so I created him by a series of photographs I took of friends and neighbors who were willing to pose (they were dressed or just showed their torso) – so the rest…imagination.
And ‘Monsieur Bleu’ (in photograph with Jean above) is a sculpture from your imagination?
He was inspired from an ad I saw – a Bleu de Chanel ad. This beautiful man was jogging, and I wanted to capture that pose in the sculpture. There was no nude model to sculpt from in this case, so I created him by a series of photographs I took of friends and neighbors who were willing to pose (they were dressed or just showed their torso) – so the rest…imagination.
Trailing Clouds of Glory
Pastel © Jean Newburg |
What do you like about pastel?
I love the intense colors and, of course, the directness of working with my hands. I use Schmincke pastels. What inspires you to start a new piece? I am not concerned by what seduces others. I create something that is beautiful to my eye. It has to appeal to me – and it must be graceful, elegant and with beautiful lines. |
Summer Radiance
Pastel © Jean Newburg |
Where do you find sanctuary?
At home surrounded by my art and my gardens…and the birds. I love to listen to the birds.
At home surrounded by my art and my gardens…and the birds. I love to listen to the birds.
More photographs of Jean's sculptures
can be viewed from her FINE ARTS page.
can be viewed from her FINE ARTS page.
