Interview with
Lynne Friedman, Ed.D.
Painter, Teacher and Community Leader

Lynne Friedman is a New York native with a studio in the Mid Hudson Valley region. Friedman received a B.A. in art and an M.F.A. from Queens College. She received an Ed.D. in art education from Columbia University. She also attended the New York Studio School. She studied with John Ferren, Louis Finkelstein and Charles Cajori. She worked as a college art teacher and now teaches for the SUNY New Paltz Lifetime Learning Institute.
 
Lynne's work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Booth Western Art Museum (GA), the James McNeil Whistler Museum (MA), the Galeria Nacional Museum (Costa Rica) as well as numerous solo shows in New York City. For years she showed regularly at Noho Gallery and Prince Street Gallery – both in Chelsea.

Her work was selected in 2013 by the U.S. Department of State (Art in Embassies Program) for the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, E. Africa and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Friedman’s work is in many corporate and private collections including Pfizer, McGraw Hill, IBM, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Pace University, Ritz Carlton Hotels and Metropolitan National Bank. She has received seven artist residency grants to work in Spain, Costa Rica, Ireland, Southern France, New Mexico and upstate New York. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Art.

Lynne is also immersed in her community as a leader, teacher and volunteer. She is a current board member (and former president) of the New York Society of Women Artists and is a board member of the Arts Society of Kingston. She frequently donates to the fundraising efforts and silent auctions of several non-profits, and she is a volunteer art instructor at SUNY New Paltz's Lifelong Learning Center.

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Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, discussed the inspiration behind Lynne’s work and her dedication to her community.
 
What is your biggest inspiration when deciding on subject matter?

Everything is potentially of interest. The challenge is to take something you observe and make it interesting or translate an emotional feeling into a concrete image. A shape or color can be the springboard for creation, and one idea leads to another. The creative process is open-ended, and I am often surprised where ideas lead.

How has art shaped your outlook of life, nature and relationships?

I feel very fortunate to be an art maker. Creation is an allusive process and comes from deep within. The process puts one in the moment in a meditative, non-verbal state. Art making nourishes me and keeps me centered. I gravitate toward other artists and individuals who appreciate art and the history of creative activity around the world.

Are there non-profit organizations that you hold close to your heart? Do you participate in any charitable auctions or programs?
 
I am on the board of the non-profit Arts Society of Kingston, and I’m co-chair of the Gallery Committee. I am also on the board (and am former president) of the New York Society of Women Artists, a non-profit which was founded in 1925.

I have been a volunteer art instructor for the Lifelong Learning Center of SUNY New Paltz. I work with seniors teaching "Drawing from Nature."

I donate to fundraising efforts in the area including the following non-profits: Barrett House in Poughkeepsie, NY, Rosendale Theatre Collective, in Rosendale, NY, Woodstock Art Association silent auctions and Arts Society of Kingston silent auctions. I also support important causes related to women's rights, women's health, animal rights and public radio, among others.

To learn more about Lynne's work,
please visit her website.