The Fountain House Gallery on 9th Avenue is celebrating a major milestone with its 25th anniversary exhibition, showcasing over 100 pieces of artwork created by 93 artists spanning two and a half decades. The gallery, located at the corner of 9th Avenue and West 48th Street in Hell's Kitchen, opened its anniversary show on Thursday night, featuring an eclectic mix of works that will remain on display through October 29.
The exhibition presents a vibrant tableau of artistic expression, including fabric depictions of skaters gliding through Central Park scenes, Superman taking a well-deserved rest in his living room, and collections of moody dogs converging on canvas. These diverse works represent just a fraction of the artistic output from the gallery's community over the past quarter-century.
Founded in 2000 by a determined group of clubhouse members alongside former Hell's Kitchen institution president Kenneth Dudek, the gallery serves as a vital creative space for Fountain House members – all individuals living with mental illness. The facility provides these artists with opportunities to display and market their artwork while building an inclusive, supportive creative community.
"It is important to me that all of the artists who submitted artworks be represented in this tribute show, because they are the heart and soul of the gallery," said Martha Henry, the show's curator. The gallery walls are covered in art of every shape, size, and color, displayed in a style reminiscent of 19th-century art salons, creating an immersive sensory experience for visitors.
The anniversary exhibition features no central theme, with works ranging from landscapes and still lifes to abstract pieces. However, portraits make up 40 percent of the artwork on display. "Perhaps because portraits reveal our identity and connect us to our shared humanity," Martha explained. This sentiment has resonated throughout more than 100 shows at the gallery, some of which have specifically focused on navigating life with a mental health diagnosis.
Rachel Weisman, who has served as the gallery's director for almost four years, emphasizes the diverse appeal of the space. "There really isn't one single sort of tone that you ever get from the gallery," she said. "You might walk in and not everything resonates with you, but I can be fairly confident that you will find something that you connect with."
Echoing Fountain House's broader mission, the gallery serves dual purposes: helping its members – ranging from professional to self-trained artists – either find or rediscover their life's purpose, while also establishing their presence in New York City's greater arts landscape and working to destigmatize mental illness. "The public is invited to see what it looks like to have people that are more than a diagnosis, to be able to learn from our artists in the same way that you would go to the Met or MoMA," Rachel explained.
Members are actively involved in every aspect of the gallery's operations, from curating shows and submitting work to voting on exhibition themes. When artwork sells, artists typically receive 60 percent of the sale price – a more generous split than the standard 50/50 arrangement offered by most galleries. The business model has proven successful, with 500 works sold last year to buyers ranging from local New Yorkers to collectors in Taiwan.
One artist whose journey exemplifies the gallery's transformative impact is Vermillion, a visual and performance artist who joined the clubhouse and gallery in 2016. "It's an entry back into your life," she said. Vermillion has both curated and displayed her work in gallery shows, and was so inspired by the institution's model that she decided to expand its reach internationally.
Through a series of cold calls and emails to art institutions abroad, Vermillion established connections with the Bethlem Museum of The Mind in the United Kingdom, an art museum that, like Fountain House, displays work by people with mental health conditions. This initiative has resulted in regular collaborative meetings between artists from both sides of the Atlantic.
Vermillion's artistic output demonstrates the diverse creative expression fostered by the gallery environment. She has performed a one-woman show titled "On cats and dogs and other family revelations" at the Under St. Marks Theater, created a sculpture on Governors Island using 1,000 blue bottles, and curated an exhibition dedicated to mushrooms. Currently on display is one of her series of abstract, meditative drawings that she describes as potentially representing "neuro synapses, plants, or feathers."
Rachel Weisman highlights the peer network and connections fostered by the Fountain House Gallery as particularly special, noting that artists also have access to studio space in Long Island City. "Part of what makes the Fountain House Gallery so special is the peer network and connections it has fostered between artists, who push each other in the ebbs and flow of what a career in art looks like," she explained.
Vermillion's gratitude toward the institution reflects the transformative power many members experience. "Whichever way I look, I have to thank Fountain House. If I had an idea, they would help me run with it. You hear in your heart 'I could do this, I could do that' – but at Fountain House they always say yes," she said.
The Fountain House Gallery is located at 702 9th Avenue at the corner of West 48th Street. The gallery maintains regular hours from 12-6 PM Tuesday through Thursday, with Wednesday hours ending at 5 PM, and Saturday hours from 1-7 PM. The 25th anniversary exhibition celebrating this landmark institution will continue to showcase the diverse talents of its artistic community through October 29.
