Viridian Artists gallery is pleased to present Rapturous delight, an exhibition of wonderful works by the innovative artist Zoe Brown-Weissman. The show opens Tuesday, April 22nd and runs through Saturday, May 17th with an opening reception Thursday, April 24th from 6 to 8pm. A closing reception will be held at the gallery Saturday, May 17th between the hours of 4 and 6pm.

With a career marked by an exciting blend of artistry, craftsmanship, and innovative design, Zoe Brown- Weissmann’s contributions to the theatrical world and beyond have been remarkable, as she now moves into the world of fine arts with her first solo exhibition at Viridian Artists, entitled Rapturous delight, an exhibition of her paintings inspired by all her years involved with theater.

Since returning to NYC in 2019, Zoe has been painting/creating every day, going to the Arts Students League for classes and keeping up with friends from her theatre days. One, a very successful theater producer, kept telling her about a highly successful new musical in Chicago--Midnight in the garden of good and evil. After viewing videos of the Chicago production, Zoe was inspired to create her vision of the story by creating assemblage pieces and paintings that embodied the character "Lady Chablis" -a major Drag Queen, as well as her ideas of what "Good" and "Evil" in the Midnight Garden might look like. Among the works in this exhibit, is another entitled "Voodoo" which epitomizes Zoe’s convoluted textures and surfaces that dominate her artworks. Also included in the exhibit are three pieces based on the theatrical costume shop, and one called Five minutes to curtain filled with that sense of expectation just before the curtain rises.

Zoe Brown-Weissmann first exhibited at Viridian as one of the winners of our International Juried exhibit in 2021, but her creative journey sparked in the vibrant world of theater, where she began designing costumes for summer stock right after high school. After earning a BFA in Theater Design from West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center, she ventured to New York, where she honed her artistic talents in painting at the Art Students League under the guidance of Morris Cantor. At the same time, she studied costume design with the legendary Jane Greenwood at Lester Polakov's Studio and Forum for Stage Design.

Her hard work paid off when, just a year later, she was inducted into the prestigious United Scenic Artists of America, Local #829. For the next 18 years, Zoe’s career flourished as she designed costumes for Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, TV commercials, and regional theater productions. She also earned the role of Resident Costume Designer for the Berkshire Playhouse in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, adding another exciting chapter to her career.

But Zoe’s influence didn’t stop there—she gained widespread recognition for her extraordinary work crafting theatrical headpieces for the Metropolitan Opera, City Opera, and American Ballet Theatre. Extending her talents beyond the stage, she also worked on specialized props for major institutions like Neiman Marcus, Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

The artist states that “creating art takes on a life all its own. The need to create is like a whining child pulling at your leg. It won’t stop tugging and making a commotion until you relent. You simply have to tend to it. Thankfully, if you give in, it can become a zen state where your irrational insecurities give way to quiet mindfulness. Inspiration often comes when you are least aware. New ideas, shapes, lines, and colors can seem to magically appear. The experience can be physically and emotionally draining. Even so, I throw myself into knowing that when I wake up each morning, I’ll have a chance to turn the ideas that played during my sleep into art.”

For Zoe, this new endeavor of creating images of her former life in theater, have become her life's 4th Chapter. We look forward to sharing this fascinating artist’s rapturous interpretation of Midnight in the garden of good and evil.