Lifelong Studio Exhibition: Exploring Portraiture in Clay
November 20, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Opening Party>>
Thursday, November 20
3:00 – 5:00 PM
For All Ages
Free! Drop In
Exhibiting Artists:
Margaret Smith “Lady M”, Molly Goodrich, Queen Bilquis, MutShat Mahone-Lonesome, Rosamond Tyson, Susan Hinko, Khuumba Ama, Frances Santoro, Nicole Levin, Priscilla Ocasio, Norma Ponce, Madeline Richard, Barbara Flaxman, Ana Garcia, Gladys Ramirez, Robert Brush, Carlos Olivencia, ShaOm Brunner, Elena Villao, Michelle Sajous, Maritza Tejeda, & Mary Montera
Bronx Museum Educator:
Jinette Jimenez
Top Image: Ana Garcia, One, 2025, Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, metal heart, fired clay chain, and Mod Podge
Installation Images
Lifelong Studio Exhibition: Exploring Portraiture in Clay installation images, Photos by Argenis Apolinario.
About the Exhibition
This exhibition features artwork created through Lifelong Studio, The Bronx Museum’s series of free, sequential, hands-on artmaking workshops for adults ages 55 and over.
The Lifelong Studio class, Exploring Portraiture in Clay, was offered twice: sessions met twice a week for four weeks. The class took inspiration from artist Reverend Joyce McDonald’s intuitive approach to sculpture—on view at the Museum in the exhibition Ministry, from September 5, 2025 – January 11, 2026.
The 23 participants of the Lifelong Studio: Exploring Portraiture in Clay classes discovered the possibilities of creating with air-dry clay and expanded their ideas of what portraiture can be.
Each sculpture begins with clay—a transformative, healing, and generative medium that lends itself to telling personal stories and reflecting emotions that lie deep within. With each push and pull of the clay in their hands, these artists have embedded care, emotion, and meaning into the artwork presented here. The use of fabric, beads, appliques, found objects, and the artists’ own personal items further bring these experiences to life and highlight what is important to each of them.
Artists experimented with different forms of portraiture, offering a glimpse at the people, experiences, and places that they wish to honor and share. The resulting figures, objects, and imagined landscapes depict the artists’ reflections on self-identity, astrology, ancestry, loss, healing, pride, triumph and perseverance, childhood memories, family, friendship, and notions of home.
Ana Garcia
One, 2025
Air dry clay, acrylic paint, metal heart, fired clay chain, and Mod Podge
“This sculpture is representative of the oneness of all.”
Molly Goodrich
McGraw-Hill Book Club: a self-portrait, 2025
Air-dry clay and Mod Podge
“From 1972 to 2015, the McGraw-Hill Building at 1221 Avenue of the Americas hosted a ‘book’ club every Wednesday evening for women to gather, exchange ideas, and discuss their studies. With heightened security after September 11, 2001 members were asked to obtain passes to enter the building and attend weekly meetings. The artist has created a self-portrait using some of the visitor passes she received. The tower created is a tribute to its founders and a vessel representing the wisdom she received.”
Priscilla Ocasio
The Luminaries, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, personal wooden stand, and Mod Podge
“In astrology, there are two luminaries: the Sun and the Moon. The Sun is where and how you shine. The Moon is your inner world, your emotions. The luminaries express an important theme in who you are. Interested in knowing more? Start following the cycles of the moon and how they make you feel.”
MutShat Mahone-Lonesome
Sacred Experience, 2025
Air dry clay, copper, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge
“Experiencing a sacred awakening, a child stops in the middle of a Manhattan sidewalk. Her brother and sisters, unaware, continue toward home.”
Frances Santoro
HOME, 2025
Air dry clay, acrylic paint, miniature trees and bushes, artificial grass, and Mod Podge
“Dream House or Comfy Home
Place to aspire to or place to leave
Looking forward to or dreading
Perfect or Imperfect”
Madeline Richard
Ancient Goddess Diana Takes Her First Flight, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge
“As an artist, I am very influenced by experiencing different cultures when I travel. Poor Diana was destined to stay most of her life in Rome. I donated my airline points to Diana, and she is currently flying from FCO to JFK.”
Rose Tyson
LOVE NEVER FAILS, 2025
Air-dry clay, watercolor paint, and Mod Podge
“Symbols of beads, when put together, would make a necklace to wear around one’s neck. In the picture is a pair of earrings for the ears and one ring for the finger. The painted symbols also describe students sitting quietly in a classroom as they wait for their teacher to give them words of hope and encouragement before she starts to work from her daily lesson plan.”
Queen Bilquis
Me, Myself & I <3, 2025
Air dry clay, cowrie shells, acrylic paint, false eyelashes, and Mod Podge
“Three vases of three different sizes representing the different levels of me.”
Maritza Tejeda
Mi Primer Nieto y Yo, 2025
“Making art with clay has been a marvelous experience. When I was told that I had to make a work of art, I was in shock. I asked myself, ‘How could I create this with clay? I have never done anything like this in my life.’ But looking at the artwork of Reverend Joyce McDonald inspired me, and all I could think about was my grandson, Gabriel, and what I could make to reflect how much love I felt when I saw him and held him for the first time. So, I looked for a photo of that day, and here is the result.”
Elena Villao
Love and Protection, 2025
Air dry clay, acrylic paint, lace, and Mod Podge
“This represents the affection and protection that women have towards children.”
Susan Hinko
My Family (Sort of), 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge
“Sculpture of my mother, father, sister, and me based on an old photograph. Unfortunately a gap between concept and execution!”
Norma Ponce López
Holding each other, 2025
Air-dry clay, wire, metal, and Mod Podge
“I was looking for a way to show how we connect or can connect with each other – reaching our hands out – and what happens when we do. We hold each other’s hearts in our hands.”
Barbara Flaxman
Vase, 2025
Air dry clay, acrylic paint, dried floral, and Mod Podge
“Until I started to shape the clay, I had no idea how difficult that was. I had seen some clay vases in a restaurant in New Milford, CT, that I thought were special. I wanted to create a vase – my vase is a vessel to showcase either live or dried floral arrangements.”
Mary Montera
Climb The Mountain, 2025
Air-dry clay, aluminum mesh, miniature trees, glass beads, artificial grass, and Mod Podge
“I had many mountains to climb, and this represents my past, present, and future. We all have challenges to achieve. No one is perfect!”
Gladys Ramirez
Me, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, stones, and Mod Podge
“Turmoil.”
Margaret Smith “Lady M”
Birth – Each petal represents a chapter in my life, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge
“I created a rose with different sizes of petals, wrapping each one around the last petal placed.
Once the clay dried, I painted it a deep red. I attached the stem, which included three leaves, to the bottom of the rose. The stem was painted green. The final process was to place the rose on a silver background. I am 72 years old and have experienced a lot of great moments in my life, along with some hardships, and therefore each petal represents a chapter, a phase, laughter, tears, and most of all LOVE!”
Khuumba Ama
Healing Board, 2025
Air dry clay, acrylic paint, crystal, Reiki energy stencils, and Mod Podge
“This mixed media presentation offers the viewer an opportunity to pause and receive the energetic vibrations of Reiki. The artist, a certified master reiki facilitator, felt the calling to create a vehicle that could reach out and speak to the hearts and minds of all who needed a moment to just breathe and be present.”
Robert Brush, aka Stachel
Untitled (The Master), 2025
Air-dry clay, brass wire, and varnish
“The sculpture depicts Mahatma Gandhi, best known for his philosophy of
nonviolent resistance for political and social change. I am using his philosophy
and image for this piece.
‘The Master’ (here as a representation) is the first of three steps toward creating
the final sculpture, an image of Mahatma Gandhi molded from a melted-down,
used, assault rifle. Doing so will remove a weapon designed solely for war (not
personal use), transforming it into a symbol of peace.”
ShaOm Brunner
Virtues of My Friend, 2025
Air-dry clay, wire, acrylic paint, watercolor paint, found objects, and Mod Podge
“This is my friend’s nurturing hand, caring heart, calming voice, written wisdom, and peaceful soul.”
Carlos Olivencia
Anacaona, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, aluminum mesh, and Mod Podge
“This is the face of Anacaona, the Taino princess from the Hispaniola island now known as Haiti. This artwork honors her legacy as one of the most important Indigenous leaders of the pre-Columbian Caribbean.”
Nicole Levin
Untitled, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, locust beans, paper, and Mod Podge
“The eye of nature in the wild.”
Michelle Sajous
Golden Essence, 2025
Air-dry clay, acrylic paint, mirror, chenille yarn, burlap, glitter, Silver “Love” Chain, and Gold African Beaded Necklace
“This sculptural portrait presents a serene face with long, dramatically styled lashes resting over closed eyes and gently pursed lips finished with gold glitter. The features and calm expression emphasize poise and introspection. The head is crowned with textured hair, adding warmth and tactile richness. Behind the head, radiating golden sun-like forms evoke illumination and spiritual warmth, framing the figure with an aura of inner light. The draped form beneath the chin adds a sense of grounding and protection. Through its subtle sparkle and tranquil expression, the work invites viewers to reflect on beauty, strength, and quiet self-presence.”
