MAY & JUNE 2025 NEWSLETTER
Photo by Courtney Sloane
Dear Readers,
I hope you are enjoying the warmth of the sun, sharing and giving without expectation of reciprocation—that you are laughing often and living in your purpose and in love. I have shared with some my practice of performing at least one good deed every day. I’ve learned it’s best done without the expectation of anything in return. It is working out wonderfully—actually, beyond my expectations! I have brought smiles where just moments before there was a frown.
The miraculous side effect is the joy it brings me. I can feel the effect of the endorphins sweeping through my body each and every time. Endorphins are natural chemicals produced by the body that act as painkillers and mood elevators. They have a variety of effects, including reducing pain, improving mood, and promoting relaxation and well-being.
It is so easy—tell someone how beautiful their eyeglasses, hairstyle, or the child they are with is. Their smile and startled thanks make my day.
My wish for you is the receiving and sharing of love, laughter, and the enjoyment of our remaining summer days. That you are crossing off items on your list of tasks. Loving yourselves by relaxing, exercising, eating healthy foods, and indulging in doing or watching your favorite sports. Most of all, spending quality time with those in your life and family who bring you joy.
Blessings.
Cheryl
“GLYPHS ON PAGES OF A 1957 ENCYCLOPEDIA.”ON THE COVER OF SUN LIFE’S ANNUAL REPORT
I’m delighted to share that my Glyphs series is featured on the cover of Sun Life’s 2024 Annual Report, and 28 originals have been acquired for permanent display at their corporate headquarters in Canada.
It’s deeply gratifying to see these works—developed over two decades and inspired by ancient scripts like Chinese characters and Ethiopian Amharic—now receiving this kind of recognition. Sun Life, one of the top-rated insurance companies globally, saw in the Glyphs a reflection of their mission to support health, resilience, and long-term well-being.
A film crew visited my studio to document my painting process and thoughts behind the series. You can view the video and report here:
Another short video, a conversation with Sun Life CEO Kevin Strain, will be live soon.
Thank you to Allison Mueller and the team at Sun Life for believing in the power of this work.
Click the button below and scroll to the bottom of the page to watch my video.
"IKIGAI x FIVE MINUTES OR LESS”
Saturday, July 19 | 5 PM–Late | Live performances from 8–10 PM
456 Johnson Ave, Suite 105, Brooklyn, NY
I’m honored to have exhibited my work in the vibrant, one-night-only event IKIGAI x FIVE MINUTES OR LESS, held at To The Moon HQ in Bushwick on July 19. The show was beautifully curated by Bailey Lalonde, Anthony Haden-Guest, and Thai Richards, and brought together a powerful lineup of visual and performing artists.
Sharing space with such a dynamic group of creatives is a joyful experience. I’m showing two of the many crowns I created during the years when The Wife and I celebrated Halloween with our creative friends. Each guest was required to create and wear their own crown. The group included artists like Nina Chanel Abney and the father of the late Noah Davis.
The first year, everyone dropped the ball and didn’t make a real effort. So we awarded the first-place prizes to ourselves. Believe it or not, the awards were the little prizes found inside Cracker Jack boxes! Yet they whined and complained all year about the audacity and unfairness of awarding ourselves. The outcome in the following years, though, was that everyone stepped up their game with truly inventive creativity.
"GIVE THEM THE FANTASY”
GOTHAM CHELSEA GALLERY
146 10th Ave., New York NY
I am honored to be included in Design Dysphoria's second iteration, transforming Gotham Chelsea’s gallery into an immersive celebration of queer design and multimedia art. Co-curated by Liz Collins, Grace Whiteside of Sticky Glass, and Studio S II’s Erica Sellers and Jeremy Silberberg, Erica and Jeremy were part of the team that made my World History I (Drum), 2023 table—commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum—possible on a tight schedule.
My contributions are two of my Kaleidoscope prints and the Oracle deck, both iterations of my Glyphs on the Pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia. What draws one to Design Dysphoria is their relentless commitment to expanding what queer design can be and where it belongs, pushing boundaries across partnerships, media, and cultural spaces.
This year’s exhibition features over 20 LGBTQIA+ artists working across disciplines, expanding beyond furniture and lighting into video works that reference queer cinema and club culture. The curators have created what they describe as cinematic vignettes throughout the space, with installations that transform the gallery into scenes reminiscent of influential queer films. This multimedia approach allows Design Dysphoria to incorporate the visual languages that have long shaped queer spaces, from nightclub aesthetics to cult cinema references.
CHERYL’S ARTIST PICK OF THE MONTH AMY SHERALD
At The Whitney Museum
Through August 10
This artist will forever be known to most of the general public for her portrait of Mrs. Michelle Obama. However, she was definitely on the radar of major museums and collectors for quite some time before that commission. I was always enthralled by her typically stoic or pensive characters, with clashes of primary and subtle colors and textures in their backgrounds and clothing that were not always readily visible. In my role as an art advisor, I recommended her early to my clients. None chose to take my advice.
It is always important for artists to follow their own particular inner voice and be authentically faithful to their view of the world. Because of the grey and dark skin tones and pensive demeanors of her subjects, many were not initially drawn to her work. Fortunately, the exceptional exhibit at The Whitney, on view until August 10, provides an excellent opportunity to view the nuances of her style, her mastery, and her somewhat surreal images up close and personal. The Whitney also screens an informative video that you must be sure to make time to view.
Bravo to the curatorial staff, and thanks to the private collectors and museums who loaned works for the woman who will be a member of the canon of the greats.
