BUCI MAIL: Lessons to Take This Fall / ISSUE 04
WHO IS GABRIELLE RICHARDSON?
Gabrielle Richardson is an artist, curator, model, and gallerist. As the co-founder of Ward, Gabrielle maintains an intentional platform dedicated to amplifying Brown, Black, and LGBTQ+ artists. Named in honor of her late mother, the gallery champions emerging voices through thoughtful exhibitions and community-driven programming.
I've committed myself to the journey of always being a student. As we get older, the opportunities to do something, or try something for the very first time, become rare. There is a particular kind of pleasure in being a beginner: the awkwardness, the frustration, and then the realization that your brain and body are learning something they didn't know how to do before.
Here are a few lessons I would suggest for someone chasing the thrill of being a beginner.
First on my list is lace-making. I've been periodically refreshing the Brooklyn Lace Guild's website, waiting for a beginner workshop to appear. There's something deeply satisfying about the idea of spending an afternoon learning an almost-forgotten craft and leaving with something made entirely by hand.
These past six months I've been taking adult beginner ballet and pole classes. Goodside is my favorite pole studio in the city and if you are looking to approach something more classical, I'd recommend checking out Cobble Hill Ballet or Cardboard Studios. I have been dancing since I was a child and there's something so home-bound returning to it.
I've also been learning the harp for the past nine months with my instructor, Marilu, who is not only extraordinarily talented but extremely patient. Learning an instrument creates such an alien, visceral mind-body connection. I can actually feel my neurons firing in different directions at once. Eyes reading the music, hands moving on the strings, ears listening, and my brain trying to remember what comes next. Then every so often, it clicks. Few things are as satisfying as when you actually learn a new skill or become proficient in something that was a block to you before.
For something more inward-looking, I'd also suggest Carolyne Loree Teston's self-portrait workshop series, Prism. I've always loved photography, but taking a class built around autonomy and your own point of view has made me think differently about the act of being photographed, and photographing yourself. The series is an interrogation of the history of portraiture, but also of the more personal question, How do we want to be seen?
New York City is full of opportunities to become a slightly different version of yourself. We tap into these alternative versions when we pick up a new instrument, dance, learn a new skill, or turn a camera back on us. Being a beginner is scary, but a way to make life feel new.
Pick up a copy in-store at 125 Stanton in New York City, and stay tuned for more.
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