To help celebrate Joan Mitchell’s centennial and shine a light on other boundary-breaking women artists, both known and unknown, who have been at the forefront of the New York art scene we are joined by On This Spot NYC.

On This Spot NYC is a nonprofit digital mapping project that aims to tell the stories of a diverse group of women artists through short-form documentary videos. It explores the places where they lived and worked, their favorite spots to eat and drink, their dreams and laughter, and the places where they danced and found inspiration and community to create their art.

The project covers various decades, starting from the 1950s and extending to the end of the 20th century. It has begun in the West Village and East Village, and will be expanding to SoHo, the Lower East Side, Chelsea, TriBeCa, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Harlem.

On This Spot NYC aims to play a pivotal role in addressing the gender imbalance in our museums, galleries, and textbooks. Its objective is to inspire a new generation of women artists. Learn more about this amazing new project and the light it shines on trailblazing women of our neighborhoods and beyond.

Loretta Howard is the Co-Founder and Executive of On This Spot NYC: Stories of Pioneering Women Artists. With over 35 years of experience as a gallery owner, she has worked extensively with artists, collectors, and institutions, fostering connections that advance the arts. Loretta holds a Master’s degree in Art History from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, where she also pursued doctoral studies. She is a 1983 graduate of Amherst College.

Raised in Greenwich Village at 32 West 10th Street, Loretta attended Grace Church School, Village Community School, and Saint Ann’s in Brooklyn. Though she now calls the Upper West Side home, Loretta’s heart never left the Village, where her passion for art and community first took root.