Karen Shaw, born Helene Karen Tobias, was a conceptual artist whose work reflected her identity as a housewife and feminist in a male-dominated art world. She gained recognition in the 1970s, exhibiting her avant-garde works at notable galleries. Her 'Summantics' series cleverly repurposed everyday materials to uncover deeper meanings. Besides her artistic contributions, Shaw was also an influential curator at the Islip Art Museum and an activist for various social causes, including immigrant rights. She is remembered for her mentorship of many artists and her significant impact on the art community.
Shaw's singular gift is to find topics that are focused and clever, yet inclusive enough to spotlight a broad range of talents.
A lot of what she did took advantage of the materials she used as a housewife. She had a famous body of work called 'Summantics'.
Through it all, she remained an activist, from Vietnam War protests to work with the New Sanctuary Coalition, helping immigrant asylum-seekers.
The place was crowded with friends and a whole bunch of people I didn't know, and these were all artists she had helped.
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