This exhibition concerns two families, the Gallagher-Leeches and the Pintos, whose histories converge over the decades, from the New Deal Era through today. Both began in Philadelphia, summered in New Jersey, and made the transition to New York. Besides the geographical parallels, the families support one another in the extreme, the artists all work collaboratively, and they teach or publish or build.

     The paintings, drawings, prints, and installations by the nine artists in this show date from 1924 to 2012.

      Michael J. Gallagher, a contributor to magazines such as The New Yorker, was director of Philadelphia WPA’s Printmaking Workshop. His wife, Katharine McCollum, was the city’s Puppet Master. Their daughter, the painter Louise Leech, was the mother of Kitty, a costume and children’s book designer, and Gwyneth, a painter and video artist. Kitty and Gwyneth, moved to New York, in 1980 and 1999, respectively.

      Angelo Pinto was a painter and printmaker. He taught at the Barnes until 1992. In 1935 he started a photography studio in New York but stayed on at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania, as teacher and photographer. His daughters are Jody, an environmental artist, and Anna, a draughtsman and calligrapher. A life-long New Yorker, Jody attended the Pennsylvania Academy where she now teaches.

      Highlights from the Gallagher-Leeches include extremely rare New Deal-era carborundum prints of industrial subjects by Michael Gallagher, elegantly refined children’s book illustrations by Katharine, costume sketches by Kitty Leech relating to the dance Imprints on a Landscape, The Mining Project, 2008, and Gwyneth’s installation Ecuador/New York, A Dream of Home, 2010-12, made from 55 used and painted paper coffee cups.

      From the Pinto family there are Angelo’s photographs, wood engravings, reverse paintings on glass of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, and a portrait of Jody, as well as an enormous preparatory drawing for Jody’s nine-ton Fingerspan Bridge of 1987 in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, and Anna’s Alphabet, 1994, a tour-de-force of delicacy.

Families/Cities SHIFT On View Through Saturday, May 11, 2013