Kaleidoscope: A Journey of Shape and Color—a New Exhibit Featured at Montefiore New Rochelle

Hildy Martin’s vibrant paper collages are an exercise in freedom and joy—feelings her art is sure to inspire in visitors of The Queen City Art Gallery at Montefiore New Rochelle, where Martin’s “Kaleidoscope: A Journey of Shape and Color” is being exhibited this summer.

Martin’s fascination with color and shape hearkens back to her childhood, when her mother’s small collection of kaleidoscopes caught her interest from a very young age. After receiving one of her own, Martin’s curiosity led her to take it apart and examine its inner workings. Arranging the small plastic shapes by hand inspired her lifelong love of colorful collages.

“As an artist, I create my work motivated by a love of shape and color and the interplay between the two,” Martin said. “However, without the ability to share the joy and pleasure this brings me—my art would lie still and inert. In bringing the art to the Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital community, the art becomes vital and alive.”

A 35-year resident of New Rochelle, Martin found a new focus for her artistic endeavors when she retired from teaching elementary school in 2019. Her work has since been displayed at numerous local art guilds and community centers.

Martin is the latest local artist to be featured at The Queen City Art Gallery, an innovative, rotating exhibition space in the main lobby of Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital. A reception for the artist will be held on Sunday, September 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Martin’s collection will remain on display through September 12.

“Hildy Martin’s collages have the extraordinary power to make the viewer feel deep emotion—curiosity, happiness or even a sense of wonder can be brought to the forefront upon seeing her creations. The simple act of securing paper shapes with glue on a surface can allow for one to be transported to a place that encourages personal thought and emotion. Collages inspire and provide a runway for deep introspection, thoughtfulness, and as such, aid in the healing process,” said Jodi Moise, Director, the Montefiore Einstein Fine Art Program and Collection, and Curator, The Queen City Art Gallery.

The Queen City Art Gallery is a collaboration between the Montefiore Fine Art Program and Collection and the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, and it highlights artists living and working in New Rochelle and Westchester County. Its programs are designed to enrich the lives of Montefiore Einstein patients, caregivers, associates, students and faculty and to enhance the broader community’s understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art.

The gallery strives to support Montefiore’s mission to heal, teach, discover and advance the health of the communities it serves. Exhibitions feature artwork with diverse themes, media and techniques that respect the community’s cultural backgrounds and appeal to a wide audience. Montefiore New Rochelle sponsors three exhibitions each year.

Visitors can see the exhibit by visiting Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, 101 Glover Johnson Place, New Rochelle.