Rosa Leff “Pastports” Virtual Artist Talk

Thursday, January 19 @6pm

Join Rosa via Zoom as she discusses the process for creating her work in “Pastports” – and revisiting her own pieces a few years later with a post-lockdown eye – in a virtual artist talk facilitated by Pyramid’s Artistic Director, Gretchen Schermerhorn.

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Pastports, works by Rosa Leff
December 17, 2022 -January 29, 2023
In the Helen C. Frederick Gallery

“Nothing lasts forever, and memories fade, but in the beautiful blur that is nostalgia there is more to be discovered.” – Rosa Leff

In her meticulously hand-cut streetscapes, Rosa Leff explores changing cities and the concept of time. Her subject matter is drawn from photos she took during her travels, including the destinations of Japan, China, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Leff will exhibit work she made pre-pandemic based on these images alongside new work based on the same photos. With a post-lockdown eye, she has discovered new details in the source material that were seemingly insignificant before and are now beautifully intriguing.

Each of Leff’s papercuts is cut by hand from a single sheet of paper using a knife. She is known for her ability to capture thin tangles of power lines and intricate brickwork, and she delights in bringing a modern, urban perspective to a traditional folk medium.

About the Artist

Between painting alongside her grandmother and watching her father build reproduction antique furniture, Rosa Leff grew up seeing no distinction between fine art and craft.  What mattered was that things were made by hand and done well.  It is with that in mind that she creates her hand cut paper pieces.  Leff delights in bringing a modern, urban perspective to a traditional folk medium.

Currently based in Baltimore, Leff has a BA with concentrations in art history and Spanish from Sarah Lawrence College and MS in elementary education from University of Pennsylvania. She was apprenticed to Alejandro Cordobés at Instituto Superior De Arte in Havana, Cuba. She exhibits nationally and internationally and her work is in the permanent collections of The Colored Girls’ Museum in Philadelphia and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. 

This exhibition is supported by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Maryland Department of Commerce.

Image artwork: Hoopties & Hoagies by Rosa Leff.