TALES OF A PHOENIX: The Letting Go Project ongoing
CHASHAMA STOREFRONT GALLERY, NYC 2020
A visual art exhibition and durational performance, Tales of a Phoenix: The Letting Go Project harnesses the power of ritual to bring women together across the world in a unified release of old patterns that no longer serve their growth.
EMPIRE OUTLETS, NYC 2024
Women contribute pieces of fabric inscribed with their intentions of what they wish to let go of. In a series of meditative performances, Schnitzler stitches these testimonies together into a room-filling skirt, representing the global collective feminine voice. With pieces from over sixty countries and states, the work unfolds as a tapestry of personal stories from all walks of life and cultures, offering a glimpse into where women stand with the struggles they face.
CHASHAMA STOREFRONT GALLERY, NYC 2020
During its initial seven-week run at Chashama’s storefront gallery in Manhattan’s Garment District, Schnitzler created the first iteration of the skirt. Female onlookers were invited to participate by inscribing fabric, which was added directly into the growing garment. Over time, it expanded into a sea of cloth that filled the entire space.
TIMES SQUARE, NYC 2023 - EXHIBIT & STITCHING PERFORMANCES
Since then, the work has traveled to Times Square (NYC), The Art Center Highland Park (Chicago, IL), Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (Brooklyn, NY), the 28th Annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts (NYC), and Empire Outlets (Staten Island, NY), among others.
Growing with each exhibition as more women take part, Tales of a Phoenix: The Letting Go Project will culminate in a ritual performance in which Schnitzler wears the monumental skirt before its public destruction — a powerful act of release and collective letting go.
Tales of a Phoenix: The Letting Go Project is made possible, in part, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Further support was provided by Chashama, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Grove34 and The Feminist Art Project.
IN THE PRESS:
“… a beautiful international quilted skirt expressing the transformative power of letting go …” -- UN Program Director News, WCA
“… a terrific installation, so moving and heartfelt and genuine. It's really staying with me.”
- M. Rifkin, THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK
“… very provocative… A collective work that … aims to reaffirm how
the arts can unify the planet and level disparities…” -- LEVANTE NEWS, Italy
“… [a] global feminist art project…” -- BOMB Magazine
