NOT FOR SALE

A MEMORIAL RETROSPECTIVE OF ARTIST CLAUDIA WHITTINGHAM

BGX Gallery | 192 Front Street | NY, NY 10038

May 8th – July 5th | Wednesday – Friday 12pm-6pm + by appointment

“We are all creators and when we create, we are aligning ourselves with what created us.”

Claudia Whittingham

Claudia Nicole Whittingham (1961–2024) was a native New Yorker and visionary artist whose interdisciplinary practice and educational leadership nurtured NYC’s arts and educational communities for over four decades. Born to Basil Mclean Whittingham, a Cooper Union engineer, and Ardija Red-Cloud, a Fordham-educated guidance counselor, her heritage spanned the Caribbean and the American Midwest. After earning her BA from Marymount Manhattan College and while pursuing a master’s at Bank Street College of Education, Claudia found her calling while teaching incarcerated youth at Rikers Island Academy, all while navigating motherhood. This led to her work in special education and leadership roles in restorative justice initiatives for children, families, teachers, and school districts in NYC through the Department of Education. Rooted in indigenous values, her largely self-guided artistic practice drew on family traditions, peer learning, academic rigor and lived experiences. Her creative work encompassed fashion and jewelry design, textile arts, printmaking, sketching, poetry, beadwork, and restorative practices such as culinary arts, breathwork, yoga, and African dance. Not For Sale, her first solo exhibition, responds to her earliest experiences working in luxury retail and fashion, challenging the commodification of art and embodying her belief in the priceless value of creative expression, community, and resilience. Claudia is survived by her sister Michelle, aunt Maria, cousin Christopher, son Parris, extended family, and a global community of spiritual kin from the four directions.