Gladys Kashdin (1921-2014) Florida Artist

Dr. Gladys Shafran Kashdin was a combination of several remarkable people: Artist, Researcher, Writer, Teacher/Professor, Department University Administrator, Volunteer, Naturalist and Philanthropist.  Being dearly loved within the Tampa Bay region, the Museum of Science and Industry named its "Welcome Center" after her.

She was known for developing her artistic style from realistic figures to her increasing interest in nature, abstraction and conceptual forms. A recurring theme in her later work included the Everglades, the wetlands preserved into a national park.  She believed in the ongoing restoration of the Everglades, an effort to remedy the inflicted damage on the southern Florida environment. Her nature subjects were frequently executed in ink drawings on paper, however she is known for creating other subjects in paper and cloth collages, acrylic paintings, and serigraphs.

Kashdin's Everglades Series was a personal and scientific exploration of this unique Florida wilderness. For about 10 years, she examined and researched the ecosystems of the subtropical marshy grasslands that held significant biodiversity; a sanctuary for animals, birds, and plants. During her research she accomplished a group of 50 works that celebrate the Everglades and local rivers. These works were exhibited throughout Florida and as far away as Texas. The drawing below is from the Everglades Series: River of Grass l, 1974.

River of Grass l
Ink on Arches Paper - 1974
Signed - Lower Right Corner:  Kashdin

Kashdin studied at the Art Students League in New York City and Florida State University where she received a Doctor of Philosophy degree.  She studied under two noted mid-century modernists:  Stefan Hirsch and Karl Zerbe.  During her lifetime, she had nearly 70 one-woman shows, and participated in 55 group exhibits. She also donated her American abstract expressionist research to the Smithsonian Institution.  This research included interviews with famed artists Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko.

Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally for over 60 years, with a major 50-year retrospective at the Tampa Museum of Art in 1996. After her death, the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, FL, staged another retrospective in 2014. She has works in the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Appleton Museum of Art, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Mississippi Museum of Art, public institutions, as well as corporate and private collections.

Kashdin has been listed in Who's Who in American Art, Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the U.S., and Who's Who of American Women.

Detail and Signature Example
This drawing was part of a major traveling exhibit-
The Everglades 1972-1975

References:

• Jaques Cattell, Who's Who in American Art 1976, R.R. Bowker Company, New York, 1976.
• Bob Creps, Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the U.S., Dealer's Choice Books, Lake O' Lands, FL, 2002.
• Tampa Bay Times, Dr. Gladys Shafran Kashdin Obituary, June 22, 2014.
• Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, Restoration of the Everglades, internet article.

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