Marty Monick

Art wasn’t on Marty Monick’s radar during her career as a research scientist in pulmonary immunology. Late in her career, she discovered that she loved creating the images needed to bring an academic paper to life and get it published. This led her to start taking creative workshops, including at PS1. 

Her participation accelerated in 2014 when she retired to care for her husband. As his health deteriorated and her caretaking was all encompassing, PS1 workshops became a lifeline: “I took anything they offered. It was interesting, the people were warm and interesting, and I could come home and keep making the things I started in the class. PS1 really saved my life.”

Monick, who is now in her late 70s, serves on the PS1 board and shows up for many volunteer activities. It’s given her a community that ranges from people in their early 20s to her contemporaries. And like her, many haven’t always identified as artists. “They’re very welcoming of people who don’t fit the traditional artist category,” she says. “PS1 isn’t Big Art–capital letters; it’s small ‘everyone welcome’ art.”