Coney Island Alive: Weird Women & Strange Men
New work by artist Marie Roberts
August 1 – November 5, 2011

Artist Marie Roberts is a native New Yorker, born, raised and still living in Southern Brooklyn. She became a painter to escape from the sideshow traditions she grew up with; her family had worked with the Dreamland Circus Sideshow in the 1920’s. She aspired different. After years of painting perceptually and from invention, she teamed up with Coney Island USA, the not for profit Arts Center located in the heart of the Coney Island Amusement district for the past 31 years.She discovered she loved painting in the large format sideshow banner tradition. The practice melded her two parts – the young person who grew up hearing Carney at home and the academically trained professional artist.