BEYOND THE PRESENT:
COLLECTING FOR THE FUTURE
THE CHRISTINE MACK ART COLLECTION
Rashid Johnson
Escape Painting, 2019
JULY 26 - SEPTEMBER 27
CURATED BY NATASHA SCHLESINGER
AND CHRISTINA M. STRASSFIELD
SPONSORED BY
Listening to the voices of contemporary artists and engaging with their work is like stepping into the future. A collector of emerging artists must be bold, undeterred by naysayers, and have a vision that inspires others to follow. Christine Mack has built her dynamic collection by actively seeking out, meeting with, collecting, and supporting the young voices of our time. Her mission extends beyond collecting; she is deeply committed to nurturing these talents through mentorship, financial support, and the Mack Art Foundation Artist Residency.
Following in the footsteps of her mother-in-law, Phyllis Mack, whose collection begun in the 1980s and includes many renown Modern and Contemporary art icons such as Keith Haring, Nam June Paik, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman and Jean Michel Basquait, Christine has forged her own path in collecting young American and International talent, highlighting artists with a Scandinavian background to reflect her own childhood growing up in Sweden. Christine is fully committed to collecting diversely and expanding her collection beyond painting to include sculptural works in ceramics, bronze, and wood as well as textiles and glass. The human body has a strong focus in the collection, expressed through all mediums and representations, reflecting on our cultural moment and her own confidence in humanity.
Christine Mack
Christine was born in the Philippines, raised in Stockholm, and moved to New York at 18 to attend Parsons School of Design, earning a degree in Graphic Design and Advertising. She began her career at Hearst Publications before launching her own design firm, where she took on pro bono projects for cultural institutions and charities.
A dedicated art collector for over 20 years, Christine has collaborated with artists like KAWS, Cey Adams, and Kenny Scharf on public art installations in New York, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. She co-founded Space2Create, a curatorial platform that transforms vacant spaces into exhibition venues.
Christine is the founder of the Mack Art Foundation and Greenpoint Studios, a residency program supporting emerging artists from outside New York City. The residency provides artists with studio space, a residential apartment, and opportunities to engage with galleries, curators, and collectors while fostering community engagement. The foundation also supports artists through scholarships, awards, and funding initiatives. She serves on the boards and committees of major cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim Museum, Moderna Museet Stockholm, Studio Museum in Harlem, and Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Passionate about children’s well-being, she is a board member of the Child Mind Institute and a parent advocate for Partnership to End Addiction, where she has developed workshops for parents and teens.
Natasha Schlesinger
Natasha Schlesinger is an award-winning art historian, art advisor and curator who has worked in the art field for over 25 years. Schlesinger began her career working at art galleries in New York and London. She continued as a specialist in European Furniture and Decorative arts at Christie’s auction house in New York. She has lectured both at Christie’s and Sotheby’s and taught at the graduate program for the Study of Decorative Arts, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and New School.
In 2003 Schlesinger founded Artmuse to provide art guidance, curation and advisory services to private and corporate clients as well as collaborations with brands. She has served as the Art Curator of The Surrey Hotel where she conceived and curated successful exhibitions connecting The Surrey’s own permanent art collection to the most relevant themes in contemporary art today. Since 2018 Schlesinger has curated numerous group exhibitions and charity auctions at various galleries, the Baryshnikov Arts Center and Core Club. In 2020 she co-founded a curatorial platform Space2Curate and in 2024 she launched Artmuse The Series on YouTube that takes its audience to artist studios and select gallery exhibitions. Schlesinger is currently on the advisory board for the Mack Art Foundation, a residency program geared towards emerging artist who get the opportunity to spend time and create art in New York City.
Schlesinger holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Master’s degree in Decorative Arts and Design from the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Culture and Design. In 2005, Schlesinger received the Future Leaders of the Art World award from ArtTable, a national nonprofit membership organization for professional women in leadership positions in the visual arts.
Artist In-Residence
Megan Gabrielle Harris
Megan Gabrielle Harris is a multi-disciplinary artist with a focus in painting. Harris’ work is influenced by travel, moments of leisure, surreal landscapes, time spent in nature and calming environments. Her work typically features women of color in relaxed, sanguine and contemplative dispositions often painted against a rich, sublime backdrop. Harris explores dreamscapes and the concept of escape. “Joy, stillness, curiosity, introspection and the continual quest for inner peace” are a few of the themes that she explores in her practice.
The inspiration for her work comes from fashion photography, surreal landscapes and natural forms, stemming from her experiences traveling and working as a model for over ten years.
Austin Lee
Ode, 2025
MACK ART FOUNDATION ARTISTS
Adele Aproh • Callum Eaton • Mark Frygell
Megan Gabrielle Harris • Rugiyatou Jallow
Alexander James • Martine Johanna • Andrei Kozlov
Hannah Lupton Reinhardt
Melissa Rios • Yam Shalev
ARTISTS
Angeles Agrela • Elian Almeida • Willem Andersson •
Ana Benaroya • Michaela Yearwood Dan •
Marc Dennis • Devon DeJardin •
Woody De Othello • Alexandre Diop •
Callum Eaton • Camilla Engstrom •
Bobbi Essers • Sharif Farrag • Mark Frygell •
Alex Gardner • Mark Thomas Gibson •
Sam Gilliam • Anthony Gormley •
Jameson Green • Keith Haring •
Megan Gabrielle Harris • Angela Heisch •
Loie Hollowell • Sheree Hovsepian •
Rugiyatou Jallow • Alexander James •
Martine Johanna • Rashid Johnson • KAWS •
Barbara Kruger • Austin Lee • Robert Longo •
Wole Lagunju • Karen Lyons • Opal Mae Ong •
Liz Marcus • POW Martinez •
Danielle McKinney • Nat Mead •
Marilyn Minter • Zanele Muholi • Vik Muniz •
Danielle Orchard • Gahee Park •
Claire Partington • Robert Peterson •
Michelangelo Pistoletto • Thomas J Price •
Robert Rauschenberg •
Hannah Lupton Reinhardt •
Melissa Rios • Brian Rochfort •
George Rouey • Matthew Rosenquist •
Laura Sanders • Kenny Scharf •
Yam Shalev • Cindy Sherman •
Lorna Simpson • Jeff Sonhouse •
Vaughn Spann • Alison Elizabeth Taylor •
Joana Tremblay • Amanda Wall •
Austin Martin White • Kehinde Wiley •
Hank Willis Thomas • Kennedy Yanko •
July 26
Opening Reception
5 pm - 7 pm
Join us as we celebrate the opening of our next show, Beyond the Present: Collecting for the Future. Meet the curators, Natasha Schlesinger, Christina M. Strassfield, and collector Christine Mack.
August 10
Beyond the Present Tour
11 am
Join curator Natasha Schlesinger and art collector Christine Mack for a tour of the ongoing exhibition, "Beyond the Present: Collecting for the Future." Seize this chance to acquire insider knowledge about the displayed artwork.
August 19 - August 25
Residency Artist Studio
More information forthcoming…
Thursdays - Mondays
Residency Artist Studio
12 pm - 5 pm
More information forthcoming…
August 25
Panel Discussion with
Megan Gabrielle Harris
Join us for a conversation featuring art collector Christine Mack and our artist in residence, Megan Gabrielle Harris. This is a great opportunity to explore the art collection process and learn about Harris's creative journey.