In 2006, Fort Lauderdale-based artist and collector Francie Bishop Good had more than 1,000 pieces of art she collected, either at her home or in storage. It was then she decided it was time to share the works with the community. Good created the Girls’ Club, a gallery and exhibition space that in addition to on-going exhibitions has educational programming, artist talks, book launches, brown bag lunch programs, performances, workshops and streaming projects on a variety of topics relating to contemporary art with a focus on women.
It was at that same time she and her husband, David Horvitz, also began the Girls’ Club Foundation.
The collection has grown over 30 plus years to more than 800 works of art, mostly, but not all from contemporary female artists. Good says her most recent acquisition, kept for now in her private collection, is that of Chicago based artist Margot Bergman’s 2010 painting, “Inga.” When deciding on what pieces to purchase, she says, “I use my intuition. ‘Inga’ just spoke to me.”
She explains the why of the Girls’ Club and also how it got its name.
“We opened Girls’ Club because we wanted to create a space that didn’t exist yet — to educate, act as a resource and nurture the careers of contemporary female artists,” says Good. “The collection was nicknamed Girls’ Club for years, so when we opened in 2006, I thought it was a perfect name, not too serious or too pretentious.”
With a mission to educate the public, nurture the careers of female artists, and be a resource for those in the arts, the Girls’ Club and the Girls’ Club Foundation highlight the contributions of contemporary women artists.
“We’re the only private art collection in Fort Lauderdale that is open to the public,” according to Good, adding that “If you like contemporary art, we’re the place to be.”
Its current location opened in 2022 in the historical Himmarshee neighborhood, the third since opening in 2007. Now in the former space occupied by Vegan Fine Foods, a vegan supermarket, the Girls’ Club is across from the Museum of Science and Discovery and only a few blocks from the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale.
“No Looking Back,” an exhibition of photography curated by Sarah Michelle Rupert, director of collections at the Girls’ Club opens Friday, Oct. 18 and is on display through Monday, March 31, 2025.
The show brings together disparate scenes and subjects in a journey which ranges from dramatic heroines to eerie, vacant settings with works by artists Alessandra Sanguinetti, Kanako Sasaki, Cindy Sherman, Tracy Baran, Holly Lynton, Vivian Maier, Ana Mendieta, Lori Nix and Samantha Salzinger.
Rupert says that one of the photographs that are a must-see in the show is Tracey Baran’s “No Looking Back,” the image that inspired the title of the exhibit.
A young woman peers out of the back window of a pick-up truck with a man’s arm around her shoulder, hinting at a larger story.
“This is an example of the open-ended, narrative force that photography conveys,” says Rupert. “Baran captures the image in a fraction of a second, and the narrative is so viscerally implied, one could stare at it for years and still be intrigued.”
Other highlights in the show include Lori Nix’s photo titled “Subway,” which depicts a New York City subway car in a new light – the metal ceiling is rusting, and the floor is filled with sand. Through the windows, the city is visible in the distance across the water. What makes it interesting, Rupert says, is the subway car, typically bustling, is desolate and quiet, reflective of time gone by. The viewer may wonder why this car is in the middle of nowhere and how it got there.
Also of interest is Alessandra Sanguinetti’s “Necklace,” part of a series where the artist documents the relationship of two cousins, Guille, 10, and Belinda, 9, in Argentina over a five year period as they transition into adolescence.
Rupert highlights that there are many local and emerging artists in the Girls’ Club collection such as Jorge Pantoja, Onajide Shabaka and photographers Gregory Crewdson and Elliot Erwitt.
Additionally, a number of civil-rights era photographs from the collection, titled “Necessary Trouble: Civil Rights Era Photography and Contemporary Art from the Collection,” is on display at the L.A. Lee YMCA Family Center, 408 NW 14th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, through December 2024.
“Francie and David have curated an amazing collection of blue chip and international artists like Cindy Sherman, Mickalene Thomas, Sophie Calle, and African American multi-media artist and photographer Carrie Mae Weems,” says Rupert.
Rupert credits Good’s taste and discernment when it comes to knowing which pieces to collect.
“Francie has been involved in the arts her whole life and buys what she loves,” says Rupert. “She visits artist studios, gallery shows and of course, the art fairs in Miami and buys what speaks to her.” As an artist, Good also enjoys exhibiting her own work.
Over time, the collection has evolved, and Rupert says she sees more of Good’s artistic sensibilities in the pieces she collects. “Her collected works are in conversation with the art she creates,” she says.
And, while women are not a monolith, Rupert says historically, the gender dynamics in the art world have been imbalanced.
“But that is changing,” she says. “I hope visitors to the Girls’ Club will see the strengths and quality of work coming from contemporary women artists, understand more about their plight and be inspired by the incredible and multi-faceted work women are doing.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Girls’ Club: “No Looking Back”
WHEN: 1 to 5 p.m., Friday and by appointment by calling to schedule. Opens Friday, Oct. 18, through Monday, March 31, 2025.
WHERE: 330 SW 2nd St., Fort Lauderdale.
TICKETS: Free
INFORMATION (954) 828-9151 or girlsclubcollection.org
This story was produced by Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an independent journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Visit ArtsCalendar.com for more stories about the arts in South Florida.
