Michelle MacNaught, on view in Manhattan gallery

Above: Untitled, by Michelle MacNaught.

Michelle MacNaught, the DeLancey 21-year-old art student who is struggling with Stage IV ovarian cancer, was feted at the Leo Koenig Gallery in Manhattan last night at the opening of her eponymous show. The exhibition runs through Thursday, and features MacNaught's breathtaking woodblock prints and drawings inspired by her year of living with cancer. 

We talked about MacNaught and her work recently on our radio show. Michelle MacNaught

Here's the full press release about MacNaught's show:

Michelle MacNaught’s Multi-Media Art, Inspired by Medical Treatments, Draws Praise From The New Yorker Art Critic and Others

Exhibition of Her Work to be Showcased at Prominent New York City Gallery

Most 21-year-old art students would kill for New Yorker senior art critic Peter Schjeldahl to write the foreword of a book about their debut art collection. Unfortunately, Michelle MacNaught has something more serious on her mind. The gifted young Purchase College, SUNY art student has been diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer and now faces an uncertain future.

But MacNaught has used her illness to fuel her creativity. She has chronicled her battle with cancer in startlingly beautiful woodblock prints, etchings, and drawings; and a new book, Michelle MacNaught Works on Paper, a compilation of all of her new work, has been published by D.A.P. (Distributed Art Publishers). The foreword was written by Schjeldahl. In addition, gallerist Leo Koenig and his wife Maggie Clinton, who represent some of the best-known emerging and mid-career contemporary artists today, will showcase MacNaught’s work in a special exhibition Michelle MacNaught, on view from November 15 to 17, 2011 at 545 West 23 Street, New York.

Not to be stopped by her diagnosis, MacNaught persists in her coursework at Purchase College from her hospital bed, participating in art critique sessions through mobile phone photos, text messages, and email. The faculty of the Purchase College School of Art and Design has rallied to support MacNaught, keeping in constant communication at every stage of the process. Says Cassandra Hooper, Associate Professor of Art and Design, “Our department is a tight community—we all work through our problems together. Everyone in the department—all the teachers and more than 70 students—has been dedicated to supporting Michelle, and has felt every step of the way with her.”

MacNaught’s nine-part Chemo series features woodcuts dedicated to each of the drug names used in her treatment. Says MacNaught about the inspiration for Chemo and The Patron Saint of Normal, another woodcut in the exhibition: “I wanted people to know how I felt during my treatments, and that it’s okay. Those feelings are still normal; they happen every day in everyone’s lives, and we tend to overlook that. Ultimately, I hope people will think about their own selves, and ask themselves who they are.” She said she’s donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of her book and 50% of the proceeds from exhibition sales of her work to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for ovarian cancer research.

“Michelle is a remarkable, thoughtful young artist, and so motivated,” Professor Hooper added. After months of chemotherapy treatments, she still succeeded in completing enough coursework to qualify for semester grades. Even now, her presence is felt everywhere in the studio through her beautiful work.”

The opening reception of Michelle MacNaught, will be held on Tuesday, November 15, from 6 to 8 pm at the Gallery, Leo Koenig Inc., located at 545 West 23 Street, New York. For more information, please call (212) 334-9255.