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"We Are All Here to Help Each Other" - Interview with Wendy White
January 21, 2025
By Bessy ADUT
Born in Rockaway Beach, New York, Wendy White's palette and writings are strongly influenced by her early environment of living by the sea. Her father was a painter and while she was growing up, she and her twin brother would frequently model for him as he painted. During her teen years, her father became blind, and she became her “father’s eyes.” She received a full academic scholarship to Barnard College of Columbia University where she fulfilled her medical school requirements hoping to find a cure for her father’s blindness. Her father regained his vision in one eye during her sophomore year at the same time she was studying painting with her mentor at Barnard, the abstract expressionist painter, Milton Resnick.
She had exhibitions in galleries in New York City, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Finland, Buenos Aires and Switzerland; having sold over 120 canvases with over 200 exhibitions. She was awarded a government sponsored show by the VKI Center in Copenhagen, Denmark where she exhibited 40 new canvases.
Her movie and theatre accomplishments include her one-woman show “The Jewish Nun” produced in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to sold-out audiences Off- Broadway at 59e59 in New York City, at the GAB Studio in Miami and at The New Light Theatre in Fort Lauderdale. Her movie “Roses are Blind” won over 150 awards at film festivals around the World.
She is inspired by the old masters as well as the modern-day expressionists and is fully committed to paint and write to utilize her gifts for the better good of the world. She continues to foster her dream of international cultural exchanges in order to create a universal bridge of peace between all the countries of the world.
Where are you located?
Pine Island, Florida
What are your current projects?
As a filmmaker, I am grateful and excited to be in pre-production for the full-length film for "Roses are Blind", and in post-production for the full-length film "Sushi Bar" and to be in pre-production of a documentary on my life called “Julie” with co-producers, Vanessa Garcia and Victoria Collado of Abre Camino Collective. I am also an artist and am painting a new oil-on canvas commission. In addition, I teach online art classes to children throughout the country via zoom.
Please share how you got started and got to where you are today...
It started very early, before I was born, as my father was an artist (and also an engineer). When I was a baby, my twin brother and I would often be the focus of my father’s oil paintings, we would sit for hours on the couch modeling for him, and I naturally became acquainted with painting, especially oil on canvas. As a young child, I would sit on his lap as he painted, and watched his technique. On the weekends, my parents would bring us to museums in New York City, and I truly loved going super close to the paintings to get a close look of the brush strokes and study how they were created.
When I was super young in school, my teachers noticed my affinity with music and art, and I was recruited right away to play in the band, orchestra and perform in the theater. My first voice was music, as my brother and I had a special “twin language” together.
When I was 14, my father became blind, and I became my “father’s eyes.” Inspired to find a cure for his blindness, and feeling I was here to help people, I decided to pursue a career in medicine and received a full academic scholarship to Barnard College of Columbia University wherein I fulfilled my medical school requirements hoping to find a cure for my father’s blindness.
My father regained his vision in one eye during her sophomore year at the same time I was studying painting with her mentor at Barnard, the abstract expressionist painter, Milton Resnick. Due to Milton’s continual inspiration and encouragement, I was inspired and rediscovered the light from painting during my childhood, (Including painting to music) and began to fully develop my abstract impressionist style which I continue to do to this day!
Through writing, painting, playing music and theatre, I learned to write “true life stories” based on what I would witness, luckily, I was able to perform my plays in theatres off-off Broadway and learn to Direct too! Today, I am excited to convert my plays to movies and am truly enjoying this medium as it can reach viewers all over the world! It's an exciting journey and I am so very grateful to have learned to utilize my talents that were given to me as gifts from God to survive, and also for the better of the world as you never know how your story can help someone who has gone through the very same thing or currently going through it now.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been a special one, and for sure not always smooth. In my youth, I didn’t realize that our home was different than all the others, yet soon, I realized that everyone’s homes had unique challenges! Early financial challenges in my family, propelled me to help my parents, and I started to work at age 10, as there were limited funds. My jobs included babysitter, newspaper carrier, bakery salesperson, and cabana girl at the local beach clubs in the summer while my friends were lucky to go to camp. Yet, I am grateful for those early work years, as I felt I was helping the families and store owners and even the local golf course, as I was the first girl caddy in Long Island at the Rockaway Hunt Club at age 15. I learned at a young age to remain in service, to do your very best in school, and participate in clubs too! I also enjoyed many years of running track on the varsity track team, as I realized how important it was to keep healthy, as my family members were not well, I would try to help them and everyone I know get better.
Tell us more about your life and career...
My life has been blessed by an infinite amount of teachers and helpers. I am also very grateful and forgive all. I feel education is the most important thing in the world, for when you realize we are all students, the teachers appear to guide you, in ways you may never have known.
My English professor, Ms. Catherine Poe (relative to Edgar Allan Poe) encouraged all in our class to write a daily journal, (which I was already doing since I was 10) and I continue to do so to this day! Finding great peace in writing a journal, similar to a “Dear Diary” where the days thoughts and happenings are released to the magic of writing!
My family founded Mt. Sinai Medical School, and during my early college years, I received a fellowship to study kidney disease and renal medicine. In every lab, there was a special doctor, who taught me how to do renal assays and understand biochemistry. I found every aspect fascinating and especially enjoy finding out what is happening beneath the surface. To this day, I love learning about the mechanisms behind the surface of everywhere I go, including film, or backstage in the theatre. There is so much to learn in life, and I found it important to remain open and grateful for every step. I’ve been working consistently since I age 10 and often the jobs, I receive are unplanned for, and in that location, I receive training to help so many and it is an honor to do so. I’ve been working in a legal and administrative capacity for over 40 years in the public and private sectors, and every moment is truly fascinating.
I am also living a lifelong dream through founding the New Light Foundation, Inc. a result of a dream shared by myself and my husband, artist, Roland Ruocco, who relocated to South Florida in July of 2001 from New York City. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit public foundation whose mission is to serve our community by providing cultural outreach through the arts and education.
Recently through the distribution and support of my short movie “Roses are Blind” during the pandemic, I received so much amazing support internationally when all festivals went online. I was invited to the be the Ambassador from the United States to the Bridge of Peace International Film Festival in Paris, France, dedicated to supporting creative searches of young filmmakers, national feature films, films on ecology, history and ethnography in order to improve mutual understanding between people living in different countries. In addition, I was called to be the Ambassador from the United States to the Saath Jiyou Foundation, in India which helps the needy in orphanages and the elderly in the poorest sections of India.
What do you think goodness is?
Goodness is helping others, goodness is forgiveness, goodness is love unconditionally and rising above when others go low, one goes high to the light, to share your light and love to others, hoping for the good to overcome, goodness is selfless, goodness is where God lives.
Who are you outside of your professional life?
Outside of my professional life, I am Wendy, happy and honored and grateful to be alive, making the most of every day!
Are you interested in environmental issues?
Yes, for most of my youth I was fascinated in environmental issues and took an immediate interest in recycling and preserving the waters, clean air, and farmland. In the late 1980s I studied environmental research and worked at the Toxic Waste Management Research Center at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where I met the top visionaries of the world, and helped serve and develop research centers to collaborate in France, Thailand, Holland and France. To this day, we can do so much to preserve our natural forests and utilize solar and wind energy, and by doing so we would be pollution free.
Do you think the world is not a good place right now?
The world is at a place of transition, the world seems to be more at “one” due to the internet and mass communication through technology. The power of the instant is being realized, and I feel the world is in a good place, as so much good is happening so quickly.
How do you make the world a better place?
I am honored to try every day to make the world a better place, by helping others. Whether it be by encouraging a young student, feel good about their ideas, and dreams, or by helping an older neighbor be at peace, and safe in their homes and get the support they need for their health. By being ourselves, having an open heart to help others, and believing in the magic of our dreams, we can make the world a better place, moment by moment, like the ripples in the lake from one single pebble. It’s that ripple effect of love that will heal us all, and that is what I do, every night, and every day.
How can we all make the world better?
We can all make the world better by awakening to our earth reality that we are all here to help each other, through caring, and giving. The Talmud says, “when you help one person you can help the world”, that is how I live night and day, and you can do so too!
How can science and spirituality coexist?
Science is spirituality. The ideas that present itself in the hearts and minds of visionaries are designed by spirit. Albert Einstein stated, “never minimize a good idea.” When you have an idea, it truly can be the cure to an illness waiting to be healed. The healing is the spirituality, the science is the cure, with action to do so.
If you could go anywhere, where would you go (and why)?
I would love to go to Paris, as this is the heart of creation, my favorite building is the Eiffel Tower, built by visionaries. Paris is pure art, designs are everywhere!
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
It's an honor to be able to share my story, and my calling to help others. I feel blessed to be able to communicate during this time of social media as one never knows who you can inspire and help, and lift up with light and positive energy.
Please provide shareable links (website, social media)...
New Light Foundation and Gallery Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/wendywhitelight
https://www.facebook.com/rosesareblind/
https://www.facebook.com/NewLightMovies/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558487514635
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/wendy_j_white
https://www.instagram.com/rosesareblindfilm/
https://www.instagram.com/father_nose_best
Please provide media links to share...
Roses are Blind short movie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5dtW8C-c7o
https://blogcritics.org/exclusive-interview-filmmakers-gui-agustini-wendy-white-roses-are-blind-1/
https://blogcritics.org/exclusive-interview-filmmakers-gui-agustini-wendy-white-roses-are-blind-2/
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