Waves of Expression at the She Sells Seashells Exhibition at Alice Austen House

Showcasing a dynamic group of artists reflecting on the relationship between queer women and the sea, the waterfront home of American Photographer Alice Austen in Staten Island opens She Sells Seashells on September 6, 2025. Curated by writer Gemma Rolls-Bently, the exhibition draws inspiration from Austen and her partner, Gertrude Tate, and the common tongue twister “She Sells Sea Shells” linked to Mary Anning. Together, these references examine the connection between lesbian artists and the ocean, drawing connections from Austen’s homeland and Anning’s British water coast.

The group exhibition includes works of 12 artists including Austen herself. Two stand out pieces include Two Big Oyster Shells, April 30, 1935 photographed by Austen, as well as Toweled Lesbian Kiss Between Cherry Grove & Fire Island Pines, NY, July 1978 photographed by Meryl Meisler.

“I was deeply moved when I first visited the Alice Austen House—it felt like an important and rare site of lesbian history, a place where that history lives and breathes,” said Rolls-Bently. “The waterside setting, and the relationship Alice shared with the sea, shaped a home where she, Gertrude, and their circle could be open and free with one another.”

Rolls-Bently has been a prominent figure in the world of contemporary art and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. With the release of her debut book Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and the Spaces Between (Spring 2024), and her curations for a range of international galleries and institutions, her efforts strengthen the work of female and queer artists while providing a platform for art that explores LGBTQIA+ identity.

Rolls-Bently stated, "I'm so excited to bring the work of intergenerational living artists from across the US and Europe into this space, placing their practices in conversation with Alice’s photography and the legacy of queer life that unfolded here.”

In addition to hosting She Sells Seashells, the Alice Austen House operates as a museum and is recognized as a nationally designated site for LGBTQ+ history. The house cultivates creative expression, reflections on personal identity, and through perceptions of Austen’s photographs, inspires the public.

I first visited the Alice Austen House in elementary school, when my class—fittingly, from P.S. 60 Alice Austen School—split into groups to direct photoshoots by the water before gathering for a picnic. Even then, the site encouraged creativity, collaboration, and play, echoing the same spirit that Rolls-Bently now seeks to amplify. The 55-year loving relationship between Austen and Tate continues to resonate throughout the surrounding waterfront park and home, highlighting the significance of Alice Austen and the legacy of female and queer art.