Worlds apart, Nina having lived most of her life in New York City and Pat from rural Nebraska, these two artists began a correspondence less than a year ago through their passions for photography and found a sense of solace in the company of these incredible and empathetic animals. Collaborating to inspire one another and bring about artworks which could share and imbue the sense of power, majesty, and emotional energy they experienced through their working so closely among hundreds of rescued wild mustangs at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota. Upon return from their visit, Nina Chung further immersed herself into the deep therapeutic and primal empathetic connection we share with horses by living and photographing the gentle and accommodating horses of Horses Healing Humans, a horse therapy farm located in Stonington, Connecticut. There she was able to witness and capture first hand the impact these powerful yet compassionate creatures had on the human psyche. From the towering Clydesdale Arran to their ambassador Lulu the magnificent Mini Pony, who will be making an appearance during the opening, their profound ability to heal, rehabilitate, and teach was evident in every facet of their programs which help veterans, abused women, and children with disabilities. Much like the warm connections created through the interaction between human and horse, just the experience of such masterful artworks of these beautiful creatures, as shown in the works by Nina Chung and Pat Schoenfelder, has the power to create a tremendous and deep mental and emotional impact. It both calms and invigorates the viewer while evoking inspiration and, at times, an introspective view of our innermost self.

“In many different situations and in many different ways, horses were enabling people to make contact with feelings they’d buried deep inside their shadow. . . . We see the flesh-and-blood incarnation of powerful forces bottled up within us that we wish we had the guts to saddle and ride. . . . These are the forces that Carl Jung called the shadow self. We know those forces could take us to our dreams and turn us into our best selves. We also know those forces could destroy us. . . . Horses force us to face our shadow selves. Once we do that, we discover much greater freedom, exhilaration and inspiration as we go forward in life.”

– Chris Irwin, Author of Horses Don’t Lie