STONELEAF RETREAT is an artist residency and creative space for womxn and families, set in the Hudson Valley. It was founded in 2017 by Helen Toomer and Eric Romano to foster and support connection and community within a calm, natural setting. There have been 44 artists-in-residence.

UPSTATE ART WEEKEND (UPAW) is a connective annual event, for locals and tourists alike, celebrating the cultural vibrancy of Upstate New York. The fourth edition of UPAW will take place July 21 - 24, 2023, adding an additional day to the self-guided event.UPAW launched in 2020 with 23 participants, expanding to over 145 in 2022. The participants are art organizations, galleries, museums, residencies and studios. UPAW compiles a program of events and a comprehensive google map, which has… Show more UPSTATE ART WEEKEND (UPAW) is a connective annual event, for locals and tourists alike, celebrating the cultural vibrancy of Upstate New York. The fourth edition of UPAW will take place July 21 - 24, 2023, adding an additional day to the self-guided event.UPAW launched in 2020 with 23 participants, expanding to over 145 in 2022. The participants are art organizations, galleries, museums, residencies and studios. UPAW compiles a program of events and a comprehensive google map, which has garnered more than 224,000 views for the 2022 edition. UPAW attracts thousands of visitors to the region and has been featured in The New York Times, artnet news, The Art Newspaper, Hyperallergic, Chronogram, Cool Hunting and Whitewall, among others. Show less

We are a supportive community for parents in the arts. Wherever you are in your journey, we are here for you.

Curated Projects:'Who Really Cares', Hudson Valley Artists Show at The Dorsky Museum, July 7- November 14, 2021A Pressing Conference by Macon Reed & Psychic Pharmacy by Howard Hurst at SPRING/BREAK Art Show, March 6-12, 2018, New YorkSEARCHING: YoungArts Foundation booth at PULSE Miami Beach, December 6-9, 2017, Miami

Board Member/Advisory Committee:Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY: 2021 - presentProjectArt NYC, 2019 - presentBaxter Street Camera Club, 2018 - presentFoundwork.art, 2017 - presentArtists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE), Miami, FL: 2021-2023Select Panel Discussion Participation:NADA Miami: Upstate of Mind, December 2, 2022Whitewall: Building Community, November 29, 2022New Wave Art Wknd Palm Beach, December 1, 2021ArtTable: Artist Residencies:… Show more Board Member/Advisory Committee:Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY: 2021 - presentProjectArt NYC, 2019 - presentBaxter Street Camera Club, 2018 - presentFoundwork.art, 2017 - presentArtists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE), Miami, FL: 2021-2023Select Panel Discussion Participation:NADA Miami: Upstate of Mind, December 2, 2022Whitewall: Building Community, November 29, 2022New Wave Art Wknd Palm Beach, December 1, 2021ArtTable: Artist Residencies: Evolving Amid the Pandemic, February 18, 2021Sotheby's Institute of Art: Women Leaders in the Art Market, March 26, 2018NeueHouse & Artsy: How To Start Collecting Art, April 11, 201721c Museum Hotel, Lousiville: The Future is Female, November 18, 2016PULSE: Collecting & Supporting Contemporary Artists, October 13, 2016PULSE: Leaning In - The Olympics of the Art World, October 6, 2016Barnes Foundation: The Art of Business, April 14, 2016New York Academy of Art: Professional Practice Series: Art Fairs, February 3, 2016POWarts: Colleagues And Friends Series: Selling Contemporary Art - October 29, 2015Guest Lecturer.Christies Education, February 2017, October 2017, February 2018, April 2018, April 2019Brown University, February 2018, February 2019Winchester School of Art, UK, January 2018Bournemouth Arts University, UK, October 2015, January 2018Pratt Institute, September 2016, March 2017Guest Critic:Wassaic Project, August 2017NVM Studio, November 2016NARS Foundation, November 2016Art Omi, July 2016, July 2017Juror Participation:ProjectArt's Art & Social Practice Residency 2019-2020Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, July 2018, August 2017Heinz Awards, June 2018ARTXTRA Perrier Art Award, November 20162016-2017 CINTAS-Knight Fellowship in the Visual Arts, August 2016New York Academy of Art Summer Show, June 2016Times Square Arts and the Cuban Artists Fund Exhibition Award, April 2016Contemporary Visions VI, Beers London, February 2016 Show less

PHOTOFAIRS New York, a new contemporary art fair operating at the intersection of photography and new technologies, presented a state-of-the-art view of visual culture at The Javits Center in Manhattan, September 8-10, 2023.

Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE) in partnership with the Everglades National Park, empowers artists to think creatively and critically about their relationship to the environment with a mission of revealing new paths forward.

IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair, October 23-27, 2019, Javits Center, NYC.

As part of the MA Art Business program, I taught 'Social Media & Marketing of the Arts', 'Management in the Arts: The Gallery Business' and 'The Art Fairs Business – From Development to Execution'.

Founded in 2005, PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is as an established part of the annual art calendar with editions in New York and Miami Beach. The fair is recognized for providing its international community of emerging and established galleries with a dynamic platform for connecting with a global audience. PULSE offers visitors an engaging environment in which to discover and collect the most compelling contemporary art being produced today.

The Master of Arts program in Art Market: Principles and Practices gives students the knowledge and skills needed to excel in professional careers in art galleries and auction houses, and in such related fields as corporate curatorship, public art administration, and art market services.

Collective is a design fair in New York City that presents a cohesive, curated selection of contemporary design and historical pieces from galleries around the world.

toomer labzda was a contemporary art gallery that discovered and exhibited emerging artists in the lower east side of New York.