Atelier 17

Atelier 17 was an avant-garde art school and printmaking studio. It was influential in the teaching and promotion of printmaking in the 20th century. Atelier 17 originally was located in Paris, however, relocated to New York during the years around World War II.

Around one hundred women artists were eventually affiliated with Atelier 17. The studio enabled women's exposure to, and eventually the practice of, modernist styles (ie: abstraction, surrealism, and expressionism).

When working at Atelier 17, Gelb created many etchings of dreams. Atelier 17 was a big part of Gelb's early career as an artist, specifically a printmaker. Creating her etchings and other prints in the studio allowed for her to expand on her artistic expression through the process of layering.