Fall Exhibitions at the Richmond Art Center
Three new exhibitions featuring works by Bay Area figurative artist Joan Brown, an environmentally themed group show, and a celebration of Richmond’s acclaimed Pogo Park will open to the public on September 12, 2017.
RICHMOND, CA — August 10, 2017 — The Richmond Art Center is celebrating the personal art of a Bay Area icon, and delves into studies of the environment both globally and locally this fall with three new  exhibitions, opening September 12. Joan Brown: In Living Color reveals the intimate and personal in the renderings of an influential Bay Area artist who never stopped drawing. Many of the works on exhibit come from the artist’s estate and have never been shown publicly. This is the first Bay Area exhibition that focuses on Brown’s works on paper in over 20 years.
Says Director of Exhibitions Jan Wurm, “At a time when the art world was heavily focused on abstraction and formalism, Joan Brown was unique in the exploration of the personal, the domestic, and the human relationship to nature.” Wurm adds, “The core of Joan Brown’s life and experiences became the subject of her art. Brown’s quest for a visual rendering of the experiences of an evolving life was a beacon particularly for women artists and became a model for generations of artists exploring identity and place.”
Earth, Wind, and Fire showcases nine contemporary artists — Kim Anno, Chester Arnold, Harry Clewans, Paul Kos, Jenny Odell, Clifford Rainey, Abel Rodriguez, Alison Saar, Joshua Solis. Working through intimate personal works, video, and large scale installation, these artists focus on issues of self, identity, place, and relationship to nature and the environment.
“In a time of great concern for our environment, the artists who  are engaged by issues and questions of habitat, ecology, and personal practice move across many platforms to create a visual dialogue,” adds Wurm. “We are proud to enable that dialogue and foster a forum for expanded possibilities.”
The exhibition Pogo Park: A New Model for Community Transformation, presented in conjunction with Pogo Park’s 10th Anniversary, showcases the vision, concept and process of the project, coupled with models, stories, and voices of the people involved in transforming little-used Richmond city park into a safe and vibrant place that sparks children’s imagination and initiative. Says Ric Ambrose, Executive Director of the Richmond Art Center, “Pogo Park is about much more than playgrounds. Its unique approach combines two distinct but interrelated strategies: child development and community development.”
The Richmond Art Center will present several talks and events over the course of the Fall exhibition schedule. For those interested in Joan Brown: In Living Color, a panel of former students and artists will share lively recollections of those who knew and worked with Brown in Picturing a Life, on Saturday, September 23 at 2 pm. Printing Joan Brown, a presentation given by Don Farnsworth of Magnolia Editions on Saturday, October 21 at 2 pm, will examine the process of working with Joan Brown on Golden Gate.
On Saturday, October 14 at 2 pm, Picturing the Environment will feature artists exhibiting in the exhibition Earth Wind, and Fire, discussing working with identity and personal commitment to the environment.
The Opening Reception for the Fall exhibitions will take place on Saturday, September 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This event is free and all are welcome.
For more information about the Fall exhibitions, programming, and other events, please visit the Richmond Art Center’s website: http://richmondartcenter.org. All events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Images:
Joan Brown, Model with Foot on Table, 1973, Acrylic, graphite, and ink on paper, Estate of Joan Brown courtesy Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco
Chester Arnold, Histories, Oil on linen, 2010 |
