Women Weaving Stories – Mujeres Tejiendo Historias
Exhibition: June 1 – August 20, 2022 Opening Reception: Saturday, June 25, 2pm-4pm Collaborative Learning Circle: Saturday, July 30, 1:30pm-3:30pm | More info… Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Women Weaving Stories is an exhibition of a newly released art zine created by members of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) an organization of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women with a dual mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice. This project was done in partnership with NAKA Dance Theater.
As a culmination of a participatory art project, the zine was created by a cohort of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women who came together in a series of collaborative learning circles where art was used as a medium to share stories, learn from each other, and give voice to their lived experiences as immigrant women in the United States. This exhibition presents the individual pages of the zine as poster size prints. Through colorful imagery, these pages weave together the personal reflections of the women’s experiences as Latina and Indigenous people in the United States.
This exhibition is presented in Mam, Spanish and English. Oakland and the larger Bay Area is home to the largest Mam speaking community outside of Guatemala. Many of the women who participated in this project are Indigenous immigrants from Guatemala who speak Mam and/or Spanish as their primary language. Translation to Mam was done by Ana Diaz.
About the Artists: We are a diverse group of women who have woven our lives and our stories into these drawings, creating a tapestry of our histories. We have cultivated a creative space where we support and listen to each other through art, caring for each other, making space and working in solidarity to transform the challenges we face under a patriarchal system. Through these experiences, we recognize the profound importance of raising our voices as women united in a movement.
About the Zine: Starting in late 2020 and continuing through 2021, we began to work as a team in Collaborative Learning Circles (Círculos de Aprendizaje), meeting twice a week on Zoom. We built an inclusive space, where we learn, adapt and figure out how to communicate with each other. Since our team is made up of people who speak different languages, using illustrations in the zine seemed the most appropriate way to express what we wanted to express without needing to choose a particular language, while still recognizing each person’s languages and traditions.
The Fotonovela team is made up of Adriana Pérez, Leticia García, Luciana Rodríguez, Paulina Calmo and Victoria Pablo, in collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater and members of MUA.
Mujeres Unidas Y Activas is an organization of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women with a dual mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice.
NAKA Dance Theater creates experimental performance works using dance, storytelling, multimedia installations and site-specific environments. NAKA builds partnerships with communities, engages people’s histories and folklore and expresses experiences through accessible performances that challenge the viewer to think critically about social justice issues.
Top Image: J. Ramirez Pablo, Untitled, 2021
Español
Mujeres Tejiendo Historias – Women Weaving Stories
Fecha de Expocision: 1 de junio de 2022 – 20 de agosto de 2022 Recepción de apertura: Sábado, 25 de junio, 14:00-16:00 Círculo de Aprendizaje: Sábado 30 de julio, 1:30-3:30pm | Más información… Horario de la galería: Miércoles-Sábado, 10am-4pm Localización: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Somos diversas mujeres que fuimos tejiendonos con nuestras historias en estos dibujos, como lo hace un telar, el cual tenemos muy presente porque forma parte de nuestra vida. Generamos un territorio creativo para acompañarnos y escucharnos a través del arte, cuidándonos unas a otras y dando un espacio para transformar los aconteceres con los que lidiamos en este sistema patriarcal en solidaridad y apoyo mutuo. Todo esto nos ha llevado a reconocer la profunda importancia de nuestra voz como mujeres unidas y activas.
Este proyecto se realizó durante la pandemia a finales del año 2020 y todo el 2021 mediante el Zoom. Participaron mujeres miembras de MUA (una organización de mujeres Latines e Indígenas inmigrantes de base con la doble misión de promover la transformación personal y fomentar el poder comunitario).
La revista está conformada por cuatro secciones, que se definieron a partir del interés de las participantes: En la primera, nos enfocamos en manifestar lo que representa MUA para cada una de nosotras. En la segunda, visibilizamos aspectos culturales de nuestra vida diaria, priorizando los alimentos, las costumbres, tradiciones de nuestros países; y en la autodeterminación de nuestros pueblos indígenas. En la tercera, hablamos sobre cuestiones de género. Y en la última sección sobre migración, centrándonos en aspectos relacionados a vivencias personales y emocionales que nos atraviesan como inmigrantes.
El equipo de Mujeres Tejiendo Historias está conformado por: Adriana Pérez, Leticia García, Luciana Rodríguez, Paulina Calmo y Victoria Pablo.
Imagen: J. Ramirez Pablo, Untitled, 2021
Mam
Eje xuj nchachmon qa o che ex tuj
tajlal xjaw tun tex q’on junio 1, 2022 – Agosto 20, 2022
Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) ex Naka Danza Teatro ntzalaj ma k-elix tyein tnejil tib’lal (fotonovela) otz’ok qq’ona te ye’k’b’il.
ojoya xuj la’ qb’aja o kub qchmona qa o q-exa tuj (historia) chu’n qa tib’lal lu’, ju’ tisin ntemb’a jun chemaj (telar) tun jun aj chmol , jatzin jlu tkub’saxix qwitza ex otz’ok te tajlal qchwinqlala. O b’ant t-ten jun tenb’il chb’anix quna ja tum tun chtena quk’la ex tun tzaj chb’ina qoya tun jun tb’anixix yek’b’il (arte), nqo kuena qeya qunx qib’xa, ex nxi q-q’ona jun amb’il tun tch’expaj jaj jun o-qexa tuj ex nqo q’ona ipb’il tij jun sistema patriarcal ex nqo oni qeye qwitz qib’a. Chaqil jlu o tzaj t-yek’iin qeye jaj txilen jun qwiya xuj qoya Mujeres unida y activas.
Jaj jun aq’untl lu ja tb’ant tuj jun yab’il (pandemia) ch’ixtaq tel ab’q’i 2020 ex chaqiltzin ab’q’i te 2021 tuj jun programa te zoom. o che aq’nan txjali MUA (Jun chmob’il che xuj te junl tnam (latinas) ex qe q-xechil te aj tu qyol (indigena) o q-u’l tuj junl tnam (imigrantes) ja te toklen tun txi tman ex tun tb’ant chten qe xjal ex tun txi cham tun t-ten tipin tnam.
Jaj jun yek’b’il u’j lu te chaj piẍ te’l, o b’aj b’inchan alche il tij te che qa aj ajb’el: Tuj tnejil piẍ, o tz’ok q-q’ona tilil tun txi q-yek’na al che te MUA txilen te junwin qeye. Tuj tkab’in piẍ, o txi qyek’na al che txilen qeya q-xechil tuj qchwinqlala, lujtzin qe wab’j nb’ant qu’na te jatuma tzajin qoya chuj qe tnam ex jun tb’anixix txilen te qeya te aj tu qyol qoya, lujtzin qe qniq’ije tuj qe tnam; ex ojoxa nqo ximna tun tb’ant qtanma che qxjala (indigena). Te t-toxin piẍ, o qo yolna tij xjalilal (genero). Tuj tzin tch’ip piẍ o qo yolna tij n-chi’ xjal tuj chtanmi (migración) o ok q-q’o na il tij ex o txi qb’ina alchekyaq te junwin o tz’ex tuj jaj nb’aj qija te junl tnam qoya.
A jun k’loj xuj aj chmol alkyechaq o ch-ex tuj b’inchamaj chun qe ajb’inchal: Adriana Pérez, Leticia García, Luciana Rodríguez, Paulina Calmo y Victoria Pablo.
Exhibition: June 8 – July 23, 2022 Opening Reception: Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm Artist Talk: Saturday, July 9, 12pm-1pm | More info… Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
In his solo exhibition, The Eastern Shore, artist J.B. Broussard presents a selection of work that honors the legacy and expressions of freedom of the great 19th century abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
At the center are Broussard’s new bronze sculptures of Tubman and Douglass, reverentially casting the bravery, wisdom, and resilience that both embodied in their fight against slavery and in their pursuit for human and civil rights. Complementing the sculptures are Broussard’s early work, charcoal drawings and paintings created in his youth that capture in portraiture, expressions of the Black experience.
Together, this collection of work traces the artistic path of artist J.B Broussard, and in the process brings about the underlying spirit that animates his work: to capture with dignity the expression of human beings in their struggle for freedom.
The show’s title, The Eastern Shore, pays tribute to the region where Tubman and Douglass were born and escaped slavery from, and where their fight for freedom and dignity began.
About the Artist: J.B. Broussard is a second generation native of Oakland. He began drawing at age of seven, took art classes during secondary school, and years later attended U.C. Berkeley as an Art major where he focused primarily on sculpture. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley he settled into a career in education. Now retired Broussard spends his time engaged in art projects. As a teenager he was exposed to the work of Charles White. Broussard describes the experience of viewing White’s work as “an awakening.” White’s dignified images of Black people had a lasting impact on him.
This exhibition is part of the Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries series, and is generously funded by the East Bay Fund for Artists at the East Bay Community Foundation.
Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries
Luminaries is a series of four solo exhibitions that shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of four artists – Diamela Cutiño, J.B. Broussard, Donna Gatson and Daniel W. White – who have participated in Art of the African Diaspora but who have maintained an inconspicuous public image throughout their storied artistic careers. The four exhibitions will be presented in the West Gallery throughout 2022, as part of the 25th anniversary of Art of the African Diaspora.
Top Image: J.B. Broussard, The General, 2021. Courtesy of the Artist
Artist of Conscience explores the life and work of Emmy Lou Packard (1914-1998), a remarkable artist known for her paintings, prints and murals, as well as her activism. Packard’s linoleum prints celebrated ordinary people — their work, their history and their environment. Her art was not overtly political, but expressed her progressive values. One of her signature images, Peace is a Human Right, shows three children, Asian, Black and White, seated around a sunflower. The message is framed in human terms — children are not political; they are just children.
Through artworks, photos and ephemera, the exhibition at Richmond Art Center will be organized around key periods of Packard’s life. Packard was mentored by Diego Rivera and became his principal assistant on the mural he painted on Treasure Island for the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940 (currently on view at SFMOMA). During WWII Packard worked at Kaiser shipyard’s newspaper, Fore ‘n’ Aft, in Richmond. Later in life, Packard mentored a generation of mostly female and Chicana artists in the Bay Area. She also led the movement to save the Mendocino headlands from development.
This exhibition is curated by Robbin Légère Henderson and Rick Tejada-Flores.
Emmy Lou Packard: Artist of Conscience was made possible with support from The Jay DeFeo Foundation. Vital support was also provided by California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Top image: Emmy Lou Packard, Artichoke Picker, circa 1955, 17″ x 22″
Exhibition: April 6 – June 4, 2022 Reception: Saturday, April 2, 2pm-4pm Artist’s Talk: Saturday, April 30, 1pm Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Dewey Crumpler: Crossings asks us to consider the history, lived legacy and future impact of the global shipping industry. Presenting over 120 works, from sketches to large scale paintings, the exhibition represents Crumpler’s twenty-five years of investigation into the beauty and power of ribbed, metal cargo boxes.
In Crumpler’s work shipping containers are dense metaphors; encompassing stories of mass migration, transformation and voyages destined to be repeated. They trace transatlantic trade routes that emerged in the 15th century and are still used today. They also show industry that has irrevocably shaped port cities like San Francisco, Oakland and Richmond. Through connecting historical and contemporary systems, time in Crumpler’s work becomes a loop of rebirth and decline pressed forward through the crossing of water. Crumpler explains, “At the heart of these works is memory.”
Thank you to Marguerite Thompson Browne for her assistance in organizing this exhibition.
Dewey Crumpler: Crossings nos pide que consideremos la historia, el legado vivido y el impacto de la industria del transporte marítimo global en el futuro. Con más de 120 obras, desde bocetos hasta pinturas de gran escala, la exposición representa los veinticinco años que Crumpler ha investigado la belleza y el poder de las cajas de carga de metal acanalado.
En la obra de Crumpler, los contenedores marítimos son densas metáforas; abarcando historias de migraciones masivas, transformaciones y viajes destinados a repetirse. Trazan rutas comerciales transatlánticas que surgieron en el siglo XV y todavía se utilizan en la actualidad. También muestran la industria que ha dado forma irrevocablemente a ciudades portuarias como San Francisco, Oakland y Richmond. A través de la conexión de sistemas históricos y contemporáneos, el tiempo en el trabajo de Crumpler se convierte en un bucle de renacimiento y declive que avanza a través del cruce del agua. Crumpler explica: “En el corazón de estas obras está la memoria”.
Gracias a Marguerite Thompson Browne por su ayuda en la organización de esta exposición.
To Image: Dewey Crumpler, Untitled 1, 2017, Acrylic and mixed media on canvas. Courtesy of the Artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery
Exhibition: April 6 – June 3, 2022 Opening Reception: Saturday, April 2, 2pm-4pm Artists’ Talk (online): Thursday, May 12, 7pm-8:30pm RSVP HERE Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
In its second edition, Right Here, Right Now: A Biennial of Richmond Art presents the work of eight Richmond artists selected for their risk-taking and visionary creative practices.
About the Program: Right Here, Right Now, Richmond, was born in the winter of 2020 with the purpose of creating a platform to equitably grow and sustain innovative art practices for Richmond artists and audiences. The 2020 gathering brought together 29 local artists in an exhibition that put forward the dynamic and groundbreaking work being made in our city. In true celebration of the vibrancy of Richmond, this exhibition is now presented biennially – to showcase the incredible diversity in art practice, mediums, and lived experiences that make up our community.
Nadie es ilegal en tierra robada / Nobody is illegal on stolen land
Exhibition: April 6 – May 21, 2022 Opening Reception: Saturday, April 2, 2pm-4pm Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
In this exhibition, Berkeley-based photographer Diamela Cutiño presents a series of photographs that document the “March for Freedom,” highlighting the power of Northern and Southern Indigenous solidarity movements.
In November of 2021, a coalition of Indigenous women organized the inaugural “March for Freedom,” a four-day pilgrimage to honor Indigenous children whose lives have been taken by boarding schools, missions, orphanages, police brutality, and crossing the border. The pilgrimage began in Los Angeles and culminated in San Diego, where different Indigenous communities and Nations rallied in front of the Otay Mesa Immigration Detention Center announcing their solidarity with the immigrant community and the Indigenous children currently imprisoned there; they commanded that the indigenous children be set free.
Cutiño’s vivid portraits capture the heart and the power of those on the front lines commanding an end to the established and continuing colonial practice of separating Indigenous children from their families. This series of photographs offers a glimpse into the intersectional struggles and strong solidarity networks between Indigenous, immigrant, and Black and Brown communities.
Diamela Cutiño is a photographic storyteller born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Cutiño is most known for her work documenting Black existence. This body of work represents Cutiño’s most recent project documenting Indigenous culture and the emotional and spiritual undertones of freedom movements.
This exhibition is part of the Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries Series, and is generously funded by the East Bay Fund for Artists.
Top Image: Diamela Cutiño, Nadie es ilegal en tierra robada 001, 2021
Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries
Luminaries is a series of four solo exhibitions that shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of four artists who have participated in Art of the African Diaspora but who have maintained an inconspicuous public image throughout their storied artistic careers. The four exhibitions will be presented in the West Gallery throughout 2022, as part of the 25th anniversary of Art of the African Diaspora.
Exhibition: April 6 – May 14, 2022 Reception: Tuesday, April 19, 5:00pm-6:30pm (Award Presentation at 5:45pm) Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Celebrating the wealth of student artistic talent in West Contra Costa Unified School District!
In its 56th year the WCCUSD Student Art Show presents work by over 300 students from 12 different schools. This teacher-curated exhibition demonstrates best practices in delivering an art-based curriculum. It also represents Richmond Art Center and WCCUSD’s shared vision that art education is a crucial component of a thriving and productive society.
Participating Schools: Betty Reid Soskin Middle School, De Anza High School, El Cerrito High School, Fred T. Korematsu Middle School, Helms Middle School, Hercules High School, Hercules Middle School, John F. Kennedy High School, Mira Vista School, Pinole Middle School, Pinole Valley High School, Richmond High School
Artistic Achievement Awardees: Yvette Bennett (Pinole Valley High School), Isabella Shapland (El Cerrito High School), Chandy Viridet (Richmond High School), Navi Emiliano (Hercules High School), Roderick Alexander (Kennedy High School), Moncerrat Gudino Valdez (Richmond High School)
Honorable Mention Recipients: Lindsey Le (Hercules High School), Myleyby Mora Reyes (Richmond High School), Shawn Aden (Pinole Valley High School), Sophia Ly (Pinole Valley High School), Taifu Ma (El Cerrito High School), Angela Soriano (De Anza High School), Melissa Ruiz (Richmond High School), Odalis Martinez (Richmond High School), Ginger Kennedy Loy (Fred T. Korematsu Middle School), Akira Chhysengdara (Helms Middle School)
¡Celebrando la riqueza del talento artístico de los estudiantes en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de West Contra Costa!
En su 56° año, la Expocision de Arte Estudiantil del WCCUSD presenta el trabajo de más de 300 estudiantes de 12 escuelas diferentes. Esta exposición curada por maestros demuestra las mejores prácticas para ofrecer un plan de estudios basado en el arte. También representa la visión compartida de Richmond Art Center y WCCUSD de que la educación artística es un componente crucial de una sociedad próspera y productiva.
Escuelas participantes: Betty Reid Soskin Middle School, De Anza High School, El Cerrito High School, Fred T. Korematsu Middle School, Helms Middle School, Hercules High School, Hercules Middle School, John F. Kennedy High School, Mira Vista School, Pinole Middle School, Pinole Valley High School, Richmond High School
Premiados por logros artísticos: Yvette Bennett (Pinole Valley High School), Isabella Shapland (El Cerrito High School), Chandy Viridet (Richmond High School), Navi Emiliano (Hercules High School), Roderick Alexander (Kennedy High School), Moncerrat Gudino Valdez (Richmond High School)
Mención de Honor: Lindsey Le (Hercules High School), Myleyby Mora Reyes (Richmond High School), Shawn Aden (Pinole Valley High School), Sophia Ly (Pinole Valley High School), Taifu Ma (El Cerrito High School), Angela Soriano (De Anza High School), Melissa Ruiz (Richmond High School), Odalis Martinez (Richmond High School), Ginger Kennedy Loy (Fred T. Korematsu Middle School), Akira Chhysengdara (Helms Middle School)
Top Image: Artwork by Myleyby Mora Reyes, Richmond High School
Above Images: Artwork by (left) Tajah Mitchell (John F. Kennedy High School); and (right) Luis Camarena Morales (Pinole Valley High School)
The inaugural spotlight showcases the work of Bradley Holmes, a long-time student and member of the ceramic’s community at Richmond Art Center. The selected works consist of vessels that demonstrate Holmes’ focus on the simplicity and beauty of the form of everyday objects.
Originally from Regional Victoria, Australia, Holmes began making pottery after moving to the United States to study at UC Berkeley. Holmes was introduced to ceramics by a friend and fellow student while looking for a creative outlet to balance his studies in Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley. He soon developed a love of the tactile, fluid and meditative journey that one takes with a piece of clay on its way to becoming a permanent object.
“I am originally from Melbourne, Australia and have lived in the bay area for the past 20 years. I have worked out of the pottery studio at the Richmond Art Center for the past 8, and love its people, community and creative atmosphere.”
About the Student Spotlight Series:Student Spotlight is a monthly exhibition that showcases the outstanding work being made by student artists at Richmond Art Center. Located at the east end of the Community Gallery, this rotating exhibition space is dedicated to celebrating the creative talent and growing art practice of our student artist community.
If you are a student at Richmond Art Center and are interested in having your work showcased please submit your work for consideration through this online form.
A survey of Richmond Work by Rebeca García-González
Exhibition: January 20 – March 19, 2022* Closing Reception: Sunday, March 13, 12pm-2pm* Gallery Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 10am-2pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Presenting landscapes, portraits and drawings by Rebeca García-González, Feels Like Home is a visual tour of Richmond’s natural, industrialized and human beauty, as it exists side-by-side.
Feels Like Home also marks the unveiling of García-González’s new permanent mural at Richmond Art Center, We Found Joy In Art-Making / Encontramos La Felicidad Haciendo Arte (2021). Painted over a month in December 2021, the work was created with assistance by Richmond youth, Leslie Poblano and Denise Campos.
Thank you to John Wehrle for his technical assistance, and Rhonda Rosenblatt and her husband Stan for their generous support during installation.
This project is made possible with generous support from Blue Shield California.
*Exhibition and reception dates subject to change in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Image: Rebeca García-González, We Found Joy in Art-Making / Encontramos La Felicidad Haciendo Arte (detail), 2022
Es Mi Casa
Richmond Obra de Rebeca García-González
Exposición: 20 de enero – 19 de marzo de 2022* Recepción de Clausura: Domingo, 13 de marzo, 12pm-2pm* Horario de la galería: jueves a sábado, de 10 a. m. a 2 p. m. Ubicación: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Con paisajes, retratos y dibujos de Rebeca García-González, la exposición Es Mi Casa destaca un recorrido visual por la belleza natural, industrializada y humana de Richmond.
Es Mi Casa también incluye la presentación del nuevo mural permanente de García-González en el Centro de Arte de Richmond, titulado We Found Joy In Art-Making / Encontramos La Felicidad Haciendo Arte (2021). Pintado durante el mes en diciembre de 2021, el mural fue creado con la ayuda de las jóvenes Leslie Poblano y Denise Campos, ambas residentes de Richmond.
Exhibition: January 20 – March 19, 2022* Closing Reception: Sunday, March 13, 12pm-2pm* Gallery Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 10am-2pm Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Dreamforms is a look into the whimsical imaginations of two Richmond-based ceramicists, Lauren Ari and Julio del Rio.
Through a selection of works that include colorful ceramic figures and works on paper, this exhibition explores the intrinsic relationship between the imagined form and the material form.
Both Ari and del Rio approach ceramics as a medium that offers a magical ability to materialize dreams and imaginations into physical realities. Both artists adopt a multidisciplinary approach to their creative process and often take inspiration from their dreams, personal experiences, and imagined realities. Dreamforms highlights the artistic practice that both artists adopt in playing between the ethereal and the corporeal by manifesting visions onto paper and materializing these visions into ceramic forms.
From Julio del Rio’s textured ceramic busts to Lauren Ari’s storied ceramic vessels, Dreamforms opens up a conversation between the imagined and the material.
ALSO SEE: Virtual Exhibition curated by Lauren Ari and Julio del Rio showcasing ceramic art made by NIAD artists. Presented by NIAD Art Center. *coming March 2022*
*Exhibition and reception dates subject to change in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
About the Artists:
Lauren Ari: Lauren Ari is an artist and educator based in Richmond, California. She holds a Masters in Fine Arts from U.C. Davis after undergraduate study at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her primary focus is on drawing and sculpture. Lauren’s work is in the permanent collections of the Legion of Honor Achenbach Foundation and the De Young Museum. “Lauren Ari’s art roars out of the deepest part of her psyche and arrives with great tenderness into the world. It is fiercely honest, playful and provocative. She speaks directly what is still unfettered in all of us, our wild, free, animal selves.” — Poet Alison Luterman
Julio del Rio: Julio Del Rio is an artist from NIAD in Richmond, CA. He has assembled a small militia of powerful and strange, sometimes humanoid, ceramics figures (frequently seen on paper or canvas as well). Some are based on modern and post-modern sculptures by the likes of Jeff Koons or George Condo. Many of the figures sport a skin etched with text or symbols, creating a connection back in time with the terracotta warriors of ancient China. But, unlike the uniform drabness of the funerary sculptures, Del Rio’s pieces are glazed in bursts of colors.
Image: Lauren Ari, Sleeping with death, 2010, Clay. Courtesy of the Artist
