The Future is Fluid is an exhibition of Richmond-based photographer Chloe Aftel’s ongoing series of genderqueer portraits. Since 2012, Aftel has been taking portraits of transgender people, each set in a meaningful place, to give visibility to the non-binary community, while also creating space for audiences to reflect on their own gender identity and evolving sense of individuality. Aftel says, “I began this series of work because I believe we are not binary and that we need to understand ourselves as more nuanced individuals whose humanity does not fit neatly into one box or another.”
The Future is Fluid will ask the question: How does the bodily art of ‘becoming’ affect everyone? Through diverse and multi-generational portraits of non-binary people taken in private and public spaces across America, the exhibition honors expansive and intersectional forms of gender identity.
About the Artist: With a strong focus on narrative photography and an MFA from the University of Southern California in film production, Chloe Aftel specializes in still and motion storytelling. She has shown her work in the Month of Photography Los Angeles, Annenberg Space for Photography, and Big L.A. Portrait Gallery in Grand Park. Awards she has received include Critical Mass 2016, Lens Culture Portrait Award, PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch, and Fuji Student Photographer of the Year. Aftel’s work is in the collections of the Oakland Museum of California and Detroit Institute of Arts.
Exhibition Dates: December 17, 2019 – March 6, 2020 Reception: Saturday, January 25, 2-5pm More info… Artist Talk: Saturday, February 29, 3-5pm More info…
Right Here, Right Now, Richmond looks at the excellent and risk-taking new work being made in our city. Works in the exhibition include painting, fiber art, sculpture, mixed media, photography and digital art; and together represent the breadth and depth of creative practices and ideas Richmond artists are exploring.
The exhibition will be on view in the Richmond Art Center’s Community Gallery from December 7, 2019 through to March 6, 2020. An exhibition reception will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2-5pm.
Participating Artists: Amber Avalos, Jenny Balisle, Gay Boynton, Clive Brown, Christy Chan, Martha Chong, Tiffany Conway, Camilo DeCalisto Price, Adrian Delgado, Waldo Esteva, Frederick Franklin, Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez, Colleen Haraden-Gorski, Em Kettner, Jacinto Mingura, Steven Morales, Richard Muro Salazar, Rich Quade, Marva Reed, Roz Ritter, Tahirah Robinson, Julio Rodriguez, Victoria Sawicki, Karen Seneferu, Malik Seneferu, Laurel Shear, Gladys Vasquez, Irene Wibawa, David Zarovny
This exhibition is presented in partnership with NIAD Art Center (551 23rd Street, Richmond). NIAD will present additional work by artists Laurel Shear and Irene Wibawa from Right Here, Right Now from December 7, 2019 through to January 23, 2020. NIAD’s reception will be on Saturday, December 14, 1-4pm.
Image: Julio Rodriguez, Seventeenth 1 (detail), 2019, Courtesy of the Artist
EXHIBITION at the Richmond Art Center
January 14 – March 13, 2020
OPEN STUDIOS at venues throughout the Bay Area(details published in the Art of the African Diaspora Guide 2020) Weekend 1: Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 Weekend 2: Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 Weekend 3: Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15
SATELLITE EXHIBITIONS at venues throughout the Bay Area(details published in the Art of the African Diaspora Guide 2020)
Throughout January, February and March
SPECIAL EVENTS at the Richmond Art Center Achievement Awardees’ Talk: Saturday, January 25, 12:30-2pm More info… Opening Reception: Saturday, January 25, 2-5pm More info… Revelation & Rebirth – The History & Practice of Collecting African-American Art: Saturday, February 8, 12:30-2pm More info and RSVP… Closing Party: Friday, March 13, 3-5pm More info…
ABOUT ART OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Art of the African Diaspora is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area. This year it brings together over 150 artists of African descent, showcasing their work at the Richmond Art Center, as well as in open studios and satellite exhibitions at thirty different venues across ten Bay Area cities.
This exhibition was founded as The Art of Living Black in 1997 by artists Jan Hart-Schuyers and Rae Louise Hayward after their realization that Black artists were not being represented by galleries in any significant way. Hart-Schuyers and Hayward developed The Art of Living Black to present the work of emerging and established African-American artists, introduce them to new audiences, and build a creative community of artists and art lovers. Tragically Hart-Schuyers passed away in 1998 and Hayward died in 2008.
This year the Steering Committee of artists that continues to produce the event announced its new name: Art of the African Diaspora. The Steering Committee remain dedicated to the vision of Hart-Schuyers and Hayward, but feel the time has come for the event to have a name that will allow it the autonomy to grow and reflect a new era.
2020 Artistic Achievement Awardees: KaliMa Amilak, Zoë Boston, and Abi Mustapha More info…
2021 Artistic Achievement Awardees: Tiffany Conway, Val Kai, and Fan Lee Warren
Participating Artists (organized by first name): a. d. floyd, Abi Mustapha, Ajuan Mance, AkeemRaheem, Akili Simba, Alix J Malgorie, Andrea McCoy Harvey, Angela Douglas, Anna W. Edwards, AnttonioDesigns aka TheCounselor&Creator, Arthur Norcome, Ashlei Reign, Atiba Sylvia Thomas, Bertrell Smith, Bill A. Dallas, BJ VanBuren, Brianna Mills, Candi Farlice, Carla Golder, Cedric Brown, Celise, Chanell Stone, Charles Blackwell, Chuck Harlins, Claude Lockhart Clark, Damon Powell – Artist & Theologian, Dana King, Dawn Rudd, Derrick Bell, Diamela Cutino, Doitshā, Donna Gatson, Donna Meke’da Bradley, Double R, Douglas Doss, Dulama LeGrande, Elishes Cavness III, Elmarise Owens, Ester M. Armstrong, Evelyn Hicks, Fan Warren, Floyd Brown, Gary Collins, Gene Dominique, Genesse McGaugh, Grandma’s Hands, Gwendolyn Reed, H Lenn Keller, Halisi Noel-Johnson, Horace Washington, Idris Hassan, Irene Bee Kain, J.B. Broussard, Jabali Sawicki, Jae Me Bereal, James Knox, James Moore, Jasmine Young, Jazmyne Woffard-Jones, Jennifer A Lockette, Jennifer Inez Ward, Jessica Keener, Jim Dennis, Jimi Evins, Joseph Robinson, JPosh Aubry (Janina), Julee Richardson, Justice Renaissance, KaliMa Amilak, Karen Smith, Karin Turner – karinsArt, Karla Higgins, Kaya Fortune, Kelvin Curry, Kimberly V. Johnson, Kumi Rauf, Kwadwo Otempong, Latisha Baker, Lawrence Buford, Leon Kennedy, Lois Williams, Lorraine Bonner, Lottye Clayton, Louise Terry Eubanks, Maalak, Malik Seneferu, Marguerite Browne, Marif, Mark Sublett, Marsha Carter, Marva Reed, Melanin Buford, Mianta McKnight, Michael Johnson, Michelle Tompkins, Mildred Thompson, Mitchell Howard, Mychal, Nannette Y. Harris-Jones, Naomi Floyd, Nedra T. Williams, Olaitan Valerie, Orin Carpenter, Orlonda Uffre, Osaze Seneferu, Ozell Hudson Jr, Pam Jackson, Pat Patterson, Patricia Daigre McGee, Paula Vaughan, Pete Dent, Rais, Randolph Belle, Randy Babb, Raven Harper, Raymond L. Haywood, Renata Gray, Ron Calime, Ron Moultrie Saunders, Ronnie Sampson, Sean Papillion, Shanju, Shonna McDaniels, Stephanie Thames, Stephen Bruce, Steve Hurst, Susan McGuire, TheArthur Wright (SiGiDiArt), Thomas Robert Simpson, Thomas Tandy, Tiffany Conway (Project Get Free), Tomye, Toshia Christal, Travis “Trav Lyrics” Keeton, Val Kai, Valerie Brown-Troutt, Vaughn Filmore, Virginia Jourdan, Wanda Sabir, Will Johnson, WilParish, Xan Blood Walker, Yasmin Sayyed, Yolanda Holley, Yolanda ThaSun Patton, Zoë Boston, Zwanda Cook
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Art of the African Diaspora is made possible with generous support from the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission’s Neighborhood Public Art (NPA) Mini-Grant Program; and California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This exhibition features work by young artists who participated in a five-week free printmaking class at the Richmond Art Center this summer. The class was run by youth, for youth, and with youth.
Our course introduced students to silkscreen/printmaking with a social justice emphasis. Students were introduced to the basic materials and techniques of silkscreen printing, while also being guided in choosing a theme that is related to community, culture, social justice, and/or a societal issue. Class participants learned to think critically about the world they live in, and actively work towards changing it through silkscreen printmaking. The overall goal of the class was to help inspire future generations of Richmond artists to be socially aware of who they are, and become positive contributors and advocates for their community. We emphasized peer-to-peer learning, so the artists will have the capacity to pass along the skills they obtained through the course.
– Eddy Chacón, Marvin Parra, Francisco Rojas and Daniel Cervantes, Class Facilitators
Ready and Waiting Selections by Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs & Education, Self Help Graphics and Art
Ready and Waiting features Californian graphic art and illustration exploring shared issues relevant to local and global communities.
“The title of this exhibition is borrowed from a print in the show; a timely title describing an era where paralyzing powerlessness hovers over the nation.” – Marvella Muro
Artists: Vivien Arnold, Batul Bahrainwala and Gurleen Gill, Joel Berroteran, Carol Brent Levin, Jason Emanuel Britton, Donna Brown, Pat Calabro, Alicia Cardell, Hélène Paulette Côté, Miriam Fabbri, Barbara Foster, Robbin Henderson, Marilyn Hill, Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera and Esmeralda Velazco, James Kleckner, Gwen Manfrin, Ian McClerin, Loren Rehbock, Francisco Rojas, Tim Belonax and Jane Chen, Kim Vanderheiden, Karen Weil, Julia Wolinsky, TheArthur Wright
Moving freely between still life, landscape and abstract drawing, Stephen Namara intuitively recognizes that abstraction and representation are not distinct categories. Pause, Gap, Omission juxtaposes Namara’s recent drawings in figurative and abstract styles, while also including pieces that encompass both sensibilities within one frame.
Working with pencil and dry powder pigments, Namara starts his works on the ground, kneeling over them to sketch and rub pigments into the fabric of the paper. This technique leaves vital traces of the world (studio dust, knee prints, smudges) that accentuate the works as physical objects. At the same time, the quality of layering the translucent pigments and the focus on fundamental elements (line, form, color) represent Namara’s exploration of non-material ideas such as vibration, energy and movement.
Pause, Gap, Omission explores the interplay between representation and abstraction, and the physical and the intangible, to show connections between these defined and unfolding spaces. As Namara explains, “I am trying to set up a dialogue between what is known and understandable, and what is not understood and incomprehensible.”
Pause, Gap, Omission is guest curated by Marguerite T. Browne.
Image: Stephen Namara, Untitled (peaches), 2019. Courtesy of the Artist
Exhibition Dates: September 10 – November 22, 2019 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, 5-7pm Artist Talk: Saturday, October 26, 2pm More info…
Through this exhibition called Thresholds, that includes a new body of paintings and site-specific installation, Nicole Mueller transforms the gallery into a shifting environment that addresses the transitional and intangible nature of spaces. Using cut layers of colored films, collage, and paint, Thresholds activates the natural light and windows of the Richmond Art Center’s West Gallery, combining the effects of stained glass with contemporary abstract painting.
About the Artist: Nicole Mueller uses painting to navigate spaces in flux and carve pathways through liminal states, in her large scale collages, murals, and installations fusing color and light. She earned her BFA in painting and illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD. She has been an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center, Proyecto ‘ACE (Argentina), and Creative Paradox (Maryland). Her work has been exhibited in California, New York, and Maryland. She received early recognition from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. After relocating to San Francisco in 2017, she became the recipient of the Mark M. Glickman and Lanette M. McClure Artist Award for emerging artists creating innovative work in California. She co-hosts a podcast that interviews artists about their professional practices called Beyond the Studio, which received an Alternative Exposure grant in 2017 from Southern Exposure.
Exhibition Dates: September 10 – November 22, 2019 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, 5-7pm *Bring your motorcycle and park it in our courtyard!* Curators’ Talk & Gallery Walkthrough: Saturday, September 21, 11am More info (RSVP required…)
Since the invention of the motorcycle over 100 years ago, creative individuals have endeavored to improve performance and enhance the aesthetics of their vehicle of choice. Motorcycles, as symbols of personal freedom, are often the “canvas” for that personal expression. California, the heart of American motorcycle culture, is a hotbed of creativity on wheels.
Countersteer examines personal expression through the medium of the motorcycle. From its beginnings as a motorized bicycle, the motorcycle has inspired creative modifications matching its great versatility: a bike can be a city commuter, long-distance tourer, track racer, backcountry explorer, drag racer and much more. In every guise, when motionless, motorcycles become aesthetic objects that people have, from day one, adorned with unique painted surfaces and hand-crafted parts; the personal expressions of their makers.
Countersteer features fourteen custom built motorcycles, each reflecting a particular purpose and creative sensibility. The exhibition starts almost where it all began, with a 1909 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It goes on to include a rideable parts-bin special named Pixie, built in 2013 by a team of artists for an annual competition and party. Other bikes in the exhibition were built for show, for racing or just for tearing up the avenues for the pleasure of riding. In addition to the bikes on display, a glimpse into motorcycle culture and spirit comes from paintings, sculptures and even a quilt made by artists inspired by their motorcycle dreams and riding exploits.
Countersteer is guest co-curated by Danny Aarons and Phil Linhares.
This exhibition is made possible with support from Susan Chamberlin, Matt and Margaret Jacobson, and Russ McClure.
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Top image: (purple) John Martin, Chopper (cardboard sculpture), 2010; (red) Jimmy Kilroy, Ducati 750 Monster, 1999/2002; (yellow) Cory Ness, Double Engine Bagger, 2015; (blue) Jul Neimier, Rickman-Triumph, 1960s/2006-2019
Building Veterans’ Self-Understanding through Self-Portraiture
Special Reception and Artists’ Talk: Saturday, August 10, 2-4pm More info…
This large-group exhibition brings together Veteran self-portraits from the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County’s ABOUTFACE program. Over 100 self-portraits are presented, for the first time bringing together the numerous ABOUTFACE works created over multiple years of the program. Collectively the pieces form a ‘unit’ that represents the varied stories of Veterans transitioning from military to civilian life.
About the program: In 2015 the Arts and Culture Commission and the Physical Rehabilitation Service at Veterans Affairs Health Care in Martinez developed ABOUTFACE to improve the lives of California’s Veterans through arts programming. Based on the belief that individuals have the capacity to heal themselves, ABOUTFACE engages Veterans through painting workshops focused on artistic skill development and self-expression. The two-day workshops are team-taught by a teaching artist and a qualified therapist, with a Veteran coordinator present. Workshop activities include meditation, peer discussion, sketching each other and painting a final self-portrait.
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Image: Dennis A. Giacovelli, Untitled (Self-Portrait), 2018. Second Class (E5) Engineman: Navy 1969- 71, Vietnam 1970.
This exhibition brings together recent works by three artists who received the Spotlight Award for their work in the 2018 Members’ Show: Bill Abright, Jennie Braman, and Ruth Tabancay. While working in disparate media, these artists share an interest in transfiguring and deconstructing the human form.
An Artists’ Talk will be held on Saturday, June 15 starting at 11am. More info…
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Bill Abright’s ceramic sculptures reveal chaos within recognizable figuration to explore the complexities of body-mind psychology. Through layering miniature thrown vessels, abstract shapes, and fragile stick-like limbs, he creates surrealistic composites that imagine how the essence of a form is the sum of many strange parts. The artist describes his work as a kind of clay-built stream-of-consciousness, “My best work doesn’t know its end in its beginning.”
Abright was introduced to clay by Bruce Duke at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton in the late 60’s. He completed his graduate degree at San Francisco State in 1974 working with Bud McKee, Stephen De Staebler, Joe Hawley, and David Kuraoka. Abright recently retired after 40 years teaching ceramics at the College of Marin. He has exhibited nationwide and his work is in collections including the Oakland Museum of California, the Crocker Art Museum, and the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. He lives and works in San Anselmo with his wife, the artist Claudia Tarantino. They have two sons who are artists, Oben Abright and Guston Abright.
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Jennie Braman’s most recent body of work is based on an imagined group of beings she calls Gatherers. In starting with the idea that bodies are sites where stories begin, Braman’s work uses figuration to explore nonlinear storytelling. A sense of crossing – the artist calls it “leaping” – is built into her worldbuilding through techniques that include working with her non-dominant hand, using ink on a slow-drying resistant surface (Yupo paper), and combining text with pictorial imagery.
Braman is an artist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is full-time faculty in Studio Art and Art History at Berkeley City College in Berkeley, CA, and served as Chair of the Art Program for the last decade. Braman’s current drawings investigate the nature of representation and the creative language of the body. She received her MFA degree from John F. Kennedy University, with a Certificate in Dream Studies, and received her BA in Art History, with a concentration in Women’s Studies at Williams College.
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Ruth Tabancay trained as a microbiologist and in her creative practice uses techniques that include stitching, embroidery and felting, to recreate objects and organisms cell by cell with humor and poetry. She reveals both the extraordinary side of utilitarian objects – for example the wild threads of a nylon stocking – while also considering a darker side of what can’t be known with the naked eye alone. Her intricate series of embroidered Petri dishes uses colorful embroidery thread to illustrate the beauty of pathogens that include Mycobaterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis), Streptococcus pyogenes (strep throat, scarlet fever, impetigo) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea).
Tabancay’s passion for science led her to study bacteriology in college, and after a stint as a hospital laboratory technologist, she went on to medical school. After 11 years in private practice, she left medicine to study art. Her works refer largely to her previous studies in microbiology, anatomy, and geometry. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley; UC School of Medicine, San Francisco; and California College of the Arts. Her work has been exhibited in venues nationwide. Tabancay is a member of Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland, and an active member of Surface Design Association and Pacific Rim Sculptors.
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Images (l-r): Ruth Tabancay, What’s In You and On You: Normal Flora and Pathogens (detail), 2018 (Photo by Dana Davis); Jennie Braman, Untitled (Shadow #5), 2018; Bill Abright, Self Made Man, 2018. Courtesy of the Artists
