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| View Slide Show | Walk-thru narrated by Alison Saar & Meg Linton (YouTube) |
August 18 – November 17, 2012
Alison Saar: STILL
Curator: Meg Linton
Press Release
Video of installation (at YouTube)
Materials for Teachers & Students:
Curricular Connections
Reviews:
Art in America | Artillery | Artscene | ArtweekLA
Huffington Post | Art Talk
Informed by artistic traditions from the Americas to Africa and beyond, and by her mixed racial upbringing, Alison Saar ('81 MFA) fuses her paradoxical responses to the black-and-white delineations of political and social forces into a powerful, visual, and kinesthetic tension. She uses the history and associations of her materials, everyday experience, African art and ritual, Greek mythology, and the stark sculptural tradition of German Expressionism to infuse her work with a primal intensity that challenges cultural and historic references and stereotypes. STILL . . . gathers together for the first time four never-exhibited works made during a residency at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle with six new bronze and mixed-media sculptures.
Saar is a mature and significant sculptor who has achieved broad recognition for her studio and public art throughout the country. Her work is held in many collections including the Museum of Modern Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Metropolitan Museum of Art; and she has major public art works in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. She has received numerous prestigious awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, Anonymous Was a Woman, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She forcefully investigates elements of marginalization and discrimination in society to present poetic responses through a process of self-scrutiny and introspection as to how these historical burdens can be transformed, and how symbolic atonement, and even some measure of redemption, can be imagined. Her work mirrors an entirely American process of spiritual and political bifurcation, and the evolution of historical recovery. As Lowry Stokes Sims, Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design, writes in her essay for Feallan and Fallow, "Alison Saar's library of references is as varied and rich as her own heritage. Her special gift lies in her ability to translate the personal and the culturally specific in such a way that it embodies concerns that not only transcend race but also gender."
The forthcoming catalog, Alison Saar: STILL . . . (October, 2012), features an introduction by Meg Linton, Curator of the Exhibition and OTIS Director of Galleries and Exhibitions; an essay by Dr. Barbara Thompson and Phyllis Wattis, Curator of the Arts of Africa and the Americas at the Cantor Art Center, Stanford University, and full-color reproductions of the work and installation.
This exhibition is funded in part by Contemporary Collectors - Orange County. Special thanks go to Decker Studios, L.A. Louver, John David O'Brien, and Otis Continuing Education and Alumni Relations.
Public Reception: Saturday, September 15, 4-6pm, Free
Meet Alison Saar and enjoy live music by Sunny War, a singer/songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee who plays punk inspired blues
Otis Alumni Gallery & Studio Tour: Saturday, September 22, 10am-4pm, $25
Otis Alumna Alison Saar tours her exhibition STILL . . . in the Ben Maltz Gallery followed by lunch and a bus tour to local Otis alumni studios and galleries.
This event is full, no reservations available (Reg # 35449, $25 Non-credit)*
Conversation: Sunday, November 4, 2pm, Free, Reservation Required
Alison Saar in conversation with Sarah Lewis about art, race, and gender.
* The bus tour and conversation are organized in partnership with Otis Continuing Education. Reservations for these two programs are required. To register, or for more information, please contact otisce@otis.edu, call 310-665-6850, or visit www.otis.edu/ce.
Poetry Reading and closing reception: Saturday, November 17, 3-5pm, Free
Author Harryette Mullen reads her poetry at a closing reception for the exhibition
Harryette Mullen is the author of several poetry collections, including Recyclopedia: Trimmings, S*PeRM**K*T, and Muse & Drudge, winner of a PEN Beyond Margins Award, and Sleeping with the Dictionary, a finalist for a National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her poems have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Polish, German, Swedish, Danish, Turkish, and Bulgarian. She teaches American poetry, African American literature, and creative writing at UCLA. A collection of her essays and interviews, The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be, is due from University of Alabama Press in 2012. Her Tanka Diary is forthcoming from Graywolf Press in 2013.
June 30 – August 29, 2012
Invoking LA. . .
Curator: Paige Tighe ('10 MFA Public Practice)
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 30, 4-6pm
Press release (pdf)
Artists: Raul Paulino Baltazar ('09 Fine Arts, '13 MFA Public Practice), Michael-Vincent Garcia ('10 Fine Arts), Mark X Farina, Bridget Kane ('12 MFA Fine Arts), Elena Rosa ('12 MFA Fine Arts), Signify, Sanctify, Believe: Claire Cronin, Adam Overton, and Tanya Rubbak, and Niko Solorio
Can we still find spirituality in a world of pixels and sound bites?
Invoking LA..., curated by artist Paige Tighe, presents the work of seven artists who use the fast-cut editing techniques and formats of reality TV shows, commercials, and music videos in an effort to summon the divine.
Events
Saturday, June 30, 4pm-6pm, Opening Reception
Tuesday, August 28, 12pm, Gallery Talk with Artist and Curator, Paige Tighe
April 28– July 7, 2012
Meticulosity
Curators: Meg Linton and John David O'Brien
Poets selected by Graduate Writing Chair Paul Vangelisti
Press Release (pdf)
LA Times Review
EVENTS
Public reception: Saturday, April 28, 4-6pm, with live music by MUSE
Tour: Saturday, June 9, 11am - with Co-curators Meg Linton and John David O'Brien and the artists
Reading: Saturday, June 16, 2pm - with poets Guy Bennett, Dennis Phillips, and Martha Ronk
WORKSHOPS
Offered through Continuing Education, more info at www.otis.edu/ce
Introduction to Woodcarving with Ross Rudel / Saturdays, June 2-August 2, 2-6pm
Paper-Cutting with Samira Yamin / Sunday, June 3, 10am-4pm
Writing for Artists with Samira Yamin / Saturdays, June 2-August 4, 10am-1pm
Meticulosity features the work of 11 Southern California based artists and 3 poets who work in genres ranging from painting to installation and ceramica and digital formats. Artists: Tanya Batura, Hilary Brace, Eileen Cowin, Linda Hudson (faculty member), Gegam Kacherian, Sandeep Mukherjee ('96), Ross Rudel, Linda Stark, Arthur Taussig, Elizabeth Turk, Samira Yamin. Poets: Guy Bennett, Dennis Phillips, Martha Ronk.
The title Meticulosity references both the technical/formal approach of the artists and the spiritual focus of their creative efforts -- their tenacity and continuity. The premise for Meticulosity is that these artworks are created in a meditative mode or through a trance-like process, and that the painstaking exactitude expressed by these works is intended for the viewer to perceive along with the work's conceptual values. We connect that visual meticulousness to a sense of the ineffable or that which is beyond words, and to the meaning of beauty.
Our interest is in bridging the way in which the conceptual and the visual seem to have diverged. The thoughtfulness (a conceptual dimension) of the geometric underpinnings in a Piero della Francesca painting such as "The Flagellation" are not in any way contradicted by the meticulously beautiful surfaces he has painted (a purely visual dimension). As curators, our self-appointed task was to avoid preclusions on either side of this divide. We are presenting exceptionally thoughtful artwork where the visual acuity is as important as the originating idea, and have selected a variety of genr
es to underscore the plurality of our point of view.
- Co-curators Meg Linton and John David O'Brien
This project is sponsored in part by the Otis Board of Governors, and supported in part by the Pasadena Art Alliance
Top to bottom: Hilary Brace, Untitled (#09i), 2010: Linda Hudson, rorschach, 2011; Tanya Batura, Achromic B, 2011; Linda Stark, Stigmata, 2011; Gegam Kacherian, It Hasn't Happened Yet, 2011
March 17 – April 14, 2012
Globalize THIS! International Graphics of Resistance
Gallery Guide (pdf) A checklist and study-guide of the works in the exhibition
Press Release (pdf)
Curator: Carol Wells, Founder and Executive Director, Center for the Study of Political Graphics in partnership with the Otis Integrated Learning class Designing the Political led by faculty Guy Bennett and Kerri Steinber
Climate change, outsourced jobs, pollution, wars—globalization affects every aspect of life on this planet. As the crises escalate and resources diminish, activists and artists throughout the world are speaking with a clarity and coherence exceeding that of most politicians. Their message: as our planet shrinks, we'd better all start getting along.
The anti-globalization movement was dramatically announced to the world in the 1990s by two memorable explosions. On January 1, 1994 the international community suddenly became aware of an indigenous guerrilla movement in Chiapas, Mexico—the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). Declaring that "the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a death sentence for the indigenous peoples of Mexico," the Zapatistas staged their insurrection to coincide with the day NAFTA went into effect. Five years later, on November 30, 1999, the Battle of Seattle began to protest the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since then protests have taken place against meetings where the world's most powerful economies have set agenda's for the rest of the world's people.
The images in Globalize THIS! range from haunting to humorous. Posters on racism, AIDS, nuclear proliferation, child labor, genetically modified food, environmental degradation, and the increasing indebtedness of developing nations offer sobering messages. These posters remind us of the passions and commitment of the protesters and demand our involvement to make a difference. They are reclaiming the power of art to inspire people to action.
Center for the Study of Political Graphics in partnership with the Otis' Integrated Learning Class Designing the Political led by faculty Guy Bennett and Kerri Steinberg.
March 17 – April 14, 2012
Purely Observational / Everyday Political: Artwork of and inspired by Corita Kent
Curators: Nancy Jo Haselbacher and One Over One Printmaking
Press Release (pdf)
Corita Kent focused on the importance of love, respect, and dignity for everyone throughout her career as an artist and a teacher. Her style and subject matter shifted with the political climate of the day and her relationship with the church, but this underlying current remained. This exhibition includes a selection of work that reflects her ethical outlook and her inherent optimism about life. Using Corita Kent's teaching techniques of looking and systematic assignments, the One Over One Printmaking class at Otis College of Art and Design has selected a sampling of Corita's work to present alongside art they have produced in response to Kent's images and to the politics of our everyday lives.
One Over One Printmaking was a Communication Arts studio class offered at Otis in Fall 2011 and taught by faculty member and artist Nancy Jo Haselbacher. The student work presented in this exhibition was made by Liesel Plambeck, Andrew Rahn, Meghan Riley and Dan Zins. Thank you to Sasha Carrera, Director, Corita Art Center for making the archive and work available to the students and gallery. For more information about the archive visit www.corita.org
October 1 - February 26, 2012
Part of the Getty Pacific Standard Time initiative. See full Doin' It in Public Website
June 25 - September 1, 2011
Frederick Fisher: The Circle and the Square
The Circle and the Square Press Release (pdf)
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June 25 - September 1, 2011
This Little Piggy...
Can art be responsible and opulent? This Little Piggy...showcases current Otis students who look at alternatives to consumptive consumer-culture through objects of resistance and reflection. Artists:
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April 30 - June 11, 2011 BROODWORK: It's About Time
Press Release (pdf)
An exhibition that explores what family life can provide to creative professionals. While having both a family and a productive practice is nothing new, the trend of honoring the synthesis of the two is a current phenomenon. This exhibition is a project of BROODWORK, the cross-disciplinary inquiry surrounding the integration of creative practice and family life founded by It's About Time curators Iris Anna Regn and Rebecca Niederlander. The curators defined, named and now investigate the practices and output of this previously unspoken vanguard community. For this project, the lens is focused on Time, and presents themes such as Juncture, Momentum, Occasion, and Transference through a wide range of works from the fields of visual art, architecture, design, creative writing, and music within the parameters of 21st century life. Project funding is provided in part by the Pasadena Art Alliance, and Eamon O'Kane's participation in this exhibition is made possible by Culture Ireland's initiative Imagine Ireland – A Year of Irish Artists in America 2011.
Artists
Elizabeth Alexander, Jim Campbell, Joyce Campbell, Rebecca Campbell, Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, John Hall, Tim Hawkinson, Steven Hull, Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg (SO-IL), Greg Lynn, Dave Muller, Christoph Niemann, Eamon O'Kane, Danica Phelps, Michael Rotondi, Michelle Segre, Tony Tasset, Nina Tolstrup, Corinne Van der Borch and Iwan Baan, and Michael Worthington.
Events
Saturday, April 30, 4pm-6pm - Opening reception with sound performance by Health and Beauty, Workshops by Finishing School and Project Food LA
Sunday, May 22, 2pm-5pm - BROODWORK: Marking Time at the Santa Monica Museum of Art
SMMoA's Cause for Creativity welcomes BROODWORK's intergenerational exploration on how family becomes a mechanism for marking time; includes Ann Faison's Making Time workshop and other hands-on activities. Location: SMMoA, Bergamot Station G1, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 90404, Info: education@smmoa.org. Tickets: $5, FREE for SMMoA Members
Saturday, June 4, 11am
Gallery tour with BROODWORK Curators
Saturday, June 11, 1-3pm
Book launch and reception for The M Word: Real Mothers in Contemporary Art (May 2011), Published by Demeter Press, edited by Myrel Chernick and Jennie Klein.
Sponsored in part by Pasadena Art Alliance.
Eamon O'Kane's participation in this exhibition is funded in part by Culture Ireland's initiative Imagine Ireland – A Year of Irish Artists in America 2011.
April 1 - 16, 2011
American Icons: Graphics of Patriotism and Dissent
This exhibition presents 75+ posters that riff on classic American icons from the 18th-20th centuries—including the flag, eagle, dollar sign, Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam—in order to confront contemporary political, social and environmental issues. This project is a partnership with the Center for the Study of Political Graphics politicalgraphics.org and Otis' Integrated Learning seminar Designing the Political led by Guy Bennett, Kerri Steinberg and Carol Wells. It is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; and the California Arts Council.
Saturday Programs are free and open to the public:
April 2: Tour with Curator and Otis Students, 3pm
April 9: Panel Discussion with John Carr, Alma Lopez, Youth Justice Coalition, Carol A. Wells, and Otis students, 3pm-5pm
April 16: Tour with Curator and Otis Students, 2:30 pm followed by a closing reception from 4pm-6pm
April 1 - 16, 2011
EMERGE 2011
This annual exhibition features Graphic Design by students from colleges and universities in the greater Los Angeles area. It is organized and sponsored by the AIGA LA Education Committee and hosted by OTIS' Communication Arts Department and Ben Maltz Gallery.
AIGA, the professional association for design, is the place design professionals turn to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.
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