Posts for Installation
Posted by cafpress on: February 24 2010
Exhibition
Sanford Biggers: Moon Medicine and Bloom Projects: Melanie Schiff, Stones
Opening Reception: SAT. MAR. 6, 7-9 PM, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum FREE
On View: MAR. 6 – MAY 2, 2010, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum FREE
Come and see the latest exhibition at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Sanford Biggers: Moon Medicine and Bloom Projects: Melanie Schiff, Stones, on view from March 6 - May 2, 2010.
The Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum presents a major West Coast exhibition of new work by internationally acclaimed artist, Sanford Biggers. The 2009 recipient of the prestigious William H. Johnson Prize, Biggers’ affecting and thought provoking work will debut at CAF with a self-titled exhibition Sanford Biggers: Moon Medicine. About the exhibition in Santa Barbara, the artist states, “Moon Medicine encompasses the breadth of my practice, showcasing photography, video, installation, and performance. It is a thematic, multi-disciplinary exploration of past themes and new themes meant to broaden and complicate our read on American history.”
Informed by living in the United States, Europe, and Japan, Biggers’ work references Buddhism, Indo- European Voodoo, African American history, jazz, hip hop culture, and a range of other influences to underscore notions of interconnectedness and hybridity. Accompanying this tour-de-force exhibition is a scholarly exhibition catalog written by CAF Executive Director, Miki Garcia. Garcia states, “We are proud to produce the artist’s first publication entirely dedicated to his practice despite showing internationally and being the recipient of numerous awards, fellowships, and residencies. With this exhibition and catalog, CAF succeeds in its mission to support the most compelling artists of our time and to bring world-class programming to the Tri-Counties.”
A native of Los Angeles, CA, Biggers is a resident of New York, NY, where he teaches at Columbia University, New York, NY. He received a B.A. from Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA, an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL and studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME. The 2009 recipient of the coveted William H. Johnson Prize, Biggers has won several awards (including the Creative Capital Project Grant and Camille Hanks-Cosby Fellowship) and participated in prestigious artist residencies and fellowships.
This exhibition has been made possible in part by the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Susan E. Bower, Cyndee Howard, Barry and Jill Kitnick, Jacquelyn Klein-Brown, Jon and Lillian Lovelace, Mike Healy and Tim Walsh, and Kimberly Hahn and James Van Arsdale of Myopia Design. Special thanks to Wayne McCall and Associates, Santa Barbara, CA.
Bloom Projects: Melanie Schiff, Stones
CAF is proud to present never-before-shown photographs by contemporary artist Melanie Schiff. A relative newcomer to Los Angeles, Schiff explores the cityscape, employing formal elements of the medium’s most ubiquitous type: the still life. Her stark photographs
expose how empty a city can feel and how the remnants of humans, though cast off and overlooked, can become sentimental, quiet moments wavering on the edge of a
constructed poetic narrative.
Schiff studied at University of London, Goldsmiths College, London, UK, received a B.F.A from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY and an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, IL. Her work has been in numerous exhibitions including the 2008 Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY and a solo exhibition entitled The Mirror, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, IL. She teaches at Pitzer College, Claremont, CA.
This exhibition has been made possible in part
by the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Arts. Special thanks to Brush & Associates, Santa Barbara, C; Glenn
Miller and Marjorie Gies, Santa Barbara, CA; and Wayne McCall and
Associates, Santa Barbara, CA.
Posted by cafpress on: April 28 2010
WED. APR. 28, 6 PM
Home Show
Revisited Open Meeting
The Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) is seeking Santa Barbara
homeowners (broadly interpreted) interested in collaborating with the
contemporary arts non-profit on an exciting 8-week exhibition opening in
March 2011. The exhibition The Home Show
Revisited will comprise of 10 emerging and recognized California
artists creating new site-specific art at 10 private homes. The public
exhibition will focus on the societal and cultural interpretations of
“home” in residences from Goleta to Montecito.
CAF invites interested homeowners to an informational meeting at its
Paseo Nuevo gallery space on April 28, 2010 at 6pm. All interested
parties are invited to attend and learn more about this fantastic
opportunity to be involved in an important cultural event reflecting the
rich diversity of the Santa Barbara community.
Location:
Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum located at the Paseo Nuevo Mall Upper Arts Terrace
653 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(T) 805.966.5373
sbcaf@sbcaf.org
www.sbcaf.org
Posted by cafpress on: May 17 2010
Opening Reception, May 22, 7-9 PM ON VIEW FROM MAY 22 – JUL. 18, 2010 Main Gallery: Visionaries: Contemporary Art from Santa Barbara’s Private Collections This exhibition will celebrate Santa Barbara’s world-class private contemporary art collections, specifically highlighting ones which include cutting-edge work including paintings, prints, drawings, photography, and sculpture by leading figures in the contemporary art world. Widely recognized as a center of arts and culture, leisure, and natural beauty, Santa Barbara also boasts a population of savvy art aficionados who travel, collect, and support contemporary art. This exhibition provides a rare glimpse into the private treasures in our midst. CAF would like to acknowledge the support of Candyce Eoff, Montecito, CA; Carole Lieff, Montecito, CA; Bill Spencer, Santa Barbara, CA; Wayne McCall & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA; and all the Lenders of this exhibition. Bloom Projects: Adrian Esparza, Paño-rama El Paso-based artist Adrian Esparza garners much of his source material and artistic inspiration from his borderland experience. Riffing on the Spanish word for cloth (paño), the artist will create a site-specific installation consisting of multiple, painted handkerchiefs quilted together to form large fabric panels. The collaged images on the handkerchiefs are gathered from a range of sources including the internet, personal imagery, and text. This newly commissioned work is directly inspired by CAF's geographic location, considering the California prison system, Santa Barbara (Patron Saint of prisoners), outsider art (drawings on handkerchiefs made by prisoners are referred to as “paños”), the concept of panopticon (circular prisons with cells distributed around a central surveillance station), and French philosopher, Michel Foucault's writings. Paño-rama considers notions of power and freedom of expression in contemporary West Coast society. Special thanks to Brush & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA; Glenn Miller and Marjorie Gies, Santa Barbara, CA; Bill Spencer, Santa Barbara, CA; and Wayne McCall & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA. FREE
Location:
Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum located at the Paseo Nuevo Mall Upper Arts Terrace
653 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 11 AM to 5 PM, Sunday: Noon to 5 PM
(T) 805.966.5373
sbcaf@sbcaf.org
www.sbcaf.org
Posted by cafpress on: May 24 2010
THUR. JUN. 3, 7 PM
Forum Lounge: John Williams, a multimedia interactive installation
Multimedia artist John Williams uses vinyl records, record players, speakers, effect pedals, slides, found objects, and 8 mm projectors to create an ultra-sensory environment of small assemblage sculptures with projections and sounds. Become an active participant in Williams’ improvised visual choreography as he converts the gallery space into one giant kinetic sculpture.
Support for Forum Lounge is generously provided by: Endevermusic Productions, the Franciscan Inn, NEA, KCSB, and the Santa Barbara Independent. Forum Lounge is presented in association with the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization’s 1st Thursday. FREE
Listen to a preview interview with the artist at http://www.radioip.org/2010/05/17/john-williams-contemporary-av-art/
Curator's Note:
Forum Lounge is excited to present a performance by multimedia artist John Williams. A few months ago, I visited John's studio to talk to him about his practice, which is multifaceted, both in the various media he explores and in the overlapping of methods he utilizes to produce his work. John is the perfect example of what I consider the new paradigm of a visual artist: one who continuously pushes himself and the so-called boundaries of media in ways that speak of ingenuity and innovation. No longer fitting into categorical descriptions like painter or sculptor, these artists embrace the unending materials at hand to prod, push and expand their subject matter. As a result, they perfectly reflect the growing complexity of contemporary life.
Indeed, for artists like John, it is in the overlap between the different devices--the 8 mm projectors, photo collages, mixed-media sculptures, record players, and effect pedals--that allows him to exploit his means to his end. In his performance for this month's Forum Lounge, we are able to witness a live reenactment of John's artistic practice, which most recently results in mid- to large-scale abstract paintings. For John, the painting is merely a by-product of this process, a symbolic stand-in for the movement, sound, and light that allow him to exercise his creative investigation. With subtlety and gracefulness, John weaves a symphonic performance to reveal the process behind his work that in turn, becomes his work. How's that for double entendre?
--Heather Jeno Silva, Forum Lounge Curator
CAF is a non-profit, non-collecting institution dedicated to exhibiting the highest quality of contemporary art while recognizing "the artists of tomorrow," and was founded in 1976 by artists and art supporters seeking a venue dedicated solely to contemporary art. What once began as a grassroots, artist-run organization with nominal funding now serves as the leading contemporary arts presenter in Central California. CAF offers its innovative education and exhibition programming to the region primarily free of charge. There is no admission fee because CAF believes that the arts should be accessible to all audiences of all persuasions. It truly is foundations and individuals from the community that keep CAF active, inspired and alive with opportunities for artists, children, and adults to experience all the visual and performing arts have to offer.
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