Starting March Off Right @ GCAC!
We kicked off March with a powerful program this past Saturday night and the energy continues today!
GCAC artists in residence Ingrid Reeve, Barbara Milliorn and Evan Senn continued their dialogue with the public, through their project Life of An Artist , on what it means to be a feminist and a working female art professional.
The three organized the panel discussion Feminism Today: Art and Life, with artists and educators Micol Hebron, Arzu Arda Kosar, Dr. Joanna Roche and Carrie Yury. The scheduled one-hour conversation extended itself into a two-hour lively conversation discussing past experiences with gender discrimination, how one defines “success” for oneself and in their practice, the demeaning word choices used in our society, and much more.
Grand Central Art Center thanks the panelists, the Life of An Artist team and the 80+ in attendance braving the rain that evening to join us.
Saturday evening also marked the opening of two new exhibitions, Heather Bowling and Amanda Patenaude: You Are What You Concede Curated by Kimberly McKinnis, CSUF MA in Exhibition and Design€ ¨, and Julia Haft-Candell: Fast and Slow,€ ¨ Curated by Yevgeniya Mikhailik, GCAC Curatorial Associate. The exhibitions were received extremely well by the over 1,000 individuals in attendance throughout the evening.
You Are What You Concede was developed through a series of community trash collection days organized by the two artists, with assistance provided by Gerardo Mouet, Executive Director, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency at the City of Santa Ana. The artists worked with the wonderful team and volunteers associated with Back To Natives RESTORATION, and their Natives Nursery at Santa Ana’s Santiago Park. The artists and volunteers worked together collecting trash from the riverbed of Santiago Creek. The materials collected were used to create the installation, which includes opportunities for individuals to take an element of the work home, as well as participate in the “Recraft” workshop space to create new objects. The installation provided for great dialogue and a truly engaged experience throughout the evening. More information and images from the project can be found on the You Are What You Concede Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/youarewhatyouconcedecollaboration
Along with the receptions for the two new exhibitions, Santa Ana Girl Scout Troop #2363 joined us at the openings to sell cookies and collect donations for the Southwest Community Center (homeless shelter) of Santa Ana. During the evening, we were provided with some great facts as reported by a recent Girl Scouts of America impact study (2013) that we thought we would share: 92% of female astronauts were Girl Scouts; 68% of all Congresswomen were Girl Scouts; 80% of all female business owners were Girl Scouts. Some impressive stats! Thank you Karla Frizler for connecting with us and bring your troop to the art walk!
Today, artist Marisa Jahn and the NannyVan team visited, to discuss future residency possibilities with GCAC. The NannyVan team are in town to begin their Los Angeles based residency at the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica. REV created the NannyVan through lead artist Marisa Jahn, a project working in collaboration with The National Domestic Workers Alliance. The NannyVan is a bright mobile design lab and sound studio that “accelerates the movement for domestic workers’ rights nationwide.” With its pullout craft carts, colorful design and acoustic recording booth, the NannyVan convenes domestic workers and employers alike to produce and provide new fair care tools.
This Wednesday, March 5 from 9:30-10:45am, Marisa and her team will hold a press conference to launch the NannyVan’s CA Tour with California Coalition of Domestic Workers at Downtown Los Angeles, La Placita at Olvera Street. They invite you to join them for the event.
The beginning of March also marks the last few days to help support the upcoming Wild Times project by artist Susan Robb. GCAC is proud to be supporting the artist as a GCAC artist in residence and activation/exhibition site for Wild Times, occurring this spring through fall! This is an extremely ambitious project, so Susan is reaching out through Kickstarter to generate additional funding support needed to realize this endeavor to its fullest potential. There are only a few days left to support her project directly. Every little bit helps to ensure the success of her journey, so please visit her Kickstarter page and pitch in!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1130079042/wild-times
We look forward to having you join us!