Folk Art Chronicles

Archive for August, 2009

In our ongoing mission to build bridges between different parts of our local community; between different cultures; and between traditional and contemporary arts, I will collaborate again this year with Artworks Downtown to present our biannual exhibition for Dia de los Muertos, “Rooted in Tradition, Relevant Today”. Because this lively, vibrant traditional celebration from Mexico has parallels in many other cultures, contemporary artists have found fertile territory to explore in their own lives and work.

We are looking for local artists who would like to create an altar installation for the show which will run from October 8 until November 20, 2009. Installations can be very personal or can explore more general themes. The opening reception and party will be on October 9th.

The deadline to apply is coming upon us very quickly, the first week in September. If you are interested, please call me at the FolkArt Gallery (415-925-9096) or Artworks Downtown (415-451-8119).

Altars in family homes in rural Mexico follow traditional constraints and are always for specific people. They use candles, flowers, special foods and drink, incense, photographs and evocative objects referring to a specific person. Urban and community altars are less constrained, usually exuberant, fantastical and refer to more general community themes. They are composed of a wider range of objects including paintings, drawing sculptural objects, poetry and drawings and other mixed media memorializations.

Our traditional annual altar at the FolkArt Gallery will be available for viewing on October 1st and will include some wonderful new one-of-a-kind catrinas that we are just now unpacking from Michoacan, Mexico. Read the rest of this entry »

The much anticipated opening party for the 11^th annual Box Show at Gallery Route One was great fun as usual but there was nothing usual about the selection of boxes in the show. It is amazing to me that when you give 150 artists exactly the same box to begin with, the end results are so completely different. Since the artists work in such a wide range of media in their regular artwork, creating a box is a step outside of the normal milieu for most of us and the challenge pushes our boundaries a bit. This is what makes the process so much fun for me personally. From the time we pick up the boxes to the deadline date, about 8 weeks elapse. Generally, I spend first 4 weeks thinking about the shape & dimension of the box as well as deciding on a theme. The second 4 weeks is spent on executing the actual work. This year, rather than doing a serious narrative piece or something in the line of Joseph Cornell, I decided to take a more playful, design-oriented path. During the planning stage, I had gone to see the Nick Cave exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in SF and immediately knew that I wanted to do something inspired by the colorful, playful craft of Nick Cave. All the components are recycled or repurposed materials, such as an old sweater, teeshirt and bottle caps. The piece is titled “The Center of the Earth, an homage to Nick Cave”.

Gallery Route One is an exciting community based arts organization based on the belief that art is an intellectual and spiritual necessity that belongs in every community. The mission is provide a professional exhibition space for artwork and a program that addresses the cultural, political, and environmental concerns of the rural community of West Marin and the greater Bay Area. The annual Box Show raises about $20,000 yearly to fund the various programs of the organization.

Some pieces had substantial bids by the close of the opening party and bidding will continue daily right up to the auction at the closing party on September 13.

Gallery Route One, 11101 Hwy 1, Point Reyes Station. Open 11am to 5 pm daily except Tuesday. 415-663-1347.

There has been a fair amount of discussion lately about viewing the world through the lens of our own individual life experiences and whether this is or is not preferable to being “objective”. Or even if there is such a state as “objectivity”. I worry more about the people who claim that they can be totally objective all the time than about those who acknowledge and own their particular “lens” which are built upon our backgrounds, our geography and our personal temperaments. It’s definitely something to be aware of and sometimes, something to celebrate—the uniqueness that each of us can bring to the table. And, as long as we extend the same respect for the experience of others, it’s part of what makes the world such a fascinating place. It’s also what makes the world such a contentious place and the cause of most of the problems between people.

In this light, there are a variety of blogs and news sources that are very helpful

Events are best viewed through the filters of many points of view and today’s technology makes it so much easier to learn about each other outside of the established information and media sources we have always relied upon. The truth is discerned less from the grand events and pronouncements of governments and institutions than from small ordinary experiences of citizens in their daily lives. In this light, there are a variety of blogs that I greatly enjoy for the personal insights they give into other cultures. Of particular interest are several from the traditional cultures of Muslim countries often in the news here in the States.

Saudi Jeans is written by Ahmed Al-Omran, a young university student in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. His blog aims to provide news, commentary, and personal views on political and social issues in Saudi Arabia, with a special focus on freedom of expression, human rights and women’s rights. His commentary provides a window into daily life and the concerns of Saudi youth not found in mainstream media.

Susie’s Big Adventure is another of my favorites. Susie is an American woman, married to a Saudi man who wanted to move back to his country after spending 30 years with her in the states. She comments on the realities of living in a strict Muslim country and an even stricter male-dominated society through the eyes of an American.

Afaque and Tazeen are young people writing about their lives and thoughts from different cities in Pakistan. Afaque calls his blog Muddleheaded and Tazeen has named hers A Reluctant Mind.

These are young people who will influence the futures of their countries and the greater world. You will also find other interesting young people in their countries by checking out whose blogs they personally follow. It’s a great way to develop a network of information and contacts around the world.