PRIDE AND PAIN: Contemporary Identities in the American West
For over a century, the American West has been a nexus for several geographically-specific narratives. Among them, the ‘rugged individual’ has played a central role in the character formation and storytelling of this region. More recently, a number of economic and industrial shifts have impacted the identities of the people who live here, leaving their mark upon the Western psyche. ‘Pride and Pain’ showcases five videos by contemporary women from the American West that register these changes. Works by Cara Despain, Kristina Lenzi, Amy Jorgensen, Susan Krueger-Barber and Hannah Slind feature subjects that have been erased, coerced or alienated by the mega-systems in their lives. These contrast the ‘rugged individual’ of the past, who was stoic, triumphant and unequivocally male.
For over a century, the American West has been a nexus for several geographically-specific narratives. Among them, the ‘rugged individual’ has played a central role in the character formation and storytelling of this region. More recently, a number of economic and industrial shifts have impacted the identities of the people who live here, leaving their mark upon the Western psyche. ‘Pride and Pain’ showcases five videos by contemporary women from the American West that register these changes. Works by Cara Despain, Kristina Lenzi, Amy Jorgensen, Susan Krueger-Barber and Hannah Slind feature subjects that have been erased, coerced or alienated by the mega-systems in their lives. These contrast the ‘rugged individual’ of the past, who was stoic, triumphant and unequivocally male.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Distortion in the Work of Ten Utah Artists
The Leonardo Museum, Salt Lake City, UT. June 1 to October 31, 2019
Salt Lake Downtown Library Gallery COVID 19 - Postponed
This exhibition assembles selected works by Utah artists who use swimming pools and rivers, window panes and windscreens to expand on a surface approach to the urban and natural world. These devices are employed as lenses and mirrors, and reject single-point perspective. Consequently, the works in this show twist and warp their subjects to create misshapen, contorted and sometimes garbled effects. The results serve a range of goals, from the purely perceptual to the socially critical. Artist include: Jean Arnold, Connie Borup, Alex Caldiero, Cara Despains, John Erickson, Ed Firmage Jr., Kristina Lenzi, David Chapman Lindsay, Brad Slaugh, and Jamie Wayman.
CATALOG with color illustrations and essay available at Ken Sanders Rare Books for $10, and on Amazon for $12 + shipping.
The Leonardo Museum, Salt Lake City, UT. June 1 to October 31, 2019
Salt Lake Downtown Library Gallery COVID 19 - Postponed
This exhibition assembles selected works by Utah artists who use swimming pools and rivers, window panes and windscreens to expand on a surface approach to the urban and natural world. These devices are employed as lenses and mirrors, and reject single-point perspective. Consequently, the works in this show twist and warp their subjects to create misshapen, contorted and sometimes garbled effects. The results serve a range of goals, from the purely perceptual to the socially critical. Artist include: Jean Arnold, Connie Borup, Alex Caldiero, Cara Despains, John Erickson, Ed Firmage Jr., Kristina Lenzi, David Chapman Lindsay, Brad Slaugh, and Jamie Wayman.
CATALOG with color illustrations and essay available at Ken Sanders Rare Books for $10, and on Amazon for $12 + shipping.
PROTEST and PATIENCE: Modes of Agency in Utah Art
The Ladies Literary Club, Salt Lake City, UT Spring 2021
This exhibition calls for works of visual, poetic and performative art that explore the role of 'Waiting' as it pertains to the experience of women, wives, mothers and others. Inspired by the 2017 Women's March, and those who opted not to participate, this exhibition invites dialogue between two modes of agency: between taking action and waiting. Indeed, some believe that waiting is central to female experience. In contrast to ‘men of action,’ literary characters such as Penelope (from the Odyssey) and Patientia (from the Psychomachia), are associated with patience and temperance. Of interest to this exhibition are the psychological dimensions of waiting for the women of today. When is waiting a virtue and when is it time for action? Where does one’s mind go, when waiting for destinies to manifest, for fairness to prevail or for society to change? What kind of activities do women invent to pass the time? Does action ever lead to impetuosity? Finally, are these two modes of agency antithetical and irreconcilable? Or are there areas of overlay and commonality that can be imagined, salvaged and celebrated? A broad range of voices are sought, from Mormon to immigrant women, LGBTQi and African-American.
DUNCE SCHOOL for the ARTS 2012 - 2013
Rockwood Studios, Salt Lake City, UT
Co-founder, co-curator of Contemporary Art venue / micro-gallery. Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City.
www.facebook.com/pg/Dunce-School-for-the-Arts-358731730842649/photos/?ref=page_internal
CREME de la CREME
Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge 2000
Exhibition featuring contemporary art by ten female artists from three British art schools (St. Martin’s, Goldsmiths and Norwich School of Art and Design) Organization of exhibition (transport, installation, dismantling), catalog essays and artist support. Artists include Julie Barlow, Victoria Bickell, Martha Houghton, Yumi Kondo, Susanna McDonald, Rebecca Oldfield, Elin Strand, Carla Thomas, Ingrid Weiss. Catalog copy available upon request.
The Ladies Literary Club, Salt Lake City, UT Spring 2021
This exhibition calls for works of visual, poetic and performative art that explore the role of 'Waiting' as it pertains to the experience of women, wives, mothers and others. Inspired by the 2017 Women's March, and those who opted not to participate, this exhibition invites dialogue between two modes of agency: between taking action and waiting. Indeed, some believe that waiting is central to female experience. In contrast to ‘men of action,’ literary characters such as Penelope (from the Odyssey) and Patientia (from the Psychomachia), are associated with patience and temperance. Of interest to this exhibition are the psychological dimensions of waiting for the women of today. When is waiting a virtue and when is it time for action? Where does one’s mind go, when waiting for destinies to manifest, for fairness to prevail or for society to change? What kind of activities do women invent to pass the time? Does action ever lead to impetuosity? Finally, are these two modes of agency antithetical and irreconcilable? Or are there areas of overlay and commonality that can be imagined, salvaged and celebrated? A broad range of voices are sought, from Mormon to immigrant women, LGBTQi and African-American.
DUNCE SCHOOL for the ARTS 2012 - 2013
Rockwood Studios, Salt Lake City, UT
Co-founder, co-curator of Contemporary Art venue / micro-gallery. Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City.
www.facebook.com/pg/Dunce-School-for-the-Arts-358731730842649/photos/?ref=page_internal
CREME de la CREME
Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge 2000
Exhibition featuring contemporary art by ten female artists from three British art schools (St. Martin’s, Goldsmiths and Norwich School of Art and Design) Organization of exhibition (transport, installation, dismantling), catalog essays and artist support. Artists include Julie Barlow, Victoria Bickell, Martha Houghton, Yumi Kondo, Susanna McDonald, Rebecca Oldfield, Elin Strand, Carla Thomas, Ingrid Weiss. Catalog copy available upon request.
