Disaster/Resilience and Faces of the Elderly Exhibition Catalog

DIS AS TER /" R ES ILIEN CE and FACES OF THE ELDERLY

October 2013 albuquerque, nm

Disaster/Resilience is presented by Harwood Art Center, a program of Escuela del Sol Montessori.

COVER: Christine Carr, Chairs and Tanks ABOVE: Theresa Devine, You Can’t Support Me In The Lifestyle I Want To Become Accustomed To

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DIS AS TER /" R ES ILIEN CE céline bardou • albi, france adam bustamante • albuquerque, nm chen carmi • long beach, ca christine carr • roanoke, va juliana coles • albuquerque, nm evan dent • albuquerque, nm theresa devine • phoenix, az nina elder • santa fe, nm carrie grubb • cincinnati, oh lindsy halleckson • robbinsdale, mn kurtiss lofstrom • portland, or david mazure • east stroudsburg, pa joseph ostraff • fairview, ut linda smith • norwalk, ct jay wallace • orem, ut

FACES OF THE ELDERLY hal kahn • albuquerque, nm

Octob er 2013 exhibition • june 7 – 28 reception • june 7, 6 – 8p

About harwood galleries & exhibitions Harwood Art Center’s galleries are dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to artists working in all media. Harwood Staff curate four exhibitions annually; the remaining months are awarded to individuals and groups through a competitive application process.

For more information, please visit harwoodartcenter.org or email gallery@harwoodartcenter.org

ABOVE: Linda Smith, Alice

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DIS AS TER /" R ES ILIEN CE Disaster/Resilience is presented by Harwood Art Center, a program of Escuela del Sol Montessori.

For over 40 years, Escuela del Sol, an independent Montessori school, has nurtured creativity, independence and academic excellence. Harwood Art Center expands the school’s philosophy to serve a broad audience of youth and adults with a variety of programs, including art classes, studio rentals, gallery exhibitions and community outreach projects, as well as apprenticeship, teaching and professional development opportunities.

Escuela and Harwood are dedicated to building a love of lifelong learning, creative expression and positive impact on our community and our world. harwood art center – escuela del sol board of trustees maria garcia geer, president deborah chavez, treasurer elizabeth marcilla, secretary inga tomlinson, board – staff liaison fay abrams john barney samantha clark ann edenfield-sweet friedje vangils (ex-officio) harwood art center staff friedje vangils, executive director and head of school victoria baca, art school registrar and event services coordinator jennifer depaolo, community outreach coordinator don hebb, facilities manager guruamrit khalsa, director of administrative services chris loss, business manager julia mandeville, director of programs and community relations elizabeth marcilla, assistant head of school vashti moss, director of youth arts and education lita sandoval, web and social media manager … plus 30 amazing teachers and support staff and 75 teaching artists and apprentices!

DIS AS TER /" R ES ILIEN CE Disaster/Resilience marks Harwood Art Center’s 4th annual exhibition dedicated to the artistic exploration of contemporary social justice issues. This year’s program features fifteen international artists selected through a competitive jury process; their works offer rich and diverse reflections upon identity, place, politics, relationships and transformation.

As a creative center for community, we believe it is our responsibility to reinforce the arts as a catalyst for personal empowerment, cultural enrichment and continuous progress. Past exhibitions in our social justice series include Gender: Transgression and Identity (2010); Asking & Telling (2011); and Borders & Boundaries (2012). It is a privilege to continue this tradition with Disaster/Resilience – and our complementary exhibition by photographer Hal Kahn.

artist selection by harwood art center staff members jennifer depaolo guruamrit khalsa julia mandeville vashti moss lita sandoval exhibition curated and program materials prepared by guruamrit khalsa julia mandeville artist submissions processed by sarah dewey special thanks to jessie rogers RIGHT: Evan Dent, Another Unhappy Metaphor

Celine bardou Albi, France

Céline Bardou studied general artistic practice before pursuing a specialty in audiovisual. She’s never stopped maintaining the privileged link which unites her to the world of photography, discovered in her childhood. With the birth of her daughter took place a natural distancing of the network and the inherent rhythm of the cinema underworld – through which photography stood out again as her main artistic expression’s medium.

Bardou has had local exhibitions in France but her latest work is allowing her to widen her horizons; her A Tribute to Frida Kahlo will show in Brussels and New York.

Résilience/ Malaisie 2

The Artist’s Words

“My diptychs associate an image in B&W and one in color. The first one symbolizes the sufferings, the past and the whole things undergone in a life; the second one is a tribute to the people fighting for rise from the ashes, to find fresh hope, in spite of rough times they could have gone through. The pictures [were] taken in Egypt, India, Malaysia – countries where life can be very hard but where inhabitants are often full of positive energy. Beautiful lesson of life! We are all alchemists able to transform lead of past into gold of personality.”

adaM bustamante

Wonder

Albuquerque, NM

Adam Bustamante makes art as a silent response, both to what crosses his path and what catches his eye along the way. Bustamante became fascinated with graffiti at a young age and used it as a creative outlet for the majority of his teenage years. As he got older, he grew apprehensive that an exciting passion could turn into a stressful obligation and took a long break from making visual art. He credits the support of his friends and family for his rediscovery of what art could offer, painting his first canvas in July 2012 and instantly falling in love. Over the past year, he has been dedicated to drawing and painting at every opportunity.

The Artist’s Words

“The most relatable way for me to convey resilience… is through the facial expressions of people. Though this approach does not provide the observer with a scene from the actual disaster, it leaves them with a glimpse into the effect. The characters are meant to appear metallic with hints of rust. Despite the presence of visible damage, each individual maintains a sturdy and resilient foundation. I feel like pain can be seen in the faces but they all demonstrate a strong spirit and a willingness to strive on.”

Chen carmi Long Beach, CA

Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Chen Carmi received her M.F.A. in photography at California State University in 2013 and her B.F.A. in photography at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem in 2005. Carmi’s work mainly concentrates on urban life, with much attention to the city’s non human inhabitants: stray dogs, feral pigeons and seagulls.

The Artist’s Words

“[My film presents] ten glimpses on LA feral birds and their hidden yet epic existence. This is a story of immigration, social classes and relations between individuals within a group.

So, there you have it: a short video I shot in Los Angeles.

Sunny day Pigeons Droppings English, Spanish and shooting.”

LAI [still]

Christine carr Roanoke, VA

Christine Carr received her MFA from the Tyler School of Art, her BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and her AAS from the Tidewater Community College Visual Arts Center. She is a two-time recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship and has work included in photography textbooks including the 5th edition of Exploring Color Photography by Robert Hirsch. She has exhibited in solo exhibitions in Delaware, Virginia and Washington, DC in addition to numerous group shows throughout the United States. Carr is an Assistant Professor of Art at Hollins University.

The Artist’s Words

“I was working a few blocks from the White House during the attacks on 9/11/01, and as I walked home I witnessed smoke rising from the Pentagon. Since then, news of catastrophe has left me in a state of perpetual anxiety. In this body of work entitled Nothing But I am photographing to help process traumatic events that are not only constantly unfolding, but also completely out of my control.

Deserted Blue Trailer Creating these images is a way to deal with feelings of distress, outrage, frustration and helplessness generated by human malevolence and by the tragic consequences of natural disasters.”

Juliana coles Albuquerque, NM

Juliana Coles, mixed media artist with a focus on the integration of text with imagery, received her BFA from the Academy of Art The Remedy College in San Francisco.

Coles has studied with well known illustrator Barron Storey who encouraged her Mixed Media Visual Journals, and muralist Juana Alicia Montoya whose passion as an artist and activist convinced Coles to define her own style of Contemporary Expressionism. Based on her expression as an artist, Coles developed Extreme Visual Journaling as a tool for self dialogue which she teaches internationally.

The Artist’s Words

“As an Epileptic, my reality is altered. It is through my work that I have sought to piece together my fragmented memories by combining words with imagery. My images are an attempt to raise awareness and compassion in the viewer by challenging them with my experience. My art empowers me to create order, clarity, and understanding in the midst of abnormal cerebral function. My disability has become my gift: the intense essence of who I am and the very foundation of my mission in life.”

Evan dent

Nom Nom

Albuquerque, NM

Evan Dent was born and raised in the Nevada desert. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Nevada, Reno and his M.F.A. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

After graduate school, he worked for The MacNamara Foundation artist residency on Westport Island, Maine. Evan currently resides in Albuquerque and works as an Art Preparator at the Albuquerque Museum.

The Artist’s Words

“I work with imagery from early 20th century studio animation. Taken out of their original context and tweaked, seemingly innocent characters become a bit unnerving.

The character relationships and stories in my work are drawn from situations based on experiences in my personal life as well as different media (television, internet and video games) in a way that makes light of truly serious experiences.”

Theresa devine Phoenix, AZ

Theresa Devine is an Assistant Professor in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. Theresa received her BFA in Painting and Printmaking at Texas A & M University- Corpus Christi in 1991 and her MFA in Painting at University of Houston in 1994. In her personal artwork she explores games, toys and play. She is also the director of the Studio 4 Gaming Innovation lab. The lab researches games to redefine and explore what they can be and how they can be used to initiate transformation in our society.

The Artist’s Words

“Ce n'est pas un jouet: This is not a toy. Why do we forget to play when we grow up?

Everywhere I look I see distrust, miscommunication, and misunderstanding. How can play help us to understand each other? Through toys and games, I explore the intersection between adversity and play. Play is a serious venture and as the title says, it is not a toy. I invoke Magritte with this title because his work shows that possibilities are only limited by our imagination. I believe that through play we release ourselves from adversity and open the door to new possibilities.”

Sharing Does Not Come Easily To Me

Lode

Nina elder Santa Fe, NM

Nina Elder is an artist and facilitator. She grew up in the Rocky Mountains where she cultivated a curiosity about gravel pits, mines, and lumber mills. Her work examines the visual evidence of land use in the American West and its cycles of production, consumption, and waste. Nina endeavors to illuminate that the contemporary landscape is the physical manifestation of modern needs, economies, policies, and powers. Nina’s work is exhibited and collected nationally, and has been included in publications such as Art in America and New American Paintings.

The Artist’s Words

“The piles of rocks depicted in my paintings are the result of mining, one of the most overlooked, yet earth shattering, human activities. Mining is seen by some as an environmental disaster, yet it is inextricably linked to our ability to sustain contemporary life… We exhume our daily needs from the earth. Are these piles disaster sites? Are they monuments to human productivity? My work poses these questions about the resiliency of a natural environment barraged with industrial voracity.”

Leveling Appalachia

Carrie grubb Cincinnati, OH

Carrie Grubb received her BFA in Art History and Visual Arts with an emphasis in painting from West Virginia University (2008 & 2011) and recently her M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati (2013). Grubb’s work has previously shown around the country including Social Justice: Art in A Time of Change at The Birke Gallery at Marshall University in Hunting, WV, It’s Raining, It’s Pouring: The Global Water Crisis at the Wiseman Gallery in Grants Pass, Oregon and Amplify Action: Sustainability Through The Arts in Brooklyn, New York.

The Artist’s Words

“The photographs I take and use in my artwork begin to reveal a story of a particular place in time. A place where time has stood still, changed or disappeared. The images I use reveal the history of these locations; past and present. My artwork shows how MTR has transformed the Appalachian Mountains over time to flatten rubble, how small rural towns set in the hollows of West Virginia and Kentucky are being diminished or already reduced to nothing. It shows how a tragic coal mining accident in Southern West Virginia can tear apart a community with grief and rage.”

Lindsy halleckson Robbinsdale, MN

A painter, community organizer, and installation artist based in Minneapolis, Lindsy Halleckson is interested in the interconnection of art and science. Her work functions like scientific inquiry, exploring ideas including the correlation of sound to color, role and evolution of camouflage, and importance of natural silence in connecting to the self.

She uses her art as a way to communicate the importance of connecting with each other in order to spur social change.

Halleckson has a B.A. in Studio Art and Art History from St. Olaf College and M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas.

The Artist’s Words

“We live noisy lives.

In our noise- and action-obsessed culture, we believe that too much silence is depressive, escapist, selfish, or simply unproductive.

Reconnection with the land is the key to peace within our selves and our Duende environment.

Unfortunately, being able to escape to quiet natural spaces is becoming more difficult, and natural places free from human noise and interruption are becoming extinct. No matter how far our contemporary culture will go to destroy its connections to nature, it remains the allpervasive structure that lies beneath scenery, landscape, place, and human history.�

First Communion

Kurtiss lofstrom Portland, OR

Kurtiss Lofstrom has worked in music, super 8 & 16mm film, painting, mosaic, glass, and collage. His work explores the formal aspects of materials, composition, the collision of past, present and future, and the nature of public imagery. He is primarily a self-taught artist, although he studied creative writing, theatre, and film at Goddard College in Plainfield VT. He grew up in Seattle, WA, and currently lives and works in Portland, OR. The Artist’s Words

“I like to think of my art as visual music. I am very influenced by rhythm… My work is composed entirely from found and discarded materials. I am attempting to transform what is considered the waste images of out culture into a new beauty. I hope the work functions on several levels simultaneously. Beauty from waste. Renewed images. Selfreflection, resilience & hope.”

Defeated/Amputees (WAR) [detail]

David mazure East Stroudsburg, PA

David Mazure studied at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (BFA), the School of Visual Arts (NYC), and East Tennessee State University (MFA). Before devoting his creative energies to multi/mixed media fine art installations, he worked as a professional fashion designer and illustrator in New York City. David has received several Research & Development grants to fund special projects, particularly his newest series, New Mythologists: The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He lives in East Stroudsburg, PA and teaches drawing, design, and art foundations courses as an Assistant Professor of Art at East Stroudsburg University.

The Artist’s Words

“Defeated/Amputees (WAR) is comprised of 28 silkscreened, black and white prints on clayboard. It uses an experimental silkscreening process: flocked prints using recycled tire rubber shavings. Though responsible for similar physical deformities as militaristic war, the type of war that is represented in Defeated/Amputees (WAR) is war waged by The Corporation upon the working class. The imagery presented in Defeated/Amputees (WAR) is based upon observational figure drawings of amputees.

The amputees all lost limbs due to corporate negligence. An investigation and then abstraction of these drawings, using both traditional and digital media, creates the imagery for this silkscreen series.”

Joseph ostraff Fairview, UT

Joseph Ostraff is a Professor of Art at Brigham Young University. He received his MFA Degree in Painting from the University of Washington, Seattle. He has lived in Utah since 1986. Prior to that he resided in Southern California, where he was born and raised. Joseph’s work is multidisciplinary and includes painting, video and installation, and book arts.

Recent exhibitions included: Manulua Project, Minneapolis Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, MN, 2012, Mixing Bowl, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA, 2011, Searching For God, Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery, The Ohio State University at Marion Wayne, Marion, OH, 2010.

The Artist’s Words

“On July 6, 1967, I witnessed the cash of a jet fighter stationed at El Toro Marine Air Base. Forty some years after the event I have taken the time to return to the site and to write a letter to the families of the two pilots that lost their lives that day.”

Letter [still]

Patrick

Linda smith Norwalk, CT

In January of 2007, Linda founded Through the Eyes of Hope Project, which provides cameras and photography classes to children in Rwanda and US. In 2008, Linda was commissioned by the UN to travel to Rwanda to teach photography to twelve survivors and repentant participants from the 1994 genocide. In 2010, Linda was commissioned by the UN to curate a photography exhibit of the 12 participants photographs at the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda. She also taught photography at KIST University in Kigali, Rwanda for three years. She is currently enrolled in an MFA degree from the University of Connecticut.

The Artist’s Words

“My work is about the human condition in all its struggles and joys. I often use shadows in geometric shapes suggesting bars and prisons. I am interested on how light describes dark internal and external spaces, suggesting hope and freedom. The aim of my work is to get to know and photograph people in different countries who crave relief from inhumanity, injustice, poverty, cultural and social pressures, and to find forms and universal symbols, that would express these issues. Many of the portraits that I have taken were in Rwanda and Uganda.”

Jay wallace Orem, UT

Wallace was born in Provo, Utah in 1973 and raised on a small apple and cherry orchard in Orem.

Wallace’s parents encouraged his creative endeavors and took Jay to many historical sites during his formative years. Wallace experienced the printing industry’s evolution during his 15-year career in commercial printing at Rocky Mountain Printing. Following a recession in commercial printing, Wallace turned to the fine art of printmaking and received his BFA in Design and Illustration from Utah Valley University. Wallace Graduated with an MFA in Printmaking from University of South Dakota. Jay has exhibited nationally and internationally.

“Architecture is frequently considered to be political and cultural symbols of fine art, especially if the architecture’s aesthetic elements are identified.

Historical civilizations are often identified and known through their architectural achievements.”

– D. Rowland.

The Artist’s Words

St. Agness [detail]

“Inspired by the recent use of Detroit as a model for economic reconstruction, The Artist explores Detroit through its architectural remnants, from Detroit’s former glory and its present strifes. It is a visual story that addresses dysfunctional political culture, troubling social segregation, education, social justice.”

Faces of the elder ly

Yvonne

Hal kahn Albuquerque, NM

Hal Kahn worked for 25 years as a journalist before being disabled in 1997. In his newspapering days, Kahn covered everything from White House press conferences to high school football games. His botanical images have been sold in the gift shop of the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art and other retail outlets.

Kahn’s illness forced him to confront many of the issues facing the elderly – pain, isolation, lack of resources – at an unusually early age. He argues that older people are too often marginalized and believes that wrinkles and grey hair should be signs of strength. He recognizes that the elderly have valuable life lessons to pass on, and he strives to document them with his photographs.

Yvonne

Reuben

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prog ram supporters All of Harwood’s programming is inspired by our commitment to community. We are constantly impressed by the level of participation, investment and support our community gives back.

The Board and Staff of Harwood wish to thank all of our members and friends, in particular: " the FUNd at albuquerque community foundation "

mccune charitable foundation "

new mexico arts and national endowment for the arts" "

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rj bailie and untitled fine arts services

All rights reserved. All images belong to the artists and are included with their express consent. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. " Harwood Art Center 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 www.harwoodartcenter.org (505) 242-6367 " "