Copyright 2014 by the Women’s Caucus for Art. The book author and each artist here, retains sole copyright to their contributions to this book.
Catalog designed by Karen Gutfreund, Vice President and National Exhibition Director, WCA
Cover Design by: Rozanne Hermelyn, Arc and Line Communication and Design
Rozanne Hermelyn DiSilvestro Arc & Line Communication and Design www.arcandline.com www.hermelyn.com 408.992.0903
ISBN: 978-1-939637-06-2
Equilibrium, Art for a Changing World National Juried Exhibition Presented by the Women’s Caucus for Art
Jurors Beate Minkovski and Mary Stoppert at Woman Made Gallery
January 19 — February 27, 2014
FROM THE EXHIBITION DIRECTOR Art can be a powerful, productive force and instrumental in sparking change or critical thinking. The Women’s Caucus for Art is committed to supporting local, national, and global art activism. Art can produce a visceral response and can provoke, inspire, or disturb, and opens your eyes to worlds other than your own. While the artist may not consider themselves to be a revolutionary, by bringing to light issues and concerns, art can effect change. We need artistic expression that help us to understand what is happening in our society, who we are, where we come from and where we’re going. For Equilibrium, Art for a Changing World we asked for the artists to show work that explores the tensions, demands and challenges inherent in living in a rapidly changing world. We asked for art in all genres and media to express the multiple expressions of balance or its absence, which can range from abstract to representational, psychological to social, whimsical and poetic to political commentary. Beate Minkovski and Mary Stoppert chose 81 artists for Equilibrium with 41 works in the Woman Made Gallery and an additional 43 featured in the catalog. This show is in collaboration with the Woman Made Gallery. We are honored to work with these artists and to showcase their work. We believe in the power of artists to create, connect, and change the world. It is the mission of WCA to document the artwork of women artists and we are pleased with this large collection of powerful works. Thank you to Beate Minkovski, Executive Director, at the Woman Made Gallery for partnering with us to put on this exhibition and Beate and Mary Stoppert for compiling an incredible body of work on this theme from over 200 artist submissions. As always, thank you to Rozanne Hermelyn for the fabulous catalog cover design. And most of all, a heartfelt thanks to the Board and members of Women’s Caucus for Art for their ongoing work to create greater exposure for women in the arts and art as activism. Karen Gutfreund, VP and Exhibitions Director
FROM THE PRESIDENT Congratulations to the artists in Equilibrium, the 2014 WCA National Juried Exhibition! I enjoyed viewing each of the works selected for this exhibition, both for the Woman Made Gallery and for the catalog exhibition. Jurors Beate Minkovski, executive director of Woman Made Gallery and artist Mary Stoppert selected a broad range of works that embody the theme of “equilibrium.” Works represent equilibrium and disequilibrium caused by natural and unnatural actions; the balance between life and death, past and present, young and old; the balancing act we perform in this technologically complex world; the artist’s physical and mental disequilibrium, and the orderliness of mathematical equilibrium. Equilibrium is a National Exhibitions Initiative. Chaired by VP Karen Gutfreund, this initiative provides year -round exhibition opportunities for members and women artists. In addition to nationally-sponsored shows, the initiative provides communication and resource support for exhibitions mounted by special interest caucuses. The National Exhibitions Initiative produced Stories We Tell, Honoring Women’s Rights, Petroleum Paradox (traveling show), Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze (traveling show), Woman + Body, Best of 2014, Best of 2012, Artist of the Month, Bound, and Diaspora. It also awarded a curatorial grant to Jaimianne Amicucci to mount an exhibition titled Sweet & Subversive in San Francisco in 2013. The exhibition Half the Sky will take place in Shenyang, China in April 2014 and national juried exhibition identity will be exhibited in May, 2014. Equilibrium is held in conjunction with Balance, WCA’s 42nd annual conference. This conference includes The Eyes of the Mother and Solidarity Between Generations, two exhibition curated by Hye-Seong Tak Lee, and the Best of 2014 exhibition; and the Lifetime Achievement Awards and gala honoring Phyllis Bramson, Harmony Hammond, Adrian Piper and Faith Wilding. Janice Nesser-Chu and Hye-Seong Tak Lee will also be honored with the President’s Award for Art and Activism. I would like to thank jurors Beate Minkovski and Mary Stoppert for their time in jurying Equilibrium and Exhibitions Chair Karen Gutfreund for her leadership and tireless commitment to exhibiting women’s art. Beate—many thanks for the use of Woman Made Gallery, a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization founded in 1992 with the goal of supporting women in the arts. Priscilla Otani, WCA President
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CAUCUS FOR ART The Women’s Caucus for Art was founded in 1972 in connection with the College Art Association (CAA). WCA is a national member organization unique in its multidisciplinary, multicultural membership of artists, art historians, students, educators, and museum professionals. The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education, and social activism. WCA is committed to recognizing the contribution of women in the arts; providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development; expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women; supporting local, national and global art activism; and advocating for equity in the arts for all. As an NGO (nongovernmental organization) of the United Nations, the Women’s Caucus for Art actively supports the UN Millennium Goals. WCA utilizes art as the universal language to engage artists, NGOS, and civil society on a broad range of issues such as gender equity and environmental sustainability. As a founding member of the Feminist Art Project, WCA is part of a collaborative national initiative celebrating the Feminist Art Movement and the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on the visual arts, art history, and art practice, past and present. OUR MISSION:
The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art,
education, and social activism. We are committed to:
recognizing the contributions of women in the arts providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women supporting local, national, and global art activism advocating for equity in the arts for all For more information visit: www.nationalwca.org P. O. Box 1498, Canal Street Station, New York, NY 10013-1498 info@nationalwca.org, Tel: 212.634.0007 www.facebook.com/groups/107511953206/ twitter.com/#!/artWCA
Vision Statement: Woman Made Gallery's vision is to ensure the equal placement of women's art in the world. Mission: Woman Made Gallery (WMG) supports, cultivates and promotes the diverse contributions of women in the arts through exhibitions and other programs that serve, educate and enrich the community. Woman Made Gallery (WMG) was founded in 1992 to provide women artists with the opportunity to exhibit, perform, publish and sell their work and to offer a place for support and community. According to an NEA 1992 statistic, only 17% of works in U.S. galleries are by women, although 48% of the artists in the U.S are women (Bureau of Labor, 1993). The prevalence of discrimination is not so amazing when we consider that just 40 years ago there was virtually no mention of women artists in university art history courses or in texts on art. Because discrimination does exist, WMG is here to provide women with opportunities to exhibit, curate, perform, read, teach and develop leadership. WMG is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was established to work for the equal placement of women's art in the world. To effectively achieve this goal, art produced by women would be exhibited, collected and written about as abundantly as art produced by men. WMG focuses energy in these three areas by exhibiting art made by and about women, educating the public about women's art, and advocating for the equal treatment of women's accomplishments. WMG was located on Chicago's northside in Ravenswood Manor until August 1997. In its first five years, WMG held ten juried group exhibits annually after which we reduced the exhibitions to
to eight per year, to allow for additional viewing time for each exhibition. We have exhibited the art of over 6500 women artists from every area of the United States, as well as from Canada, Central America, and overseas. Exhibits have ranged in theme from topics such as domestic violence and prejudice issues to stylistic themes such as the still life and surrealism. Some shows have been exclusive to artists who are lesbians, women over 50, women under 30, and women of color. Representatives of the groups juried these exhibits. At Woman Made Gallery, women themselves decide what art is culturally significant. Varied perspectives are featured because we select women from different cultural and professional backgrounds to act in leadership roles such as jurors and curators. In September 1997, WMG moved its facilities from the storefront in the Ravenswood community to Prairie Avenue, south of downtown Chicago. The move was motivated by a desire to be more centrally located to downtown and closer to the more diverse populations that reside in Chicago's Southside and Pilsen neighborhoods. This location also accommodated more exhibition space and allowed us to exhibit various works from our Permanent Collection. Woman Made Gallery left the Prairie Avenue District early in 2003 to continue its programs in a new neighborhood in Humboldt Park, bordering Wicker Park. There the Gallery was housed until November 2005 in a 2,300-square foot space in the Acme Artist Community Building at 2418 W. Bloomingdale, among artists' studios and other not-for-profit organizations. Since November 15, 2005, Woman Made Gallery has been located at 685 N. Milwaukee Avenue, just two blocks southeast of Intuit and close to ARC Gallery. In a 3000-square foot space distributed on two levels, WMG is hosting six exhibition cycles per year with at least eight group and eight solo exhibitions, plus four thematic group shows in its Artisan Gallery, per year. The gallery has increasingly attracted journalists and critics, resulting in complimentary articles and reviews. Persistence, professionalism, and confidence in our mission have led to a heightened public interest in gallery events that continues to grow. We have also been successful in getting many women artists reviewed and featured on television and radio shows. In addition our website, online registry, and efforts through public media provide valuable exposure for an ever-growing number of women artists and their work.
ABOUT THE JURORS
Mary Stoppert After earning her MFA in Sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stoppert taught at Northeastern Illinois University for 30 years, chairing the art department for 2 years, and serving as gallery director for 15 years. Her lengthy exhibition history includes the New Museum in New York, DePaul University and Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, and nearly all points between. She was a founding member of Artemisia Gallery and also the Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art. Stoppert is the recipient of many awards, including an NEA grant, the Art Institute of Chicago’s John G. Curtis Prize and the Frank G. Logan Award. Her work is in many private and public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Northeastern Illinois University, and the State of Illinois. In addition, Stoppert has served as an instrumental advisor, curator, and mentor to Woman Made Gallery and gallery staff since its inception. Mary Stoppert has been named one of America’s Outstanding Sculptors by Contemporary American Women Sculptors (Oryx Press). Beate Minkovski Beate Minkovski, co-founder and executive director of Woman Made Gallery (WMG) in Chicago, Illinois has studied sculpture in Bremen, Germany from 1962 to 1965 and earned her Bachelor of Arts at Northeastern Illinois University in 1992. She has guided WMG since its inception in 1992, and through December 2013 the organization has hosted 344 exhibitions, made up of 180 group shows, 113 invitational/solo shows, 40 Artisan Gallery exhibitions, and eleven off-site shows. More than 7,500 women artists have exhibited their work since WMG was established. Minkovski is the 2006 CWCA award recipient for achievements in the arts.
JURORS STATEMENT
“Jurying is always a great challenge and putting an interesting show together is a difficult task, especially when limited by viewing digital images rather than the actual art. There were hundreds of entries representing 2-D, 3-D, video and installation that explored the Equilibrium theme in a very different ways. We wanted work that was well-executed but also successfully addressed the exhibition theme. The approaches were as varied as the media, the theme was interpreted through: abstraction; figurative; metaphor; literal; and conceptual. We began by viewing images separately, selecting the pieces that spoke to us most. We then got together review and discuss selections, and finally to making the difficult choices to reduce the amount of artworks to what the WMG space can hold and still do the art and the theme justice.” - Mary “It was an interesting process, to co-jury with Mary Stoppert, my friend and mentor. Mary was one of my Professors when I returned to school from 1988 to 1992 at age 44. Her classes on women artists and a visit to Artemisia Gallery in Chicago (1973-2009), were one of the inspirations that started Woman Made Gallery and its mission to provide opportunities for women artists. The importance to support women artists and to educate the public about women's artistic contributions is as vital today as it was in 1992 when WMG opened its doors. We are truly proud to have shown the work of more than 7500 women artists since those early days.” - Beate We appreciate WCA for giving us the honor to put this show together; we thank all artists who submitted their work to Equilibrium. This exhibition, in the WMG space and in the accompanying catalog, is another great example of women's diverse and creative contributions to our culture. We are grateful to women artists, for sharing their voices and visions! Beate Minkovski + Mary Stoppert
The Feminist Art Project (TFAP) is an international, collaborative initiative recognizing the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on the visual arts, art history and art practice, past and present. TFAP promotes diverse feminist art events, education, resources and publications through its website and online calendar, and facilitates networking and regional program development worldwide. The Feminist Art Project brings together artists, curators, scholars, authors, teachers and other art and museum professionals across cultural backgrounds, generations and widespread locations to refocus public attention on the significant achievements of women artists and the contemporary Feminist Art Movement. TFAP National Committee:
Judith K. Brodsky, Judy Chicago, Kat Griefen, Leslie King-Hammond,
Catherine Morris, Dena Muller, Ferris Olin, Arlene Raven (1944-2006), Maura Reilly, Susan Fisher Sterling, Anne Swartz TFAP Honorary Committee: Norma Broude, E. John Bullard, Connie Butler, Mary D. Garrard, Chrissie Iles, Arnold Lehman, Lucy R. Lippard, Margo Machida, Cindy Nemser, Linda Nochlin, Faith Ringgold, Lowery Stokes Sims, Gloria Steinem TFAP Founding Program Partners: A.I.R. Gallery, ArtTable, Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, College Art Association, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center, Brooklyn Museum, Institute for Women and Art Rutgers University, Maryland Institute College of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Rutgers University Libraries, Through the Flower, Women’s Caucus for Art TFAP PROGAMS INCLUDE: TFAP On-line Calendar and Archives aims to effect permanent change by promoting and archiving exhibitions, performance, lectures, films, and other events and publications that recognize the work of wo
women artists, feminist content in art, feminist art practice, the impact of feminism on the art world and feminist analysis in art and art history and other cultural arenas. Artists, scholars, groups and presenters may post their national and international exhibitions, publications and programs that serve this mission on the TFAP calendar. It is free of charge to post and search the calendar. TFAP preserves all calendar listings in the TFAP virtual archives and requests physical documentation from calendar participants to add to The Feminist Art Project Archives to be held in the Miriam Schapiro Archives at Rutgers University for future scholarship on feminist art and feminist art organizations. Feminist Art Resources in Education (FARE), an online resource portal providing unlimited free public access to educational materials that utilize feminist art, theory and history to empower students, youth and adults to think critically about the social issues that shape their lives. Visitors to FARE can access curricula and teachers’ guides from proven programs that can be downloaded and adapted for use in classrooms, after-school programs, community projects, home school projects and more. FARE links to websites and multi-media resources that complement the curricula available on FARE and can be used in creating distinctive hands-on class projects. FARE also connects to a comprehensive network of art programs on women and gender being implemented across the country, and provides reading resources on feminist art, current trends, significant accomplishments of women artists and topics of gender and art. gender being implemented across the country, and provides reading resources on feminist art, current trends, significant accomplishments of women artists and topics of gender and art. TFAP Regional Coordinators—TFAP supports regional networking and program development by linking from the website to over 40 national and international coordinators. Coordinators act as conduits for those needing general information or interested in being involved with a local TFAP group, and initiate programs in their areas. TFAP@CAA—TFAP presents a diverse set of panels, performances, gallery talks and tours that attract anyone interested in contemporary art and ideas. These events offered under the umbrella title of TFAP@CAA, coincide with the annual College Art Association conferences taking place in various U.S. cities. Through these programs, the general public, art community, and emerging art professionals gain access to cutting edge work and ideas of artists, curators, performers and scholars, up close and through a feminist lens and participate in ongoing forums for feminist issues and discussions of global art and art history. All events are free and open to the public.
The Feminist Art Project is a program of the Institute for Women and Art (IWA), Rutgers University. The IWA is a unit of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a center of the Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic & Public Partnerships in the Arts & Humanities.
For more information contact: The Feminist Art Project, Institute for Women & Art Rutgers University 191 College Ave, 2nd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 tfap@rci.rutgers.edu 848-932-3726 Visit feministartproject.rutgers.edu
Equilibrium Artists
**artists with an * were exhibited at the Woman Made Gallery
Elaine Alibrandi Concord, Massachusetts www.artslant.com/website/elaine-alibrandi
Secrets Aluminum foil on slit, layered canvas 40 x 30 inches 2008
We all need to keep our rage in check beneath a facade of calm, but sometimes the facade cracks and the rage breaks through. This can be either good or bad, depending on the situation.
Lynn Arnold Ada, Michigan www.lynnarnoldup.com
Float * Acrylic, mixed media on canvas 42.5 x 46 inches 2013
Float is about detachment. Rising above daily tensions gives me a clearer perspective. I create a calmer approach toward these demands, trying not to get caught up in the chaos.
Andrea Beizer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania www.andreabeizer.com
What Are You Looking For Graphite on Canson drawing paper 11 x 14 inches 2013
I am interested in exploring the vulnerability and isolation of the individual in modern society. I use the “cartoon� format as method. It is through the questions and comments of the characters in the drawings that issues are explored. I believe that the immediacy of the cartoon is relevant in our fast-paced media obsessed contemporary world through the simplification of complex but relevant ideas.
Linda Belden San Francisco, California www.lindabelden.com
Inspired Camping Embroidery thread on linen 10 x 10 inches 2013
I am interested in “womanly� arts in the modern world. I value the use of traditional craft technique to make modern, relevant expression.
Margee Bright Ragland Clarkston, Georgia www.margee.squarespace.com
Spechter with Fruit * Mixed Media Collage 5 x 5 inches 2012
Specter with Fruit is a visual narrative exploring the theme of Equilibrium. The hooded figure in this work balances apples and lemons on a ground of black skulls. My idea was that in life one experiences highs and lows, good things and bad things, and hopefully those experiences will lead to a full and rich life. Death is always present, but stability and balance provide fulfillment. Of course, the viewers individual interpretation of the work is equally valid.
Carol Brookes Chicago, Illinois www.carolbrookes.com
Surface Pulse: Angel Hair, Primordial, Cryptic, Specimen * Sculpting epoxy, mixed media, acrylic, wood and canvas 48 x 48 x 8 inches 2013
PULSE examines the hemisphere as a structure, the ordinary forms we see each day in their many incarnations, such as an egg, an eye, the earth, planets, and domes. The concepts that these forms evoke are explored in the series; thoughts and insights into life, birth, and the mystical and mysterious. These works strive to create a balance; an equilibrium between the industrial and organic, soft and hard edge, the sphere and the square and search for the fine balance between art as compulsion and art as life.
Jennifer Cawley Somerset, Massachusetts www.jennifercawley.net
For Congo * Pigment print wallpaper Dimensions variable 2011
For Congo is wallpaper that foreground the background issue of the use of rape as a tool of war. From a distance these works appear orderly, balanced, as jewel-like abstracted patterns. Surface beauty seduces viewers into looking more closely at the disturbing images that form these works and registers individual and global desire and consumption as well as competition for resources and power that partly drive the global disequilibria and the horrific acts to which this series refer.
Rene Culler Mobile, Alabama www.reneculler.com
Magic Square 5 * Fused glass, vitreous enamel, silver stain, encaustic 22 x 22 inches 2013
This work is of a mathematical magic square that yields the same sum no matter how the numbers are added, whether in rows or columns, or diagonally. Because the numerals used are those that are found in digital form, they can be looked at upside-down and still yield the same sum of 176. It is a type of mathematical palindrome. These numbers; 1, 7, 6 are added to yield 14, and when 1 + 4 are added, 5 is produced, the number of power as in the planet Mars. There is balance in the actual sums of the numbers from every direction.
Gina Dabrowski St. Paul, Minnesota www.ginadabrowski.com
Three Pear Jars Polymer Photogravure 8 x 10 inches 2013
In my project Jars, I celebrate women's work by photographing canned goods prepared by my grandmother over thirty years ago. The contents of the jars feed our bodies and the aura of their presence nurtures our souls. These prints are photogravures, a time consuming printmaking process that calls for care and precision. It is like following a cookbook recipe and in many ways, it mirrors the meticulous requirements of canning. The technique combines my art making with my focus on familial relationships.
Lynn Dau Los Altos, California www.lynndau.com
New and Improved * Wood, lumber, acrylic paint and test tubes 10 x 36 x 3 inches 2013
New and Improved employs bright artificial colors just like the new gadgets we buy because advertisers have convinced us they will make our lives better. The newspaper prayer-mat in Thirty-three Prayers symbolizes the world as it is, while the 33 vertebrae scrolls contain my hopes for the future. Mother Bored is an exaggerated reflection of my lost equilibrium. As a professional turned homemaker I often feel like an assembly-line worker so integrated with mindlessly repetitive routines that I am little more than a machine.
Cat Del Buono Brooklyn, New York www.catdelbuono.com
American Female * Video 1:15 min 2012
This video was inspired by statistics that show how female value in our society lies solely in beauty and sexuality. It incorporates installation and performance. Each word on each balloon is a trait that can be used to describe a female. Off camera, I threw darts to pop the balloons. As the balloons pop, the traits representing women are gradually reduced to just one dimension: physical attractiveness.
Sherri Denault Piper City, Illinois www.sherridenault.com
Attempting an Escape * Treated thread sewn on vellum paper 18 x 24 inches 2013
Thinking about society today and how fast paced it has become with the Internet constantly at our disposal, I envision a “mind storm�. This whirlwind is not all bad and can be fun and exciting at times, but I find pauses are needed to find balance. This work is mainly about the process, the series of decisions and is primarily about the entanglement and illusion of thought.
Debra Dobkin Studio City, California www.art.debradobkin.com
Prisoner Of Our Own Device Oil on collaged canvas 22 x 28 inches 2013
My intention in this painting, is to capture the struggle between the real world and the psyche. As artists, we are pulled in different directions by "theses"—SHOULD BE “these" forces everyday. There is art in achieving a perfect balance in life. As we take a mentalu snapshot of something or someone, we transform it into a two dimensional image of our creation. Lost in the painting and transported by the work, energy flows through us and for a moment, we are balanced... and then the cell phone rings.
Hope Esser Chicago, Illinois www.hopeesser.com
Don't Worry Baby * Digital video, HD 1920x1080, birdhouse shoes 2:49 minutes 2012
The birdhouse shoes and the video Don’t Worry Baby are part of a body of work exploring my romantic ideals gleaned from traditional novels, ballads and pop culture alike. My work addresses that such ideals are faulty but also acknowledges my ever-present longing for them. In Don’t Worry Baby, I lace myself into the birdhouse shoes. As I struggle to keep balance, Don’t Worry Baby by the Beach Boys plays, a song about anticipation and a lover's reassurance of the outcome of an event that is about to happen.
Hope Esser Chicago, Illinois www.hopeesser.com
Birdhouse Shoes * Found birdhouses, boots 11 x 7 x 12 inches 2012
I am an artist who reveres both the tactility of objects and the ephemerality of performance. Through the use of garment, sculpture, video and performance, I seek to create a world where another logic and another set of rules can take over in order to re-imagine feminine longing and desire. My pieces begin with the manipulation of materials into sculptural objects that also function as props in my performances and videos. I constructed a pair of shoes that have birdhouses as the shoe heels.
Danielle Eubank Tujunga, California www.danielleeubank.com
Syrian Offshore Oil on linen 24 x 30 inches 2009
I am making a statement about the unifying preciousness of water by documenting it all over the world through my paintings. Syrian Offshore depicts a becalmed sea just offshore from Syria, in the midst of a brutal civil war. Its calm surface belies the environmental and social disasters beneath. On the shore children burned tires. Chickens poked in the mud for food. Below me, in the Mediterranean Sea, were baby strollers, plastic bottles, tires, food wrappers, paint cans, and 2,500 years of detritus. Children were swimming.
Jean Fernandes Arlington, Texas jeanmfernandes@hotmail.com
Intrusion * Glass 3.5 x 3.5 x 10 inches 2013
The relationships between causal action and reactive phenomena, fluidity and rigidity, positive and negative spaces guide my explorations which utilize the intrinsic properties of the materials I work with. Visual metaphors and symbolic processes help me convey ideas of interaction and transition through abstraction; material and color are exploited to capture their influence on and connection to one another through the remnants of process.
Helen Geglio South Bend, Indiana geglio@sbcglobal.net
The Lost Art of Mending 2 * Quilted cotton and linen, cotton embroidery 38 x 27 inches 2013
The textile work in this series reflects a loss of cultural wisdom. In an increasingly disposable world, we have forgotten, or maybe forsaken, the knowledge of fixing, repairing and mending the things in our lives. These pieces of “slow cloth� honor the process and purpose of mending; reclaiming the fabric of life.
Jill Gewirtz New York, New York www.jillgewirtz.com
Woman in the Middle Digital photo 11 x 14 inches 2013
Balance is something we strive for in life. It is that moment when we resonate with life's energy and await the chaos to settle. This is especially relevant in street photography, when people or imagery are aligned. These images reflect decisive moments captured on the NYC streets where balance comes together.
Lea Goldman South Bend, Indiana www.leagoldman.com
Conspiracy oil on canvas 48 x 36 inches 2010
Figurative paintings addressing social issues such as lack of concern for the “small� citizen, suspicion, and loss.
Janice Gossman Garwood, New Jersey stormkinger@msn.com
Cognac Digital photograph 15 x 11 inches 2013
This image was created through technological manipulations. The thought of not being able to keep up with technological advances is somewhat stressful. Sometimes, turning to a vice (such as a glass of cognac) momentarily takes the edge off.
Karen Gutfreund San Jose, California www.karengutfreund.com
CTRL ALT DEL Mixed media on canvas 24 x 24 inches 2013
With my CRTL-ALT-DEL series I'm examining the concept of creating “do-overs”, reinventing and defining oneself, juxtaposing the digital realm manifesting in the personal. One swift keystroke—wipe everything out to reinvent oneself, creating an alternative universe. Starting over in this new place, with a new story, digitally it's clean, a pristine series of zeros and ones; the real world doesn't operate like that. Wiping everything out over and over, the layers of life and memory get thin, unsubstantial, and disintegrate.
Lucy Julia Hale Cave Spring, Georgia lucyjulia@live.com
Betrayal of Childhood (Human Traffic) Paper collage 6.5 x 8.5 inches 2013
Through the image of a child’s bedroom that I choose to elaborate toward expressing the impact of human trafficking had an odd lack of warmth and an unsettling overpopulation of resident dolls. I don’t want to suggest that the interior designer of that room was promoting human trafficking.
Lucy Julia Hale Cave Spring, Georgia lucyjulia@live.com
Consuming Passion: American Bridal Patterns Paper collage 8.25 x 10.25 inches 2013
Laurie Hall Two Rivers, Wisconsin lhlethall@gmail.com
His and Hers * Found objects, assemblage 10 x 14 x 8 inches 2012
Time, money, ecology. People, work, love. Self-preservation, ethics, mortality. These and other entities vie for attention and energy, internal demands competing with external pressures in continual motion and ongoing challenge. Is psychological equilibrium possible? If equilibrium is achieved, it is fragile and fleeting. When unique moments coalesce in equipoise, the phenomenon is delicate and unrepeatable. Then the next word is spoken, the next dream is dreamed. A state of rest swiftly transforms into a state of striving.
Kelly Hammargren Berkeley, California www.hankkellyartists.com
Political Nonsense Paper mache, wire, wood, parrot feathers, string, paint, purchased lettering 36 x 18 x 18 inches 2011
Political Nonsense points to the ridiculousness of the messengering that is supposed to keep us in a constant state of fear with the call to repeat what is heard rather than consider the facts.
Susan Harmon Sterling, Kansas susyharm@hotmail.com
and her parts scattered and she let them go Mixed media, paper 24 x 30 inches 2013
“I awoke in a small white room, devoid of any windows or furniture and with padded walls. I was totally disorientated and couldn’t think where I was. A strong fluorescent light shone down on me. I looked down at myself. I was dressed in a paper nightdress.” p.122, Scarred, by Sophia Laguna. Mental illness affects us all, whether on a personal or a larger level. My intention in creating this body of art is to use the universal language of art to increase people’s awareness through the presentation of strong emotive and expressive paintings.
Maxine Hess Woodstock, Georgia www.maxinehess.com
Hanging On By A Thread Fabric, stitching 29.25 x 27.75 inches 2012
Since 2008 I witnessed an increasing change in the job market and the world of work. The balance has shifted from a job seeker’s to an employer’s market. That shift presented many new challenges to job seekers including financial security, new skill sets, and new job seeking approaches. As an artist I set out to capture what I observed, long lines of unemployed workers waiting to fill out unemployment benefit forms, job applications, and applications for upgrading their skills. Many were literally hanging on by a thread.
Karen Hillier Bryan, Texas www.karenhillier.com
Dorothy Flusche (Althea) Ink and pigmented ink on transparent base 35 x 24.75 x 3 inches 2011
Memory aids in shaping an understanding of seemingly contradictory perceptions of one’s experience. And memory helps sustain a sense of identity in the midst of fluidity of existence. The source material for these drawings is my grandparents’ handkerchiefs infused with personal origins. Conceptually the two-sided drawing is an indicator of lack of formation of a single “image” in experience or in memory. Understanding experience resides in the tension of holding multiple points of view simultaneously.
Beth Holmes Marshfield, Wisconsin www.beth-holmes.weebly.com/index.html
Egg Pulley: Side View * Oil on wood panel 10 x 10 inches 2013
The balance between organic and inorganic is essential to our survival.
Martha Markline Hopkins Tuscaloosa, Alabama www.mahopkins.blogspot.com
Red Arrow * Acrylic and powdered pigment on shaped canvas 18 x 16 x 3 inches 2012
I strive for minimalism with expression. I like to use geometric shapes with color and texture adding the extra dimension of expression.
Melanie Houghton Houghton, Michigan www.abfigstractures.weebly.com
Sporadic Moments Acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 inches 2012
Created to enhance understanding in an emotional abuse victim's life, Sporadic Moments is a perceived, never-ending solution to the never ending battle of depression. Finding those pure moments of happiness can regulate a bad day as long as those feelings are harnessed.
Hilla Hueber Pacifica, California www.paintingcurve.com
Anything Under the Sun * Pen and ink drawing over ink wash on watercolor paper 13 x 20 inches 2013
Pen and ink is my preferred medium for drawings. With variations in tone and gradation of ink and added geometric shapes, I can explore the relationship between the ink background and the shapes that emerge with the lines drawn over the ink wash. The formal vocabulary keeps evolving. Even small variations in line or color strength, the overlay of patterns allow new discoveries. Simple geometric shapes like triangles, squares, circles, are chosen for their simplicity and their universal accessibility.
Veronica Jaeger Pharr, Texas www.veronicajaeger.com
Building 2 Mixed media on paper 18 x 12 inches 2013
Castle is about constructing our own world around ourselves as an attempt to be isolated from the external crazy environment and society to find peace and balance physically and mentally, in our own terms.
Cathy Kapica Arlington Hts, Illinois www.flickr.com/photos/newdawnartist
Dinaminis Vintage beads on wood with sand grout 23 x 23 inches 2013
To bring the world into balance, we must respect our heritage yet infuse it with meaning for the future. These works of art upcycle vintage beads, which represent our cultured past, and infuses them with energy to inspire movement. The beads are from the collections of 85+ year old women who have moved on to the next phase of their existence.
Marky Kauffmann Milton, Massachusetts www.markykauffmannphotography.com
Lost Beauty: Iona Facial Ink jet print 24 x 16 x 3 inches 2012
This piece is from Lost Beauty, a body of work about aging and the loss of patriarchal culture’s idea of physical beauty. Why do women succumb to the knife, the chemical, the poison, in an attempt to change what is inevitable? The original photograph is a bleached silver gelatin print. I use the bleach symbolically. It represents all the ways in which women alter themselves to delay aging. The question I am asking is, what is lost? The answer is complicated—body, mind, soul.
Lisa Knoop San Francisco, California www.lisaknoop.com
Sequential Stability * Mixed Media on panel 12 x 12 inches 2012
An interest in the word precarious led me to this series of work. What pushes something out of balance and into a state of precariousness? I chose to work with a limited palette, a few shapes and a series of figures inspired by Eadweard Muybridge’s studies of motion. I am particularly interested in the point at which something shifts from a stable and balanced state into the more dynamic state of precariousness. There are unknown possibilities when one is not securely held in a particular position, magic can happen.
Ronni Komarow Brighton, Massachusetts rkomarow@yahoo.com
The Phase Mixed media 15 x 9 inches 2011
When my son was younger he was my friend, my little sweetheart. We laughed and did fun things together. We used to have mother-son “dates� going out for a French toast brunch or after-dinner ice cream. Then adolescence hit. He now refused to be seen with me, no longer would talk to me or walk with me. This artist's book is in part my effort to accept this painful transition in my life. It is my search to find my own emotional equilibrium in navigating this personally painful phase in my son's life.
Lily Lihting Li Kostrzewa Mt. Pleasant, Michigan www.lilykostrzewa.com
Oriental Red 2 Mixed media on canvas 24 x 40 inches 2013
Red color has been used to celebrate Chinese New Year around the world. It is not the ordinary red, it is a very bright red packed with happy emotion, associates with luck, joy and prosperity. Oriental red is like the Fire in the Five Elements (Chinese philosophy), it is the element of heat, enthusiasm, peak of growth and warmth in human relationships. The Fire is upward motion, hence is associated with dynamic, energetic, passionate, enterprising energies. I want to bring the viewers positive mind and energetic outlook to life. I also want to bring in the enthusiasm of Chinese celebration to viewers to improve cross-cultural understanding and global awareness.
Beth Lakamp Fenton, Missouri www.bettsvando.com
Goodbye Old Friends * Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches 2013
Heavy outlines and lines define my work. Lines that highlight the circumstances of our daily existence.
Judy Langston Park Ridge, Illinois clouds@oakton.edu
Restore * Giclee print 22 x 38 inches 2010
Through the use of compositional elements, I see these pictures as a metaphor for life: just as Nature flows in and out of balance in the rhythm of life, circumstances in our life can occur to throw us off-balance and make us uncomfortable, followed by times when things return to a state of balance and go smoothly and effortlessly for us: the eternal ebb and flow of Nature.
Lee Lee Taos, New Mexico www.lee-lee.com
Beetle Kill * Oil on canvas 9 x 7 inches 2011
Looking at the post industrial western landscape, this work reflects the environmental impacts of how we live today. It is shocking to see entire mountain ranges cloaked in the rust color of dead pines because winters were not cold enough to keep the pine beetle in check. While sprawled out onto the plains below lay stockyards to support an atrocious form of industrial meat production and refineries which spew persistent organic pollutants into the air. This work serves as a cautionary note as we linger on the cusp of change.
Marielena Leon Oviedo, Florida www.marielenaleon.com
Systolic Murmur Hand-built stoneware, glaze fabric and feathers 16 x 14 x 12 inches 2012
My new cocoons may be touched on the outside and inside. The interior contains a variety of sensory pleasing components, which represent concealed desires and deprived moments due to the male-oriented education. Although I have a pre-conception of what I want to put inside, each piece lingers in conversation with me until we reach silence, finally finding that supreme moment of sharing with others the elusive universe of what cannot be put into words.
Chandrika Marla Northbrook, Illinois chandrika.marla@gmail.com
Do You Remember * Acrylic and block-printed fabric on canvas 30 x 30 inches 2011
Every morning, as we get ready for the day, we subconsciously reach for our social skin. Our minds are a blur of images from advertisements, television, Facebook updates, and memories of flawlessly airbrushed women in magazines. But who are we supposed to be today? We dress our part to put on a charade and play out our concept of normalcy. The body is redundant, the clothes are a form on their own, and they can talk and think; our outer personas continue their superficial lives without our presence.
Hildy Maze East Hampton, New York www.hildymaze.com
What if a rose, thorn and all were to grow from your heart * Oil on paper 45 x 52 inches 2013
What if our laughter and tears filled the sky like stars? These images and titles attempt to invigorate and redefine the many contradictory, conditional voices and feelings struggling for control over our inner and outer lives through technique, materials or line and form as the voice, of image, feeling and thought. The titles sometimes juxtapose the image to release this helter-skelter of our rapidly changing world to a momentary often forgotten spaciousness.
Hildy Maze East Hampton, New York www.hildymaze.com
Edge of Empty * Oil on paper collage 21 x 27 inches 2013
What if our laughter and tears filled the sky like stars? These images and titles attempt to invigorate and redefine the many contradictory, conditional voices and feelings struggling for control over our inner and outer lives through technique, materials or line and form as the voice, of image, feeling and thought. The titles sometimes juxtapose the image to release this helter-skelter of our rapidly changing world to a momentary often forgotten spaciousness.
Karlene McConnell Ormond Beach, Florida www.karlenemcconnell.com
Sanctuary Acrylic on canvas 2013
These sanctuary pieces are meant to portray the solace and comfort found in nature. These places provide the balance needed to exist in our often chaotic world.
Kelsey McDonnell Buffalo, Wyoming www.kelseymcdonnell.com
She Didn't Feel Like an Object Acrylic 40 x 30 inches 2013
My current body of work is an exploration of my experience as a woman. I use the female tree figures, trees, branches, and chairs in my art as symbolic figures for concepts, feelings, and ideas. I have always felt a great connection with trees and the female form.
Penny McElroy Redlands, California www.magpieseye.com
El camino entre las estrellas de la muerte (the path between the stars of death) * Acrylic paint, photocopy, vintage paper, fabric, embroidery floss, dried leaves, palm bark 12 x 12 inches 2012
Some people think that because humans walk upright, that balance comes naturally to us. I think that seeking balance may come naturally, but that actual balance is more elusive. I am interested in the ways that pursuing a sense of balance or, conversely, engaging with the ideas, actions or circumstances that disrupt balance can lead to insight or enlightenment. There is poetry in the quest and in the confounding of expectations that I seek to explore and express in my work.
BettyAnn Mocek Chicago, Illinois www.bettyannmocek.com
Balance Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 12 x 9 inches 2013
Nurturers, workers, teachers, caretakers and more: past, present or future, the loads they shoulder seem to be timeless but with a marching sense of hope and goodwill.
Sandra Mueller Malibu, California sandramueller@charter.net
Morning Gardens * Archival Digital Print 20 x 24 inches 2013
Morning Gardens presents grounded intention and playful floating as key elements in a changing world in a common frame. The shared colors of the Sari-clad woman tending temple grounds in Khajuraho and the pink orb floating among spring reeds at Green Valley Lake in California invite a narrative flow between the two parts of the diptych are separated by two oceans and hundreds of years in history. My intent is that viewers can explore the relationship—yet, appreciate the uniqueness of each part.
Jennifer Murray Brooklyn, New York www.jmurraystudio.com
Ornament (Stag) * Acrylic on panel 24 x 18 inches 2012
My works are meditations on the enduring power of mythology and the depth of our connection to the environments, forces, and creatures of the natural world. The primary focus of my work is to utilize the imagery of nature to illustrate human issues. My artistic practice reflects my belief that mythological relationships must be renegotiated to facilitate our cultural relationship to our natural reality in the Digital Age.
Janice Nesser St. Louis, Missouri www.janicenesser.com
memento mori Inkjet prints, army map holders (Vietnam era), reclaimed wood, embroidery thread, metals frogs, decay 36 x 36 x 5 inches 2012
memento mori deals with objects and the role they play in our memories. They represent the delicate balance between what we remember and what actually was.
Mary Neubauer Chandler, Arizona www.sculpture-digital.net
Climate Change IV Digital Lambda print on Fuji Crystal Archive 20 x 40 inches 2012
Over the past two years, I have developed a series of digital prints focusing on the drama and strangeness of the natural environment, interwoven with biographical and experiential content. Multi-layered distillations of meaning emerge from these dream-like forms, based on environments ranging from the Desert Southwest to northernmost borders of Ireland.
Brenda Oelbaum Ann Arbor, Michigan www.brendaoelbaum.me
The Sky Is Falling * Video 3 min 49 sec 2013
“Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women’s history” Naomi Wolf Hysteria over fat has us obsessed with body size and food intake to the tune of 66 billion dollars annually. Dieting is not only counterproductive, but all encompassing; dulling the mind and will where counting calories is pretty much all we can do. The surest thing Mao Tse Tung said was “Women hold up half the sky,” so I ask the viewer “How can we hold up our half of the sky if we are busy worrying about the numbers on a scale?” Scales R 4 Fish!
Gail Panske Oshkosh, Wisconsin panske@uwosh.edu
Forward nisnocsiW Woodcut on paper 22 x 16 inches 2013
One of a series of political satire prints Forward nisnocsiW expresses the absence of balance in our political dialogue, especially in my home state of Wisconsin. The main figure is Forward a sculpture by Jean Pond Miner, completed at the 1893 World’s Columbia Exposition in Chicago. The artist intended the allegorical piece to reflect the qualities she felt represented Wisconsin, devotion and progress. Today, a replica stands near the west entrance of the State Capital. The original is in the lobby of the State Historical Society.
Joann Perry St. Paul, Minnesota www.joann-perry.artistwebsites.com
Magical Triplet Double Hibiscus * Watercolor 10 x 20 inches 2013
Balance or equilibrium or the fitting together of all things finds it expression to me in a watercolor painting. The cotton of the paper, brought from France across the sea, the chemicals of the paint, the life gift of water, the expression of beauty, the translation of the outer world through the inner eye, the story painted, the story received and recreated by the viewer which re-inspires the artist, all come together to make a new tale in the human psyche which is constantly written anew. And, I like flowers.
Corinne D. Peterson Chicago, Illinois www.cdpeterson.com
Magnetic Forces * Charcoal on paper 17.25 x 22.75 inches 2013
During 2012 I traveled for several weeks in Sweden and Norway, the countries from which my grandparents emigrated. I was curious about the geology, myths, and history that influenced their lives. I also noted how my internal landscape shifted as the outer landscape changed. I practiced awakening to, accepting and working with the full range of my emotions. This is one of the drawings I made after I returned home. I wanted to see what forms would emerge if I welcomed all those forces into the process.
Laura Petrovich-Cheney Asbury Park, New Jersey www.lauracheney.com
Good Bye Clancy * Salvaged boat wood 15.5 x 24 inches 2011
Having a profound interest in the natural world, Laura Petrovich-Cheney is an artist whose work is about resurrecting and transforming debris. After the life-altering events associated with Hurricane Sandy, she began collecting wooden debris from the devastated communities—floorboards, window frames, cabinets, dressers, exterior siding-anything that she could find that evoked life before the storm. She finds inspiration from traditional American patchwork quilt design, which are familiar and comforting.
Laura Phelps Rogers Denver, Colorado www.lauraphelpsrogers.com
A Space In Time * Mixed media with digital photographs on silk 5 x 3.5 x 4 feet 2013
A Space In Time is the namesake piece for an installation work (37' x 27') where the rural is contrasted with the urban, creating a dialogue about disappearing open space and man's desire to control nature. The work exhibited here intends to create a conversation about blue sky as a device synonymous with happiness and the crazy notion one could remove it at a whim and place it within man's reach to be used at our leisure as we please.
Amy Pleasant Seattle, Washington www.amypleasantseattle.com
donum lance: gift of balance Acrylic and oil on board 16 x 20 inches 2013
I have come to see balance as a gift, not the figurative but the literal. After struggling with Menieres disease with its deliberating companion vertigo for the past 7 months, no longer is equilibrium taken for granted; all my years without an appreciation of the miracle of it. This self portrait was painted the week following a terrifying episode which landed me in ER. My world has become smaller and I am climbing out of the inky void seeking equilibrium, seeking my wider world to return to.
Gwendolyn Plunkett Houston, Texas www.gwendolynplunkett.com
Silence * Encaustic on panel 12 x 12 inches 2008
Birth, death and all that lies in between—change is normal. Priorities shift. Adjusting is with us from the beginning.
Carol Quint Brooklyn, New York www.carolquint.com
En la Memoria: La Madre Naturaleza Wood, chicken bones, beads and tree branch, 7 x 10 x 3 inches, 2013
The death of the world killed by each other while the weather twirled it was the mother twigs with no branches Though we still try la madre still dies feel the mother’s wrath you can see from the torn up paths People in danger in danger from themselves no wonder we are damaged for we have damaged her Ariana-aged 12
Shilo Ratner Pacifica, California www.shiloratner.com
Finding Balance Acrylic Paint, Pencil, Indian Ink on Paper 22 x 30 inches 2013
We live in a world of a constant connection. The search for finding balance within can help be a source to find inner peace in a constantly changing world.
Lynda A. N. Reyes Glendale, California www.Lyndaanreyes.com
Something's Cooking Oil on canvas 18 x 24 inches 2011
In Something’s Cooking, the smoke seems to rise from the pipe but the pipe is not lit. Whence the smoke? We often fail to identify the source of tension and conflict because we refuse to see outside the boundary. I am preoccupied with messages hidden behind representational imagery. Whether in oil or watercolor, my people, landscape, seascape and still life paintings invite the viewers to peer and ponder. Through heightened contrast of light and dark, drama and mystery are infused with an otherwise mundane subject.
Ann Rowles Atlanta, Georgia www.annrowles.com
Reliquary * Cotton thread, metal walker basket, wire 30 x 36 x 12 inches 2012
Caring for my elderly mother for 9 years, I used crochet to continue to create sculpture, which helped me to maintain equilibrium in my chaotic life. The relic in Reliquary is a metal basket that was attached to my mother's walker, so that she could carry her purse with her when I took her to appointments.
Ellen Schillace St. Paul, Minnesota www.ellenschillace.com
Male and Female * Digital print 11 x 16 inches 2005
Ever since I was old enough to smell the dew on the grass, I knew the power of the earth to heal, to teach, and to nurture. I have recently gotten more serious about my photography as an art as I have always been a painter. The theme equilibrium draws me to balance in this 21st technology chaos. What I have garnered from my photography, not to mention the powerful experience of being there at the moment, is a gift.
Sandhi Schimmel Gold S. Chesterfield, Virginia www.schimmelart.com
My Resting Place (Mayn Rue Platz) Paper on Canvas, Charred Photos, Gel images, thread, pins, locks, ashes & silk flowers 24 x 24 inches 2013
My work reflects the constant bombardment of images of beauty aimed at women. By reusing (cutting up and reassembling) these images and advertisements, I am able to create an entirely new and more meaningful image; one filled with emotion or one that tells a story about women; of love, of identity, or inequality. I respond to the never ending barrage by utilizing materials that would otherwise go to waste; to retell the narrative of women's lives and challenges.
Sally Schluter Tardella Bloomfield, Michigan www.sallyschlutertardella.com
Directions Ink, color pencil, spray paint and whiteout on paper 30 x 22 inches 2010
Elements remain vertical despite the pull of gravity—the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth. The horizontal movement of the center of gravity—sway—exists even as elements seem still. As shapes are charged with energy by their proximity to each other in the force field, an even distribution of weight is maintained.
Carol Scott Metairie, Louisiana jcscott1707@hotmail.com
To the Point * Colored pencil and acrylic on clay board 24 x 30 inches 2012
I have chosen to represent the theme through symbols—crystal ball to see the future, stacked crystal symbolic of a delicate balancing act, push pins and straight pins for the uncomfortable feeling if you get out of balance.
Ruth Segaloff Watertown, Massachusetts www.ruthsegaloff.com
EBONY & IVORY: Can't We All Just Get Along? Antique accordion taken apart & turned inside out; added decorative elements and found objects 24 x 24 x 12 inches 2012
“Equilibrium” is a profound theme in this time of chaos and violence. I believe Art can make a difference. My piece, Ebony & Ivory, constructed from an antique accordion, reminded me of Paul McCartney’s song he performed with Stevie Wonder. Equilibrium, two sides in balance. The subtitle, remarkably, was a plea from Rodney King after he was brutally beaten by Los Angeles police during a riot. “Can’t we all just get along?” he asked. The world would be a much better place.
Janna Stern Santa Monica, California www.jannastern.com
Changing Identity Ricepaper gallery wrapped on cradled art panel 40 x 30 inches 2013
911 changed our world and is still changing it. Our international politics, our view of others, fear, frustration and complexity of modern travel and doing business are all affected for our need for better security. Attitudes and laws about sexual preference are changing in our world. We now must decide what makes a marriage or a family and work toward solutions that create acceptance and appropriate responses to deal with visiting a sick loved one, adopting children and gaining entrance to closed societies.
Gail Stouffer Bulverde, Texas www.gailstouffer.com
Grey Area * Framed print on paper 6 x 11 inches 2013
Whether it’s the social imbalance of jobs in the military, the political conflict of unequal representation in Washington, D.C., limited nationwide access to reproductive healthcare, global access to education for girls, the issues of workplace pay equality, worldwide sexual safety from rape, or the smaller private battles women wage for domestic equality, issues of equilibrium take their toll. In my work I strive to give voice to these struggles so that the lives of women around the globe may someday change.
Patricia Terrell-O’Neal Santa Monica, California www.ptoneal.com
Carrying Her Load * Mixed media collage, pen and ink wash on rag paper 18 x 14 inches 2013
Our desire to humanize our animals, to decorate our bodies, to carry our load to greater and greater distances, has become more than a trend; it is modern times in a changing world.
Leigh Toldi San Mateo, California www.toldileigh.blogspot.com
Riding Chaos Acrylic on board 18 x 24 inches 2009
No matter how crazy it gets, balance can always be found somewhere within the chaos. Travel, intellectual studies, spiritualism, expressive arts, cohabitation with pets, community discourse, and experiences with nature; what clutters our lives can also soothe, depending on how we turn our minds to look at it.
Cynthia Tom San Francisco, California www.cynthiatom.com
Discards & Variances: A Rich Cultural Tradition * Pillows, string, labels, old model ship Variable
Cynthia Tom Art has the power to inspire healing, build community compassion and aspiration. Discards & Variances is my artistic means to deepen the understanding of Asian America and thereby breaking long help stereotypes. Many cultures have deep ancestral trauma, these stories need to be told so healing, compassion and the collective unconscious can grow.
Virginia Tyler Durham, North Carolina www.soho20gallery.com/virginia-tyler-work/
Orion's Buckle Cast copper alloy beads, cast iron, steel rods, coal, plumb bob, monofilament 6 x 6 x 3 feet 2012
My most recent installation, Orion’s Buckle, is based on a constellation that is visible from both Ghana and the US. When I went to Africa, my view of the world changed. Even the stars seemed to tilt because I was in a different spot on the globe. I saw the belt of Orion in a new way; the skies were dark enough to see the “nursery” for newly formed galaxies that glows faintly near his belt buckle. The stars seemed perfectly balanced except for the glow of the spot where new galaxies were coming into being.
Jeane Vogel St. Louis, Missouri www.vogelpix.com
Resting * Photograph on aluminum 16 x 20 inches 2012
Finding joy in dance, peace in contemplation, and strength in each other.
Janet Frazee Wade Chesterfield, Missouri www.janetfrazeewade.weebly.com
Body, Mind and Spirit/Seeking Stillness * Handbuilt vessels, handmade paper, dyed fabric, organics, encaustic wax, found objects 15x8x8, 12x8x8, 9x8x8 inches 2013
Seeking balance in this sometimes chaotic world is the focus of this piece. My aim was to capture the time in space when the vessels are moving from stillness and reacting to the outside forces that cause them to swirl and dance. Like us, these vessels are vulnerable to chaos yet are also capable of finding center and returning to stillness. Each vessel is delicately balanced upon industrial springs that have been attached to a wooden block, thus allowing for the movement that I wanted to capture and reveal.
Elizabeth Wallace Trabuco Canyon, California www.etwallace.com
Totem * Woodcut 27 x 22 inches 2010
These images were inspired by a monastery shrine walk in Southern California. I discovered this place while searching for a natural woodland environment to hike and find peace and solitude. The unexpected discovery of this shrine walk provided me with a retreat where I could find emotional solace and comfort—a place where I could regain my equilibrium.
Deborah Wheeler East Lansing, Michigan www.deborahalmawheeler.com
Privilege Water fountain, sign 24 x 20 x 50 feet 2012
A form of semiotic manipulation occurs through the re-contextualization of objects and their conventional spaces. As the signifier is removed from preconceived material frameworks, shifting context exposes charged meaning behind ordinary objects. The viewer begins to perceive my reconstructed objects and environments through a new signified idea or sign. The concept of each sculpture or installation is critical in determining material choice, site specificity, and aesthetic direction.
Joyce Wynes Davidson, North Carolina www.joycewynes.com
Compassionate Hand Acrylic, mixed media on canvas 24 x 30 inches 2012
Hands tell us much about people by the way they are placed, their actions (reactions), and the way they are accessorized. My hand paintings represent our frantic lifestyles and our life choices. Sometimes it can feel like everyone is reaching for you for one reason or another and my hand paintings give me the outlet to express those feelings. This painting in particular shows how we respond with our hands to our work and personal lives and maintaining balance with all that we do.
Nancy Youdelman Clovis, California www.nancyyoudelman.com
Haystack * Mixed media with encaustic 6 x 3.75 x 10.5 inches 2013
My mother died suddenly many years ago and I was the one who sorted the things in her bedroom. When I saw her glasses on the table next to her bed, I was overcome with sadness and at the same time struck with the realization when we die, these objects that were once so important have lost their purpose. In my artwork I use the stuff left behind, forgotten clothes, baby shoes, dried-up bouquets, anonymous photos, letters written by those who are now dead; I bind them together with thread that will not be used to sew with.
Patricia Zalisko Ft. Myers, Florida www.pkzart.com
Lumberland, 10-68 Acrylic, graphite, ink, charcoal, pencil on paper mounted on board 23 x 23 inches 2013
Walls have always fascinated me. Like the walls containing the teeming activity in bustling cities, they are a source of inspiration, an open invitation for surreptitious artists or those wanting to communicate a message. Walls bear witness to life and death, tragedies and triumphs, everyday toils and joys, changing seasons and aging, damaged, patched and scarred. Nonetheless, walls remain standing, constant and seemingly impenetrable. If walls could talk‌ and they do!