Ways of Remembering was a collaborative project between CVAC and the Coachella Valley History Museum. CVHM chose three military Veterans from WWII, _____ the Korean War, _____ and the VietNam War, Patrick Sprinkel, whose rememberances were translated to words and imagery on panels. CVAC chose three Veterans currently working as artists whose rememberances were interpreted by their creative work. Michael Aschenbrenner, VietNam, Wm. Marquez, VietNam and Jeffrey Stenbom, Iraq/Afghanistan.
Jan. 11 - Feb. 16 , 2020
Daily Collage series
We can argue about which of the collages by artist Annetta Kapon we prefer and which composition, colors or shapes we’d happily hang on our walls. Such is the way abstraction often works. Until we hear about the method, processes and thinking behind it, we are likely to take it at face value. But it’s worth asking if the endless permutations of fantastical colorful compositions on gridded paper is all there is. After all, this collage series follows an engagement of the artist with matter and language as well as conceptual contradictions that have led to sometimes ironic, sometimes deliberately absurd results in her work. Could it be that she has given all that up for facile, playful indulgence with form alone?
The first clue in the work is the numbering of each piece that substitutes for a title. These are serially produced, sequentially numbered pieces as if in a production facility, an art lab of sorts. Neither buyers nor curators get to decide how to sequence the presentation. The numbers are baked in the art. If the show doesn’t follow the original order, the art makes the fact clear.
The next clue is possibly more subtle: what are these bits of photographic textures, fragments of interior decor or perhaps some random texts? And why are they so coordinated in their color schemes as if they all came from a well-designed source? Because behind the seemingly non-representational arrangement there once was a magazine page. Not just any magazine, but one among those offering ideals of domesticity, mostly to a female readership. So here the original construct has been deconstructed and reimagined as some new architecture floating above and through the grid of the notebook pages.
Then comes an even more subtle intervention. Sometimes shapes and textures are added with a simple ballpoint pen. On rare occasion, there may even be a recognizable form. It turns out that before embarking on the series, Kapon set some rules. Among them to avoid representing the female body - or any body for that matter. Yet in her past work - another series - there are sophisticated elaborations on the body and how it relates to mind and language. All with drawing and writing, no collage involved. When drawing appears in these collages (see #459, 461, 492 etc.) it is not just an exception to a self-imposed rule, it also acts as reference to the older work. The brief return to figuration here acts as playful commentary, at once ironic and deliberately naive.
So, we are faced with a riddle: how do these compositions speak to long-standing themes that permeate the work of Kapon? An implied feminist critique of the norms of our material world; the absurdities and ambiguities inherent in the mediation of language; the opposition of passion and logic in the search for authenticity?…
Before considering these larger issues, however, we have to take into account that each collage is produced on a regular time interval, often daily, and that this is in fact a defining aspect of the work. Like other artists with a time-based practice, Kapon thus eschews notions of waiting for “inspiration” or for the “right mood” to strike. The result is a decentering of artistic intention as creative impetus, thus opening up the work to its serial elaboration whose many instances of formal variation may offer hints about its conceptual underpinnings.
Significantly, along with serialized production, there is a matching method of dissemination via Instagram. Far from constituting some form of undercutting seriousness of purpose, this programmatic signaling that artwork is continually being produced, that the artist is at work and that we can look forward to the next installment, adds another framework and therefore meaning to the results. In fact, it opens up a feedback loop with an online audience that is integral to the production process itself.
And so, in looking at the images before us, we are left to ponder all those invisible rules and processes that inform them and that may complicate how we see them. But in the meantime, we can enjoy the playful parade of mysterious spaces, imaginary creatures and anything else our mind’s eye sees in these pictures. It’s the latest installment in a body of work that has struggled through conceptual austerity, passionate irony and other contradictions of life as we know it.
Antonis Ricos
Los Angeles
The Virtue of Necessity
Los Angeles artist Annetta Kapon
Exhibition design: William Schinsky
Essay & Photography: Antonis Ricos
Desert Island consisted of works by 24 artists from the Coachella Valley and near regions. Each artist interpreted the concept of the Desert as Island in new creative works. Curated by Epicenter projects. Filippo Minelli, Julie Shafer, Matt Hope, Oliver Dubois-Cherrier, Jogh Knuth, Ari Elefterin, Aaron Giesel, Nicolas Shake, Kas Sanchez, Wm. Marquez, Jeff Frost, Osceola Refetoff, Lance Gerber, Chris Peters, Jed Ochmanek, Eric Nash, Tim Shockley, Bill Leigh Brewer, Fredrick Fulmer, Ming C. Lowe, Steve Webster, Scott b Davis, Deborah Martin, Christopher Cichocki
Created by Nessuno, this site-specific installation used objects and photography to recall the early days of the Women’s Movement in the US.
Marnie L. Navarro and Wm Marquez.
The horrific gact concerning the lynching of Mexicans in the US is not well known. Nationally, lynched Mexicans were second in numbers to lynched African Americans. In California, the lynching of Mexicans took place geographically from Northern California to the Los Angeles area. Artists Navarro and Marquez responded on personally. Marquez’s maternal ancestors, settlers of El Rancho Boca de Santa Monica were living while the lynchings were taking place.
Inspired by the work of African American artist, Beverly Buchanan student and adult artists created new interpretations of the “shack.” This exhibition was a collaboration between CVAC and The SCRAP Gallery.
Quang tri 1968-69 , a site specific installation recounting thoughts on having spent 420 days as part of a 105 Howitzer Unit on the DMZ in Viet Nam. Artist, William Marquez, Indio, CA.
FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 7
Reception February 14 / 6:00pm - 9:00pm
The Coachella Valley Art Center invites you to LA n CV2, an exhibition of contemporary works by artists from the Los Angeles area. Curated by CVAC artist Mike McLain, LAnCV2 includes a diverse selection of mediums. CVAC is pleased to host these artists in the spirit of cultivating contemporary art and establishing creative dialog with a wider community.
The included video clip is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the dynamic work that will be on display. If you’re an artist, art lover or just want to see progressive work from the LA art scene without the drive, we invite you to join us for the February 14th Reception in Indio CA.
Hosted by
Coachella Valley Art Center
45140 Towne Street, Indio CA
coachellavalleyartcenter.org
Join the event page to get the latest on LAnCV2
Curated by Mike McLain
Performance curated by Takeshi Kanemura
A small retrospective of works by the artist, Drawings, Ceramics, Glass.
Aschenbrenner, a studio glass artist and Viet Nam War veteran who sustained a leg wound while on a mission during the Tet Offensive, transforms his war experience into a series of hauntingly twisted glass bones which were blown in his studio. Each pale mangled bone is held together by cloth bandages, wire and twigs, creating a nightmarish memory of the horrors or war. - Description Curtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
WOW was a program focusing on original works from all disciplines and was guided by an advisory group of professionals from throughout the Coachella Valley. The purpose of WOW was to find new creative individuals and suggest new ideas at monthly WOW events.
WOW, East Valley Rep, presented a table reading of Desert Dreams, an original play by Laura Araujo Salinas.
October 10 - November 7, 2015
Initially thinking he would have been a visual artist, Taylor Negron is best known as an actor and comedian.
This exhibit premiered numerous small character sketches created by Taylor and not found until after his recent passing.
Sculpture Taking Place: Cast, Carve, Combine
In the past fellow artist and friends of CVAC have sculpted on site and exhibited their work at Sunnylands. The Sunnylands Third Sunday: Sculpture Taking Place: Cast, Carve, Combine was an interactive day focused on sculpture, wander the Sunylands gardens and view local sculptors at work.
This event showcased Patrick Blythe and Karen Riley creating live at Sunnylands
Art Show and Creative Writing Contest - Celebrating May is Mental Health Month.
The exhibition was a celebration of wellness and recovery with the supreme goal of relieving the stigma's of mental health and creating a safe place for all to enjoy each-others art and company. The show had no bounds when it comes to media and covers a diverse range of works, including creative writing and sculpture.
May 13, 2014
Artventure Academy: Summer 2014
ARTventure Academy is a FREE 5 week summer camp for kids ages 6-12, funded by the city of Indio and hosted by the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery and The Coachella Valley Art Center.
Get your passport to art and adventure! Free for all Indio residence. Children will explore art and the world by creating artwork based on a different region every week. Snacks will be provided and parents can join their children or pick them up after our journey. Artventure will culminate with an exhibit of works by participants.
Details:
• Takes place every Tuesdays thru August,
• 9:00 AM until Noon at CVAC, 45140 Towne Street, Indio CA 92201.
• information call: (760) 861-6479 or Email info@scrapgallery.org.
We are happy to host the children of Indio, A special Thanks to the City of Indio's Community Outreach Department and the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery for making this possible.