Discovering Contemporary Art

On February 23rd, I had the opportunity of attending an artist lecture given by Brenda Louie and Qinqin Liu. The two artists hosted a lecture and exhibition at Sacramento State and shared with us their artistic process and inspirations. Their work relates to humanity's interconnectedness with the environment, climate, and biodiversity. The exhibition is available through March 16th in the University Union for those interested in visiting.  Brenda Louie - Courtesy of https://www.brendalouie.com/ Brenda Louie was born in the Chinese province of Guangdong, and is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in California. Her work is a fusion of Eastern and Western culture, though her aim is to create work that speaks for the common experience interstitial identity.  Brenda Louie, Oceanus No. 1  (2019) Brenda Louie shared with us her inspiration for her "Water Essential Series" she created for this exhibit. The focus is on water, as water is a necessity for not only ...

  Artists Seeking Social Change - KQED Arts  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocCsQpnjNrw (8min) A video named "Artists Seeking Social Change" by KQED Arts follows the work of two artists involved in social practice art in Oakland. As I wrote about in my last post, I had not heard of social practice art until recently, so it was exciting to learn more about artists involved in this art form and what more work of this kind could look like.  Chris Treggiari     Chris Treggiari is an American artist working in social practice art. Chris Treggiari went into the streets of Oakland to ask the community questions about what is happening in their city. He built an interactive news van and interviewed the public on their opinions about the changes occurring in Oakland.  Stephen Nienu after talking to Chris  Treggiari  (Andrew Stelzer/KQED) Chris quizzed individuals about the Domain Awareness Center, a project that was recently launched in Oakland to collect...

  Amanda Leigh Evans (https://amandaleighevans.com/) Today I had the opportunity to attend an artist talk given by Amanda Leigh Evans. Amanda is an artist working at the intersection of ceramics and social practice. I was curious what this intersection would look like, as I had not heard the term "social practice" before. Ceramics, as many of us may know, involves working with ceramic materials such as clay and often involves creating pottery, tiles, figurines, sculptures, and more. Social practice is a form of art that involves social engagement and is participated in by a group or community. The work done by Amanda Leigh Evans combines these two art forms in a unique and engaging way. Much of Amanda's work deals with raw materials, gardens, agriculture, ceramics, and collaborative practices, and is focused on our social and ecological interdependence. As human beings, we are deeply connected and reliant on not only each other, but on the environment as well. Amanda'...

   !Women Art Revolution - Lynn Hershman Leeson  (1hr 22min) Lynn Hershman Leeson's film "!Women Art Revolution" examines the feminist art movement from the 1960's through the twenty first century. With countless videos, photographs, and interviews from artists, the film highlights the struggles and successes of women artists of the feminist art movement.  The feminist art movement was formed as a response to the belief that women artists did not have a place in the art world. Lynn Hershman Leeson discusses being rejected by museums on the account that her work "wasn't art" and that she had no place there. Buyers rescinded offers on her art after learning the art was created by a woman. Today, she has sold her art for 9,000x the original price. The feminist art movement created change that allows women to exist and succeed in the industry today. The Woman's Building, Los Angelos Artists in the movement created performances, artwork, and institutions ...