Five trends in Social Innovation

by Patricia Frischer

I have decided to  pass on my summary of the five trends in social innovation prepared by Guidestar  and Classy.org. When we choose new programs, we should keep these trends in mind. 

1. Because of an increase in the financial influence of Millennial, fast-paced growth of crowdfunding and the increase in number of institutional funders focusing on investment on innovation, the continued trend will be growth in capital for innovation. 

2. The massive growth of mobile will continue and will emphasis self empowerment which means interactions using the smart devices instead of just viewing

3. Large non-profits will start making more funding available for innovation. They did not traditional see this as a priority, but they will more and more act as the catalysts of collaborations that support a healthy environment for social innovation.

4. We want to use massive data analysis to help us solve our most critical problems in a way that is sustainable for the future. This year, we will see an even more aggressive adoption of data intelligence for guiding social solution design

5. Corporation are trending toward innovation in  social issue and away from simply growing profits from shareholders. This is the kinder side of big business. 

New Contemporaries at City College: Emerging Artist nominated for SD Art Prize

By Patricia Frischer

2016 New Contemporaries SD Art Prize Nominated Artists will all be showing at City College Gallery (1508 C Street, San Diego 92101) from Sat. June 18 - Thurs. July 14, 2016 with an opening Reception: Sat. June 18, 6 - 8 pm. The artists included are Robert Andrade, William Feeney,  Kim Garcia,  Robert Michael Jones,  Erin Dace Behling,  Sasha Koozel Reibstein, Aren Skalman,  Graham Smith,  Shinpei Takeda,  Paola Villasenor (PANCA),  Nicole Waszak. Two artists from this exhibition will be chosen to receive the 2016 SD Art Prize.


San Diego Visual Arts Network is excited to announce the new Public Choice award for the 2016 New Contemporaries. To allow visitors at City College Gallery to vote for their favorite artists in the exhibition, an addition to our SD View Art Now app was created by Anand Bora, Founder Determinant Studios. Mr. Bora is flying in from India to be present at the closing reception and announcement of the recipients. There will be an extra cash prize for the Public Choice award. Announcements of the recipients will be made on Thurs. July 14 at the end of the City College exhibition. The two emerging artists chosen for the SD Art Prize will in turn select two established artists to mentor them and to be co-exhibitors at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in the spring of 2017. 

The space at City College Gallery is stunning and the art works look glorious in this setting. The show really includes something for everyone from figurative to conceptual and it is a good cross section of the art being produced in San Diego currently by a host of emerging creators. These 11 artists were chosen partly by the SD Art Prize artist from last year and the art professionals that wrote about them in our 2015 catalog along with the committee that produces the SD Art Prize and this year's host. Each person was allowed to nominate one artist. We welcome all who attend the show to vote for their favorite artist. You must be at the venue to vote for the artist you want to win. Over 150 people voted on the opening night.  

Shinpei Takeda: This is the work that greets you in the reception area of the City Gallery. The work is titled Timeline of our Memories (Beta Decay 30

Shinpei Takeda

The artist Shinpei Takeda  with his work.

Shinpei Takeda: view from inside the main gallery looking out at the reception area

Gallery view

Gallery view

Robert Andrade: 1956 - 1972

Robert Andrade Royal

Robert Andrade Plaza

Robert Andrade: Portrait is a particularly stunning reflective work

William Feeney: close up of salt crystals on underwear

William Feeney, Diamond Dust Drawers

William Feeney: graphite tongue titled "Liar"

William Feeney: Black Flag Tour Van

Erin Dace Behling: Tufted concrete and wood bench

Erin Dace Behling: Shingle Armchair

Erin Dace Behling:  Interpolation II plexiglass and fiberglass table

Nicole Waszak: continues to paint her oldest daughter in an intimate and charming way. Here we have Dali's dream 1 and 2

Nicole Waszak

Sasha Koozel Reibstein  Dark Side of the Moon

Sasha Koozel Reibstein  The Storms of Early Summer

Sasha Koozel Reibstein: How it Starts stunning blue crystal and ceramic work

Sasha Koozel Reibstein Far from Tangerine

Aren Skalman:  Median (variation) this most intirguing piece was enhanced with green powder and light.

Aren Skalman: These Wheels as seen at the Athenaeum, both this and the following works turn and make a clickity noise

Aren Skalman

Paola Villasenor (PANCA): In Me derito, PANCA takes her fierce work with ice cream colors and actually makes an ice cream bar

Paola Villasenor (PANCA)
Como la flor

Kim Garcia: simply but compelling juxtaposition

Kim Garcia

Kim Garcia

Graham Smith:  Centurion (above) and Bree (below)  brown paper bag creature creations.

Graham Smith :Zoe Tantrum

Graham Smith:  Zara

Graham Smith:  Sophia

Robert Michael Jones: Escaping Existentialism  notice the sand and artifacts below this metal figure holding a live plant

Robert Michael Jones: Ride or Die is full size art aping art or is it ape aping art

Robert Michael Jones: the entire outside fenced in courtyard held a selection of works by this artist which can withstand the outside exposure. This work is titled Liberty.

View of our diverse crowd of artist, collectors, art professionals, family, friends and students

Father’s Day Alternative!

By Lonnie Burstein HewittFirst published in La Jolla Light

Consider a visit to artist’s hand-built mountain retreat, James and Anne Hubbell

New buildings, due to be completed in 2017, use the latest materials, like fire-resistant bricks made of recycled Styrofoam and concrete. Ilan Lael Foundation

For over half a century, artist James Hubbell and his wife Anne have been working on their 10-acre mountain retreat near Julian, building a home and studios and making art. Once every year, on Father’s Day, they open their hand-built dwelling-place to the public, an opportunity to tour the grounds, meet the Hubbells, and experience their inspiring blend of nature and art.
The almost 85-year-old Hubbell is a sculptor, painter and architectural designer, a master of stained glass and mosaics whose work can be seen in homes, schools, museums, nature centers and peace parks around the world. The Open House is a benefit for the Ilan Lael Foundation, whose name means “a tree belonging to God,” a tree with roots in the earth and branches reaching toward the heavens. 

The Hubbells established the nonprofit foundation in 1982 to spread their spirit of creative nurturance to people of all ages and cultures, and bring artists together to collaborate on public art.

James and Anne Hubbell. On Father’s Day, June 19, all are invited to tour their hand-built home and studios near Julian. Maurice Hewitt

Then, in October 2003, much of their property was destroyed in the devastating Cedar Fire, one of the worst wildfires in California history. Refusing to feel like victims, the Hubbells saw the disaster as a time for renewal. Determined to recreate their retreat but unable to pay for it themselves, they turned it over to Ilan Yael, becoming lifetime “artists in residence.” 

Now, 13 years later, the area is green and thriving, the burnt-out buildings have been restored, inside and out, and a trio of new, hand-built structures — office, storage and meeting spaces — will be completed next year. “We couldn’t have rebuilt without the Foundation,” Hubbell said. “The new buildings are a staging site, a gathering place; the rest is an art work.”

For years, he had done all the building himself, with a little help from his friends, and as they grew older, his four sons. “We never borrowed money,” he said. “If we didn’t have enough money to buy something, we could lay stone. Cement was only $1.25 a bag. In a sense, this was all built by us, with a handful of helpers. I wouldn’t trade that building experience for anything.”

Inside the Boys’ House: the bathroom Michael Gerdes

Now visitors come to admire the buildings, the stained glass and mosaics, but it’s the Hubbells’ lifestyle that really draws them in. As Ilan Lael’s executive director, Marianne Gerdes, explained on a recent tour of the property: “When Jim wants to do something and can’t do it himself, he brings in students and interns. He helps people find what they love to do, and they learn from him. Every day, he just does what he does: he makes art. He’s so humble and accessible, but he’s a genius, a Pied Piper, and he and Anne open their lives and let the rest of us in.

 The Drafting Studio Maurice Hewitt

“Jim was building sustainably before it was fashionable, using local materials, and orienting everything to take advantage of light, heating and cooling. They built as they needed and could afford to, and looking at the buildings, you can see his progress as an artist.”

In 2008, the original living spaces were designated a historic landmark residence; the three new buildings are all up to code and made of recycled Styrofoam/concrete-composite bricks, which are fire-resistant, light-weight, and excellent for insulation. “The new buildings are a staging site, a gathering area,” said Hubbell. “The rest is an art work.”

About 800 people are expected at this year’s Open House on June 19. Self-guided tour maps will be distributed, docents will be available to answer any questions, and visitors will be able to get a taste of the “Hubbell-esque” way of life.

Stained glass and other Hubbell-made works are available online through June 30. View auction items at the Open House or ilanlaelfoundation.org/auctions

IF YOU GO: Hubbell Open House, Sunday, June 19. Morning Tour: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Afternoon Tour: 1-4 p.m. Park and catch the shuttle at: Julian Station/Wynola Farms Marketplace, 4470 Hwy 78, Julian. Tickets $30-$50; free for ages 12 and younger. Order at ilanlaelfoundation.org or purchase onsite. Proceeds go toward preserving the property and presenting events. 

QUOTABLE: “I believe there is a central hunger in society now. It is the desire to put the world back together into a whole … and for us to be part of that whole. If art and architecture are the continuous search of humanity to find its ever-changing place in the universe, then art and architecture need to lead in the search to rediscover our spirit, a spirit that is comfortable in this our world.” — James Hubbell, from ‘About Art,’ jameshubbellart.com/tag/philosophy

Portraits: a Slideshow at The Artist Odyssey and of Mozart's Sister

by Patricia Frischer

The Artist Odyssey is a project to give audiences a view into artists’ studios with beautifully-filmed documentaries featuring leading photographers, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, and performing artists. In their current base in Encinitas they presented a slide show lecture by five leading San Diego photographers which was a chance to experience that insight live directly from the artists. These professional photographers were all articulate and more than that, charming, as they told the stories behind the photos.

Grant Brittain is the resident still photographer at The Artist Odyssey and he made the introductions and was responsible for putting together this group of his personal connections. The space was full to overflowing to hear these gentlemen speak about their careers. Brittain, like many of the others was on the scene when the surfing and skateboarding community was rising to prominence in this area. 

Tony Hawk, Sanoland, Cardiff, CA

  

Todd Glaser spoke about his careful choice of works for the slide show to meet the criteria of portrait. In the first case below, even though the surfer is facing away, he caught this shot when the dog turned to face him. The second shot was caught at the end of a formal shot when these two "surfer dudes" were peering out from their dos.

Tim Mantoani There was some talk about what is photo journalism and what is fine art photography i.e.  catching the moment or creating the moment. Mantoani clearly fits in the second group with these posed photos of famous shots held by their photographer. They were taken by a huge Polaroid camera and the evidence of that process remains on the image.

In this image by Ali vs Liston by Neil Liefer, Mantoani told us that Liefer was able to capture the shot before any logos or promotion words were used, giving a clear background. The only figure really visible is Liefer's Sports Illustrator rival on the other side of the ring, framed by Ali's legs. This was a sweet success for Liefer as it was used as the cover that week.

 In his portrait of John Lennon, Bob Gruen actually gifted this New York City t-shirt to Lennon who had admired it previously. Gruen was accused of "doing a John Lennon" everytime he wore his own shirt afterwards.

Steve Sherman

Kelly Slater was known to be very competitive and when Sherman's son came into the room with a tiny bird on his hand, Slater just had to show that he could do it as well. Sherman caught the shot at the moment the bird touched his nose.

Lisa Anderson had just split from a boyfriend and was ripe for this sexy naked under the sheets shot that Sherman suggested. Sherman's wife was actually in the next room cooking dinner for the three of them. Sorry no hanky panky to report.. 

 

Miki Vuckovich 

Vuckovich Senior and his son Miki got this tattoo after the death of his son and Miki's  brother as a tribute to their lost family member.  It was Miki's father's first ever tattoo.

  
The Other Mozart play at Balboa Theater as part of the San Diego Mainly Mozart Festival 

"Created and performed by Sylvia Milo, the monodrama is set in a stunning 18-foot dress (designed by Magdalena Dabrowska from the National Theater of Poland). Directed by Isaac Byrne, The Other Mozart is based on facts, stories and lines pulled directly from the Mozart family's humorous and heartbreaking letters."

I am included this play in the blog as it was also a portrait of a women who was the overlooked sister of Mozart who seemed to be just as crazed as her brother.  Women were not encouraged to perform in public in her life time and she had a troubled relationship with her parents, a frustrated love interest and a bad marriage. We had trouble hearing some of the dialogue because of the assorted accents the actress chose to use so the story was hard to follow. For me it was the dress that was the star of the show. It was visually stunning in the last scene when she finally rose, if not spiritually, at least physically from the floor.