Behind the Exhibition: Southern California Contemporary Quilts at the Oceanside Museum of Art

by Patricia Frischer

Marty Ornish: Abstracted Recollection, 2014 with part of seven abandoned quilts made into a ball gown. When you make new things from old bits it is suggested you freeze fabrics to rid them of any living creatures for about 2 weeks. 

Beth Smith, Curator (right) joined  Katie Dolgov, exhibition manager of OMA for a behind the scenes look at the newest exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art. 

OMA started showing quilts in 2002 when Beth was part of the staff. This show was chosen especially by Beth, Katie and the OMA director Marie Mingalone to represent what is going on today in the quilt community. Digital communication has made a big difference  not only in the creation of quilts but also in researching the artist for this exhibition.   Thirty-give artists were selected, some never shown before at OMA and all because they push the boundaries of the medium.  They all also represents the zeitgeist of Southern California. Seascapes, tide pools, mid-century homes, mountains, palm trees, birds and fires.

These are not traditional quilts but fit into the definition of two pieces of fabric that are stitched together. Traditional quilts are older and functional and use patterns passed down. Modern quilts are geometric and with sold colors. Contemporary quilts are those done all over America. They are very popular with the public and draw thousands of viewers. It is a large industry with professional and amateur quilters, regional shows and conventions.

The artist chosen for this show are at the top of their game and have real excellence. Beth Smith looked at websites and used the internet to make choices and with her long experience in this field, knew most of the artists she wanted to include. This was not an open call. Art that chosen was outside of the box, often with a new uses of materials or extremely complicated and precise techniques.

This information was gained during a virtual presentation and we are hoping to see the actual exhibition in the future. You can watch the entire conversation at this link. 

Website: www.oma-online.org/quilts
There is a further streaming event .SmallTalk: SoCal Quilters Roundup with Beth Smith

Thurs, Sept 24, 7:00 – 8:00pm

Click here to register for this live stream artist talk.

The exhibition will be up until Feb 21, 2021.  

Charlotte Bird: Southland Odyssey, 2019 is a nine foot quilted book with different scenes of Southern California.

Neldra McComb: Homage to David Hockney, Palm Springs, 2019

Jane LaFazio: Red 2015, hand felted and hand stitched has a huge variety of stitches and textures. You want to touch it but of course, you can’t. 

Gillian Moss: We Came, We Liked, we Stayed 2019 is a Californian bear in flip flops. Very auto biographical with symbols from her life. 

Libby Williamson: Burn Cycles, 2019 Lots of materials burlap, cheesecloth, zipper, measuring tape. Heavily layered and textured.  102 inches tall. 

Medium Remix - Interview with Alanna Airitam and Wayne Martin Belger

by Patricia Frischer

August 22, 2020

Presented by Medium Photo hosted by scott b. davis

This interview was arranged with Alana Airitam asking questions of Wayne Martin Belger and vice versa.

Alanna Airitam left corporate work at a time when there was so much news about police brutality. Trying to process the frustration of not being able to do anything about these issues, she challenged herself to use her camera everyday for 3 months. Friends came over to be photographed as a way to keep her on her mission. She added costumes and then tried to step out of the way of the development of the process. This developed into a series with a nod to the Golden Age but very much connected to the present. When she was young, she never saw anyone at the museum or on the museum walls that was black. This made her feel that she did not belong, so she created this work that places people who like her and do belongs in museums. She was 47 at the time and felt that young kids should not feel the way she did when she was a child. The Harlem Renaissance came out of a troubled time as well, so the image titles reference that period.

Her process is quite minimal and stays that way as she wants art to be accessible and available to people. Using only two lights and a balance reflector which she bought as a used light kit, she simply says she paid attention to light and shadow and is self-taught by looking at master paintings.

She is trying to correct an eraser in history. Truth has been switched and changed on a regular basis. So now it is hard to know what is true and what is fact. For example, she object to slaves were referred to now as immigrants. She has re-imagined the lives of four girls killed in 1963 to show what their lives might have been. The intention and passion during the shoot is very authentic and important. 

The Cross Roads series turns around the vision of the Golden Age when the black subjects are looking you directly in the eye. In Cross Roads, they are looking away from the camera. She is trying to get her audience to see something new. Allowing these black subjects to find their own way, not be pushed in a direction set by others.  These are large 24 by 46 inches encased in resin so they become objects.

The cotton from the Betsy Ross flag came from the work of slaves. So, she recreated the famous portrait with a herself as the seamstress and called it How to make a country. This is generated directly from the emotions she feels about how American is formed by the blood, sweet and tears of the African Americans. The remote control to shoot this shoot was pushed with her toe!

White Privilege was made during the pandemic and during the Black Lives Matter support marches. Most privileged people are not aware of their privilege and that lands heavily on those who are not privileged. This triptych is all about symbolic messages. The Pig has a silver spoon. It is in front of mirror so has no self-awareness. It sits on a flag so above the law. A black ribbon stands for black deaths and as the still life set up decayed and eroded in the heat of Arizona, it was photographed in three stages.

Because of the pandemic, work from the Golden Age has been borrowed from collectors for the SD Art Prize exhibition at Bread and Salt presented by the San Diego Visual Arts Network. Also one piece by Alanna from the Exquisite Corpse which was curated by Chi Essary will be included.  

Her next project will be on a family piece of land owned by her aunt so she can gather history of her heritage.

Alanna has collaborated with Wayne on a new work, American Decay which combines and alters images from both. They both now live in Tuscon.

Wayne Martin Belger – As a machinist, tools were alwaysvery important to him. His first camera was a commission of a pin hole camera. He loves chemistry and the science behind analog process of photography. He studied comparative religion and that aesthetics plays into the work. Each camera is made for the portrait subject. This makes a bridge between the artist and the photograph.

Two of his cameras are made from human skulls. A Tibetan skulls was but only because it was a match for the theme of the work.  The pupils which are gold have a tiny pin hole, this is surrounded by silver and then bronze. These skulls can literally see again.  Because of the two eyes, a 3-d image is created. All the photographs are put into detailed installations. Each one has a plum bob which is machined with his blood in a Pyrex glass container held within.  He dives into the subject completely and fully and gathers artifacts about that subject.

One of his other subjects was for a friend of his who had aids. The camera has a circulatory system with a vial of blood which is matched exactly to a certain red filter. He ended up photographing about 80 patience with aids of all ages. The photos come out tinged red. He makes a personal arrangement with all of the collectors to be able to borrow the camera back if he ever wants to continue a series. A larger theme is “us and them” where a certain group of people is labeled lesser than. This fits into his new series on a transgender American Indian called Walks in Two Worlds.

Many of you might remember his show at the San Diego Art Institute as well as seeing work by Alanna at SDAI.

ArtsVote - A Call to Action to Artists and Arts Advocates

by Patricia Frischer

Poster by Shepard Fairey

Having a plan to vote and voting early is the most important thing we can do in America right now.  I attended a live stream organized by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) on this subject. They are tasked with advocacy for the arts and it was an interesting panel that was convened. The arts contribute $763.6 billion to the US economy—4.2 percent of the GDP—more than agriculture, transportation, or warehousing.

You can watch this recorded version for yourself and or join in with the next ArtsVote live virtual event on Thursday, August 27, 2020 

Nora Halpern explained that all are participants of the panel were part  of the AFTA arts committee or board. Americans for the Arts are 430,000 members strong

Robert Lynch: Americans for the Arts, President and CEO, told us how the Democratic National Committee has an art plank in their platform. AFTA works to make sure that all the candidates for the presidency are educated about the arts. Many of these candidates will be part of the next administration or are high ranking elected officials.  There are 16 Platform points designed by 85 different organization with needs including Creative Economy, Education. Charity Giving, Veterans, $1 per capital, Funding, and the COVID response.  Biden declared this week that, “The Future of who we are lies in the Arts “. The Democratic platform on the Arts, "The arts are essential to our free and democratic society, to our culture, and to our local economies. Democrats are proud of our support for arts funding and education, and will continue policies and programs that promote the creative arts. We support public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for art and music education in public schools. We recognize that federal grants supporting nonprofit cultural organizations, artists, scholars, and state and local governments help increase participation in the arts, enhance appreciation, and strengthen our nation's cultural heritage. We value the arts and art education for developing imagination, creativity, innovation, and critical thinking skills in students and for building bridges between people and communities across the country and around the world." Republican were contacted but they said there was no change in their platform from last year. However, the word “arts” appears nowhere in the 2016 Republican Party platform. 

Ben Folds: Singer/Songwriter became an activist for the arts with the idea not so much how we can help the arts, but how to put the arts to work for us. We in the arts industry are ideas animals. That makes us cool. Arts and Entertainment is a massive part of the economy. We have unique voices as citizen. Arts for Healing is vital. American reputation for ideas and creativity is still alive and well. His message to young people through music is: don’t assume that this privilege will always be there. He is in Australia right now where it is required to vote. He urges everyone to Vote and do it now! Time is now speeding by. His latest songs conveys the message that If you create something in June, 2020 is it already old fashion in August. 

Nina Ozlu Tunceli: American for the Arts, ED. We need to make sure everyone can vote to assure federal arts funding is increased and that the arts are recognized.  There is a complicated and varied process to vote state by state and you need to know the requirements in your state. So, follow the steps as soon as possible. Don’t wait.
1. Make the pledge to vote.  You can check California (or your state) requirements on the Americans for the Arts website. Check on the status of your voter’s registration.  2.Request your Absentee Ballot information.
3. Cast your vote: by mail, or drop off, or go to the poll in person on the day.  4. Spread the word by social media using free Shepard Fairey art work.

Shepard Fairey: an artist activist, who believes that beautiful things comes out of the arts and out of passionate feelings. Making his work accessible and free is important. as he feels open access to art is a national right. His work is not just for the elite. His art does not have to recognized as art, as long as the message is heard. He started as an outsider but he now also works from within the system.

Brian Stokes Mitchell: singer, leads a variety of artist convenings and is a survivor of COVID-19. A recording of his song of thanks to First responders went viral. He views the arts as Second responders. He formed Black Theater United during this time. We need to realize how important the arts actually are as they can connect us to our joy. The performing arts are a $9.6 billion theater industry, which affects airlines and transportation industry as well restaurants and hotel/motels.  Large and small concerts give a boast to a whole area.  This industry and its economy have been devastated by the pandemic. The arts are the first to shut down, last to recovery. Coming out of this isolation and being able to gather in large numbers might not happen until there is a vaccine. There are definite challenges of working at this time, but it is a collaborative challenge that the entertainment industry always has had. The needs of our arts community are vital to the community as a whole. The Arts has to be seen as an economic sector. Census is so important as it is about money and power and how it is distributed. So, fill in your Census!

Annette Bening: Actress, It is important to have an understanding that artist and art educators are at the core of the economic value of the arts. It is crushing that so many jobs have been lost. The Arts knit us together and reveal us to ourselves. Voting is non-partisan and is when we are at our best. Make your voice heard so make a pledge to vote. It is a privilege to vote. First responders are the backbone of the country but the Arts are the heart and soul. Arts Education needs to serve everyone including the underserved who need the arts so much. All children need to be able to know themselves and the arts helps them to define themselves.

Megan Beyer: part of the Obama National Arts Policy Committee and will be part of Biden committee. Her husband is in the house of representative. America now has a crisis of Identity. But that is an opportunity for the Arts. There are 200 people on this advocacy committee who are helping to face a moment of racial reckoning. WPA programs are needed to put artists back to work perhaps by integrating Art and Design in the rebuilding. Plus, we need the arts for healing and we need the tax laws to make it easy to fund the arts not more difficult. In 17 battleground states they are removing postal services which is another reason to know exacting how to vote. It will have to be a very decisive vote because even with a 6 million majority of votes, the balance could be wrong. Art and Artists should provoke us…wake us up.

Momentum Part 1 presented by Vanguard Culture

Summary by Patricia Frischer

MOMENTUM: A Creative Industry Symposium Part 1, August 17, 2020. Part 2 will be on Sept 7
Watch it yourself  and read the Chat Stream

Susanna Peredo Swap, Vanguard Culture co-host, hopes this crisis reveals the best in us. Her message was to stay inspired.

Jonathon Glus, Executive Director, SanDiego Commission of Arts Culture, co-host explains how before Covid- 19, we were all running to keep up with technology, cramming everything into our daily lives, concerned about the global condition of the world. When the pandemic hit, we were paralyzed but this then gave us an opportunity to reset. This is a collective stop to spiritually think about who we are. He is not just concerned so much about the data right now. We inherited 20^th century thinking even through we are two decades into the 21^st century.  Now we have a moment to pause and think about 2020 and beyond. Arts are always on the vanguard, the front edge. We can take on that challenge because the future belongs to artists and creatives. One of our biggest assets in SD is the border. It makes us unique globally.

David Malmuth, I.D.E.A., Developer/ Partner at I.D.E.A. Partners, LLC; Former VP/GM at Disney Development-West. https://www.ideadistrictsd.com/ https://www.davidmalmuth.com/  There I.D.E.A. development in San Diego came after a life time of creative placemaking and revitalization in New York and Hollywood. Now they are making a proposal for the old Sport Arena. How do you activate a community, not just build brick and mortar? Arts and Culture is a major component of that activation.

Tara Graviss she is an Expressive Arts Therapist. Arts for Learning, https://www.artsforlearningsd.org/ , https://www.youngaudiences.org  She advocates using the arts to go inward to develop coping therapy. There is nothing shameful about asking for help. Turning to nature for inspiration in order to speak our truth. Sexual trauma is a grief that consumes us. There is power and healing in the connection from sharing our stories. Especially using art filled with intimacy can be ever changing.

David Bennett, Managing Director for the San Diego Opera. https://www.sdopera.org/  The voice is able to put us in touch with deep emotion. Perhaps because we all have voices. We all have this instrument which we share.  Opera is both grand and intimate. Uses ensemble and can show subtext through acting. Uses all the art forms visual, music, dance and voice. We can see other cultures and wider our world view. Opera supercharges brain power. It is good for your heart and stress as is can lower blood pressure. It can improve memory and right/left brain power. Opera makes you happy.

Performance:  Jamie Shadowlight electric violinist. https://www.instagram.com/jamieshadowlight/

scott b. davis, Founder of the Medium Festival of Photography. https://www.mediumphoto.org   https://www.scottbdavis.com  Now in its eighth year and housed at Lafayette Hotel, Medium offers a large portfolio review. This photography Fest is where audience can view the works of the artist, listen to Keynote speakers and lecturers, and attend book signings and workshop. It offers an opportunity to connect emerging artists to a larger audience. Some examples are modern tin types bringing back an old technique, self portrait of morbid obesity, and a cross border scholarships. Our locals get national and international experience.

Herbert Siguenza, Playwright in Residence @ San Diego Repertory Theatre; founding member of Latino Theatre Troupe CULTURE CLASH https://sdrep.org  Chicano issues were communicated through theater and Siquenza has followed a long path through a variety of subject to communicate a life time of issues.

Performance:  M A L U classical electronic musician https://www.instagram.com/malu_live/ and Contemporary Dancer Pita Zapot. https://www.instagram.com/pitazapot/

Bradley Tsalyuk, Exhibit Developer at The Natural History Museum. https://www.sdnhm.org/.  The Nat is a 143-year-old institute which concentrates on unique species from our local biologically diverse areas. They showcase both utilitarian and aesthetic values that encourages inquisition. He wants visitors to fall in love with the nature world. This is choreographed and curated exploration to establish an understanding of place. Although a goal is to education, they are also trying to measure a change in attitude. They are trying to learn from visitors how that works. Place attachment means people will care and protect. Streaming lectures are available on their site during the pandemic.

Flor Franco, Award-winning Chef; Franco Group & Berry Good Food Foundation. https://flor.florfranco.com/ https://berrygoodfood.org/  is a huge advocate of plant-based cuisine. She lets food be her medicine and recommends an interval diet (no food for 16 hours) with raw plant-based foods. She also highly recommends Specialty Produce as a source of vegetables.

Performance:  Gill Sotu, poetry. https://www.gillsotu.com/