Modesto Covarrubias, Liminal, 2010

Please join us on Thursday, June 10, 7-9pm for a conversation with Liminal Artist, Modesto Covarrubias

Reflecting his background in architecture, Modesto Covarrubias’ work is an investigation into the physical, psychological, and emotional connection to environments. He is interested in how a space can alter and be altered by one’s own mental state. He works in a broad range of media: photography, painting, installation, printmaking, and performance.

In April 2010, Covarrubias installed Liminal, an immersive site-specific installation created specifically for the ICA in direct reaction to the gallery’s architecture and siting.

Modesto recently completed his ICA Print Center residency – creating a print project that includes an edition of photopolymer and intaglio prints inspired and informed by Liminal. This exquisite series of prints will be on view in the gallery on Thursday evening.

A San Jose-native who lives and works in Berkeley, Covarrubias received an MFA in Studio Art from Mills College/2009 and a BFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. Covarrubias’ work has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area and internationally.

We hope you are able to join us for this fun and informative evening. Please feel free to bring a friend or two!

Talking Art is a series of salon-style discussions held monthly at the ICA. Admission is free for ICA members; $5 non members; $2 students.
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In the weeks ahead:

Sign up for Print Center Workshops! Fun for novices and pros alike!

June 26 & 27: The Portrait and Figure in Relief with Andy Muonio
July 7, 10 & 17: Introduction to Photopolymer Intaglio with Fanny Retsek
July 18: Monotype with Fanny Retsek

And coming really soon:

Our new website! We love it. We hope you will too. Stay tuned for more details.

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SAN JOSE STATE MFA GRADUATES  SHOW AT SAN JOSE ICA

By Sally Sumida

On the last Friday in May, the main gallery of the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art was abuzz with excitement from a supportive crowd of art enthusiasts. The occasion was the opening reception for Lift Off 2010, the sixth annual exhibition celebrating MFA graduates from San Jose State University. Seventeen artists created a wide range of artwork highlighting diverse techniques, styles, concepts and media. Curator Susan O’Malley placed them creatively, underscoring their underlying commonalities and interconnections.

Near the entrance to the exhibition, a viewer posed for an unauthorized snapshot inside a shimmering, metal mesh head, artist Hongbiao Wang’s gigantic self-portrait bust. To the right, Pernilla Andersson and Paula Pereira’s large-scale vinyl wall hanging threatens to pull viewers onto an escalator transporting them visually toward an unknown destination. But Kirk Amyx’s visually arresting photo prints of the patterns created by 10,000 overlapping dice rolls in cyan, magenta and yellow, and Wendy Crockett’s evocative gelatin silver photos of an Icelandic teen captured on the brink between childhood and adulthood, served as compelling distractions.

Like paths through the exhibition, themes began to emerge connecting the seemingly disparate pieces. To the left of the entrance, was a poem printed on a scrim suspended from a bamboo pole, a pair of hand-colored photo portraits and a bronze figurine, pieces from Hedwig Heerschop’s corner installation inspired by her father’s World War II experience as a young Dutch soldier in Sumatra. Along the same wall were Barbara Horiuchi’s seven-foot scroll-like hangings, splattered with trails of Japanese black sumi ink and iron filings on white handmade paper. Both Heerschop’s and Horiuchi’s works illuminate familial, historical, and cultural influences in their art.

Johnny Hanna’s Curiosity Cabinet

(more…)

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The Palo Alto Art Center and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program present

Engaging Perception

The second of six exciting programs in the 2010 series
WHERE ART ORIGINATES: ARTISTS & THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Thursday, June 10, 7 p.m.
Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium

FREE ADMISSION

Timothy Braun is a writer living in Austin, TX.  He has received fellowships at the Edward Albee Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Ucross Foundation, and a Warhol fellowship at the Santa Fe Art Institute, among others. He was an artist-in-residence at HERE Arts Center from 2005-06. Braun blogs for Culturebot, and the Travel Channel. His plays have been published by Audience, The Columbia Review, Euphony, Playscripts, and Paper Wall.

As an artist in Thailand for the past decade and now in the US, Bundith Phumsombatlert has reflected on ever-changing social, economic, and political situations, particularly in the framework of globalization. He seeks to analyze and synthesize these issues within the context of history to form art that rethinks Thai identity in the world. Working in a range of materials, from hand-made printmaking and multiple sculptures to interactive installations controlled by computer systems, he seeks a conceptual and aesthetic space between visual art and media art.

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You are invited to participate in Artists Wanted’s annual photography competition: EXPOSURE. This opportunity is open to photographers of all backgrounds – everyone who participates will receive a portfolio and rewards from our sponsors. One winner as selected by our influential judges will have their work made famous. Photographers, this is your moment.

Your Extended Deadline is Monday, June 7th.
Send us your best work now at:
www.artistswanted.org

Our panel of judges including acclaimed photographer & filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, New York Times Photo Editor Maura Foley, MoMA Curator Nora Lawrence and JPG Magazine Founders Derek Powazek & Heather Powazek Champ, will choose one photographer for the Grand Prize:
$10,000 cash *AND* 1-year FREE living at a $1.2 million apartment at The Edge in New York City
A Major Manhattan Gallery Reception. Our gallery openings usually attract over 1,000 art enthusiasts and press.
Airfare & shipping of you work to and from New York City for the event.
An international publicity campaign, making your photos famous.

The public will also cast their vote and the highest rated portfolio will receive the People’s Choice Award:
$2,000 in cash
A Manhattan gallery reception
Airfare & shipping to and from New York City for the event

All participants will receive:
An online portfolio searchable by gallerists, press and commercial buyers; A free digital subscription to JPG Magazine; $100 in discounts and credits from Zipcar.com; and discounts and freebies from our generous sponsors.

What is this all about?
Our goal is simple, to find new talent and expose it to the world. Artists Wanted was formed a few years ago by a few creatives working in Brooklyn. Our first hand experience in the art world was the inspiration for creating this bold new platform for finding your talent and connecting you to the larger art world. Beyond the main winners we look for opportunities for everyone who enters. Your portfolio is yours to share with the world and our artist search engine will also bring constant attention to your work.

What do I get by entering?
You receive an online portfolio of your work that you can use to share your images with the world. You can edit it as much as you like and the are no recurring costs. Further, you keep the sales rights to all your images. Our artist search engine will connect interested collectors, gallerists and art enthusiasts to what you create.
Click here to give it a try.

Everyone who enters will also receive a free digital subscription to JPG Magazine, $100 in discounts and credits from Zipcar.com, and other discounts and freebies from our generous sponsors.

Who is eligible to enter?
Photographers of all levels and styles are invited to participate. Our last open-call received entries from over 70 countries. By participating in this competition you are joining an international conversation about photography, art and the power of the image.

This is your opportunity to capture the moment and share your talent with the world. Send us your most powerful photographs:
www.artistswanted.org

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You are Invited to
Naglee Park Open Studios, Sunday June 6
11AM to 5PM
in Historic Naglee Park
Admission: Free!!!

Event Programs and Maps Available Day of the Event at:
House of Bagels and The Naglee Park Garage

both located at, 505 E San Carlos Street (at South 11th Street)

Meet Naglee Park Artists

Have you ever wondered about that house with the terrific artwork in the yard? Naglee Park is home to a wide range of artists including potters, painters, photographers and artists working in mosaic and mixed media on wood or canvas. Come walk the neighborhood and meet the artists living among us.

See Their Artwork

During Naglee Park Open Studios, our local artists are opening their studios and sharing their work. Most artists’ work will be displayed in the studio in which it was created. While touring the studios, you may find a new treasure; many of the pieces will be available for sale.

Spend a Nice Sunday Afternoon in Historic Naglee Park

Our beautifully restored vintage homes are just one of the things that make Naglee Park unique. Naglee Park is also filled with gifted artists. Join us and enjoy a summer afternoon in our neighborhood while exploring the artistic side of Naglee Park!

Help Spread the Word

For more Information, Website and Artist List please view:

www.NagleePark.org

Email NPOS@NagleePark.org

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ART ARK GALLERY HAS MOBILIZED!

In participation with the Sub Zero Art Festival this Friday, June 4th from 6pm -12 midnight
on So. First St. in the downtown SOFA district of San Jose between San Carlos and Williams St…..

ART ARK GALLERY WILL BE REPRESENTED BY AN
18′ LONG, 13′ TALL, 6′ WIDE
ILLUMINATED ARK EQUIPPED WITH SHADOW PUPPETS

Hope you’ll come out and enjoy the festival!
http://www.subzerofestival.com/

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There’s Still Time to Tell the Mayor and City Council to Preserve Funding for Arts Groups!

Many people have already stepped up to express their support for the arts in San Jose. If you haven’t done so already, there is still time to make your voice heard. The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art and its fellow arts organizations need your help and your advocacy for the arts NOW. The City’s current draft budget diverts precious dollars from the arts-grant pool -a “grab” of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) dollars that have always been intended to directly support non-profit arts organizations in San Jose, not City staffing.

You can listen to the comments of Larry Stone, county assessor, Santa Clara County, on this important issue: http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtsCouncilSV#p/a/u/0/hh–zUludhU

For details on the $268,000 referenced in our earlier call-to-action, see Councilman Liccardo’s budget recommendation, BD #36, available online at

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/mayor/goals/budget/2010_2011BD.asp.

Please contact Mayor Chuck Reed and City council members to express your opinion this week. The Mayor’s budget recommendations will be delivered June 4, so time is of the essence.

A sample letter is attached in the previous posting for your use.  Please email your letter to each of the City officials listed.

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Dear Friends,

Tell the Mayor and City Council to Preserve TOT Funding for Arts Groups!

The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art and its fellow arts organizations need your help and your advocacy for the arts NOW. The City’s current draft budget diverts precious dollars from the arts-grant pool-a “grab” of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) dollars that have always been intended to directly support non-profit arts organizations in San Jose, not City staffing.

Please contact Mayor Chuck Reed and City council members to express your opinion this week. The Mayor’s budget recommendations will be delivered June 4, so time is of the essence.

A sample letter is below for your use. Please email your letter to each of the City officials listed below.

Thank you for your advocacy for the arts in San Jose-we need our voices to be heard.

Cathy Kimbal

Mayor Chuck Reed: mayoremail@sanjoseca.gov
Pete Constant: District1@sanjoseca.gov
Ash Kalra: District2@sanjoseca.gov
Sam Liccardo: District3@sanjoseca.gov
Kansen Chu: District4@sanjoseca.gov
Nora Campos: District5@sanjoseca.gov
Pierluigi Oliverio: pierluigi.oliverio@sanjoseca.gov
Madison Nguyen: District7@sanjoseca.gov
Rose Herrera: rose.herrera@sanjoseca.gov
Judy Chirco: judy.chirco@sanjoseca.gov
Nancy Pyle: District10@sanjoseca.gov

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Stop Raiding TOT Grant Funding for the Arts

May 28, 2010
Mayor Chuck Reed
San Jose City Council Members
Debra Figone, City Manager
City of San Jose
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113

RE: Stop Raiding TOT Grant Funds Intended for the Arts

Dear Mayor Reed, City Council Members, and City Manager,

The ongoing raid on Transient Occupancy Tax Grant Funding for Arts non-profits has gone too far. City management wrongfully continues to take from this funding source to cover its General Fund shortfall. This raid is counter to the intent and spirit of the agreement with San Jose’s hoteliers and arts groups. They supported the creation of this tax to fund the arts not to make up for years of budgeting failures. This raid also amplifies the damage that our fragile arts ecosystem has already sustained due to the recession.

To paraphrase the strong sentiment expressed by Mayor Reed when responding to the State’s grab of RDA funds: this most recent raid on TOT funding for the arts is a direct reflection of San Jose’s budget failures. Taking this funding will result in the loss of jobs, the cancellation of concerts, plays, exhibitions, and festivals, and bring fewer visitors to downtown hotels and restaurants. The losses will be serious and long term for the residents and businesses of San Jose and the entire Bay Area.

While the Mayor has vehemently denounced the State’s actions, the City of San Jose is doing the same exact thing to arts funding. San Jose leadership cannot allow the TOT to be misappropriated in the same way that Sacramento has wiggled its way into the pockets of cities and their most powerful economic development tool.

Council member Liccardo has a part of the solution right with his recent Budget Document dated May 21, 2010, to preserve and restore $268,000 to the TOT for 2010-2011. We urge you to support his recommendations.

However, we expect you to go further, back to when the misappropriation of these dedicated funds started. We expect you to honor the original spirit and letter of the deal. The arts community wants full restoration of the TOT back to before these funds began to be violated. Poor precedent was set. The time to begin to fix it is now.

Sincerely,

[Your name and affiliation here]

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