April 16–May 30, 2015
Opening: April 15, 6–8pm
The James Gallery
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday noon–7pm,
Friday–Saturday noon–6pm
www.centerforthehumanities.org/james-gallery
Curator: Nadiah Fellah
Left Coast: California Political Art includes artworks from the 1980s to the present that focus on the spirit of protest and resistance, which has come to be synonymous with the West Coast in recent years. The title of the exhibition takes its name from a playful moniker for the left-wing politics associated with California, a place that curator and art historian Peter Selz has referred to as “America’s edge.” By exploring how the roles of these artists cross into the realm of activism, the show brings to the fore timely political tensions and social movements that are unfolding across the country. The exhibition will feature sculptures, drawings, paintings, video and prints by several contemporary artists currently working in California, as well as newly commissioned works by Los Angeles-based artist Andrew Schoultz, the Bay Area-based mural collective Precita Eyes Mural Collective, and the international artist collective Futurefarmers, founded by San Francisco artist Amy Franceschini. Also included in the presentation are works by artists Judith F. Baca, Evan Bissell, Libby Black, Enrique Chagoya, Bruce Conner, Estudio Teddy Cruz with Fonna Forman, Jennifer Moon, PERSIA and DADDIE$ PLA$TIK, Lari Pittman, Rigo 23, Favianna Rodriguez, Martin Wong, and Imin Yeh.
This presentation is cosponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the PhD Program in Art History; and the Public Science Project, The Graduate Center, CUNY.
Exhibition programming
The James Gallery
All events are free, open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis, and are ADA accessible. All events take place in the James Gallery unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, April 15, 6–8pm
Exhibition reception
Left Coast: California Political Art
Thursday, April 16, 5–7pm
Conversation
“Muralism in California: Past and Present”
Max Allbee, artist; Fred Alvarado, artist; Suaro Luis Cervantes, artist; Nadiah Fellah, exhibition curator, PhD Program in Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Anna Indych-López, Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Marina Perez-Wong, artist.
Wednesday, April 22, 5–6pm
Workshop
“Left Coast for Teachers”
Hallie Scott, PhD Program in Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY.
April 27, 10am–6pm
Conference
“The City is Ours, The Body is Mine: Urban Spatial Practices in Contemporary Latin America”
Martin E. Segal Theatre
Keynotes: Paola Bernstein Jaques, Architecture, Urbanism, and Visual Arts, Federal University of Bahia; Fabiana Dultra Britto, Urban Laboratory, Federal University of Bahia.
Artist intervention in the James Gallery by Brazilian artist collective Opavivará.
Cosponsored by the Rewald Endowment of the PhD Program in Art History; the Committee on Globalization & Social Change; the Doctoral Students’ Council; the Center for the Humanities.
April 30, 6:30pm
Conversation
“Political Printmaking: Favianna Rodriguez and Lincoln Cushing in Conversation”
Martin E. Segal Theatre
Lincoln Cushing, archivist; Nadiah Fellah, exhibition curator, PhD Program in Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Favianna Rodriguez, artist.
May 7, 6:30pm
Conversation
“Participatory Research and Political Art: California to New York”
Evan Bissell, artist; Brett G. Stoudt, Psychology and Gender Studies, John Jay College of Criminal, CUNY, and Environmental Psychology, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Maria Elena Torre, The Public Science Project.
May 14, 6:30pm
Conversation
“Provisioning: The Flatbread Society Seed Journey”
Nadiah Fellah, exhibition curator, PhD Program in Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Amy Franceschini, artist; Joe Riley, artist; Audrey Snyder, artist.
The Amie and Tony James Gallery joins the Center for the Humanities’ mission to create dialogue across disciplines. Located in midtown Manhattan at the nexus of the academy, contemporary art, and the city, the James Gallery brings a range of pertinent discourses into the exhibition space through a number of innovative formats. While some exhibitions remain on view for extended contemplation, other activities, such as performances, workshops, reading groups, roundtable discussions, salons, and screenings have a short duration. As a space for interdisciplinary artistic and discursive activities, the gallery works with scholars, students, artists and the public to explore working methods that may lie outside usual disciplinary practices.
For more information, contact Jennifer Wilkinson: T +1 212 817 2020 / [email protected]
