Innocence Lost, Lives Shattered----Do Something ... Do Justice

Although very short notice, a good opportunity has come up where your work that was in the WCA-GA Dolls in the City show, organized by Loretta Paraguassu and the 2 Rules Fine Art Galley, can be shown again for a one day exhibition on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the Perimeter Church located at 9500 Medlock Bridge Road – Johns Creek, GA 30097.

THIS CALL FOR ART  IS ALSO OPEN TO BOTH  WCA-GA ARTISTS and DOLLS IN THE CITY ARTISTS.

The “Atlanta Justice Conference” is being held from 8:30am-2:30pm on the 31^st  where approximately 300 or more people will be attending from across this area to learn more about Human and Sex Trafficking. WCA-GA has been invited to put together a visual arts component – an exhibition relating to this topic.  See the information below listing the program’s speakers. More information about the conference is available at this link. https://www.perimeter.org/pages/outreach-volunteer/reaching-the-city/justice-conference/pages/home-2/

There is room for about 30 art works (2-D – ready to be hung work)  on the provided 2 sided  panels. 

To make it easy for you, if you want to participate

·         Let Flora Rosefsky know by this Tues. January 6, 2015 - if you want to participate, and if so – which  of up to 3 work(s)  you want to show. Attach a lo-res or med-res jpg for each work. Provide  your name, title of the work, and its dimensions (including the frame). 

Can submit up to 3 images.  flora@FloraRosefsky.com

·         All  artists up to 30 submissions will be exhibited. Please send us up to 3 images each.  

·        Work can be dropped off at Callahan McDonough’s loft residence at  the Sager Lofts,- 455 Glen Iris Drive NE – Unit #L – Atlanta 30308

(not too far from VA Highlands) on Wednesday,, January 28^th between 10am – 1pm. 

callahan.pope.mcdonough@gmail.com  (404)593-7370

·         Note that Callahan is willing  to  take the work to the church in time to install it on Friday, January 30^th  along with the help of Maxine Hess, who lives in Woodstock. 

They need one other volunteer to help install.  

·         Callahan and Maxine plan to attend the conference on Sat. Jan. 31st. There is a nominal fee of around $15 to attend. All participants are welcome.  

·         Callahan and Maxine will take down the show Saturday evening. The work will be returned to Callahan’s loft.. 

·         Pick up of your work at Callahan’s loft  on Wed. February 4^th,  between 10am -1pm. 

Many people, who have a strong interest in this particular issue of human and sex trafficking will be attending this event, where they will not only see your work, but will engage in the conversation or dialogue which the art’s message addresses. It is a great way to show the public the depth of creativity and message oriented work from the talents of our WCA-GA members. 

Be sure you get back to us  by next Tuesday, January 6^th. flora@FloraRosefsky.com

The  WCA-GA task force committee working on this issue is developing  other educational and exhibition opportunities. The Dolls in the City exhibition was an excellent beginning for WCA-GA to get involved. Thank you Loretta!

With best regards for a good year ahead in 2015-

The WCA-GA Human/Sex Trafficking steering committee

Maxine Hess – Callahan McDonough – Flora Rosefsky – Ruth Schowalter

About the Conference Program (from Lynn Traynor, chair  (678) 462-5913)

Innocence Lost,  Lives Shattered

Join us as we gather as a city to confront the exploitation of the vulnerable in our midst.  Keynote Speaker Vernon Keenan, Director of the GBI, will open our eyes to the realities in our city followed by your choice of educational and action inspiring breakout sessions suited for all levels of interest and involvement. Come find your place in the battle. 

  Do Something ... Do Justice

Other speakers and Breakout Session Leaders Include:

Hillary DeJarnett - Haven Atlanta/Salvation Army

Jeff Shaw - Out of Darkness   

Mary Frances Bowley - Wellspring Living- Founder

Street Grace - "DMST 101"

Sgt. Torry Kennedy - SVU Dekalb Co 

Lyn Thompson - Founder, Truckers Against Trafficking 

Judge Cassandra Kirk - Fulton Co. Juvenile Court 

Promise 686 - Foster Care and DMST

Stuart Griffin: FACE - (Fathers Against Child Exploitation) 

Pastor Bruce Deel - "Caring for the Victims"

Sen. Renee Unterman- "Legislative Concerns and Involvement"

Tiffany Sawyer - GCCA - "Child Sexual Abuse and DMST"

Kelly Stewart - Johns Creek City Council - Asian Massage Parlors-"In Your Neighborhood"

Operation Liberate - The Criminal Element "In your Neighborhood"

Interview with Artist Maxine Hess

Maxine Hess: "Unemployment Line II"

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

I am Maxine Hess and I am a visual artist. I think I always wanted to be an artist. Even as a child I drew the trees outside my bedroom window. Whenever there was something that needed to be drawn on the blackboard at school, the teacher would ask me to do it. I still remember the orange house I drew in kindergarten. I studied at Boston University Fine and Applied Arts for two years before getting married and having two children. Wherever we lived I took a painting class, but I didn’t complete my BFA degree until I moved to Atlanta and attended Atlanta College of Art. Then as they say “life happened” and I shifted gears and worked in higher education for a number of years as a career counselor while I completed a M.Ed. and a Ph.D. at Georgia State University in Human Resource Development studying both career and organization development.. My background in career and organization development led me to a position with the Federal Government. During my tenure with the government I was fortunate to be able to complete a certificate in leadership coaching at Georgetown University. During all those years I sporadically took classes in etching and painting. When I retired in 2007 I was determined to return to making art full time, but that got delayed for a couple of years while I provided leadership coaching on a contract basis for the CDC. Now I can finally call myself a full time artist.

 
2. What’s integral to your art and/or art career?

For me continuing to learn is vital to my art. I took a workshop in encaustic painting from Helen DeRamus, studied painting with Joan Tysinger at SCAD and I’m currently in the Fine Arts Workshop Atelier with Michael David. When I first started back to making art I visited as many galleries and exhibits as I could and I joined WCAGA and the Atlanta Artists Center. 

 
3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

In some ways I see myself as a visual sociologist. My themes come from my personal experiences, from growing up during the feminist movement and racial unrest, and from current socio-political events. 

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

Maxine Hess: "Cherish The Idea"

I’m most angered by seeing injustices in the world, by people not accepting diverse ways of thinking and believing, by people being treated uncivilly and without respect. I am most happy when I see people accepting one another, making an effort to understand and respect each other’s differences and similarities. 

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

Women in general inspire me, their strength and resiliency. I grew up during the feminist movement and was influenced by so many amazing women who fought for equal rights for women. There were so few options for women in the past – they could get married and have children or they could become teachers or nurses. Yet there were women who broke the mold and became adventurers, doctors, lawyers, engineers. In spite of adversity women have been and still are able to reinvent themselves and move forward. 

6. What superpower would you want?

This probably sounds trite, but I would like to bring peace to the world, to end genocide, human trafficking. I would like to make a positive difference. 

7. Who are your favorite artists and or other person?

I have many favorite artists and as I’ve grown and matured I keep adding more. Some I’ve always loved are Van Gogh, Matisse, Soutine, Kokoshka, Miriam Shapiro and more recently Hannelore Baron and Anselm Kiefer. 

8. What advice would you give to other artists?

Make art that you believe in, that has meaning for you regardless of how it is received. Listen to your own voice, trust your intuition. Learn from feedback and from other artists. And, above all be persistent.

maxinehess@comcast.net
www.maxinehess.com
www.lowegallery.com

Maxine Hess: "The Veiled Gun"

Interview with Artist and Philosopher Maggie Davis

Maggie Davis next to the Wall "Beautiful Stranger" currently happening at The Goat Farm.

Who are you, what do you do and what is your background?

My MFA was in painting but drawing has always been a private practice. Mark making on slips of paper, small sketchbooks, and some times on large surfaces has been a continuous obsession. Drawing is a visceral origin: the infinite mark making language; the direct line from the breath and heartbeat. My painting practice occupies a high mental plane circling around questions of perception, assumptions we hold and the contemporary experience. I am also a writer because I love language, its precision, ambiguity and its close relation to drawing.

What is integral to your art and or art career?

Philosophical thinking anchors my work as a human being and an artist. Two years of course work in the IDSVA PhD program exposed me to the great thinkers about art, theory and criticism. My curiosity finally found a place to land where answers to questions were less important than the questions themselves. In graduate school I was accused of too much “chair time” thinking about the next move I would make in a painting. In the PhD program, reading, thinking and writing philosophy were the principle means for examining the role of art in being human. 

What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

I have been chewing on questions about perception, its mechanics, the way we collect data visually and how we create and interpret whole images. My paintings explore the slippage of form from one to another through the contrast of color. I want to get inside the space where we make assumptions about the world. I try to set up expectations of space within the work and then confound it by letting the space slip away to a different condition. Form, color, plane, brush marks, tonality, and process are the tools but what I am hunting for is a mirror for the world we now live in, a painted surface that gives us back our complex experience but allows us to examine it slowly. I make slow paintings about our fast world. I rely on abstraction to avoid creating nostalgic memories or metaphors.

Artist books, printmaking, drawing, painting, collage, water media, acrylic and oil are all available methods to articulate my ideas. 

Detail of recent painting by Maggie Davis

What makes you angry? What makes you happy?

The absence of truth is catastrophic to our democratic ethos. 

Searching for truth through my studio practice. Being in community.

Who or what inspires you in your work or in your life in general?

Simon Critchley’s Infinitely Demanding, Ethics of Commitment Politics of Resistance as well as Hannah Arendt’s Responsibility and Judgment.

The persistent questions: What makes us human? How does art gives us back our humanity? What does it mean to be moral? How can philosophy and art contribute to a just world? These are the questions that will make my life as an artist worth it. They comfort my soul and trump any personal recognition or material gain. 

What superpower would you want?

Art, philosophy, history and community are superpowers enough.

Who is your favorite artist/s or other person?

Depends on what I am reading or who I thinking about. Currently I am reading an examination of Heidegger’s writings

Detail of wall "Beautiful Stranger"

about sculpture. At the same time I have been thinking about how the body expresses mark making in space and how that relates to my drawing practice. Heidegger’s ideas about the body, ideas about the mark as an essential expression of being human and Lauri Stallings approach to movement as relational are stretching my thinking about drawing. In collaboration with glo’s hybrid performance exhibition gestures that will soon disappear at MOCA GA, I did an drawing installation, beautiful stranger that gave me an opportunity to push the boundaries of writing as drawing. 

What advice would you give to other artists?

Always look for places that will open you up to new possibilities. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t dismiss that which you don’t like. You are a member of a large and illustrious tribe with a long history. You don’t work in a vacuum. If your work flags consider the philosophers who write about art. I mentioned the ones who back me. 

Contact details 

http://maggiedavisart.com

http://maggiedavis.blogspot.com

"Untitled" by Maggie Davis

Interview With Donna Horn

1.Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?
My name is Donna Horn. I am an artist, primarily a painter. I've loved to draw and make things from the time I was very young. Even though I was a Fine Arts major in college, I did not pursue my art until I was a mature adult. Instead, I got a masters in business so I could make a living. In the 90's I went to Georgia State, got a BFA in art education; but in the end, I discovered I wasn't really cut out to be a teacher. Finally I realized that all I really wanted to do was paint, so I began to study with various instructors, trying to learn as much as I could about art and painting.

2. What's integral to your art and or art career? 
Having time and a place to work with minimal distractions; having the ability to evaluate my own work. Learning to deal with rejection that comes with the territory, and developing an ability to continue painting even when I get frustrated or discouraged. I would say that being stubborn has helped me.

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?
My themes come out of my subject matter, which is mainly the natural world. Currently I am painting abstracted landscapes. Because my tendency is to paint, scrape, repaint, etc. I have come to see the creation and destruction that goes on throughout my process as parallel to that of the natural world I am depicting. I start with an image and then use color, texture, brushwork to convey something more. I don't feel bound to depict the image realistically. So I would say that the way memory affects our perception of things is another theme that has come out of the work. I work mainly in oil.

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy? 
I dislike artistic (or any) pretensions; I am irritated by by arrogance, insensitivity, and excessive self interest or narcissism, and get angry when I feel it directed at me.

Painting makes me happy (most of the time.) Also, the love and company of my family and friends makes me happy. I also enjoy solitude, which I need to think about life and my art. Travel, when I have the time and money because it renews and invigorates me. 

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general? 
In my work, I am inspired by my natural surroundings, and by artists whose work I hold in high regard. In life, I admire those who have overcome obstacles and made peace with themselves. I am inspired by those philosophers whose ideas address what is important in life in order to be happy, or perhaps 'content' is a better word. Course, I can't think of names right now.

6. What superpower would you want?
The only thing that comes to mind is to be able to go without sleep, if I needed to, and still feel good. That way, I could paint for longer sessions and still do the other things that my life requires...not really practical though, I suppose.

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person? 

There are many artists that I like and admire: Richard Diebenkorn, Paul Cezanne, Andre Derain, Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Nicolas de Stael, Phillip Guston, Hedda Sterne, Pat Steir...others I can't think of at the moment.

8. What advice would you give to other artists?
Figure out what you want to do early on, if you can. Stay at it; don't get discouraged. Recognize that we are here for a short time, so make the most of it. Don't let your success be determined by some else.

9. Contact details if any?

donnalmhorn@gmail.com

Interview with Artist Gwen Gunter

1. Who are you and what do you do, and what is your background?

I am Gwen Gunter and I am primarily an abstract painter at this point in my career.  I have been a graphic designer, photographer, product designer and manufacturer of functional art items for the gift, home décor and apparel industries.  This has included such diverse activities as designing paint by number kits, commercial sign painting, licensing my art for posters, note cards and fine art publishing. All of these endeavors have provided outlets for creative expression and contributed to my overall aesthetic.

2. What's integral to your art and or art career?

I think what has been most integral to my career has been dogged persistenceI have refused to give up on what I believe to be my reason for being here.

3. What themes do you pursue and what medium do you use?

My themes always seem to revolve around the personal narratives that make up everyday life. Whether it is the layers of memory or commentary on present situations, the many layers of existence are always there, some revealed and some completely hidden in the painting process. I use acrylic on wood primarily, but also mixed media from time to time.

4. What makes you angry, what makes you happy?

What makes me angry is the emphasis on “hopeless” worldwide conditions that we are bombarded with through the media daily. I feel there is always hope for transformation no matter what the circumstances happen to look like on the surface and redirecting our focus to what is good and enduring and the highest in each of us can bring about that change. Knowing that makes me happy.

5. Who and what inspire you in your work and or in your life in general?

In my work I am inspired by all the artists I know who make quality inspired work and keep at it even when it is unrecognized and unrewarded.
In my life I am inspired by so many wonderful teachers: Eckhart Tolle, Steven Pressfield, Marianne Williamson, Emmet Fox, Michael Neill.

6. What superpower would you want?

I think I’ll stick with what I have, probably couldn’t handle the pressure of more!

7. What is your favorite artists and or other person

Wow, this is hard to answer, there are so many!  Artists I admire are Richard Diebenkorn, Nicolas de Stael, Brian Rutenberg, Franz Kline, Ad Reinhardt, Ben Nicholson, Lance Letscher, Robert Rauchenberg, Sammy Peters, Ciao Fonseca

8. What advice would you give to other artists?

 I would advise developing a very tough skin to protect the precious gift you’ve been given.  It will be up to you to hold your vision and keep joyfully creating to let the “muse” know you are serious about this calling.
And I would strongly suggest reading (and rereading) two books by Steven Pressfield:
The War of Art and Turning Pro.

9. Contact details if any? www.gwengunterart.com    Ggunterinc@comcast.net

"My Story, Your Story" by Gwen Gunter

"All are invited" by Gwen Gunter

"Alternate Universes 2" by Gwen Gunter

WCAGA BOARD REPORT

WCAGA Board Report

August 11, 2014

Sally Wansboro Eppstein was elected by the board to be vice president. This fills an important board position that has been vacant since January. Kate Colpitts, former vice president, became president in January when then-president Judy Parady left the position before the end of her term due to family issues.

We also now have a new co-treasurer. In the spring, Donna Horn agreed to share treasury duties with Ann Rowles. This was approved by the board.

Exhibitions

The WCAGA Members’ Show, “Layers”, opens at Georgia Perimeter College on September 11. There will be a catered reception.

On August 2, a WCAGA pin-up exhibition of work from various drawing marathons at UpStairs [ArtSpace] in Tryon, NC opened. Barb Rehg also has a solo show at the same gallery and attended the opening which she said was very well received. Our drawing marathons have inspired the artists in the Tryon area, spearheaded by WCAGA member Linda Hutchins, to hold a drawing marathon in Tryon.

Draw 4 Days

Our most ambitious drawing marathon will happen August 18–23. Over 14 WCAGA member artists have signed up for space to draw for 4 consecutive days at the Further Polycontemporary Gallery at TULA Art Center on Bennett Street. Some artists have arranged to share their space with another artist or a small group. If you have not previously signed up for a space, please drop by and see what’s happening. There will be a small space for drop-ins to work as well as a chalkboard area for one-day drawings! Feel free to Instagram it, blog about it, post a note on Twitter, and comment on WCAGA’s FaceBook page.

Opening—

Please come to the opening reception and see the results of a week of drawing in public. The opening will be 6:00–9:00 pm on Friday, August 22.

Artists Discussions—

There will be a discussion with the participating artists on Saturday, August 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
 
If you’re interested in knowing more about any of these or other WCAGA topics, feel free to contact Kate Colpitts, klfrost@aol.com.

Draw 4 Days

WCAGA and Further Poly Contemporary Gallery Present 

Draw 4 Days

Place: Further Poly Contemporary Gallery at MOCA GA /Tula Art Complex

on Bennett Street

Dates: August 18 to August 23

Closing Reception: August 22, 2014 - 6 to 9pm

Artists Discussion - August 23, 2014 - 2 to 4pm

For the last three years the Women’s Caucus for Art of GA has had an ongoing Drawing Marathon Program meant to be a respite from demands of an individual’s own art process. The artists gather at one another’s studios and spend the day drawing; however they wish, whatever they want and with materials of their own choosing. The purpose: to return to a simpler process and just allow the experience to generate ideas, release oneself from restrictions of ongoing work and enjoy the company of other artists while doing so. 

Beginning August 18, WCAGA members will participate in a four day drawing marathon

at Paul Light Jr.’s Further Poly Contemporary Gallery, located on Bennett Street in the MOCA/Tula Art Complex. Further Poly Contemporary maintains a commitment to a unique and eclectic program. Working with emerging, mid-career and established artists, Further is an ever-evolving context for exhibitions,  lectures, gatherings, and informative presentations that enrich the community's relationship to the arts. 

Over the years there have been dozens of formats for Drawing Marathons. Presently, MOCA GA has a dynamic, ongoing Drawing Program, directed by Angus Galloway, that celebrates the many aspects of the drawing process. www.mocaga.org

While that is an ongoing program, WCAGA’s Draw 4 Days is meant to be a one week program that has multiple purposes. Foremost: to bring a fundamental (not necessarily simple) art process to the viewer as it unfolds. Additionally, we want this to be an education and a celebration of a process that humans have engaged in for thousands of years. Drawing has many uses. It can be a way to journal about ideas of concept, methods of construction and solutions to problems or simply the end goal. 

Our format for this Drawing Marathon: Each day, images of the work in progress will be posted on WCAGA’s Facebook page. Writers, artists and the public will be encouraged to blog and visit. Engaging the artists in dialogue is encouraged.

On August 22, WCAGA will have a closing reception to unveil the results of our Draw 4 Days journey and on Saturday the 23rd, we will have our exhibit open and the artists will be present to discuss the process, concept and reason for participation. We hope you will join us, on line and in the space.  

www.furtherart.com

www.mocaga.org

www.wcaga.org