ART OF THE PROTEST - To See and To Be Heard

 works by WCAGA ART+ACTIVISM – Sept. 1-3, 2017 – Decatur, GA

By Flora Rosefsky   

Art of The Protest, the 3 day thought provoking art show held over Labor Day Weekend at the Sycamore Place Gallery & Studios in Decatur, put together by The Women’s Caucus of Art – Georgia Chapter (WCAGA) with its  growing ART+ACTIVISM core of artists, continues to resonate within the minds of those who created the ephemeral work as well as for those who attended the show.  One may ask, can art really change a mindset? Perhaps not reverse it per se, but highly message driven art definitely makes people  talk, discuss, and share their viewpoints with anyone who is willing to listen. Like any art show, each work has more than one interpretation, depending upon if one were hearing what the artist has to say in a conversation, or where the viewer’s experience and philosophy takes them to reflect, to figure out what the protest art means to them personally.  As stated in the show’s prospectus, all the work could be in any type of media, but had to use a piece of poster board, cardboard, foam core or other ephemeral materials.  The show was to “celebrate your first amendment right and let your voice be heard.”

Bouquets for Heather by Callahan McDonough

In some ways, the demographics of age plays a part in the sensibility one has for protest art. Artists like Callahan McDonough, who was and still is a big voice in the Feminist Movement which began in earnest in the 1970s with the likes of Gloria Steinham, Bella Abzug and others brings an activist core to her work. In McDonough’s “ Bouquets for Heather”,  those who saw this oversize work were able to touch the fresh bouquets of flowers, saw the lit candles that memorialized the life of Heather Heyer ,killed in Charlottesville 2017.  Unlike the 1970s, it was the conservative post WWII 1950s and optimistic  early 1960s that defined my young adult life. Busy raising young children, yet surrounded by news of  the JFK, MLK Jr., and RFK assassinations, Vietnam War opposition marches, flower children defying anything traditional -  that world of protest escaped me. Today – a protective cocoon has broken apart – where I no longer can ignore the political landscape, or I simply ask, “what legacy am I , and we as a country, leaving the next generation? ” WCAGA Art+Activism has become a conduit to express ways that I, and other artists, can raise consciousness on issues that can no longer be ignored – inclusive human rights to name just one.  

It took me several weeks to come up with which of many topics I had in mind for my protest art. I wanted it to be somewhat optimistic, more of a hope than regurgitating something disdainful and miserable. I found a quote online when I was searching for words supporting acceptance of others, crossing religious or gender lines. “There is one race…the human race.” That quote sometimes attributed to educator Thomas Dewey or other times, Ghandi - became the basis for my work, on a flattened  painted “priority” box.  From my faith and tradition, “Tikkum Olam” – “to Repair the World”, are words that resonate for people to take action, not to be a bystander. Today artists can be of any age to be activists – from children, teenagers, adults, and seniors . What art can do is to start a conversation, and find mutual respect.

Visitors with several of the works

Opening sign with "Trump Fan" by Pat Borow

 The words liberal, progressive, Democrat may not have been written all over this show with actual words, but there was no hiding the fact that the pendulum in the Sycamore Place Gallery & Studios from September 1-3 supported that agenda. Some work stayed on a specific protest topic – which ranged from rows of automatic assault military style rifles printed  against traditional red wallpaper  in Maxine Hess’s work “New America”  about gun violence  to Roxane Hollosi’s carboard female figure cutout piece titled “choice, conscience, consequence” that  used a metal hanger as part of the collage. Others mirrored the deep political divide in the United States, such as Jenny Bell’s “Two Sides of the Same Coin”,  where lines drawn polarize what used to sustain a more moderate temperament where the word compromise was hailed as success, not failure. A few of the works made some feel more anger such as Sandrine Andros’s “ Enough is Enough” while others evoked some sense of frustration as in “No Refuge” by Helen DeRamus or “Love is a Battlefield” by Vivian Liddell.  “Trump Fan” by Pat Borow elicited lots of discussion with her using a traditional white paper funeral fan for the support of a frowning president’s portrait. Several works were mini-history lessons such as Vickie Martin Conison’s collage “Complicit”, with a quote by Albert Einstein glued onto the actual United States Constitution. 

Vickie Martin-Conison with "Complicit"

"Choice, Conscience, Consequence" by Roxanne Hollosi with Maxine Hess and Callahan McDonough

The absolute authentic  creativity of each of the approximate thirty artists illuminated the gallery. This was definitely not decorator art to add the right color to one’s décor, although many of the works could find an important place in a home where the artistic qualities of composition, color, shape, or texture were strong.   Besides more traditional 2-D work hung with wires or nails, was a box filled with game pieces to give-away called “Anti Trump Dust” created by Dharma S. Lunar, and who could forget the various artistic postcards to send to government elected officials -  hung on strings below a metal construction piece made out of former Hillary sign posts. This most creative mobile was the brainchild of Claire Lewis Evans.  

"Untitled" by Claire Lewis Evans; hanging mobile using cards to send to politicians using steel from Hillary yard signs

In talking to a few of those attending the opening, a mother with a 13 year old daughter was particularly drawn to the work  by Lucy Julia Hale, “Margaret Sanger – Social Justice – Not to Hate”. She said she “almost burst into tears” when seeing it.  For Barbara Robinson, an artist who has been doing political satire thematic  work for over 30 plus years,  felt the entire show, to see “everyone’s interpretations was very inspirational.” Her own illustrations in the show echoed thought provoking political cartoon drawings.  Journalist writer, Kevin Madigan felt “we need more of this” kind of art as this is “not a normal time in our country.” He continued, “ we have to stand up and complain… and care about history.”

"MESSAGES OF HOPE" (described below)

"On Many Sides" by Jenny Bell

During the show, a tall 3-sided kiosk held pasted pages from Margaret Atwood’s book, ”The Handmaid’s Tale”,  where artists and those attending wrote their own protest messages in red or black pens in this collaborative effort called “Messages of Hope”.  Presenting original protest theme poetry during the opening on September 1^st were George Hess, an educator from Woodstock, Georgia whose poem, “I am white” recounted the issue of race in our country today. Artist, teacher, poet and owner of Sycamore Place Gallery & Studios, Sylvia Cross read her poem "Melania is Dreaming" while a weightlifter, fitness coach, and artist Rachael Bommacino lifted barbells while Cross gave her reading.
 
 Well known art critic, poet and philosopher Jerry Cullum read his original poetry, making those present appreciate both the spoken word as much as the art surrounding the circle of listeners.  The visual art exhibition along with the spoken word presentations  offered another source of inspiration during the popular annual Decatur Book Festival that was ongoing during  the same weekend. 

Artist Jody Doughty with her work "Social Justice/Human Rights"

Because there were no artist statement text accompanying this show, I asked participating artists to send me insights about their work; a few artists complied. With their permission, I will post their writings in future blog articles. The protest show was the third Art+Activism topic, conceived by Jenny Bell. Other topics have 
included the 2016  show, “46/21  46 million slaves/21^st Century - Modern Day Slavery  (about Sex and Human Trafficking) held at the Mammal Gallery in Atlanta, and in 2013, WCAGA hosted “Dolls in the City” with a similar theme co-sponsored with the  2Rules Gallery in Marietta, GA.  In 2016, the topic of Trees  Speak for Atlanta, was addressed with a Drawing Marathon event and a show, “Art & Nature: TreeSpeak”  held at The Blue Heron Nature Preserve in Atlanta.  Art+Activism , within WCAGA,  will continue building initiatives by sponsoring more exhibitions, programs,  and other educational  opportunities, insuring that the visual arts can be an instrument for positive change and dialogue in our communities and world. To see work from the Art of The Protest show, visit WCAGA Facebook pages, and the WCAGA website, www.wcaga.org –and be sure to  check out the Art+Activism artist directory.

Rachael Bommacino weightlifting while Sylvia Cross reads her poem "Melania is Dreaming".

AND - A BIG SHOUT OUT and Thanks to Jenny Bell for all her hard work organizing this event. She is pictured below flanked by Leah Medley and Kevin Madigan.

Beginning a Visual Conversation: The work of Maxine Hess

“Hidden in Plain Sight,” Hathaway Contemporary Gallery, Atlanta, March 18 – April 15, 2017

By Flora Rosefsky

Installation: The Reading Room, by Maxine Hess

Maxine Hess’s show, “Hidden in Plain Sight” and her artist talk occurred one day after the bridge collapse on I-85, which is not only disrupting the traffic and lives of over 250,000 people each day until repaired, but which also points out the tragic issues of homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, and a sub-culture living under the bridges of our interstates without much hope for a better life. Do we take responsibility and make it our personal concern to do something about these people’s lives? Or do we get the bridge fixed, get back into our one-driver cars, and keep the reality hidden, as is gun violence, and other issues Maxine is raising with her art?

Artist Maxine Hess with Blue Guns

Maxine’s installation, “The Reading Room” at first glance reveals wallpaper, pretty enough to purchase for one’s home. Look again, and notice the block printed semi-automatic guns perfectly aligned, camouflaged by the traditional baroque design of the red wallpaper. A comfortable wingback chair, draped with a writing-embroidered cloth, provokes questions about what the artist is trying to tell us, or rather, what does she want us to say or think after sitting in that chair with magazines and books nearby with titles like “Guns Safety?” 

As in this installation, all of Maxine’s work encourages an authentic dialogue about important social justice issues including gun violence, sex and human trafficking, women’s and human rights around the world, and perceptions of physical beauty of girls and women. 

Anne Weems, Maxine Hess and Laura Hathaway 

with Maxine's repurposed quilt entitled:

Dedicated to the missing/murdered women on the US/Mexico Border

Maxine brings sincere sensibilities to her art: its intrinsic beauty of color, design and texture, and a certain whimsy within some of the work brighten the otherwise serious subject matter.  The framed monoprints of wallpaper patterns superimposed with printed guns echo the themes of this unique show. Maxine’s delicate embroidery and sewing skills repurpose found materials such as a large Texas star quilt upon which she’s added outlined shapes of women and girl’s bodies. Without personalizing details, the figures appear innocent and beautiful in the warm and happy colors of the quilt, yet there is a disquieting message when you take the time to look carefully, making up your own interpretation. 

As part of her artist’s talk, Maxine read a thoughtful poem by her husband, William “George” Hess, which reveals  a lot about how she approaches her work. 

Maxine Creates

I’ve seen you

Take a scrap of cloth from a sometimes creaking drawer

Lay it flat, but not iron out the wrinkles or smooth the edges nor clip loose threads

As it may become a tear or a drop of blood, or a leaf or a spider’s strand.

I’ve seen how you

Let the world see how you paint with cloth and thread

Stitches loosely made and some in a pattern of purpose

Only you know when your work is finished and ready for someone’s wall.

Perhaps artists can become the conduits of starting a real dialogue for social issues to make the changes needed to improve our communities. To help save one person is to save the world. Let us start with one person or one cause. Thank you Maxine Hess for your part to begin this conversation.

Annual Meeting at The Goat Farm Arts Center – December 4, 2016 By Flora Rosefsky

Image by Ruth Schowalter

A gray, cold and rainy Sunday did not dampen the wonderful WCAGA annual meeting at The Goat Farm in Atlanta on December 4th. Approximately 30 members attended, including four new members who joined that afternoon. 

Following visits to the studios of member artists Eleanor Neal, Khalilah Birdsong, and Maggie Davis, those attending shared food and drinks along with an informative program in the Rodriquez Room. Officers and Directors of the WCAGA Board spoke about their responsibilities and welcomed members to get involved in the coming year. All members were encouraged to participate to help implement the initiatives our Georgia chapter hopes to fulfill in 2017 and beyond. Committee updates included Art+Activism, Art Share, Book Club, Communications, Drawing Marathons, Exhibitions, Membership, and an announcement to form a Fund-Raising committee.  All members had the opportunity to introduce themselves by telling us about their particular art medium as well as how they developed their current artistic passion.

In her opening remarks, WCAGA President Sally Eppstein noted she wants to encourage a feeling of inclusiveness so that any members who wish to participate in a committee or to help an elected officer are welcome to offer their assistance.

Vice-President Maggie Davis inspired us with her talk about how WCAGA impacted the arts community in the Atlanta area and beyond, emphasizing that we artists need to support each other, particularly other women artists in our community. Attending art openings is a key example. She reminded us to reach out to promote a greater appreciation for the work of contemporary women artists. Supporting Burnaway, ARTS Atlanta and Art Papers is also important.  Although a lot of progress has been made since the early 1970s when the Feminist movement took on inequality issues in the art world, there is still a lot of work to be done today. 

A special thank you to Kathy Meliopoulos for organizing the delicious refreshments, along with all those who provided them, and to Sally Eppstein for coordinating the annual meeting. It was delightful to see the many prints of members’ work exhibited along one wall, and to have a raffle of artwork donated by several WCAGA members. 

One can say those attending the annual meeting made their own “sunshine,” where we felt the warmth of friendship and the possibilities of what the Women’s Caucus for Art – Georgia can accomplish in what will hopefully be a bright future for our members and other artists in our community.

 – December 4, 2016 By Flora Rosefsky

WCAGA Artists part of "Song of the Land" in Los Angeles California

    

Maxine Hess 
Greyton Marsh II
16 x 20 inches 2011

Encaustic Painting on Board with Japanese Paper

Maxine Hess

www.maxinehessstudio.com

Art is how I communicate, how I integrate my spirituality, Jewish heritage and life experiences as a woman. I believe that art transforms; a way to mindfulness, a way to awareness. The Torah commands personal responsibility, respect for others and caring of G-d’s sacred creation. On a recent trip to Greyton Beach State Park, I was inspired to create a series of encaustics and works on paper to capture the metaphysical exquisiteness of it as well as its spiritual nature. Greyton Beach sings to me as Eden sings to us from the Torah. I am awed by both and my hope is that others will be so awed and moved to respect and protect our natural world.

Flora Rosefsky 

Divide The Waters 

Mixed-Media 38” X 68” 2009

Flora Rosefsky

www.florageart.com

In Divide the Waters, interwoven cloth and paper segments explode in 144 crocheted squares, symbolizing Earth’s precious resource juxtaposed with a Torah narrative written over 3,000 years ago. The mystery of how God created this life-sustaining force is a universal story still powerful and relevant today as it was thousands, if not billions, of years ago. Today over 70 percent of the earth is covered with water; what took ions of time to give birth, human beings destroy. In the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1 6:8, when the waters were divided, these words illuminate and transform into spontaneous patterns of line, color, shape, and texture.

Simone Soltan 
Where Will They Go if the Forests are Cut Down? 
Soft Pastel collage,25" x 18.75"  2008

Simone Soltan

Planet Earth, our only home, is in danger:

Over the eons human needs have taken priority over nature: since the rise of the Industrial Revolution the toll on the Earth has been devastating.  Forests are cut down causing animal species to decline or become extinct.  Our air and waters are polluted by the release of waste products into the air from industrial plants and vehicle exhausts. Our natural resources are being depleted at a rapid rate and cannot be replaced. Global climate change has occurred around the Globe: gases and pollutants in the air hold heat and act like a thick blanket over the Earth.  What can we do to save our planet?  As an artist, I can use my work to raise awareness of the situation.  As an individual, I can support people and policies that promote ways to protect and sustain our beautiful Earth.  

 Location:  Hebrew  Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion – Jack H. Skirball Campus, 3077 University  Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  90007

Event:  Exhibition and Meet the Artists Reception – 

         Meet the Artists Reception: Thursday, February 23, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Free and Open to the Public

        Exhibition:  Song of the Land -  ongoing through May 31, 2012      

The Jewish Women Artists Network (JWAN), the only national non-profit organization of professional Jewish women artists in the United States, and a self-selected special interest group within the Women's Caucus for Art, announces its 2012 Annual Juried National Exhibition,  Song of the Land.

The theme of Song of the Land challenges the artist to consider contemporary issues of environmental sustainability:  Earth is our only home and our constant and precious companion through life. We are the stewards of the earth. Lack of loving and knowledgeable care of our Earth and the inter-connectedness of all forms of life and the cycles of nature has led to depleted natural resources, water and air pollution, destruction of wild animal habitats and the loss of much of the Earth's natural beauty.  Aware and concerned about our environment physically and spiritually, how do we, as artists, focus attention to the challenge of preserving, sustaining and protecting our planet? How do we help ensure the future of Earth's blessings? 

Close to 100 artists from the entire USA submitted works for consideration. Of the near 200 works entered, Juror, Ruth Weisberg, artist and former Dean of the Roski School of Art at the University of Southern California selected 44 works representing 43 artists.

A full color catalogue is available.

Please contact us for interviews, more information or additional materials:

Fay Grajower and Simone Soltan

Co-Chairs, JWAN National Exhibitions

wca.jwan@gmail.com

Let's get to know our members--Flora Rosefsky

Sabbath Bride Queen

Flora Rosefsky is a long time member of the Women’s Caucus for Art of Georgia. She is an asset to the WCAGA. Her Jewish Heritage forms a strong foundation for all her creative work. Her body of work consists of Assemblage, Mixed Media collages, Paper, Stained Glass, and Torah Mantles. She works from her studio The Sycamore Place Gallery and Studios in Decatur, GA. 

"Work It Out"

Flora Rosefsky has an exhibition time line going back to 1992. Her latest show is “Song of the Land” at the Hebrew Union College Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, CA. This Show focuses on environmental issues in our contemporary society.  She has a solo show at the Rosenzweig Gallery at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, NC. This is a solo show called “The Joy of Judaism: The Art of Flora Rosefsky” and is running trough February 12, 2012. She presently serves as the President of the American Guild of Judaic Art.

Jewish Celebrations Quilt

Please visit her website for more information and contact details. Flora is an inspiration to all that know her.

Kind Regards,

Corlia

Always something to do in Atlanta

Looking for something to do?

This weekend is busy, busy, busy. Here is just a couple of events that I am aware of that some of our members are taking part in.

Lair takes place on Friday, November 18, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. This event takes place at the Abernathy Arts Center.                   

The Little Things Mean A Lot happens on Thursday, November 17, 6pm - 8pm at the Swan Coach House Gallery. This is a group show with more than three hundred small art works. 

Our wonderful Book Discussion finds place on Sunday, November 20, 3pm - 6pm. The Artist Joan Mitchell is this  discussions topic. You can use  and read anything to come and take part in this event. S

For more information you can have a look at the Calendar.

I also have two birthday parties this weekend but I am sure going to try and get to these shows and especially the book discussion. I am thinking of taking my Knitting.

Regards Corlia

From Conception: Art in Process. An Article By Flora Rosefsky.

FROM CONCEPTION: Art in Process

Exhibition with pARTicular group of women 

Atlanta Central Public Library – April 3-29,2011

by Flora Rosefsky  

WCA-GA members Vicki Bethel, Marilynn Brandenburger, Gillian Gussack, Flora Rosefsky and Mona Waterhouse along with a retrospective of former member Patricia  Hetzler, revealed how artists develop their ideas in a unique exhibition at the Atlanta Central Public Library’s gallery in downtown Atlanta April 3-April 29, 2011. Tracking the creation of a new work of art from conception to completion, viewers embraced the process by reading excerpts from journals, looking at working drawings and sketches to seeing the finished work.  Other pARTicular women artists who participated in the Conception show included Nancy Albertson, Serey Andree,  Cary Cleaver, Debra Lynn Gold, and Alicia Griswold.

 Artist statements, a  writing process  that in itself can be challenging to those who create visual art, when asked to put into words the meaning behind one’s actual work, help point the viewer to the exhibition’s  conception theme.  Before reading a title, wall text or listening to an explanation about the work it is probably a good idea to look first at the finished work. However, it seems that many viewers also appreciate hearing the artist’s voice along with their own personal interpretations. 

In the voices of the artists, following are some artist statement excerpts relating to this exhibition’s  theme of “conception and process”. 

Vicki Bethel , who in her life  moved from one town to another more than 40 times, loves maps, “papers with a past, papers imbued with their own history.”  It was maps that helped Bethel “ understand some realities. Where are we? Where are we going? How do we get there? They also jump-started imagination, hopes, dreams, yearnings, and memories.” 

Marilynn Brandenburger creates paintings of interiors and landscapes in transparent and opaque watercolor and acrylic gouache. The focus of her work is light and space: "My goal is to create 'structured spaces' in which forms are illuminated in such a way that they convey a sense of calm and order to the viewer." Brandenburg’s  recent  Midwest artist residencies in Illinois doing the “Fields Project” seems to refresh and reinforce the beauty and peaceful power of her work.  

Gillian “Gus” Gussack who has worked with fiber, drawing and clay now works in metalsmithing, a process she says is “more spontaneous than other mediums.” Where instead of waiting for a “vision to come into focus” before starting a work, Gussack feels “happiest just cutting a shape from metal, annealing it to make it more malleable and then raising a form using hammers and stakes.”  She loves to see how her pieces, like her necklaces, change with each blow of plastic against metal, where the “exploratory method” that she particularly enjoys becomes an integral component of her new work.

An artist whose personal memories often become inspiration for her work, Flora Rosefsky  cut up specific newspaper headlines to convey a message about the chaotic outside world. Displayed as part of her artist’s wall were original sketches of figures that later became permanent pen drawings on a grid-like pattern of a vintage tablecloth. “That kind of experimentation or taking a chance is important to any artist – to take the risk of failure is part of the creative process.” 

“Journals where I sketch, write down ideas and thoughts and a camera that records my observations” are Mona Waterhouse’s most important research tools. Along with her own research and experimentation, Waterhouse gives credit to the numerous museum visits, reading “all kinds of literature about art and fiction” to help her “grow as an artist and human being.” Noted for her hand-made paper and fiber work related to themes of nature, this exhibition featured a new “off loom” process where she looks at the Intricate workings of the human brain…where the work, although sculptural, are “drawings in space.” 

Former WCA-GA member Patricia Hetzler, who died in 2010, had several of her collage and painted furniture pieces  as a retrospective component of this exhibition with work borrowed from several collectors that included family and friends. In her own words where she finds that the “journey is more important than the completed work,” Hetzler wanted her work to be beautiful and to “speak to the spirit.”  She often said that “I don’t fully know what my work means until some significant amount of time has passed. Then, upon revisiting it, I am often amazed at what it says about my spiritual journey in this life.” 

To learn more about PWA artists and their work, www.particularwomen.org

Written By Flora Rosefsky