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[revolution-now-art]

Revolution Now, curated by Ash MarleneHane and Angela Sprunger. On view February 28- March 21, 2015 Gamut Gallery, 1006 South MarquetteAve, Minneapolis This exhibition is poised to acknowledge women who are creatingchange, locally or globally, known to many or known to a few. Their revolutions may be large and loud or slow and quiet, but their fight is now. Curators Hane and Sprunger have invited fourteen artists, including themselves, to create new work for this show. This divergent group of printmakers have each selected a woman to represent based on their own ideas of what revolution is. Working in a variety of print media - including monoprint, relief and silkscreen - each artist will interpret the “portrait” in a way that best suits their talents and style. Printmakers have long been at the forefront of revolution, helping to boldly bring the voice of the people to the greater public. The resulting collection of prints will introduce viewers to women from all over the world and in doing so encourage new dialogue and understanding. Featured artists: Christopher Alday, Hend Al-Monsour, Brian Borlaug, Laura Brown, Robyn Carley, Ash Marlene Hane, Jade Hoyer, Abbey Kleinert, Allegra Lockstadt, Ponytails, Angela Sprunger, Tonja Torgerson, Wes Winship, Sarita Zaleha Ash Marlene Hane is a printmaker, the creator of Three Letter Acronym (TLA) press, and a founding member of The Midnight Brigade. Her print work questions ideas of control, vulnerability and expectation with a focus on interpreting the figure through hand-drawn and photographic elements. In 2013, Hane received a Minnesota State Arts Board Next Step Fund Grant and launched a screenprinted apparel line through her press, Three Letter Acronym. In 2014, she co-founded The Midnight Brigade, a gallery, clothing boutique, and art studio in South Minneapolis. Angela Sprunger is an artist, educator, and administrator. She creates socially engaged prints and objects to agitate cultural complacency. In the past year, Sprunger complete a public art project through Corridor Collaboration Grant from the City of Saint Paul and had a solo show of print work at Franklin Arts Center Resident Artist Gallery. She is also part of the Art Swap team, a portable community event that invites participants to bring a work of art they made to exchange for a piece in Art Swap’s rotating collection.

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Artist: Wes Winship Title: Malala Medium: Three color screen print on Crane Lettra Pearl White paper Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Malala Yousafzai Statement: As a westerner, it's hard to understand how standing up for something we take almost for granted, basic education, can put a mark on your head. Malala Yousafzai choose to do just that in her native Pakistan when the Taliban had barred females from attending school. She began to speak out in 2008 and by 2009, at the age of 11, was blogging about her experiences living under Taliban control. Her voice sparked a grass roots movement and the ire of the Taliban. Ever since, she has lived under a very real threat of death, even surviving a bullet through her face in a 2012 assassination attempt. 

The attempt on her life only strengthened her resolve and amplified her voice. The youngest nobel peace prize laureate, she continues to speak out on behalf of her beliefs on ever widening platforms. Her belief being, that education is the key to solving all the worlds problems. And how knowledge and understanding can unify all people; bringing them together to come up with innovative solutions to the many challenges people face all around the globe. Her strength, courage, and articulation make her an easy choice when thinking of modern women who are changing the world. We could all stand to be a little more Malala

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Wes Winship of Burlesque North America test printing “Malala”

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Artist:  Ash Marlene Hane Title: The Jasmine Revolution Medium: 5 color screen print on Arches Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015

Woman Represented:  Tawakkol Karman

Statement:  

"I am a citizen of the world. The Earth is my country, and humanity is my nation." Tawakkol Karmen has been a prominent leader in protests and the advancement of human rights, and by extension, women's rights in the Arab world. From an early age she has been an outspoken activist/journalist who has let neither dictatorship rule or custom gender roles subdue or quiet her demands for a more just and equal Yemen. She became the face of the Yemeni revolution during the beginning of the Arab Spring and became known as The Iron woman.   In 2011 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Upon receiving the prize she said, "I dedicate it to all Yemenis who preferred to make their revolution peaceful by facing the snipers with flowers." My hope in choosing this brave and defiant woman is to share the story of revolution in the Arab world. Read about her, talk about her, and then find out more.

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Artist:  Angela Sprunger Title:  More Women at the Mic! Medium: Linoleum relief print with nail polish on mulberry paper Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015

Woman Represented:  Jenny Slate

Statement:   I am a comedy fan. And I love Jenny Slate. She is a rising star in the female comedy revolution. Slate is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress. She is the writer and voice of the internet’s favorite mollusk, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.” This past summer she starred in the movie Obvious Child, a romantic comedy that treats her character’s decision to have an abortion as normal, safe, and OK. Which it is. But that version of abortion has never been portrayed on film in that way. When asked recently if she was a feminist, Slate replied, “Fuck yeah, I’m a feminist.” I admire the diversity of ways that she manifests her talents, knows her voice, and will continue to surprise us as her career unfolds. Here’s to feminism being normal, funny, and full of joy. Fuck yeah!

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Artists:  Christopher Alday and Allegra Lockstadt Title:  Janelle Monae Medium:  Three color screen print on French Paper Speckletone Size: 24” x 18 Year: 2015

Woman Represented:  Janelle Monae

Statement: We love Janelle Monae because to us, she is multi-faceted revolutionary and unstoppable creative powerhouse. Whether it's in regard to music, fashion, advocacy or who she collaborates with-Janelle continues to champion the idea of being yourself, of not conforming, of fostering imagination and creativity, and of continuing to garner an outstanding drive and determination for your work at hand. We love that she has created her own world through her music, isn't afraid to mix genres and art forms, stays true to herself, and does it in a way that exudes conviction, self-confidence, and to a practiced degree, effortlessness. We think that this is the recipe for greatness and it's clear the there is nothing stopping this woman.

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Artist: Tonja Torgerson Title: Pussy Riot Medium: Two color screen print on French White paper Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Pussy Riot Statement:   Despite imprisonment & attacks, Pussy Riot continues to fight for civil liberties in Russia. Using punk aesthetics and feminist ideas to resist an ever increasingly totalitarian regime, these are some seriously awe inspiring revolutionaries. But they say it best themselves:

"Many people, relentlessly and methodically flayed alive by the destruction of liberties since the turn of the century, have rebelled. We were looking for authentic genuineness and simplicity and we found them in our punk performances. Passion, openness and naivety are superior to hypocrisy, cunning and a contrived decency that conceals crimes. The state’s leaders stand with saintly expressions in church, but their sins are far greater than ours. We’ve put on our political punk concerts because the Russian state system is dominated by rigidity, closedness and caste. Аnd the policies pursued serve only narrow corporate interests to the extent that even the air of Russia makes us ill." -Nadia Tolokonnikova's closing statement during the "Pussy Riot Trial"

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Artist:  Jade Hoyer Title:  After Ambie Medium: Photolithograph with two color screen print on Rives BFK Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Ambie Abaño Statement: This print is an homage to Ambie Abaño, a contemporary Filipina printmaking artist. Abaño is an artist with an impressive resume by any printmaker's standards. In addition to being widely exhibited globally, Abaño has studied in the world's perceived art capitals, having completed residencies in Paris and at the Robert Blackwell Studio in New York. What most appeals to me about Abaño's work is how she applies her artistic talents to her home in the Philippines. Abaño focuses on the portrait as her subject matter, illustrating "ordinary" Filipinos and emphasizing her subjects' non Western features in a culture in which lighter skin and "American" features are glorified. Her prints are distinctly Filipino in subject matter and in material: she often uses traditional Filipino hardwood and handmade paper of native fibers to create these works. Abaño's professional career is also impressive. She is a professor at the flagship University of the Philippines, Diliman, and has been one of the few female presidents of the Philippine Association of Printmakers. As a young artist of both Filipina and American heritage, for me Abaño is both a personal and artistic inspiration.

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Artist:  Hend Al-Mansour Title: Fatimah Abu Gahas: The Last Qutt Master Medium: Six color screen print on Strathmore heavyweight Size: 24” x 18” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Fatimah Abu Gahas Statement:   Qutt is a women’s artistic tradition in Asir, the southwestern part of my country of origin Saudi Arabia. When an Asiri woman got married she decorated the inside and outside of her house in brilliant color tableaus to impress her visitors and neighbors. When she could afford it, she hired a master Qutt artist to make the outline drawings while she and her peers filled in the colors. Women of Asir renewed their home design on holidays and traditional festivals making the whole villages dazzle in color all year long. Women prized themselves in collecting the materials for their paints themselves from woods and mountains and produced homemade brilliant colors. They made their own brushes from goat hair. Women in that area carried this unique abstract painting tradition for centuries until petro money and Modernity had put an end to it. Most of these villages are now beautiful ruins with faded colorful memories. Fatimah Abu Gahas, was a Qutt artist who lived to paint the walls of a modern home. She inherited the skill from her mother and practiced it for living. Before she passed few years ago, she conducted workshops to pass the tradition to the contemporary generations who lost touch with their own heritage. Abu Gahas, as a master Qutt artist made the charcoal basic drawings and gave instruction to her helpers of younger women on how to fill in with color. Abu Gahas’ own design vocabularies and her color aesthetics were the inspiration to my portrayal of her.

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Artist:  Laura Brown Title:  Let the Sun Shine In Medium: Three color screen print on Neenah Sundance paper Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Sister Corita Kent Statement: “I really love the look of letters—the letters themselves become a kind of subject matter even apart from their meaning.” These words get right to the core of Sister Corita Kent’s creative work. As a nun, artist, educator, and activist, Corita made over 800 prints in her lifetime, and contributed a unique voice to the Pop art movement. Much of her work drew from print advertising and popular culture, which she used as commentary of the issues of war, race, feminism, and the then-turbulent Catholic Church. She worked completely by hand, freely composing her prints using a huge range of text, colors, and shapes. In the last few years, her work has had a huge revival in popularity, and it’s no wonder. Her themes of love, hope, and “giving a damn about your fellow man” are as applicable now as they were in the 1960’s. An exhibition of her work, “Someday is Now”, is currently traveling throughout the United States. I discovered her work several years ago and instantly felt a kindred connection (and not just because I often feel like a nun printmaker myself). With her use of bright colors, text, and abstract shapes, Corita’s prints immediately drew me in and her meditations on teaching—including her “Ten Rules for Teachers and Students”—became words to live and make by. Let the Sun Shine In was text Corita originally used in a 1968 print, which also featured a portrait of Pope John XXIII. Addressing her reaction to the uproar over Vatican II, it also contained a quote from rabbi and activist Arthur Waskow, “the creative revolution—to take a chunk of the imagined future and put it in the present—to follow the law of the future and live in the present.” Though my interpretation of the text is simpler and more lighthearted, I like to think Corita would approve. I chose it thinking especially of the dark Minnesota winter, and of her Rule #9: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

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Artist:  Sarita Zaleha Title:  Margaret Hamilton: Software Pioneer Medium:  Screen print with hot stamped foil on French paper Size: 24” x 18” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Margaret Hamilton Statement: Margaret Hamilton has been a leading figure in computer science, with her work making significant contributions to the field. One of her major accomplishments was leading the team of engineers who wrote the softwae for the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon. In 2003 NASA honored Margaret Hamilton's contributions, stating: "The Apollo flight software Ms. Hamilton and her team developed was truly a pioneering effort... The concepts she and her team created became the building blocks for modern 'software engineering.'" My print features Hamilton standing with a stack of the printed out computer code for Apollo 11. Women made many important early contributions to computer science. However, as the field developed it has become dominated by men. It is important to acknowledge women's roles in the history of computer science and recognize and encourage their contributions today.

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Artist: Ponytails Title: Blood for Valerie Medium: Marbling, Monotype on linen Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Valerie Solanas

Statement:  

she who so despised who shot andy warhol who longed to cut up men a blood sacrifice for valerie then may you be free to start again 'blood for valerie' 2015.

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Artist:  Brian Borlaug Title:  J.S. ‘15 Medium: Intaglio on Rives BFK lightweight Cream Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Jenny Schmid Statement:   Jenny Schmid Pioneering Artist Inspiring Professor Supportive Friend

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Artist:  Robyn Carley Title:  Woman in the Polar Night Medium:  Seven color screen print on Mulberry Size: 24” x 18” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Woman in the Polar Night Statement: This is Woman in the Polar Night. Encountering this place she stands defiant at the edge of the world, encased by the moon, illuminated from all sides. Her protest is a determined exit from a society crawling with technological gadgets. Her revolution is the way in which she enters the Wild and returns unscarred, carrying with her the peace she deserves. She represents all women who find their solace and strength in the wilderness.

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Artist:  Abbey Kleinert Title:  Take it Back Medium: Four color screen print on Curious Metallics, Nude Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Maira Kalman Statement

your mom 1.an insult 2.an answer to any question, 3.my alter-ego on the internet. 4.best type of joke/insult ever.

The phrase “your mom” is associated with slang and insults so I wanted take back that phrase and make it something powerful and positive. The poster is also a personal study on the art and writing of Maira Kalman, who has been inspiring me lately.

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Artist:  Genie Castro Title: Rita Medium: Five color screen print on 100% rag water color paper Size: 18” x 24” Year: 2015 Woman Represented:  Rita McGlasson Statement:  

Rita Mother, soul mate. My mom, Rita is the pull-the-perfect-chocolate-pound-cake-out-of-the-oven mom, a stay-at-home, loving and patient mother and the most revolutionary Rita too. A true gifted artist, an avid gardener and a loving mother; she gifted me with the idealism she set through example that it was possible to be a good mother and a damn good artist. That freedom of expressing your creative endeavors allows your heart to sing in loving ways, giving me the power to be a revolutionary leader as a mother too. Love is a revolutionary movement. Mothers pass it on!

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Wheat paste with print proofs.