Arts Council for Long Beach Announces Artist Fellows and Exhibition of Their Work
The Arts Council for Long Beach announced today that they have selected five local artists to receive a 2013-14 Long Beach Professional Artist Fellowship. These five artists were selected following the ACLB’s independent review of annual grant applications for an artist fellowship. Each artist will receive a cash stipend and an opportunity to share their work with the community at a public exhibition at The Collaborative.
The Artist Fellowship honors a selection of Long Beach’s living artists. These awards recognize exemplary artists for their recent work. Eligible artists must reside in Long Beach and demonstrate an active exhibition and/or production record of at least three years. Awards are granted based on artistic merit and professional achievement.
The exhibition at The Collaborative entitled SHINE will present the work of this year’s artist fellows - Margie Darrow, Jeff Foye, Jessica Kondrath, Annie Stromquist and Kurt Simonson. These local artists represent a unique cross-section of the Long Beach artist community. Together their work spans a broad variety of media, including video, photography, painting, mixed media, dance and wood cutting. The variety in background and artistic practice emphasizes the diversity for which Long Beach is known.
Margie Darrow
Nature, history and counter culture inspire Darrow’s artwork. In the breadth and scope of her art remains a common thread - the underlying desire to tell a factual story of the earth’s inhabitants and their transitory etching upon it.
Jeff Foye
For the past six years Jeff Foye has been making video and performance work in collaboration with Gordon Winiemko under the name JEFF&GORDON. Foye’s artwork engages with the social customs and cultural idioms that underlie both how we distinguish ourselves as individuals and how we relate to each other in the social sphere.
Jessica Kondrath
Kondrath’s choreography is primarily derived from the musical score. Her works craft a visual representation of the music so that the work may be experienced both visually and aurally. She creates movement that is both beautiful and awkward at once, utilizing counterpoint to illuminate the visual presence of elasticity within the body. Kondrath's work also investigates and seeks to bring awareness to the relationship between audience and performer.
Annie Stromquist
Stromquist’s mixed media on paper explores the human condition through a poetic lens. Her images are abstract and minimalist with empty space used as an active presence. The scale, typically small, reflects a desire to create images whose evocative power unfolds within an intimate viewing context.
Kurt Simonson
Simonson’s photography is a lyrical and strange family album, a collection of photographs that speak to his search for home, a journey to find a sense of belonging, a sense of place and ultimately a deep desire
to find a connection to family and community. His body of work revolves around the tensions and questions that surround this search.
The opening for this exhibition is scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The exhibition runs through March 22, 2014.
The Collaborative, a public art project of the Arts Council for Long Beach and the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), presents exhibitions that raise awareness of both emerging artists and innovative approaches to art. This unique partnership is made possible with the support of Lyon Communities, Gallery 421 and the City of Long Beach.
The Arts Council for Long Beach was established in 1976 by the City of Long Beach to respond to the needs of the growing local arts community and to develop cultural resources. As the city’s arts agency, it functions as a private 501(c)(3) organization. The Arts Council’s mission is to foster creativity and culture, enlivening communities and enabling a thriving economy. ACLB’s vision is the vibrant arts scene makes Long Beach the premiere destination for residents, businesses, students and visitors. The Council receives annual city support, as well as support from individuals, corporations, foundations and other governmental entities. For more information including dates and locations of future board meetings, visit their website at: www.artslb.org.