The Collaborative is proud to 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 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.