|
Mark Vallen's
Newsletter. March. 2004
|
Art Activism
& Social Change |
www.art-for-a-change.com
|
|
A R T F O R
A C H A N G E | |
|
|
|
1) - INTERVIEW WITH
ESTAÑO... Mark Vallen interviews the assistant artist to Siqueiros
2) - XISPAS... A new online journal dedicated to Xicano art, culture,
and politics
3) - ART OF RESISTANCE... Political Artist's Conference scheduled
for May 2004 in Seattle, WA
4) - LIGHT AMONG SHADOWS... Artists & Writers join for Human
Rights Exhibition
5) - CALL FOR ART... Submit artworks for "Regime Change"
at The Workmen’s Circle Gallery
6) - SCHISM... Gold Medal Exhibit at Lankershim Arts Gallery co-juried
by Mark Vallen
7)
- WEBSITE CONSTRUCTION FOR ARTISTS... Get your site designed by
Art For A Change
___________________________________________
|
Philip
Stein, also
known as Estaño,
is a living link to one of the world's most influential
artistic schools... the Mexican Muralist Movement. Stein's
passionate and detailed biography of David
Alfaro Siqueiros, is based on the first hand
experience of having worked alongside the great Mexican
master for ten years as an assistant artist. The Mexican
Cultural Commission has proclaimed Stein's, "Siqueiros
- His life and Works", the definitive biography on
Siqueiros. Artist Mark Vallen caught up with Estaño (who
now resides in New York), and was able to conduct the
following exclusive interview:
|
|
|
(Question) You became
involved with the Mexican Muralists in 1948 when you moved
to that country and became an assistant painter to Siqueiros.
During that decade you helped him paint some of the greatest
murals of the period. You also met with other practitioners
of a socially engaged public art, what you call the "Mexican
School" of painters. Who were some of the other noteworthy
artists you had the opportunity to meet or work with?
(Answer)
Siqueiros was
the generally accepted leader of the mural movement. He
possessing an advanced political militancy would organize
and rally the painters and sculptors of the movement for
any action that would require their solidarity, usually
directing some grievance or injustice to the government.
So Siqueiros along with myself were often in the company
of the artists of the movement. Orozco had died in 1949
but Diego Rivera was
very active. He and Siqueiros were usually at the head of
any protests and I was very often in their company. Swirling
around the movement too I was often in the company of the
muralists and sculptors of that period such as, Juan
O'Gorman, Pablo O'Higgins,
Luis Arenal, Fredrico
Canessi the sculptor, Francisco
Zuñiga, Jose Chavez
Morado, Pancho Mora,
Elizabeth Catlett and
Leopoldo Mendez of the
Taller Grafica Popular.
These are a few of the names that I can recall having had
contact with.
To read Vallen's
full interview with Estaño, go to: www.xispas.com/art/siqueiros/stein.htm
__________________________________________
|
 |
XISPAS
("Sparks" in English), is a new online journal
dedicated to Xicano art and culture. It's premiere edition
has just gone online, and it features poetry, an art gallery,
opinion columns, interviews, cartoons, social critiques
and scholarly research.
|
|
Xispas
draws from Xicano youth, adults, and elders - it is provocative
and controversial, entertaining but not "entertainment."
Xispas taps into the spirit of pioneering Xicano publications
from the turbulent 60s, 70s, and 80s... it follows in the
footsteps of Con Safos,
Pocho Che, XismeArte,
and others. Xispas hopes to be the next evolutionary step
for Xicano artistic/literary magazine development. The Xispas
colectivo calls upon all Xicano artists/writers/photographers,
as well as activists and educators, to contribute their
skills and vision to the project.
For
those of you who live in Los Angeles the Xispas staff will
be holding an official website launch party, Sat.
March 13th, 6 pm - 9
pm, at Tia Chucha's
Cafe Cultural. Details for the community celebration
can be found on the Xispas website.
Visit
Xispas, at: www.xispas.com
__________________________________________
|
|
|
ART
OF RESISTANCE is shaping up to be a major national
conference of political artists to take place in Seattle Washington
May 15-16, 2004. The two day gathering will explore the history
and application of political art and will include speakers and
performers, exhibits, and practical hands-on workshops in artmaking.
The conference will give attendees the opportunity to meet with
a diverse group of artists practicing various disciplines, but
who maintain a focus on social justice issues and making art an
effective force for change.
The organizers of
the conference are encouraging all artists and educators to participate
in the building of the event by donating political artworks for
fundraising, organizing a workshop or presentation for the conference,
spreading the word and enlisting the help of others involved in
art and activism, and of course... contributing money. The
Art of Resistance organizers have already received letters of
support from France, Spain, Egypt, Iraq, and from all across the
United States. The following individuals and collectives have
made a commitment to participate:
Mark
Vallen -L.A. based painter/founder Art For A Change.
Mike Alewitz -labor muralist.
Richard Mock -NY political
printmaker. Gabriel Delgado
-Station Political Art Museum. Banksy
-UK graffiti artist. ACLU
-workshop on freedom of expression. Adbusters,
Drawing Resistance
-traveling political art show. Northland
Poster Collective,
Beehive
Collective,
UpsideDown
Culture Collective
... and many more!
Write
an e-mail to Art of Resistance: artofresistance@riseup.net
Visit their website (under construction), at: www.artofresistance-seattle.net
__________________________________________
|
|
LIGHT
AMONG SHADOWS This exhibition
at the southern California campus of Whittier College, is a compelling
project celebrating new heroes of the human rights movement throughout
North and South America. Tracing the events which led to the military
overthrow of the Allende government in Chile in 1973, the exhibit
honors Orlando Letelier and
Ronnie Moffit, murdered in
1976 in Washington DC for their human rights activism against
the Pinochet regime.
Artists and Writers
participating in the exhibition include Mark
Vallen, Michael Walker,
John Berger, Dianna
Cohen, Ariel Dorfman,
Carlos Fuentes, Saul
Landau, Francisco Letelier,
Marcelo Montecino, Naul
Ojeda, Emma Rosenthal,
and others. There will also be a mural project on campus, facilitated
by the curator of the exhibit, Francisco Letelier, in collaboration
with students and faculty. A human rights activist and public
artist, Francisco is the son of Orlando Letelier. Francisco Letelier
has created murals and other public works at sites throughout
the Americas and Europe including the Los Angeles Metro, Northern
Ireland and Nicaragua.
The exhibit is now
running at the Ruth B. Shannon Center
for the Performing Arts on the Whittier College campus.
A closing performance event is scheduled for Thursday,
March 11th, 7-
10:00 pm, at The Club - Whittier
College 13406 East Philadelphia Street, Whittier.
Featured artists include Francisco Letelier, Chilean Singer Jacqueline
Fuentes, and poet/singer Joselyn Wilkinson. For more information
contact: Doreen O'Connor-Gómez 562-907-4280.
For directions, visit: www.whittier.edu/about/find_us.htm
__________________________________________
|
|
CALL
FOR ART! A Shenere Velt
Gallery at the Workmen's Circle in Los Angeles has issued a call
for artists to submit works to be considered for inclusion in
the upcoming exhibition, Regime Change.
Submit slides of artworks that speak to the theme of regime change
and explores the de/construction of power. By what forces, strategies
and mechanisms does significant change happen?
The exhibit is scheduled
to open September 13th, 2004
and will run until Oct. 31st,
2004. For a prospectus send
a SASE to The Workmen’s Circle,
1525 S. Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles,
CA 90035, or download one
at:
www.circlesocal.org
__________________________________________
|
|
SCHISM
is the Gold Medal juried exhibit for the Valley
Artists Guild, a decades old organization of professional
and nonprofessional artists living and working in the San Fernando
Valley of Southern California. Both Dover Abrams of the Lankershim
Art Gallery (the venue for the show), and Mark Vallen
will serve as jurors for the exhibit. They'll also determine which
artists receive cash awards.
The exhibit is scheduled
to open March 4th, and will
run until March 30th, 2004.
The Artist's Reception will
be on March 11th, from 6:00
pm to 10:00 pm. The Awards presentation will be at 8:30. All works
will be available for purchase, and Vallen will be showing one
of his latest paintings. The Lankershim Art Gallery is located
at 5108 Lankershim
Blvd. in the NOHO Arts district. Visit their website,
at:
www.doversart.com/lag/
__________________________________________
|
|
ART
FOR A CHANGE
has become a resource for students, educators, art lovers, and
cultural activists all around the globe. Your generous contribution
will help maintain and expand the project, any amount donated
will be appreciated! To contribute, go to the secure PayPal
website by clicking
on the button below:
|
|
|
|
"Who is more to be pitied,
a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect
freedom who has nothing more to say?"
~ Kurt Vonnegut.
|
www.art-for-a-change.com
|
