Humboldt State University First Street Gallery is pleased to present, Six Unruly Artists Paint the Town.  Featured in the exhibition are paintings by six artists from California's North Coast who work in diverse contexts and styles.

The participating artists display a colorfully rich show that runs the gamut from realist interpretations to imaginative expressions. This exhibition is divided between two rooms offering viewers polemically charged subjects in one room and poetically inspired visions in another. The exhibition’s broad spectrum of painterly expression demonstrates to the community the infinite choices of subjects and methods available to the contemporary painter.

In one room the figurative works capture thought-provoking issues of personal, political, inter-personal interactions and societal affairs. Fernando Ramirez portrays an intimate series that examines what he calls “self-love” and the importance of observing in one’s self the “difference in masculinity/ femininity, dominance/ submission and other such gender-based binary oppositions.” Rebecca Glaspy’s feminist inspired paintings address gender inequalities and culturally entrenched biases.  In portraits of powerful women, such as Hillary Clinton or Oprah Winfrey, Glaspy portrays women who have endured and thrived despite the hardships and judgments they face merely because they are born as women.

In another room the gallery visitor will find art that registers on the poetic end of the painting spectrum.  Artist Julie McNiel grasps her imaginative license and “re-creates for us to see her fanciful and powerful world of characters, stories and imaginary landscapes drawn from all the realms and influences of her life” (Artweek magazine, November 2007). Kelly Leal approaches her paintings by “just letting elements and forms come as they would,” poetically portraying her imagination without the obstruction of explanations.

Participants include:

• Rebecca Glaspy
• Alyse LaVerne
• Kelly Leal
• Julie McNiel
• Jake Mondragon
• Fernando Ramirez

“Six Unruly Artists Paint the Town” is produced by Humboldt State University students enrolled in the Art Museum and Gallery Practices Program who participate in the daily management and planning of shows at the gallery.  The gallery provides real-life opportunities for the students to develop their gallery and museum skills, which in turn provides them with experience that will help them to enter the job market. Many students who have participated in the program have gone on to careers in museums and galleries throughout the nation. 

Exhibition Schedule

The exhibition will run from October 3rd through November 7th.  There will be an opening reception for the artists that will coincide with Arts Alive on Saturday October 3rd from 6-9pm. An open house will be held on November 7th for the closing of the show.  First Street Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12-5pm and is located at 422 First Street, Old Town, Eureka, CA.  For more information call (707) 826-3424.

The fifteen large-scale works flow through a timeline, taking the viewer through pivotal points and moments of the ongoing war in Iraq.  From both American and Iraqi landscapes, Sandow Birk brings forth in The Depravities of War, the horrific battle scenes and infinite travesties of this ongoing affair.  In collaboration with HuiPress in Makawao, Hawaii, the traditional woodcut printmaking process openly displays the detail and time consuming work ethic that Birk utilizes.  Birk’s series The Depravities of War, engages the viewer in an intriguing physical landscape distorted by the repercussions of warfare, captivating the viewer upon initial consideration.  

Based in southern California, in the past Birk has dealt with many social issues within his art often dealing with matters of race, gang affiliations, and political injustice—often done so in a unique, satirical fashion.  Frequently referring to paintings of art historical relevance; in the series The Depravities of War, Birk references the work of Jacques Callot and his suite of prints “Les Misères et Les Malheurs de la Guerre”, Callot’s artistic personal response to the Thirty Years War.  In order to capture our current disposition in Iraq, Birk abstractly branches from the classical styling of Callot.  Utilizing every bit of space, he physically mars his surfaces—leaving his work politically charged—making them relevant to today’s issues.

Birk seeks to bring forth an awareness in his viewers, focusing on the problems he sees surrounding our society. He attempts to show the public, for the best or worst, what is exactly going on in American culture.

In The Depravities of War, through Birk’s woodcuts, he makes snapshots of the monumental events that have been going on in the war and shows the viewer a different, eye-opener approach to it.  Birk gathers the blitz of media perspectives and synthesizes them into black and white statements.  The scale of the series shows the in-depth time consuming work that has gone into the series.  The detailed atmosphere and scenery captivate and give astonishment when seeing them.  He presents the figures in a simplified version, not giving much detail to the individual.  The images have an editorial feel to them, almost as if seeing them in the newspaper.  The fleeting images of the mass media gives people a numbing feeling on the war, thus betraying the media’s essential amoral approach.   Birk’s scale and craft slow our perceptions down allowing us to feel the substance of what is going on, showing the viewer a glimpse of the brutal reality of war.  Birk’s woodprints bring the impact of truth upon our perceptions of the war and its repercussions on its victims.

Andrea Castillo is an intern at Humboldt State University First Street Gallery

Humboldt State University First Street Gallery is pleased to present A Regional Holiday Exhibition, which will open on November 30th and will continue through December 23rd.  Featured in the show will be artwork by twenty-two artists from California's North Coast, who work in diverse styles and mediums.
  
The participating artists will display ceramics, works on paper, sculpture, and paintings.  “We're very excited to bring together these artists, many of them HSU alumni, during this holiday season." says First Street Gallery Director Jack Bentley. "This exhibition will remind those of us who live here, how fortunate we are to live in a community that is also the home of so many wonderful artists."

Of special note, the exhibition will emphasize works by regional artists who are working in the ceramic medium, creating sculpture and functional forms (such as vases). The wider art world has long recognized California's North Coast as a center of innovation in ceramic art, largely catalyzed by the artists teaching at Humboldt State University.  Four of those artists, Louis Marak, James Crawford, Keith Schneider and Nancy Frazier, will have works featured prominently in the gallery. 

Other participants include: Heather Cruce, Andrew Daniel, Kit Davenport, Jorden Goodspeed, Amy Granfield, David Jordan, Anna Kraus, Malia Landis, Peggy Loudon, Ruth Miller, Justin Mitman, Scott North, Rachel Schlueter, Stock Schlueter, Charissa Schulze, Shannon Sullivan and David Zdrazil.

A Regional Holiday Exhibition is produced by Humboldt State students. Students enrolled in the Art Museum and Gallery Practices Program participate in the daily management and planning of shows at the gallery.  The gallery provides real-life opportunities for the students to develop their gallery and museum skills, which in turn provides them with experience that will help them to enter the job market. Many students who have participated in the program have gone on to careers in museums and galleries throughout the nation. 

Exhibition Schedule

The exhibition will run from November 30th through December 23rd.  There will be an opening reception for the artists that will coincide with Eureka’s Arts Alive program on Saturday, December 4th from 6-9pm.  First Street Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12-5pm and is located at 422 First Street, Old Town, Eureka, CA.  For more information call (707) 826-3424.

The six artists in Beaux Zoos - 2010, Animal Imagery in Art each use animal imagery as their subjects, covering a broad range artistic sensibilities and approaches. The use of animal imagery by artists reflects the long tradition in art of using such images to express various aspects of cultural, societal and political conditions. The tenor of the art in this show runs from the sublime to the farcical, from the poetic to the political, stretching across the mediums of painting, printmaking, and sculpture.

“Beaux Zoos - 2010, Animal Imagery in Art”, will feature art by six visual artists from California’s North Coast:

• Amy Granfield
• Ruth Miller
• Lush Newton
• Malia Penhall
• Claire Iris Schencke
• David White 

A Faculty and Staff Exhibition showcasing the talent of the artists who teach and work in Humboldt State University’s Art Department will be featured at Humboldt State University First Street Gallery in Old Town, Eureka, California. The exhibit will run from August 24 through September 19.

“The students benefit greatly from the broad and diverse artistic backgrounds of the staff and faculty of the H.S.U Art Department,” commented Jack Bentley, Director of the First Street Gallery. “This exhibition demonstrates how Humboldt State’s Art Department provides students with practical, living models of individual success in the art world; while also providing them with the critical abilities to understand and interpret a variety of practices in the visual arts.”

This particular exhibition will give students and the public an opportunity to see how the instructors at H.S.U. approach their own art, outside of the classroom. The public will be introduced to a wide range of themes and styles, which include works in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, jewelry, metalsmithing, painting, photography and printmaking and sculpture.

The gallery will also exhibit pieces by some former professors.  Bentley cites the inclusion of these artists in the show as a way to demonstrate the depth and the evolution of the Art Department.

A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, September 4th from 6-9 p.m. during Eureka’s monthly Arts Alive event.  Celebrating its twelfth year of service to HSU students and to the North Coast community, Humboldt State University First Street Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. and is located at 422 First Street, Eureka, California. Admission is free. Those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead.  For more information call 707-826-3424.

Participating artists are:

• Don Gregorio Antón
• JoAnne Berke
• James Crawford
• Mimi Dojka
• Rick Evans
• Ricardo Febré
• Nancy C. Frazier
• Nicole Jean Hill
• Jeff Hunter
• Vaughn Hutchins
• Mimi La Plant
• Michele McCall-Wallace
• Demetri Mitsanas
• James Moore
• Kris Patzlaff
• Leslie Kenneth Price
• Julie Rofman
• Keith Schneider
• Sondra Schwetman
• Jennifer Slye
• Mark Soderstrom
• Teresa Stanley
• Edwin Stuart Sundet
• Lien Truong
• Erin Whitman
• Sarah Whorf

The Fine Arts Faculty of CSU Stanislaus, is one half of an exchange of art between Humboldt State University’s Art Department faculty and the Art faculty of CSU Stanislaus. Of the exhibition, First Street Gallery Director Jack Bentley states, “We who work in the arts know from experience how important it is for art to travel. This is how we learn new forms, exchanging ideas and techniques. However, it is not only the artist who is served by such travel. In the case of the arts in universities, the students benefit greatly from visiting artist programs. Whether it is in the performing or creative arts, communities are enriched and hybrid communities are formed when a new artist comes to town.”

Participating artists include:

• Dean De Cocker
• Jessica Gomula-Kruzic
• David Olivant
• Richard Savini
• Gordon Senior

Humboldt State University First Street Gallery is pleased to present, FRESH MEAT: HSU Young Alumni, on exhibit from July 3rd through August 12th, 2010. The exhibition is billed by First Street Gallery as a clear demonstration of the excellent career preparation that Humboldt State University offers its Art Majors.

Art is one of the highest enrolled majors at the HSU campus. HSU’s Art Department offers classes with 25 full and part-time instructors, multiple, well equipped studio facilities and several campus showcases that enable undergraduates to enjoy an early experience of presenting their works to the public.  Additionally, students enrolled in the Art Department’s Museum and Gallery Practices Program gain practical, hands-on experience as they design, coordinate and curate exhibits at First Street Gallery.  The current exhibition. FRESH MEAT: HSU Young Alumni, is curated by two of the participating artists, Heather Cruce and Annakatrin Kraus, who were selected to produce the show. 

“The alumni participating in this show have all developed to a point where they are working at a professional level as artists,” states First Street Gallery Director Jack Bentley.  “All 15 participants demonstrate real evidence of artistic success.  Crucial to their success, however, are the less tangible qualities they all share—a dedication and commitment to making art as a way of life and a deep engagement with their work on poetic and intellectual levels.”

Participating artists are: 

• Michael Batty - painting
• Heather Cruce - ceramics & video
• Dorian Daneau - ceramic & aluminium sculpture
• Jennifer Divine - painting
• Kelley Donahue -  ink  & watercolor
• Kacie Flynn - painting
• Dan Hapgood - jewelry
• Annakatrin Kraus - ceramic sculpture
• Elizabeth Lipski - jewelry
• Ruth Miller - printmaking
• Toni Moss - bronze sculpture & fibers
• Jimmie Nord - sculpture
• Charissa Schulze - printmaking
• Seth Simpson - ceramic pottery
• Victoria Viramontes -  painting
• April Zariczny - small metals

Humboldt State University’s First Street Gallery presents Made in Greece: An Exhibition of Works from the 2010 HSU Summer Art Program from October 2nd through November 7th.  This exhibition consists of works made by Humboldt State students and their instructors during their studies in Greece this past summer.  Based in Afissos, a beachside village on Greece’s Pelion Peninsula, the program mixed intensive studio classes in painting and drawing with intermittent excursions to important historical, archeological and cultural destinations, ranging across the country of Greece.

Included in the exhibition are paintings by the program instructors, HSU Professor Emeritus Demetri Mitsanas, HSU Professor Teresa Stanley and Eugenia Mitsanas of JFK University. Student artists participating in the show are Logan Bengston, Sara Broderston, Tim Clewell, Jennica Forrest, Chelsea Frazier, Kelsey Hardwick, Amanda Hart, Tess Keller, Mary Luong, Sasha Lyth, Hilda MacKinnon, Camille May, Jennifer McKibbin, Megan McTavish, Alison Morse, Malia Morse, Malia Penhall, Sarah Richmond, Emmy Smith and Claire Voigtlander.  

Art is one of the highest enrolled departments on the HSU campus with approximately 450 majors. HSU’s Art Department offers classes with 23 professors and lectures, multiple, well equipped studio facilities and several campus showcases that enable undergraduates to enjoy an early experience of presenting their works to the public.

Made in Greece is produced by HSU students enrolled in the Art Department’s Museum and Gallery Practices Program.  The course provides students practical, hands-on experience as they design, coordinate and curate exhibits at First Street Gallery. Gallery director Jack Bentley states, “This show is a valuable experience for the young artists who went to Greece as well as for the students who produced this exhibition. It provides both groups with the experience of working and exhibiting in a professional gallery while demonstrating to the community the depth and quality of the art instruction that Humboldt State provides its students.”

An opening reception in honor of the artists will be held at HSU First Street Gallery on Saturday, October 2, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The exhibition will run from October 2 – November 7th, 2010. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m., and is located at 422 First Street, Eureka, California. Admission is free and those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead at 707-443-6363.

Humboldt State University’s First Street Gallery presents Mimi LaPlant:  My Life as an Artist, showing from April 3-May 16. This will be a survey exhibition, consisting of different bodies of work throughout LaPlant’s career. Her art is a reflection of her life: soulful, vibrant, daring, and experimental.  She has crafted work in a variety of different subjects and mediums, each a direct response to a particular period in her life.

Currently residing on California’s North Coast, LaPlant grew up in Marin County, California and studied drawing and printmaking at the University of California at Berkeley. She received her MFA in painting at the University of California Santa Barbara, and has exhibited her work in numerous West Coast galleries, while holding a teaching position at Humboldt State University.
 
LaPlant has developed an extensive body of work inspired by her exploration into the unconscious, music, family, and nature. Taking viewers on a sensuous ride of color and abstraction LaPlant’s work presents a strong physicality, echoed in the textures and shapes of her imagery. When seeing her work viewers are often transported to a place of exuberance, which LaPlant calls her, “preferred state of mind.”
 
The exhibition will run from April 3 through May 16, 2010.  Mimi LaPlant will give a talk and a tour of her exhibition on May 1st at 3:30 pm at the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.  The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m., and is located at 422 First Street, Eureka, California.  Admission is free. Those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead at 707-443-6363.

Humboldt State University First Street Gallery is pleased to present REVOLUTIONARY REALISM, Drawings by Chuck Bowden, on exhibit from October 2nd through November 9th 2010. This will be the California North Coast artist's largest exhibition to date, which will include drawings from 1964 to the present day. The visual quality of his work often leads one to the conclusion that it was constructed digitally or through use of multi-media, however, they are meticulously drawn by hand. Much of Bowden's work contains strong political content, the inspiration for which began at a young age when he was affected by the Panama riots of 1964, and by the Kennedy assassination.

Within the works of Chuck Bowden, exists a unique passion for exercising his technical virtuosity, using simple implements, paired with a platform of expressive free speech.  In a category of his own, Bowden mixes his rich compositions, which incorporate black and white hyper-realistic pencil drawings, with ballpoint pens and brightly colored markers. The artist uses historic photographs as subjects within his drawings; however his goal is to "surpass the photograph" by employing a wider tonal range than one would find in the original source material. Bowden's exhibition delivers depictions of his fine artistic talent and boldly confronts sensitive and controversial present day issues.  Greatly influenced by his upbringing in a military family, Bowden’s politically charged expressions evoke strong reactions by his audience.

Bowden’s prior success as a commercial artist is outweighed by his overwhelming interest in expanding his own fine art.  Bowden occupies a personal stylistic category and pushes the conventional boundaries of fine art. Within his method of juxtaposing words, abstractions, popping colors with super-realistic graphite drawings, he creates a new intense, lusciously heightened pictorial form. This process of rendering strengthens the severity of topics expressed. For example, the piece Manbomb, created in 2005, depicts the contrast between a graphite image of a 19th century woman and vividly colored phallic-shaped bombs. If observed closely, each bomb bears the name and face of political figures and their affiliations.  At the bottom of the image surrounding the woman, a manifesto is included stating Bowden's message, which is a feminist critique of warmongering political systems. Many other pieces include messages of anti-war, anti-colonialism and other politically charged topics.

The artists Bowden has been most influenced by are Hieronymus Bosch, Brueghel, and Dürer. He is also working in the vein of activist artists such as Sue Coe, George Grosz, and Käthe Kollwitz. As with other activist artists, Bowden's art is more motivated by his ideals than monetary compensation. When he was asked his incentive was for creating works, he answered, "Someday I might influence the world…on occasion."

There will be a public reception for Chuck Bowden on Saturday, October 2nd, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., during Eureka Main Street’s Arts Alive program.  HSU First Street Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.  The gallery is located at 422 First Street in Eureka and admission is free to all. School groups are encouraged to call ahead to arrange tours. For more information call 707-443-6363.