Dear Friends, I am looking for art collections to draw as an extension of my project Pencil in the Studio for my upcoming show at Sardine Gallery this May. The idea here is that I will be drawing the artworks where they live, as opposed to where they were made. If any of you could put me in contact with someone who has a collection, or if you yourself have a collection for me to draw, it would be a great help. I am hoping to have a mix of both artists’ and collectors’ collections to work with. It would mean drawing for a couple of hours on site, much like the studio visits, and the work would be only for the show and not the blog. Thank you for any help you can provide or leads you can give me. I have attached a couple of studio visit drawings from the past several years as examples. The studio's are of Saira McLaren, Rachel Beach and Jules de Balincourt. Thank you, Maria Calandra
Maria can be contacted directly via: calandramarialouisa@gmail.com
Syrian journalist and filmmaker Mohammad Ali Atassi introduces his 2014 documentary Our Terrible Country, produced with photographer Ziad Homsi. This vital and insightful film addresses the stages of the Syrian revolution through the figure of Yassin Haj Saleh, a celebrated intellectual and dissident.
Our Terrible Country developed as a portrait of Haj Saleh after he and his wife, activist Samira Khalil, fled from Damascus to Douma in 2013, a liberated city under siege from pro-Assad forces where Homsi was based. As a strong bond forms between Homsi and Haj Saleh, representing two distinct generations of political and intellectual dissidence in the country, the film becomes a depiction of their beliefs, hopes and helplessness as they together make the dangerous journey first to Raqqa, the Syrian city under the control of IS where members of Haj Saleh's family are based, and then into exile in Turkey.
Filmed over a year in Syria and Turkey, the film highlights the progression of the Syrian Revolution, from its pacifist beginnings to its militarization, the bombardment and destruction of cities by the Syrian regime, and the emergence of extremist Islamist currents and their quest to take hold of the revolution. It is also a compellingly direct view into the lives of those struggling to hold onto a political position within an unrelenting and devastating conflict.
Following the screening of Our Terrible Country, Mohammad Ali Atassi will be in conversation with Iraqi poet, novelist and scholar Sinan Antoon.
High Desert Test Sites is pleased to announce the HDTS Gem and Mineral
Expo and Pancake Breakfast, a fundraising event in Los Angeles to
support the Joshua Tree-based nonprofit organization that supports
artists and their endeavors to make work that engages directly with a
community, culture or landscape. Co-founded by Andrea Zittel, High
Desert Test Sites is a non-profit organization that supports immersive
experiences and exchanges between artists, critical thinkers, and
general audiences – challenging all to expand their definition of art to
take on new areas of relevancy. The three part weekend event will
feature a gem and mineral sale, a painted rock auction, and a Saturday
pancake breakfast. Pancake Breakfast: On Saturday February 14th, HDTS will host a pancake breakfast.
Gem and Mineral Sale: HDTS will hold its own gem and mineral sale throughout the weekend that will feature a vast array of stones and crystals for sale at every price range, from $1 to $100.
Silent Auction: The two-day event will showcase a silent auction of artist-painted rocks. A selection of artists, including many HDTS artists and collaborators, have contributed original “painted rocks” to be auctioned in support of High Desert Test Sites.
Participating artists include:
Adrienne Adar Mark Allen Lisa Anne Auerbach Katie Bachler Tanya Brodsky Jedediah Caesar Akina Cox N. Dash Bob Dornberger Shari Elf (Art Not Walmart) Alyse Emdur Claire L. Evans Cayetano Ferrer Katie Grinnan Emilie Halpern Steve Halterman Katie Herzog Matt Merkel Hess Bettina Hubby Daniel Ingroff Patrick Jackson Emily Joyce Alice Könitz Molly Larkey Candice Lin Jay Lizo Karen Lofgren JPW3 Shana Lutker Aram Moshayedi Alison O'Daniel Michael Parker Corrina Peipon Paul Pescador Sarah Rara Fay Ray Tyson Reeder Ry Rocklen RO/LU Samantha Roth Kathleen Ryan Lindsay August-Salazar Pascual Sisto LeRoy Stevens Glen Steigelman Julie Tolentino Amy Yao Amanda Yates Garcia Vanesa Zendejas
