Holiday Sale at Palos Verdes Art Center

Hi Folks, I will be participating in this event at the PVAC.  I will be selling some small scale ceramic sculptures, other ceramics items, and a lot of handmade jewelry in gold, silver, copper and lots of gemstones and vintage buttons.  Support your local artists and see some amazing art items!

Crit Session Part 2

Jennifer Frias Project Crit Sessions happened a couple of weeks ago, a project of which I was a part of.  The project is basically this: have a group of non-art people (people who have not studied art in depth, do not know art history, and do not speak "art speak") to critique, at length, art pieces.  The artists get to witness the critique (I took lots of notes myself) but are not allowed to respond until the end.  She has done this project with Cal State Fullerton students, and several other local (So. Cal) schools' MFA programs.  Part of what is going on is "an interrogation of the Institution" that institution being art school, as well as the lessor acknowledged hierarchies and unspoken laws that make the art world inaccessible by most.

Me photographing the whole room.  The critique is currently of Takeshi Kanemura's performance piece.  (He is standing with on the right.)

It is also bridging the gap between the artist and the viewer as the artist getting to see and hear the conversation, and in this case the non-art-professional's response to the work.  Sometimes we artists are so wrapped up in the art world that we fail to see the big picture, and the big references because we are only focusing on the ones that pertain to art.

This is a pic from the previous round.  It took place at my studio at CGU, right before I moved out after graduation.)

Jennifer records the critique and takes pictures, which then get compiled into an exhibition.  This crit session included two other students from Claremont Graduate University (CGU).  She has been showing the results at spaces close to where the school is, as a way to reference the locality that each institution has.  (i.e.: CGU as an institution will praise and condone certain things based on the value system of that school.)

An example of Henrique Oliveira's work.

This is part two because the recordings from part one unfortunately were not usable.  So I made a new piece and we had new people come and talk about it.  I had been dying to play with a method of construction that I saw artist Henrique Oliveira use.  He makes these large scale forms out of wood, making a frame out of PVC and then layering thin veneers on to to get organic curvy shapes.  I didn't go quite that far, but I wanted to play with the PVC frames with the wood.  I have these thin slat pieces left over from another project that would work perfectly, so I set out to try a new construction.

My piece for the crit.

The piece kind of grew on its own, and control fell whim to the material.  I wanted to reference the figure along with modernist minimalism.  I thought it was funny to make forms that in minimalism are simple and to make them wholly complicated by ways of construction and the resulting surface.

The critique was really good.  The thing I can remember most (without checking my notes) was a conversation they had about the possible gender of the sculpture.  BINGO!  While I don't nessecarily agree that I should be considered feminist because I'm a woman using "masculine" materials (Wood, metal, hardware, plastic) -it perpetuates a stereotype of those materials being masculine.  However I align with the postmodern concept of truth:  truth is perspective.  And my perspective is a combination of what I learned from my father and what I learned from my mother.  My mom taught me all kinds of crafts, and then later I was in girl scouts and learned even more.  My father does construction, and a lot of that he did where I could watch, and later help with.  I'm interested in this overall handiness as a way for me to create forms with a certain confidence in the reality of that object because of its construction.  I feel that the end result is quite balanced in that there is not a smooth blend of both, but that both sides meet up in tension.

Curator Jennifer Frias is in maroon sitting down and artist Takeshi Kanemura is leaning against the wall in the back.

So LGT! has really started to take off.  I have found that it is amazing what can be accomplished when you reach out to people and are not afraid to ask for a little help.  A few words about our next Exhibit:

Nothing Heavy
This group show will be one night only at the Pomona Packing Plant during the Second Saturday Pomona Art Walk. 

Curated by Mario Vasquez

Artists:
Jocelyn Grau
Dion Johnson
Liz Nurenberg
Atilio Pernisco
Tamarind Rossetti
Lisa Talbot
Andrew K. Thompson
Kim Zsebe

Pomona Packing Plant
560 East Commercial Street, Pomona, California 91767
September 14th from 4-10pm.

Please visit the event listing on Facebook for more details and updates.

https://www.facebook.com/LGTArt/events

Teaching Classes at Palos Verdes Art Center

I will be teaching 3 classes this coming fall season (2013) at Palos Verdes Art Center.

Sculpture: Plaster Carving

Carving is one of the oldest methods of making works of sculpture.  As a technique it can be applied to stone, wood, wax, plastic and even ice.  But a great way to learn this skill is through carving plaster.  In this class we will learn how to mix and cast plaster, and translate clay maquettes into plaster carvings using the traditional hammer and chisel method, apply texture. 
 

Student Example of plaster carving

Metalsmithing: Jewelry Basics

Introduction to working with precious metals to make jewelry.  Skills taught include soldering, hammering, sawing, and bezel setting a stone.  The class is designed to keep everything simple, demonstrating how to set up a small worktable at your home, with little investment. Supplies discussed at first class meeting.

Portfolio Preparation Studio

This class is intended for those wishing to build a portfolio for college admission that reflects not only the student's skill but their ideas.  We will start with basic art skills such as drawing and explore content and new techniques that can enhance the work.  Through discussion, we will also expand the students' knowledge of contemporary art and artists, which they can use to draw inspiration from.  There will be a new project each week.

If you are interested in taking a class, or would like more information about the PVAC please visit their website:

http://www.pvartcenter.org/education.htm


or their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Palos-Verdes-Art-Center/110500642318527

tried to nap on a cloud but fell to the ground

I am curating a show that will be up for two weeks starting Friday July 5th 2013.  
Details below:

LGT! presents:
tried to nap on a cloud but i fell to the ground
at Groundspace Project.
Curated by Jacqueline Bell Johnson
An exhibit featuring:
Katie Grip
Stephanie Meredith
Dan Taulapapa McMullin



The show is running july 5-14 (gallery hours are fridays and Saturdays from 1-6, or by appointment.)
The reception will be held July 13th from 6-9pm with a preview of Plastic Sunshine.

You can find the place at: 1427 E. 4th Street, #4, Los Angeles, CA 90033
It the project space off of the main gallery at Groundspace Project gallery.
To find out more about Groundspace Project check out their website:
http://groundspaceproject.wordpress.com/
For more info on this show, LGT!, and upcoming shows please visit facebook.com/LGTArt

Thanks,

Jackie

Copper Bells

This is a new project I am working on.  These are raised copper breast bells.  The piece talks about beauty and objectification.  They are not presented formally yet, this is just a demonstration of how they sound.  When completed, there will be probably 4 more bells, each with its own stand and proper mallet.

Crit Sessions Vol. 2

The lovely Jennifer Frias came up with an idea now known as Crit Sessions.  Crit Sessions is a project where non-art people (as in those not fluent in art speak) are invited to critique a piece of art for an hour long session.  The purpose of this is allow the artists to receive real world feedback from outside the art world bubble.  It is "an interrogation of the institution" as Jen put it, that is, the institution of Art School specifically and the art world at large. 

The artists chosen are in or recently graduated from a Master's of Fine Art program in the LA metro area.  Volume 1 was conducted at Cal State Fullerton (CSF), and Volume 2 happened at Claremont Graduate University (CGU).  There are plans to expand to Art Center, Cal Arts, UCLA, UC Irvine, LCAD, and others.  There will be 3 artists included from each program.  The artists choose a piece ahead of time, and prepare a one page statement (specifically addressing that piece) to go with it.  During the hour of critique the artist can't say anything (which is typical of a lot of art school critiques) but they have a chance afterward to address any questions or point of discussion that came up.

Crit Sessions came to CGU on June 22, 2013, and the artists included were Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Takeshi Kanemura, and myself.  We got to watch each other's crits as well, which was also informative.  I made a new piece specifically for the crit.  A vagina dentata (my third one).  I found that a lot of what I was going for was received pretty straight on. To me that furthers my belief that a lot of aesthetics and formalism in art is based on an instinctual sensibility.  I'm totally fine with that, and consider it an accomplishment that the people conducting the critique were able to understand my work.  I took pages of notes, and plan to use those to help make some decisions for future pieces.

Though the project wasn't designed in this way, I thought it gave those critiquing a sense of empowerment, and demystified art in a lot of ways.  They as a viewer were validated as part of the process and (with encouragement) their opinions became valid.  When a lot of non-art people discuss art they usually tack on the anti-qualifier: "Well, I don't know much about art, but..."  Though most contemporary art has some reference to art history or other contemporary work, that's not the end all be all.  And I think the participants learned that in their role as critic.

What's happening update

So I graduated last month from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) with my MFA.  Now that school is over I am hurrying to make the most of my school studio before they kick us out to make room for incoming students.  Simultaneously, I am improving my garage, and building a shed in the backyard to create a studio and display space there.

Out in the world of Los Angeles, I have taken on the project LGT! which will be presenting group exhibitions of myself and other fantastic people kamikaze style (aka pop-up gallery).  Two shows are in the works, and once details are finalized, I will post it here too.
Check out LGT on Facebook too:
https://www.facebook.com/LGTArt

I have been applying to residencies, grants, and calls for shows and proposals left and right.  And the suspense is killing me.  I won't be hearing back from anything for at least a few weeks, and sometimes longer. 

I now have a website:
jacquelinebelljohnson.com

...but you can also still see goings on on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JacquelineBellJohnson

I will be involved in Curator Jennifer Frias' project Crit Sessions, along with performance artist Takeshi Kanemura, and painter Dan Taulapapa McMullin at the studios at CGU in late June.  This event through collected documentation and artwork will eventually culminate in a group show with Takeshi and Dan.

Be sure to check back for more!

Incremental curves

This piece is a new one, shown in the DC Gallery at CGU April 28th through May 4th 2013.  I made a sculpture a few months back with the same strapping, creating these incremental teardrops shapes.  While everything was piled on the floor I saw these great patterns and undulations of line.  This is the first of a few pieces that will play with the strapping as line.  I have the work leaning, which causes the strapping lines to sag out of the frame and create this space... almost like the impression of a body.

Ave Regina

This is a piece that was up at Claremont Graduate University for the week of May 5-11, 2013.  The space is referred to as The Nook, or alternatively The Niche.  The title is Ave Regina (Hail Queen).  The piece is made of wood, with steel brackets, bolts, nuts, screws, and house paint.  The long painted 2x3's are hinged by the brackets to the wooden arches making them movable, so they could adjust to the space.  (I built this in the sculpture yard for the most part, and then assembled it in the nook.)  The space is about 20 ft deep, and 12 ft wide.  I took most of the pictures at night so there is this dramatic lighting effect going on.  

I should mention this is a vagina dentata, and the second one I have made, at that.

Claremont Graduate University Open Studios!

CGU will be having there annual open studios event next Sunday, May 5th, from 12:00pm-5:00pm at 251 East Tenth Street, Claremont, CA 91711.  It's a free event and open to the public.  Not only will you get to see the studios of over 50 graduate art students, but also two MFA Thesis shows, performances throughout the day, collaborative installations and happenings, and more.  Every empty room in and around our building has been turned into an exhibition/installation space.  

I myself will be showing some work in my studio, #234, as well as part of a sculpture show, a collaborative installation with Patricia D. Burns and will have several large sculptural works outside on the lawn.  

If you haven't been to Claremont before and want to make a day of it, there is also the Pomona College Art Museum, the Ruth Chandler Gallery at Scripps College, and the Pitzer Art Galleries to see (all within a few blocks).  

Our Facebook Event Page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/478950702177631/

CGU's Art Department Website:

www.cgu.edu/art

So I have been out of the blog posting world for a little because I have eating, breathing, and sleeping THESIS.  But you guys didn't know that til now.  I would like to formally invite you to my MFA Thesis Show: There Be Dragons.

Jacqueline Bell Johnson, MFA Thesis Exhibition

Peggy Phelps Gallery @ Claremont Graduate University
251 East 10th Street
Calermont, CA 91711

Gallery hours m-f, 8am-5pm
Opening: Tuesday Night 6pm-9pm

I will be having a soft opening on Sunday afternoon from 12pm-5pm for those of you who can't make it Tuesday.
Like most gallery art events, this is a free event.  I will also be serving refreshments at both openings.
My show partner is Matthew Hillseth, also a metal sculptor.  He will be showing in the gallery across the hall, meaning you will get to see two shows for the efforts of one.

If you look carefully around Claremont and Los Angeles, you may find my show card.  Or just shoot me an email with your address, and I would be happy to mail you one.

Below are some sneak peaks of what is in my show.

And here is a photo of Geena Davis getting a personal invite from me.  (She loved the title!)  Everyone is welcome to come, and bring your friends.