All posts tagged: Allison Sommers

Thinkspace Gallery

Laurie Lipton “The Kiss” Image Courtesy of the Gallery

Thinkspace presents:

‘Love Conquers All: Art for Equality’ group show

Main Gallery

Seth Armstrong

‘Well There You Are’

Project Room

Both exhibits on view: August 7^th – August 28^th

Opening Reception: Sat, August 7^th 7-10PM

20% of the proceeds will be donated to Equality California (http://www.eqca.org/)

Co-curated by Andrew Hosner with Suzette Franck-Rosen and Nicole Rosen

Los Angeles, CA (July 13^th, 2010) – Thinkspace is pleased to present Love Conquers All: Art For Equality, a special exhibition supporting the fight for equality which aims to raise awareness for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) struggle. This special exhibition features the work of over 50 international artists and promises to open eyes and encourage dialogue. Also showing concurrently in our project room will be Well There You Are, an exhibition of new works from Oakland based artist Seth Armstrong, in what will be his debut solo exhibition with our gallery following numerous group show appearances including taking part in last December’s Aqua Art Miami during Art Basel.

So, why are we fighting for civil rights?  As of July 2010, multiple states have laws on the books that ban gay marriage by explicitly saying that marriage is a union between “a man and a woman.”  In addition, at the Federal level, LGBT individuals have over 1,000 rights that aren’t afforded to them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  They cannot serve our country in the military, cannot jointly file taxes, cannot have a foreign partner made into a legalized citizen, cannot receive death benefits, etc.  As you can see, this isn’t only about marriage it’s also about being equally recognized by the government. The issues at hand are much larger than solely marriage.

However, in our fight for civil rights, in this day and age, we have to start somewhere.  And, in history the LGBT community has always had the world turned on its ear.  Prop 8 served a purpose for those to define a government sanctioned marriage using a definition based on religion, they used gay marriage as a symbol of the undermining of family values and corruption of children and it served as a defining moment that they believed that Jim Crowe’s, “separate but not equal”, did not apply to LGBT individuals.  For LGBT individuals, it served as a bastion of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel that even after it had passed would usher in a new era of civil rights…an era that would bring a more tolerant, more accepting society.

The fight for equality is not just an LGBT fight; it is a fight for all society.  There are many straight allies, like those of us here at Thinkspace and the numerous artists that are involved in Love Conquers All: Art For Equality, that want to see LGBT individuals have the same rights as them.  That is why Thinkspace and its co-curators have decided that a portion of the proceeds will go to EQCA (Equality California), because in the past decade, EQCA has successfully passed more than 60 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community – more than any other statewide LGBT organization in the nation. Working in partnership with California’s LGBT Legislative Caucus, EQCA is committed to building a better future for all Californians by protecting youth, strengthening families and empowering communities.

Artists taking part include:

Adam Caldwell

Allison Sommers

Ana Bagayan

Anthony Clarkson

Aunia Kahn

Bob Dob

Brooke Grucella

Bumblebee

Caia Koopman

Cate Rangel

Chet Zar

Chris Murray

Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker

Dabs Myla

Dave Pressler

David MacDowell

Delphia

Erik Siador

Ferris Plock

Genevive Zacconi

Germs

Harriet Lambers

Imminent Disaster

Jacub Gagnon

James ‘Dalek’ Marshall

Jeff Ramirez

Jen Lobo

Jenna Colby

Jesse Hotchkiss

John Michael Gill

John Park

Joseph ‘2H’ McSween

Josie Morway

Kelly Tunstall

Kelly Vivanco

Kevin Titzer

Laurie Lipton

Leontine Greenberg

Lesley Reppeteaux

Linnea Strid

Liz Brizzi

Luke Kopycinski

Mari Inukai

Mark Dean Veca

Melanie Moore

Naoto Hattori

NohJColey

Paul Barnes

Paul Chatem

Rene Gagnon

ROA

Scott Belcastro

Shaunna Peterson

Stella Im Hultberg

Tiffany Liu

Timothy Karpinski

Tony Philippou

Tran Nguyen

Take a ‘Sneak Peek’ at the works for ‘Love Conquers All’ coming together here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157624482555932/

ABOUT EQUALITY CALIFORNIA:

Since it was founded in 1998, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation.

EQCA works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT people. To improve the lives of LGBT Californians, EQCA sponsors legislation and coordinates efforts to ensure its passage, lobbies legislators and other policy makers, builds coalitions, develops community strength and empowers individuals and other organizations to engage in the political process. In the past decade, EQCA has successfully passed more than 60 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community – more than any other statewide LGBT organization in the nation. Each year at the Capitol, EQCA monitors thousands of bills and leads the state’s efforts to defeat legislation that could have a negative impact on LGBT Californians and their families.

EQCA, on behalf of its members, is an organizational plaintiff in the historic lawsuit asking the California Supreme Court to strike down state law that bars same-gender couples from marriage. In court, EQCA has also successfully defended California’s domestic partnership laws and related state policies that have been implemented in response to EQCA-sponsored legislation

Website:

www.eqca.org

Tran Nguyen “How Cloudy is an Overcasted Phsyche (Image Courtesy of the Gallery)

ALSO ON VIEW IN OUR PROJECT ROOM:

Artist Seth Armstrong, on view in our project room, creates narrative paintings. Exactly what these narratives are, however, he probably could not tell you. Whether the subject matter is based on found reference or from the imagination, an ambiguous storyline is always present.  Even in a straightforward portrait, the circumstances that surround the subject(s) and the instance of the portrait are deeply considered.  With an uncertain plot, the stories behind the paintings can be limitless.  Sure, the artist has his theories, but these do not take precedence over those of the casual viewer.

Since the paintings themselves are approached individually, the relationship between one piece and another is often disjointed.  As a result, a common thread among a body of work is realized (if at all) only after they are completed and viewed as a whole.

ABOUT THE ARTIST (Seth Armstrong):

Seth Armstrong was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.  After studying painting in Northern Holland, he received a BFA with High Distinction from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.  He currently lives and works in Oakland, CA.

Take a ‘Sneak Peek’ at the works for ‘Well There You Are’ coming together:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157624357955599/

Artist website:

http://www.setharmstrong.com/

ABOUT THINKSPACE GALLERY:

Established in November of 2005, Thinkspace exists as a catalyst for the ever expanding new contemporary art movement that is exploding forth from the streets and art schools the world over. We are here to help represent this new generation of artists, to provide them that home base and to aid them in building the right awareness and collector base necessary for long-term growth.

Our aim is to help these new talents shine and to provide them a gallery setting in which to prove themselves. It is our hope and dream that through these opportunities these individuals will prosper and continue to grow to amaze us all for years to come. With the love of and for our community, and with the talents of so many incredible artists involved, we believe that this movement will provide the necessary proving ground for the ideas and dreams of today to become the foundations of a new tomorrow.

thinkspace

6009 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232

#310.558.3375

Web: www.thinkspacegallery.com Blog: www.sourharvest.com

Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. (or by appointment)

Thinkspace Gallery is located at 6009 Washington Blvd, in the heart of the Culver City Arts District, Culver City, CA 90232. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, please call 310.558.3375, visit www.thinkspacegallery.com, or email contact@thinkspacegallery.com.