Cityscape © Licita Fernández, 30" x 24"

Color, Whimsy, Mystery

Licita Fernández

May 5–June 3, 2017
Reception: May 12 • 5–8pm

Licita Fernández identified herself as an artist as far back as she can remember (Licita would have a scrapbook of art she did from the time she could first hold a pencil to third grade).  The current exhibit includes a selection of acrylic paintings on canvas that date from 2012 in addition to digital prints she created on my iPad using the app ArtStudio.  The paintings are very colorful with whimsical subject matter; the prints are more abstract, many are more painterly. www.licitafernandezgallery.com 

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Signs of Hope

April 14–29, 2017
Reception: April 14 • 5–8pm

April 14, 5-8pm:

RESIST fabric printing by Tansy Brooks of the Crucible 
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PAMPHLETS OF POSSIBILITY by the Studio 64 artists
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ON-SITE SIGN MAKING by United Marin Rising

​April 14, 5-8pm

Enjoy great live music by gypsy jazz group Barrio Manouche, a few speakers from local organizations, food, and libations. 

This is an event you definitely don’t want to miss!

Special thanks to the MILL VALLEY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK for their awesome support of the Signs of Hope community exhibition. Their mission: MVCAN is dedicated to keeping American democracy alive. Launched immediately after the election by a few caring citizens, they are now 500 member strong.

Website: mvcan.org 
Twitter: @MillValleyCAN  
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/mvcan

Collection of Signs from United Marin Rising

United Marin Rising engages  Marin residents through education and action, toward justice and equity. The signs collected for the exhibition were made by about 20 different Marin artist activists. Many of these signs were made between 2002 to 2008. Now, we are making a new wave of “resistance art”! 

United Marin Rising is hosting a “Community Welcome Meeting & Sign & Banner Making Party" on April 23 @ 240 Channing Way, San Rafael. Call 415.721.7241 for details. Like us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/MarinRising 

See upcoming events & sign-up to volunteer at www.unitedmarinrising.org 

415.721.7241 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/MarinRising

Webpage:  www.unitedmarinrising.org

Tansy Brooks' Story 
The days following the 2016 election were distressing for many. I was trying to come up with some response to all my gloom, a way to get up and move forward, and the word and concept of Resist seemed to help. When dyieng fabric (or other materials), one uses a resist to keep the dye from sticking, from sinking in. I do not want the hopelessness and divisiveness I have felt to sink in - to me, or to my community. I want to preserve what lies underneath, the reasons I am here and the things I can bring to the world. I made a banner for myself, and I thought other people might want to try a version themselves.

Idea: What do you bring to the world? What do you want to encourage, preserve, or bring about? What about you will not fade away?

Community Project: We’ll have squares of cloth in different colors, and some resist and ways to apply it. Choose a color of cloth, decorate it, and we’ll add black or remove color (whichever suits you), leaving your image to show through. We will put together all your beautiful creations in a quilt, representing the resilience of our community, our neighborhood, our world.

PAMPHLETS OF POSSIBILITY

Thank you for participating in this letter journaling project. You have received this Pamphlet of Possibility from a friend who believes that you are interested in carrying on this chain of connection. If for some reason you are not interested in participating please return the pamphlet to the last sender.

The concept is very simple. The “starter” of this pamphlet has set a theme and created one page. Your job is to add another page with a drawing, a collage, a poem, some prose, a favorite saying or anything that inspires you and relates to the theme of the pamphlet.  Once you have completed and signed your page please add your name to the list as well as the date and the city and country you are from. The next and final step is to mail the

Pamphlet to a friend you think will be interested in continuing the chain. We would love these Pamphlets to travel the world so if you have foreign friends all the better.

The pamphlet is made up of 5 folded sheets of paper. The front page has instructions and the last page has the list where participants will sign, which leaves 16 pages to cover. You don’t have to go in the order of the book.  Pick a background you like and make it your page. Be creative and have fun!

When you are done send the Pamphlet off to a friend.

If you finish the last available page in the book please mail the finished book to:

Studio 64 Marin
64 Louise Street
San Rafael, CA 94901

Before you mail the book please post photos and any comments to this facebook page: www.pampletsofpossiblity/facebook.com 

Thank you for participating! There will be a final showing of the books next January and they will be returned to the "starters".

Gently Bang Your Head Against The Wall Here:  An Installation About The 2016 Electoral College © 2016Lara Myers, machine-stitched and hand-stitched stuffed fabric soft sculpture (fabric, thread, stuffing, pins).

Gently Bang Your Head Against The Wall Here: 
An Installation About The 2016 Electoral College

Lara Myers

March 10–April 8, 2017
Reception: March 10 • 5–8pm

The main component of this installation is 538 soft sculpture lips made of machine-stitched and hand-stitched stuffed fabric laid out in a 30-foot long grid that represents the U.S. map of the 2016 presidential electoral college results. Each lip represents one of the 538 electoral votes.

The installation shows how the distribution of electoral votes would change if electoral votes were not awarded under a winner-take-all system in each state, but instead were awarded proportionally based on each candidate's proportion of votes in each state. For example, if a state has 10 electoral votes and Hillary got 30% of the popular vote in that state and Trump got 70%, Hillary would get three electoral votes and Trump would get seven electoral votes, as opposed to the current system where Trump would be awarded all 10 electoral votes.

All of the electoral votes that would be awarded to Trump under this system are stitched shut with red x's. All of the electoral votes that would be awarded to Hillary are left white without being stitched shut with red x's. Red x'd lips = electoral votes that went against the nationwide popular vote. The plain white lips = electoral votes that reflected the nationwide popular vote, or put another way, the will of the people.

This change is shown by unstitching the x'd lips that would change from Trump to Hillary, with the unstitched thread left dangling from the lip. The electoral votes that would switch from Hillary to Trump under the proportional system would be shown by partially stitching the lip with x's and leaving the needle in the fabric to show that the lip is changing from unstitched to stitched.

Another component of the installation is a catharsis wall with different stations encouraging viewer participation. One station will be a padded section of the wall with the instructions "Gently Bang Your Head Against The Wall Here."

The Near Future Ago

January 13-February 4, 2017
Reception: January 13 • 5–8pm

The Near Future Ago is labor of love by curator, manager, and artist Kip Westerfield. His exhibition-happening format came out of a need for places to exhibit emerging artists. He states “because I've had some experience throwing shows and organizing groups, I chose to start a loose knit group of artists who wanted to show with each other, mostly students, skateboarders, musicians, etc from my life and friends. The connections spread pretty quick once folks found out I was motivated to do the work of keeping it all going. There have been over 80 different artists in our shows and we are growing with each event.”

Westerfield works at Smith Andersen North gallery and frame shop, where he convinced the owner to let him have the first show for a one-night only event. That one-night event brought 34 artists and about 150 guests. After a second successful show at the gallery, other places got wind of it and requested The Near Future Ago in their space for repeated events. Other venues include The West End Bar, Bedrock Records, ProofLab skateshop, and ANDTHEM gallery in San Rafael. This exhibition at Art Works Downtown will be the 14th event featuring an exciting variety of artists who have participated in every exhibition as well as artists who are new to the scene.