Social Justice Show at St. Mary’s College Museum

Social Justice:
It Happens to One,
It Happens to All

We Invite You to Join Us!

In Conversation with the Artists
Exhibition Opening and Reception
Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art
Moraga, California
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Free and Open to the Public
Poetic, direct, conceptual and gripping–the works in this exhibition can say what words cannot and are the catalyst to empower social change, encourage empathy and respect for others, and foster important dialog on issues of social justice, immigration, human rights, economic disparity, civil rights and more. Art can inspire change and bring people together, crossing the borders of cultures and languages. We hope you will join us to imagine the potential and inspire social change!
Dan Tague “Justice Will Prevail” Ultra chrome print on photo luster paper, 42 x 42 inches, 2015
EXHIBITION OPENS
11:00 – 5:00 Sunday, September 18, 2016
Lockett Gallery, Museum Lobby and Gallery 160
Talk with the artists about their works!
Exhibition is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 11:30 – 4:00 p.m. through December 11, 2016IN CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTISTS
1:15 – 2:45 Sunday, September 18, 2016
Soda Activity Center (near the museum, check in at museum lobby for directions)
Lively discussion between artists and audience about motivations for and reactions to the social justice themed works in this exhibition.

RECEPTION IN THE MUSEUM COURTYARD
3:00 – 5:00 p.m., Sunday, September 18, 2016

 Xian Mei Qiu “The Bird Cage” Photograph on plexiglass,
26 x 20 inches, 2013
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Curated by Gutfreund Cornett Art, this international exhibition focuses on themes of social justice that examine timely subject matter being debated during this election year. Art is used as weapons in the fight for human rights to shine a light on the conditions of the working class, the disparities in global wealth, power inequities, education, shelter, access to food, water and health services, disabilities, immigration issues, criminal (in)justice, women’s rights, the subjugation of ethnic groups and the challenges of gender and identity in the modern world.
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
Please check our Info Page for more interactive events, currently in development, designed to further conversation about social justice issues throughout the run of the exhibition.FOR DIRECTIONS TO MUSEUM AND FURTHER INFORMATION, please go to our Info Page
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Gary Aagaard, Algie Abrams, Eric Almanza, Jenny E. Balisle, Ronda Brown, Marie Cameron, Jane Caminos, Veronica Cardoso, Gerardo Castro, Jennifer Cawley, James Davis, Justyne Fischer, Sara Friedlander, Linda Friedman Schmidt, Emily Greenberg, Vicki Gunter, Maru Hoeber, Beth Krensky, Dave Kube, Jihae Kwon, Scott Leahing, Dawn Nakashima, Nancy Ohanian, Priscilla Otani, Sibylle Peretti, Xian Mei Qiu, Sinan Revell, Joanne Beaule Ruggles, Timo Saarelma, Nick Hugh Schmidt, Jaime Shafer, Amy Siqveland, Miholyn Soon and Ellie Jones, Elka Stevens, Dan Tague, Rebekah Tarin, Joseph Tipay, Jane Venis, Eike Waltz, Frank Wang, Margi Weir, Elena Wyatt, and Brad Wong and Leo Volcy/The Meteorites

In order to accommodate as many viewpoints as possible and expand the conversation beyond the physical limitations of the museum, additional works were selected to be shown in a looped slideshow in the gallery by the following artists: Nic Abramson, Kamal Al Mansour, Marcia Annenberg, Anne Bascove, Nancy Calef, Jane Caminos, LaShawnda Crowe Storm, Alex Curtiss, Myra Eastman, Rachel Beth Egenhoefer, Beth Fein, Patricio Guillamon, Maggy Hiltner, Barbara Horiuchi, Catherine Johnson, Simone Kestelman, Pat Kumicich, Beth Lakamp, Sharon Lange, Monika Malewska, Penny Mateer, Melissa McCutcheon, Beverly Mills, Robbin Milne, Traci Mims, Christopher Owen Nelson, John Nieman, Annamarie Pabst, Sara Petitt, Roxanne Phillips, IlaSahai Prouty, The Ragdoll Project, Remedios Rapoport, Sinan Revell, Trix Rosen, Bridget Rountree, Timo Saarelma, Charles Seaton, Zahava Sherez, Kathryn Shinko, Bonnie J. Smith, Debra Thompson, Doerte Weber, Thomas Whalen, Aaron Wilder

Our Special Recognitions Juror: Social Justice and Women’s Rights Activist Attorney Sandra Fluke
Sandra chose these three works from the exhibition as the strongest representations of and best stimulus for discussions of social justice issues.
Justyne Fischer
“The Sunshine State”
Woodcut on voile, ?
?50 x 50 inches, 2014
In The Sunshine State, Justyne Fischer powerfully evokes the grief, anger, sorrow, pain, and history that courses through the Black Lives Matter movement. The lynched bodies of Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin are reminiscent of Lady Justice. Yet, their families and their communities continue to search for true justice. The needle dropped on “Strange Fruit” long ago, but it’s haunting lyrics and plaintive melody continue to score a nightmare of racism our country has yet to wake from. No justice, no peace.
Maru Hoeber
“FLIGHT”
Porcelain and wood veneer, ?
?7.5 x 24.5 x 7.5 inches, 2015
The faceless refugees depicted in Flight by Maur Hoeber are anything but. Their features burst rapidly into focus as the sculpture’s kinetic energy captivates viewers, too many of whom have turned their minds away from the tragic realities of a crisis with no respite in sight, long forgotten by our 24-hour cable news cycle. The refugees’ heartbreak at leaving their homes behind, bittersweet relief at escaping their war torn country, and optimism that a better life awaits them on distant shores is palpable. This piece amplifies the voices of people who have been silenced for far, far too long. Snippets of their conversations rush through the minds of viewers, crackling with hopefully enough intensity that apathy is jostled away.
Nancy Ohanian
“EPA REGULATION”
Digital print on aluminum, 30 x 20 inches, 2016Racism also lies at the heart of EPA Regulations by Nancy Ohanian, environmental justice evading the residents of Flint and numerous other cities across our country. Flint is one of Michigan’s poorest, Blackest cities, intersecting identities that increased its marginalization and vulnerability. Flint’s government served not just contaminated water, but a pointed disregard for the health of its poverty stricken African American community.

All works in this show are included in our Online Gallery.

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Changing the World Through Art!
Sherri and Karen