Mary Fran Archer
Lara Solanki Brennan
Donna Brown
Kim Campbell
Stefania Detrait
Barbara Furbush
Natalia Poehner Corazza
Barbara Pollak-Lewis
Reda Rackley
Cynthia Rand-Thompson
Denese Sanders
Brenda Scettrini Saglio
PERFORMANCE ART VIDEOS:
Click the artist's names in RED to watch their individual performances presented during the opening reception.
Click here to view the opening statement by OGS Director, Denese Sanders
My Body My Voice is a juried exhibition of regional artists that aims to address the political issues surrounding our human rights for bodily autonomy and freedom from persecution based on our anatomy, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, or skin color. The selected works of art employ a variety media, from photography to bas relief mixed media, to printmaking and performance art created by artists from fourteen distinct communities around the Central Coast to the Bay Area. Each artist has engaged the theme of My Body My Voice in a considered and timely way – sometimes with humor; sometimes with explicit grit. All artworks in the show have been produced in the last three years.
Curated by: Diana Corvelle, Melissa Smedley and Denese Sanders
The call to action for this exhibition was in response to the recent wave of legislation and inflammatory political strategizing to end women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare. Art can play a vital role in our human capacity to express and question our cultural expectations and evolution. We hope the work in this show is a catalyst for reflection, dialogue and ultimately inspiration for social action and engagement. Twenty percent of the entry fees from the artists has been donated to Planned Parenthood.
PERFORMANCE ART
For the first time, Open Ground Studios has invited performance artists to exhibit and we are delighted to showcase three local artists’ work during the Opening Reception.
Each short performance interprets the My Body My Voice theme very differently, drawing from spoken word, movement, and living sculpture.
Jurors:
Diana Corvelle is a figurative artist born and raised in New York. She received her MFA in Drawing from the New York Academy of Art and her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her public works include large scale and commemorative projects at South Nassau Community Hospital and the Rockville Centre Public Library. She has shown in exhibitions across the country and internationally, including her 2019 solo exhibition, Yes All Women, at Dacia Gallery in Manhattan. Diana currently lives and works in the Bay Area.
Denese Sanders is a visual artist, educator and the founder of Open Ground Studios. Sanders has curated over 40 exhibitions for OGS and has been a guest juror for various organizations nation-wide. She is an arts education and program design consultant, a community builder, and mentor to emerging artists. Denese holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a member of the California Society of Printmakers.
Melissa Smedley is a visual and performance artist, writer and educator currently based in Salinas, California. Her work has been sought both nationally and internationally at venues such as The California Center for the Arts, The Center for Art and Migration Politics in Denmark, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Monterey Youth Film Festival, and The Atheneum in La Jolla, California.