Debra Disman

Artist

  •

Exhibitions

“Contemplating Boundaries” at the Korean Culture Center with Launch LA

By

I am thrilled to be a part of “Contemplating Boundaries”, a group exhibition presented at the Korean Culture Center of Los Angeles in conjunction with Launch LA, a Los Angeles Institution and brainchild of James Panozzo.

JULY 27 – AUGUST 18, 2023

Boundaries exist in all cultures-often as social constructs serving to regulate our actions, norms, taboos, and space. They may be codified laws, common societal traditions, or even self-imposed rules. 

“Contemplating Boundaries” brings together artists from across Southern California whose practices contemplate and reflect barriers, labels and limits- whatever their origin or purpose. These artists and their works- define our times, providing an authentic lens to view contemporary culture.

JURORS

TeaYoun Kim-Kassor (Professor, Department Chair, Otis College of Art and Design)  TeaYoun Kim-Kassor (Phonetically, TaeYun: “Tea” as in “Taylor” & “Youn” as in “Sun”) is originally from South Korea and has a varied background in education; she received academic degrees in S. Korea, Japan, and the U.S.  As an artist, educator, and cultural ambassador, she has been developing her artistic path, teaching pedagogy, leadership, and management skills to embark on transnational education and emphasize the importance of understanding global perspectives. She is currently a Professor and Department Chair of the Foundation Program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA.

Mika Cho (Professor, ART/Director, Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery) Dr. Mika Cho was appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Arts and the director of the Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery in 2017. Prior to her appointment as the director of the Fine Arts Gallery she served as the chair of the Art Department. She is art educator, researcher, educational consultant, curator and visual artist, the last comprising numerous exhibitions at museums and galleries. Her research interests are in art-related and educational issues, which she shares through publications and extensive conference presentations nationally and internationally.


I am showing:

“Profusion”, 8.75″ x 24.5″ x 7.75″, book board, mulberry paper, paint, canvas, watercolor paper, hemp cord

and


“The Gates”, 7.5″ x 20″ x 10.25″, book board, canvas, cheese cloth, jute cord, string

Sharing Shows: Summer 2023

By

I am honored to participate in several shows this summer, and share a bit about them below.


SAFEKEEPING 
SAFEKEEPING Artist Talk


Text/Message

Brand 51


Engulfed
About Engulfed


Contemplating Boundaries


Fiber Art international


Material World: A Contemporary Fiber Exhibition

From Fiber…

Sharing Current Shows: An Index of Participation

By

I am honored to be participating in a number of shows happening this Spring and Summer, and happy to be in the company of many artists I admire, especially other women-identifying artists!

2023 has been a wonderful year for exhibitions thus far with inclusion in fascinating and, I feel, important, large and small group shows, as well as my solo show in January-March 2023, “I CAN’T I WON’T I WILL I DO” at ReflectSpace Gallery!

Two shows are yearlong, online exhibitions:
 “(Re)imagining Home: On Care for Our Common Home”
18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA

and
“Objects of Agency”
Hera Gallery and Educational Foundation, 10 High Street, Wakefield, RI

Two are small to mid-sized exhibitions at local institutions comprised entirely of women-identifying artists:
“Aries Rising”
The Irvine Fine Ars Center, 14321 Yale Ave, Irvine, CA

and
“A Common Thread”
ArtShare LA, 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, CA

One is/was an experimental performance:
“Swept Away: Love Letter to a Surrogate(s)”
Annenberg Beach House 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA

Several are outside of California:
FANTASTIC FIBERS 2023
The Yeiser Art Center,  200 Broadway, Paducah, KT

and
“In Tandem” (collaboration with artist Luciana Abait)
Cape Cod Museum of Art , 60 Hope Lane, Dennis, MA

and
“Oh, Mother”
Hera Gallery and Educational Foundation 10 High Street, Wakefield, RI

and
SAFEKEEPING: SDA’s 2023 Member Exhibition
!08 Contemporary Gallery 108 E Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK

One is an annual Los Angeles tradition!
Brand 51 Annual National Exhibition of Works on Paper!
Brand Library and Art Center,  1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale, CA

It is a busy time, and I hope to grow from all of these experiences!

Walking Through “I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do”

By

Photographer Gene Ogami documented my 2023 solo show, “I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do” at ReflectSpace Gallery in the Glendale Central Library.
The ten images below provide a virtual walk-through of the exhibition, which was, as I shared with the curators, Ara and Anahid Oshagan, a dream come true that I did not even know I had.

Gratitude to them, to Gene, and to so many others who supported this realization.


Walking into the meditative gallery space from the main library.


Catching some of the larger pieces through the vitrine reflections.


Capturing exhibition signage, the “Concurrencies” artists’ book, the two Concurrencies hangings, and “Throes of the Body” in the vitrine.


A favorite corner of the Curators, Installers and myself!


“Three Sisters and Their Mother” on the wall, hanging over the titular work, “I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do” on shelf.


“Finally, and Just For A Minute” suspended. Black on black on black is challenging to photograph.


A shot that manages to include over half the pieces in the show.


Gene was able to present me surrounded and supported by my works.


We were able to employ the hallway to present other works, and enlargements of the images featured in my artists’ book, “Concurrencies”, comparing the lives and works of artists Charlotte Salomon and Eva Hesse.


The Journey Continues.
In gratitude and appreciation.

ArtShare LA Shares A Common Thread

By

I am honored be a part of ArtShare LA’s exhibition, “A COMMON THREAD“,  a 13-woman exhibition featuring fiber-based and textile works of art exploring autobiography and social critique, connection and displacement interlinked through themes of history and memory.


The show was curated by ArtShare LA Executive Director Beth Stryker and Visual Arts manager Baha H Danesh.



Each artist’s works are exhibited together, creating specific artistic spaces for visitors to peruse.


I am thrilled to have four works in the show.


ArtShare LA Executive Director Beth Stryker chats with exhibition designer extraordinaire, Stacie B. London.


Exhibiting artist Doris Bittar and friend.


Enjoying the exhibition.


Baha and I celebrating!

Please view a fabulous film of the show by Eric Minh Swenson HERE


The exhibition runs April 1 – May 13…so come on by and enjoy the show!

DISMAN-tling “I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do” at ReflectSpace Gallery!

By

It was with  tenderness mixed with pride and appreciation that I DISMAN-tled my solo show, “I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do ” which ran from late January to late March 2023, in the ReflectSpace Gallery in the Glendale Central Library, curated by the inimitable duo, Anahid and Ara Oshagan.


Thank you Tony, for your assistance, climbing those ladders, and using those tools!

A bit of fun with Tina Demirdjian of Poetry Consults.
Thank you Tina for the support on all fronts!

It takes a village…the completion of a job well done! With the incomparable Anahid Oshagan, co-curator of ReflectSpace, and Tina Demirdjian of Poetry Consults.


Posing with the Glendale Gals: Tina and Anahid…


and with the marvelous Maryl Fleisher, Marketing Program Supervisor at Glendale Library, Arts & Culture.

A dream I did  not even know I had…fulfilled.

Thank you…appreciation, and gratitude.