Debra Disman

Artist

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New Work

Exhibitionista: The Artful Book…revisited

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 The Artful Book show at the Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA just closed.

What a great experience to be part of it.

Tour the exhibition!

It happened October 4, 2019 – January 5, 2020

I was honored to show three pieces, and be in the company of stellar book artists.

“Today, artists who work in the Book Arts create fine and design bindings, fine press and letterpress editions, calligraphy, broadsides, handmade paper, and artist books. Visitors to The Artful Book will see outstanding contemporary examples of the Book Arts created by members of the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. From finely crafted and superbly designed limited edition books to one-of-a-kind sculptural art objects, these artists let their imaginations soar and put their skills in the service of one of man’s best creations, the book….” —The Artful Book

The Artful Book will be remembered.

Exhibitionista: Fresh Art

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Fresh Art

November 7  – November 30 , 2019

I was excited to participate in the exhibition “FRESH ART” juried by Donna Seager of
Seager/Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA. Donna is known to show Artists’ Books, and is a supporter of the form.
A native of New Orleans, Donna Seager’s education was at the University of Texas where she received her degree in Art History and English. She began in the art business in 1978, working in galleries in New Orleans and was the director of the Marlborough Gallery in Boston before moving to California in 1989. In 2001, she partnered with Suzanne Gray to form Seager/Gray Gallery in Mill Valley, now a cornerstone of the Marin arts community. Donna Seager has distinguished herself for her discerning eye and commitment to the arts. She has served on the board of the San Francisco Art Dealers’ Association and the San Francisco Center for the Book and is currently a member of the Marin County Cultural Commission.  Seagergray.com.

Tour the Show!

“How do you define “Fresh Art”? Something new and different, new to one’s experience, not encountered before, or a new approach to your art. Artwork that is forward or bold, expressive, engaging, stimulating, creative, infused with imagination….”

I showed “Maximum Security”, a mixed media, sculptural Artists’ Book, pictured below.

And though I could not make it to the Opening, I appreciate dear Marin/Sonoma Bay Area friends who did…Laurelyn and Dianna, Thank you!

 

 

 

Exhibitionista: “The Artful Book” xxxooo

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The Artful Book Exhibition just opened at The Long Beach Museum of Art.

It is an exciting exhibition that among other things aims also to educate the public about the nature and role and diversity of book arts in the present day.

Tour the exhibition!

The video provides a fascinating glimpse into the displayed works.  One of the challenges of showing work that is in book form is how to share all its surfaces, spaces, elements and facets. Most of the works in the show are under cases. One is accompanied by a pair of white gloves for viewers to don and turn its pages. One hangs from the ceiling, and others are on the wall.

My beloved Mark Henry Samuel,  enjoying a well-deserved moment, after an intense drive through Friday night rush our traffic from Santa Monica to Long Beach. What a gorgeous night!

Wonderful to see mentor, colleague, teach and friend,  Sue Ann Robinson, Curator Emerita of the LBMA, and devoted member of the California Chapter of the Guild of BookWorkers


Love this broadside by Jean Gillingwators.


Sue Ann’s great work Chisholm Hours.


Great to see Andres Payan Estrada, Curator of Public Engagement at the LA jewel, Craft Contemporary.

Proud to show and share my work in this beautiful venue alongside wondrous artists and makers and lovers of the Book,
in all its forms.

Gratitudes.

Exhibitionista: “All Stitched up” with everywhere to go…

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Thank you to my sister Susan, for attending the opening of the “All Stitched Up” show in the Collins Library at the University of Puget Sound, on September 14th. Too far for me to travel in this moment, especially as were driving back from the Bay Area at that time!

“To stitch is to join together, to mend, or fasten as with stitches – to sew. To stitch is to bring together fabric, paper, wounds of the body, or cultural divides. Stitching can be an act of healing, hope, practicality, creativity, and revolution. All Stitched Up recognizes and celebrates the work of book artists’ where stitching has become an integral part of the visual design.” — Curators Catherine Alice Michaelis, Jane A. Carlin, and Diana Weymar  

Susan took some great pictures, which is critical, as artist books, indeed, any kind of book, is challenging to display, being composed of so many different parts, all of which cannot be seen at the same time. Such is the magic and mystery of this old technology, the book.

Judging from this shelf, the show was themed in different ways, including color and materials.

Hey Susan…thank you! (Great haircut too…)

Susan even took a shot of my page in the catalog. Cool!  I ordered the catalog, a great effort put together by Curator Catherine Alice Michaelis.  Great way to support the show and celebrate the works it brought together.

Gratitudes!

“Offal” is not so Awful

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I am thrilled to be included in the current exhibition at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, OFFAL

https://www.lamag.org/portfolio_page/offal/

Thank you Steven Wong, Curator, for putting this together.

Thank you Brianna Bakke, Assistant Curator, for your writing.

And, thank you to the whole curatorial and installation staff and any volunteers, for creating such a beautiful, immersive display of all the works.  “Throes of the Body” has never been lit like this before, and it made all the difference.

The detail of the piece could really be seen,

and made accessible to the viewers.

Gratitudes!

Sharing Shows 5: “THE ARTFUL BOOK”

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I am excited and honored to be included in a number of current and upcoming shows across the US, and will be sharing about them in blog form, as well as in the EVENTS section of my website, as a way of further describing and chronicling my practice, honoring colleagues, and sharing gratitude for these opportunities and the people, organizations and institutions that make them happen. Shout out to ElonSchoenholz, Photographer extraordinaire who took the photographs below of “Profusion“, which will be shown in:

“The Artful Book”
California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers Member Exhibit
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA

The Artful Book
October 4, 2019 – January 5, 2020
“Today, artists who work in the Book Arts create fine and design bindings, fine press and letterpress editions, calligraphy, broadsides, handmade paper, and artist books. Visitors to The Artful Book will see outstanding contemporary examples of the Book Arts created by members of the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. From finely crafted and superbly designed limited edition books to one-of-a-kind sculptural art objects, these artists let their imaginations soar and put their skills in the service of one of man’s best creations, the book. The Artful Book exhibition and related programming are made possible by lead support from The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation with additional generous support from the Bess J. Hodges Foundation.”

I will be showing three pieces:

Profusion
2018
8.75″ x 24.5″ x 7.75″
Bookboard, canvas, hemp cord, mulberry paper

In The Thicket of It 
2018
18″ x 30″ x 23″
Book board, canvas, acrylic paint, hemp cord, mulberry paper, wood

Falling
2019
11″ x 23″ x 7.5″
Bookboard, canvas,  hemp cord, mulberry paper

The Long Beach Museum of Art is a wondrous place by the sea..with a beautiful garden featuring a water sculpture by Claire Falkenstein Structure and Flow.

See you there!