Debra Disman

FALL HOLIDAY BOOKMAKING Through the Panorama City Branch Library
2020-10-27 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Panorama City Branch Library, 14345 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA, 91402, United States

"Building Networks of Empathy"
2020-10-26 11:00 - 2020-12-15 17:00 | 18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
The exhibition Building Networks of Empathy is the second of a two-part show that asks us to consider the ways in which art empowers not only the artist, but its viewers to transform their most difficult experiences into enlightened outcomes. The first part of the show is an ongoing online-only exhibition entitled Facing Darkness, which encouraged artists in our community to reflect internally on our current moment of pandemic, isolation, and structural inequity laid bare.
For this second part, which will be physically installed in 18th Street Arts Center’s spacious Airport campus hangar galleries, artists were asked to respond to how they have changed as a result of their inner reflections on darkness, and to imagine new futures and societal structures as we see our way out of crisis. Each artist grapples as well with the role that art can play in social reflection, expression, and cultural paradigm shifts as a result of a deeper understanding of each other, and the empathy that follows. The exhibition sees empathy not only as a way to share and understand what others are going through, but also as a natural and endless resource that we can all rely on when crisis and emergency hit, with hopes that we can turn this moment of collective fear into a sublime experience.
Debra Disman, Chromatic Interactions: The Golden Thread, 2020. File cards, pencils, crayons, thread. Installation. 76 x 90 inches.
Photo by Debra Disman. Courtesy of the artist.
“I was commissioned to create an interactive book for Craft Contemporary’s 2017 exhibition, Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California, which opened shortly after the 2016 presidential election. Visitors could choose file cards in an array of colors, draw and write on them, and insert them into the pocketed pages of the book. A range of feelings, responses, and concerns were expressed through the cards, which the Museum Staff saved and gave to me at the end of the show. I stitched them together grouped loosely by theme, to express the network of empathy they depicted, held together by golden thread.”
This exhibition may be viewed by appointment only. Please visit here to sign up to visit the exhibition!
Participating artists include: Alexandra Dillon, Deborah Lynn Irmas, Luigia Gio Martelloni, Rebecca Setareh, M Susan Broussard, Julia Michelle Dawson, Lionel Popkin, Ameeta Nanji, Siru Wen, Elham Sagharchi, Debra Disman, Luciana Abait, Sheila Karbassian, Daniela Schweitzer, Joan Wulf, Loren Harris-Heller, Nung-Hsin Hu, and Susie McKay Krieser.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a live Zoom panel featuring Alma Ruiz and Karen Sherman, moderated by Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, on November 12, 2020 at 12pm. For this panel discussion, curators, artists, activists, advocates, and scholars are invited to meet virtually to reflect on the public opening of Facing Darkness, and consider how the show renders a public crisis and artists’ circumstances evident and knowable. Moderated by artist-scholar Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, with talks by curator Alma Ruiz and dancemaker Karen Sherman, (Inter)facing Darkness will frame a dialogue on how artists are operating as second responders, as thought leaders, and resource gatherers at this time. Participants will be invited to speak on their experience of the show at this moment. Register here.

2020 California Open Exhibition
2020-09-09 12:00 - 2020-10-01 17:00 | Tag Gallery, 5458 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, United States
CONGRATULATIONS 2020 CALIFORNIA OPEN ACCEPTED ARTISTS
Juror Kate Mothes selected 101 unique objects of fine art from 99 artists.
Nearly 1,000 entries were submitted to the artist call.
The 2020 California Open displays at TAG in all of our downstairs galleries from September 9 — October 1. Fine art viewings are available by appointment only until Stay Home orders are lifted for Los Angeles. Please call or email the gallery for more information.
I am thrilled to be showing “FALLING”, 2018, 11″ x (up to) 23″ x 7.5″, mixed media

Front view (interior/exterior) Detail (interior/exterior)

Detail (interior/exterior) Back view (exterior)

Tarfest 2020: Transition
2020-08-22 12:00 - 2020-09-05 17:00 | Launch LA, 170 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
I am thrilled to be participating in:

Tarfest is a free multidisciplinary festival produced to provide artists performance/exhibition opportunities and audiences from all over Los Angeles with unique arts programming in the Miracle Mile District.cing Aret Exhibition
As significant transitions are evolving on multiple fronts, we are examining and redefining our relationships with one another as well as the physical space we occupy.
Recognizing this historic time, the artists of Tarfest 2020’s “Transition” open call juried exhibition respond to core concepts of change with their work. This exhibition brings together artists from across So California whose practices engage with change through process, concept, culture, chance, and more.
LAUNCH presents “Transition” in conjunction with Tarfest– our free multidisciplinary arts festival now in its 18th year. For 2020 and in response to Covid-19, Tarfest moves from Tar Pits Park to multiple venues over multiple days- allowing for safe gatherings with appropriate social distancing.
See the show!

Exhibition Aug 22- Sept 5, 2020.
170 S. La Brea Ave., Upstairs
Los Angeles, CA 90036

LAUNCH LA believes exposure to the arts enhances quality of life and strengthens community through the shared appreciation of creative expression in all its forms and hybrids. LAUNCH LA is passionate about providing artists with quality opportunities to present themselves and their creations that reflect our times to a curious and enthusiastic audience at important happenings throughout Los Angeles.
HOLLY JERGER is the exhibitions curator at Craft Contemporary (formerly Craft & Folk Art Museum) in Los Angeles, CA. Since 2015, she has organized or co-organized numerous exhibitions at Craft Contemporary, including Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California, Gronk’s Theater of Paint, Betye Saar: Keepin’ it Clean, and Melting Point: Movements in Contemporary Clay. Prior to her appointment as exhibitions curator, Jerger served as senior curator of public engagement (2005-2014), developing 90 programs annually. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ball State University, Indiana, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she also taught. She has served on the boards of the Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC) and the Los Angeles Printmaking Society.
LAUNCH LA believes exposure to the arts enhances quality of life and strengthens community through the shared appreciation of creative expression in all its forms and hybrids. LAUNCH LA is passionate about providing artists with quality opportunities to present themselves and their creations that reflect our times to a curious and enthusiastic audience at important happenings throughout Los Angeles.
LAUNCH LA addresses these core values by presenting arts and culture programming throughout the year at its gallery and project space on La Brea Avenue, through multidisciplinary programs at TARFEST, our free music and arts festival held annually at the La Brea Tar Pits Park, now in its 13th year, as well as periodic showcases and collaborations in important Los Angeles communities.
James Panozzo – Founder/Executive Director
James created the non-profit social enterprise LAUNCH in 2010 to oversee the production of TarFest annually while also providing unique programming and exhibition opportunities to important artists in Los Angeles. He served as the Director of Lawrence Asher Gallery from 2004 – 2010, exhibiting emerging and mid-career painters, sculptors and installation artists. James co-founded TarFest in 2003 and continues to develop and manage its programs which provide opportunities to emerging artists at venues in the Miracle Mile District of LA.
I am showing:
“Torrent and Tangle: Keep your House In Order“
2019, 10.5 x 25 x 18”, mixed media

View a Facebook Live tour of the exhibition with James Panozzo:
https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLA/videos/2350520525255774/?comment_id=2351347821839711&notif_id=1598253654604511&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

The Book as Art v. 8.0: Infinity
2020-08-17 00:00 - 2020-10-17 00:00 | Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA, 30030, United States
The Book as Art v. 8.0: Infinity
Jurors: Bexx Caswell-Olson, Ann Kresge, Joe Sanders
Opening Reception
Friday, Aug. 28 | 7–9 pm
A book begins as a small mass of material, formed and pressed into life by ideas, words, and machines. A concept becomes thought, becomes word, becomes book, becomes sculpture. From the tactile complexity of handmade paper, to the alteration of existing volumes, to a variety of other materials and concepts, these objects, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive. The objects in this exhibition will interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where word has become form.
I am showing two pieces in the exhibition:
Prairie, 2018 (10.25″ x 45″ x 15.25″, mixed media)

Maximum Security, 2018, (15 x 18 x 10.25″, mixed media)

The Book as Art v. 8.0: Infinity will be presented online until further notice.
However, the exhibition will be installed at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library, in anticipation that the Periodicals Gallery at the Decatur Library may be open for limited viewing before the advertised end of the exhibition (October 17).
View The Book as Art v.8: Infinity Virtual Opening!
Virtual programming is in development to supplement and enhance viewer experience. I an honored to be participating in an Artist Talk at 7PM EST on Friday October 28th!
Live Zoom Events (FREE tickets via Eventbrite, links available soon)
Oct. 7: Artist Talk with Valerie Aranda and Clemente Orozco Farías
Oct. 14: Artist Talk with Stephanie Russ and Isabelle Fleurelien
Oct. 21: Artist Interview: Peggy Johnston
Oct. 28: Artist Showcase and Discussion: Nicole Polonsky, Christian Feneck, Chris Revelle, Debra Disman

Crafting Histories: Bookmaking with Debra Disman an Online Workshop Series
2020-08-04 11:00 - 2020-09-11 14:00 | Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, United States
a Philanthropies

Free Older Adult
Online Workshop Series

The Art of the Book: Crafting Our Stories By Hand

Crafting Histories: Bookmaking with Debra Disman an Online Workshop Series

The Art of the Book: Crafting Our Stories By Hand is an online workshop series specifically designed by Craft Contemporary and artist Debra Disman for adults over the age of 55. This program is made possible by funding from Aroha Philanthropies and is part of a nationwide campaign to bring thoughtful and specialized programs to a valuable population that is often undeserved by arts institutions.We invite you to register for this cycle’s participant cohort. This 8-session bookmaking series taught by artist Debra Disman will meet through the online platform Zoom, every Friday at 11am – 1pm. Starting August 7 through September 11, 2020. The program will conclude with a final presentation and discussion of works and experiences, participants will also be provided a group document and online presence to share their work with friends and family.
This program is completely free of charge and courses are specifically developed to meet the needs of our participants. If you are interested in this opportunity and you are over the age of 55, we invite you to apply today! We only ask that registrants MUST commit to participating in all 8 program sessions including the culminating event.
Space is limited to 12 participants that will be selected from their application response. Deadline to apply is Monday, July 27, 2020 by midnight. All participants will be notified on their application status by Friday, July 31, 2020.
For questions or more information please contact:
andres@craftcontemporary.org
Class Objective: Learn how to create folded, glued and sewn book structures. Learn how to use bookmaking as an expressive vehicle for communication. Learn to share stories through the medium of bookmaking
Participants will be introduced to ideas of storytelling through materials and the handmade. We will explore what the term book means, why books are important, and how they have functioned through time and culture.
Orientation: Tuesday, August 4
Session 1: Friday, August 7
Session 2: Friday, August 14
Session 3: Friday, August 21
Session 4: Friday, August 28
Session 5: Friday, September 4
Critique & Wrap-up: Friday, September 11
Culminating Event: Friday, September 25

Exhibitionista: FACING DARKNESS
2020-07-27 12:00 - 2021-06-30 12:00 | 18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
I am thrilled to be included in FACING DARKNESS, an online exhibition of works created by artists from 18th Street Art Center‘s 18th street and airport campuses.
Tour the Show!
“In our darkest hours, it is natural and human to seek connection with others, to face the darkness together so that we can imagine a brighter path forward. In our current pandemic-time of crisis and isolation, this instinct can feel thwarted, and lead us to even darker places. Art is one of the ways that communities can find resilience in isolation, a method of aesthetic communication that empowers both the artist and the viewer to transform the most difficult and paradigm-breaking experiences into new visions for the future. Even as the arts and cultural infrastructure in the US is in deep crisis, the work of artists reflecting on this time and its socio-cultural reverberations is even more necessary for binding us together and rebuilding our world. As Californians for the Arts director Julie Baker quipped “A first responder comes in and saves a life. A second responder comes in and helps rebuild a life.”
Artists are second responders, and this exhibition of 25 varied artists from 18th Street’s artist community present multivalent ways that artworks that address the human capacity to overcome hardships on both global and personal scales. From meditations on memory, investigations into the warped passage of time, working through fraught familial relationships, and grappling with fear and longing in a time of public health crises and inequities laid bare, the artists in this show address our current moment both obliquely and directly, with humor, melancholy, and uncomfortable propositions. Creation during this time feels nothing like luxury; rather it is deeply necessary in navigating the darkness ahead.”
Collective – “The only way out is through”
“Hopes and Fears and…”, 2020, 24.5 x 16.25, mixed media
18th Street will host related online events over the course of the exhibition.
Participating artists include: Deborah Lynn Irmas, Beth Davila Waldman, Elham Sagharchi, Gwen Samuels, Rachel Chu, Debra Disman, M Susan Broussard, Lionel Popkin, Leo Garcia, Alexandra Dillon, Gregg A Chadwick, Ameeta Nanji, Yrneh Gabon, Claudia Concha, Luciana Abait, Rebecca Youssef, Crystal Michaelson, Susie McKay Krieser, Melinda Smith Altshuler, David McDonald, Julia Michelle Dawson, Daniela Schweitzer, Luigia Gio Martelloni, Sheila Karbassian, and Joan Wulf.

Material Identity
2020-07-10 12:00 - 2020-08-29 17:00 | Loveland Artists Collective, 310 N. Railroad Avenue CO, Loveland, Colorado, 80537
I am thrilled to be showing two pieces in the exhibition MATERIAL IDENTITY, at Artworks Center for Contemporary Art, in Loveland Colorado!
The show asks the question:
“How does materiality represent who we are? Does the material you use dictate who you are as a maker? How does medium speak to who you are as an individual?”
In the exhibition Material Identity, 27 artists and makers from 3 countries and 16 states explore the substance of material, paying special attention to their place in the world, either from a focus inward, or how they identify in society at large. This international exhibition was juried by Jiseon Lee Isbara, Otis College of Art and Design, and Jessica Kooiman Parker, Boulder Dairy Art Center.
Tour the Exhibition!
Listen to participating artists talk with Executive Director Sarah LaBarre and Curator Jessica Kooiman Parker

DRIVE-BY-ART Los Angeles: Public Art in This Moment of Social Distancing
2020-05-30 12:00 - 2020-05-31 18:00 | 18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
Thrilled to be participating in…
DRIVE-BY-ART Los Angeles: Street
Organized by Warren Neidich, Renee Petropoulos, Michael Slenske and Anuradha Vikram
WEBSITE: www.drive-by-art.org
CONTACT: info@drive-by-art.org
Two locations will be divided East and West of Western Avenue over two weekends.
EAST LA: MAY 23rd-25th East of Western Avenue including Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Frogtown, Glassell Park, Mount Washington, Highland Park, Chinatown (Cypress Park and Elysian Park), Glendale, Sunland, Tujunga, Eagle Rock, Atwater, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Koreatown, MacArthur Park, Rampart Village, Historic Filipinotown, Little Armenia, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Downtown LA and University Park.
Times: 12-6pm + night viewings at select locations Saturday, May 23rd, 8pm-midnight
WEST LA: MAY 30th-31st West of Western Avenue including Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Culver City, Inglewood, Mid City, Mid-Wilshire, Venice, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Palms, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Westwood, Beverly Glen, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Beverly Wood and Century City.
Times: 12-6pm + night viewings at select locations Saturday, May 30th, 8pm-midnight
Participating artists include: Luciana Abait, Lita Albuquerque, Marcel Alcala, Shagha Ariannia, Charles Arnoldi, Joshua Aster, Elena Bajo, Sharon Barnes, Sarah Beadle, Jeff Beall, Scott Benzel, Andrew Berardini, Lauren Bon, Olivia Booth, Theodore Boyer, Leonardo Bravo, Kimberly Brooks, Rebecca Bruno, Anita Bunn, Jedediah Caesar, Nancy Baker Cahill, Kristin Calabrese, Angel Chen, Joe Day, Yasmine Diaz, Debra Disman, Dani Dodge, Paul Donald, Dana Berman Duff, Bradney Evans, Rochelle Fabb, Katja Farin, Renée A. Fox, Cayetano Ferrer, Shahla K. Friberg, Francesca Gabbiani, Yrneh Gabon, Kiva Garber-Maikovska, Sonja Gerdes, Chet Glaze, Todd Gray, Phyllis Green, Robert Gunderman, Julia Haft-Candell, Robert Herbst, Gilah Yelin Hirsch, Evan Holloway, Andrew Holmquist, Bettina Hubby, Salomon Huerta, Steve Hurd, Max Jansons, Vincent Johnson, Kyle Jorgensen, JPW3, Annetta Kapon, Michael Kelly, Mak Kern, Mirena Kim, John Knuth, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Dan Kwong, Thomas Lawson, Kang Seung Lee, Rebecca Levinson, Thomas Linder/Timo Fahler, Sydney Littenberg, Karen Lofgren, Shana Lutker, Marisa Mandler, Chandler McWilliams, Jason Meadows, Adam Moskowitz, Brian C. Moss, Dave Muller, Nicole Nadeau, Stephen Neidich, Kori Newkirk, Ben Wolf Noam, Jordie Oetken, Stas Orlovski, Erika Ostrander, Mamiko Otsubo, Anita Pace, Xiou Ping, Mary Anna Pomonis, Vanessa Prager, Nicole Rademacher, Lucas Reiner, Jackie Rines, Shelby Roberts, Nina R. Salerno, Aram Saroyan, David Schafer, Kenny Scharf, Marty Schnapf, Kim Schoenstadt, Kristine Schomaker, Julia Schwartz, Kyungmi Shin, Susan Silton, Francesco Siqueiros, Emilija Škarnulytė, Natalie Smith, Cammie Staros, Janet Sternburg, Christian Tedeschi, Lincoln Tobier, Dani Tull, Victoria Vesna, Henry Vincent, Alice Wang, Dan S. Wang, Sterling Wells, Jennifer West, Takako Yamaguchi, Kulapat Yantrasast, Jason Yates, Jenny Yurshansky, Jody Zellen, and Peter Zellner.
For more information please email info@drive-by-art.org
or reach out to Warren Neidich at +1-917-664-4526 or Jocelyn Anker at +1-917-291-4406

DRIVE-BY-ART Los Angeles
2020-05-30 - 2020-06-20 | 18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
Drive-By-Art Los Angeles was/is an amazing outside public art exhibition organized by Warren Neidich, Renee Petropoulos, Michael Slenske and Anuradha Vikram.
DRIVE-BY-ART (Public Art in This Moment of Social Distancing), an outdoor public art exhibition that is experienced from the safety and intimacy of one’s own automobile.

WEST LA: was MAY 30th-31st West of Western Avenue including Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Culver City, Inglewood, Mid City, Mid-Wilshire, Venice, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Palms, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Westwood, Beverly Glen, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Beverly Wood and Century City.
Times: 12-6pm + night viewings at select locations Saturday, May 30th, 8pm-midnight- these had to be cancelled due to rioting, looting and unrest across Los Angeles.
I showed, “Eat Your Young“, and installation that was installed over one of the windows on the exterior of my studio at 18th Street Arts Center.

Participating artists include: Luciana Abait, Lita Albuquerque, Marcel Alcala, Shagha Ariannia, Charles Arnoldi, Joshua Aster, Elena Bajo, Sharon Barnes, Sarah Beadle, Jeff Beall, Scott Benzel, Andrew Berardini, Lauren Bon, Olivia Booth, Theodore Boyer, Leonardo Bravo, Kimberly Brooks, Rebecca Bruno, Anita Bunn, Jedediah Caesar, Nancy Baker Cahill, Kristin Calabrese, Angel Chen, Joe Day, Yasmine Diaz, Debra Disman, Dani Dodge, Paul Donald, Dana Berman Duff, Bradney Evans, Rochelle Fabb, Katja Farin, Renée A. Fox, Cayetano Ferrer, Shahla K. Friberg, Francesca Gabbiani, Yrneh Gabon, Kiva Garber-Maikovska, Sonja Gerdes, Chet Glaze, Todd Gray, Phyllis Green, Robert Gunderman, Julia Haft-Candell, Robert Herbst, Gilah Yelin Hirsch, Evan Holloway, Andrew Holmquist, Bettina Hubby, Salomon Huerta, Steve Hurd, Max Jansons, Vincent Johnson, Kyle Jorgensen, JPW3, Annetta Kapon, Michael Kelly, Mak Kern, Mirena Kim, John Knuth, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Dan Kwong, Thomas Lawson, Kang Seung Lee, Rebecca Levinson, Thomas Linder/Timo Fahler, Sydney Littenberg, Karen Lofgren, Shana Lutker, Marisa Mandler, Chandler McWilliams, Jason Meadows, Adam Moskowitz, Brian C. Moss, Dave Muller, Nicole Nadeau, Stephen Neidich, Kori Newkirk, Ben Wolf Noam, Jordie Oetken, Stas Orlovski, Erika Ostrander, Mamiko Otsubo, Anita Pace, Xiou Ping, Mary Anna Pomonis, Vanessa Prager, Nicole Rademacher, Lucas Reiner, Jackie Rines, Shelby Roberts, Nina R. Salerno, Aram Saroyan, David Schafer, Kenny Scharf, Marty Schnapf, Kim Schoenstadt, Kristine Schomaker, Julia Schwartz, Kyungmi Shin, Susan Silton, Francesco Siqueiros, Emilija Škarnulytė, Natalie Smith, Cammie Staros, Janet Sternburg, Christian Tedeschi, Lincoln Tobier, Dani Tull, Victoria Vesna, Henry Vincent, Alice Wang, Dan S. Wang, Sterling Wells, Jennifer West, Takako Yamaguchi, Kulapat Yantrasast, Jason Yates, Jenny Yurshansky, Jody Zellen, and Peter Zellner.
Drive-By-Art was created by Warren Neidich, a conceptual artist, theorist and organizer. He is the founding director of Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art and the American editor of Archive Books, Berlin and Milan.

"EXPRESSIONS 2020" Exhibition
2020-05-14 00:00 - 2020-06-27 00:00 | Marin Society of Artists Gallery, 1515 3rd Street, CA, San Rafael,, CA, 94901, United States
I am honored to be included in:
“EXPRESSIONS 2020”
Presented by The Marin Society of Artists
Juror: Andrea Schwartz of Andrea Schwartz Gallery
Tour the show!
I am showing “Torrent and Tangle: Keep Your House in Order” 2019, mixed media (book board, hemp cord, canvas, watercolor paper, lace, ribbon, acrylic paint).
Photography: Elon Schoenholz
“These are extraordinary and unprecedented times with the COVID-19 virus affecting our daily lives. The well being of our visitors, artists and community as well as continuing to showcase artists’ work is of utmost importance. To that end, Marin Society of Artists has decided to present our Expressions 2020 exhibition in a virtual gallery venue. The virtual gallery will be on view for six weeks, commencing May 14, 2020.” The show runs through June 27, 2020. Tour the show!

3rd Annual Spring Small Works Show Vanessa Lacy Gallery
2020-04-17 00:00 - 2020-05-09 00:00 | Vanessa Lacy Gallery, 1600 Genessee St. Unit 161, Kansas City, MO, 64102, United States
I am honored to be part of the:

3rd Annual Spring Small Works Show
at the Vanessa Lacy Gallery

Take a virtual tour!

Painting Program at the Will & Ariel Durant Branch Library!
2020-04-16 16:00 - 17:30 | Will & Ariel Durant Branch Library, 7140 Sunset Blvd,, Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Learn about the color wheel, how to mix colors, and how to wield a brush in this fun after-school program for children of all ages. We will use real acrylic paints and beautiful canvass and watercolor paper for our explorations in paint!

Poetry Flag Bookmaking at the Granada Hills Library!
2020-04-07 14:30 - 16:30 | Granada Hills Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 10640 Petit Avenue Granada Hills, CA 91344, Granada Hills, United States
This Leap Year, celebrate Poetry Month at the Granada Hills Library by making the fun and fabulous flag book structure, and adding poetry to its pages.
Complete your book with your own rhymes, poems or lyrics, dive into the words of your favorite poets, and discover new ones on the shelves of the Library.
Welcome the warmth of Spring with this joyous activity!

Celebrate Women Artists From Around the World for Women's History Month!
2020-04-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Platt Branch Library, 23600 Victory Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA, 91367, United States
Celebrate Women’s History Month by celebrating women artists with Debra Disman!
Create your own accordion fold book, and add images and information about great female artists from different times in history, as well as your own words and artwork.
Learn about bookmaking, women artists, and how to be creative, all at the same time!
This program is for kids and all ages

The Art of the Book: Crafting Our Stories by Hand Exhibition and Culminating Event
2020-03-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, United States
Join Us at Craft Contemporary (Formerly know as the Craft and Folk Art Museum)
Saturday, March 28 | 2 – 4 PM | Free
Artist Debra Disman and participants of our older adults’ workshop will host an outdoor exhibition reception, featuring the artists’ books they created over the course of the series, and facilitate a bookmaking activity for attendees. This program is generously sponsored by Aroha Philanthropies.

Keep Precious Memories Stored in a Journal Session 2
2020-03-17 15:30 - 17:30 | Granada Hills Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 10640 Petit Avenue Granada Hills, CA 91344, Granada Hills, United States
Join us to create your own journal using single signature binding techniques.
Learn how to create a book with a spine, covers and pages in which to to store your precious memories, doodle, dream, draw and write!
“Artist-in-Residence Debra Disman will teach patrons how to use sewing techniques to bind together their own journal. This program is possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.”
This program series is part of my artist residency through the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs in bookmaking!

Keep Precious Memories Stored in a Journal Session 1
2020-03-10 15:30 - 17:30 | Granada Hills Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 10640 Petit Avenue Granada Hills, CA 91344, Granada Hills, United States

CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF SANTA MONICA BLACK COMMUNITY LEADER THELMA TERRY FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
2020-03-07 10:00 - 13:00 | Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave, Santa Monica, CA, 90404, United States
IMAGE: The Terryettes Drill Team, formed by Mrs. Thelma Terry. Photo courtesy of the Quinn Research Center and The Terryettes.
Join us for a unique celebration, and community art project from noon to 1PM
CELEBRATING
Thelma Terry: Athlete, Educator, and Community Leader
A Women’s History Month Celebration
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 10 AM – 1 PM
Virginia Avenue Park, Thelma Terry Building
2200 Virginia Ave, Santa Monica
“In observance of Women’s History Month, Virginia Avenue Park, 18th Street Arts Center, and the Quinn Research Center are teaming up to celebrate the life and work of Thelma Terry, a community leader with a lasting legacy around teen recreation, athletics, and arts education in the Pico Neighborhood of Santa Monica. Through her life’s work, Thelma Terry touched so many in the community, but has very little presence online or in the history books. Through the efforts of Quinn Research Center, researcher Sabrina Fields, Virginia Avenue Park, and 18th Street Arts Center, Terry will finally have a Wikipedia page that matches her profound influence in the community. The Quinn Research Center provided photos and historical information on Thelma Terry from their archives for this page, and 18th Street Arts Center was able to provide some first-hand oral history accounts from their culturemapping90404.org project. Through art-making, sharing stories, local history presentations, food, and more, the community will celebrate Thelma Terry’s legacy at the Thelma Terry Center on Saturday March 7, 2020 from 10am-1pm.
Nestled in Santa Monica’s Pico neighborhood, the Thelma Terry building is a recreation facility right in the heart of Virginia Avenue Park. The building is used primarily for community gathering activities: everything from baile folklorico rehearsals to rent control information sessions. Although the essence of these activities are in line with the legacy of Thelma Terry, only a few know about her influence in the Westside, specifically in Venice and Santa Monica.
The event on March 7th will feature a community art-making activity with Debra Disman, a presentation from Art+Feminism’s West Coast rep Stacey Allan, memories of Mrs. Terry from her contemporaries and students, and a call for more Santa Monicans to get involved in future Wikipedia-thons to record and write the histories of underrecognized women leaders of color in this community. For information or to get involved in a future Santa Monica-focused Wikipedia-thon, please email sbyank@18thstreet.org.”
Read FULL Press Release!

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"We Write The Book" Culmination Event at the Sunland-Tujunga Library
2020-02-15 15:00 - 17:00 | Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, 7771 Foothill Boulevard 7771Foothill Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042, Tujunga (Los Angeles), CA, 91042, United States
Please join us for a wonderful event culminating my Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
On display will be handmade books created by participants in the workshops, including fun and fascinating Flag Books made by 9th grade Visual and Performing Arts English class students from the nearby Verdugo Hills High School!
This is an event for the whole family and the whole community.
Come and enjoy refreshments, enjoying the handmade books on display, and making your own book in the community room!

The "HeArt of the Book" Show
2020-02-14 00:00 - 2020-03-28 00:00 | Loveland Artists Collective, 310 N. Railroad Avenue CO, Loveland, Colorado, 80537
I am delighted to participate in:
Loveland Artists Collective Presents A National Juried Book Arts Show:
The HeART of the Book

February 14th – March 28th, 2020
“The book has long been treasured as a literary work of art, but it is often forgotten in the realm of visual art. Book arts have been around as long as humanity has been writing and reading, but within the last couple of decades, the book arts have become increasingly diverse and innovative. The Loveland Artists Collective has been invited to show this group exhibition at Artworks, which is the largest Studio Artist Community in Northern Colorado dedicated to advancing the contemporary arts and visual artists.
(click here for more info on Artworks).
Artists will be on display in the South Gallery at Artworks in downtown Loveland from February 14th – March 28th. This exhibit will be promoted and included in the Loveland Sweetheart Festival, which occurs February 14-16, 2020 . The festival is expected to bring 35,000 visitors along with the normal foot traffic Loveland receives during this important month.”

"Drawing Connections"
2020-02-10 12:00 - 2020-08-14 17:00 | 18th Street Arts Center Airport Gallery, 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
I am honored to participate in the
DRAWING CONNECTIONS | Exhibition
at 18th Street Art Center
February 10 – August 14, 2020
North and South Galleries | 3026 Airport Avenue
Exhibition Reception and Artist Open Studios
February 22, 2020 | 5-8 PM
“Drawing Connections aims to trace the invisible networks between a selection of current artists in residence at 18th Street Arts Center, both from our 18th Street campus and our Airport hangar. The show highlights how artists from different backgrounds and whose practices range from traditional to experimental art can dialogue through one of the earliest and most fundamental tools for human expression, drawing. This process of mark-making reveals the initial creative impulse that may later take the form of a video, a performance, a piece of music, an art installation, a painting, or a drawing itself. This curatorial exercise intends to delve into the essence of the multivalent creative practices of the artistic community of 18th Street Arts Center.”
See the show!

Make a Recipe Book at the Granada Hills Branch Library!
2020-02-08 14:30 - 16:30 | Granada Hills Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 10640 Petit Avenue Granada Hills, CA 91344, Granada Hills, United States
Join us for a fun-filled recipe bookmaking program, and create a place to preserve treasured family recipes and new ones too!

This program is part of my Artist Residency at the Granada Hills Public Library and is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department Cultural Affairs.
All ages welcome. Bring the family and create together!
All materials provided.

Make Your Own Book at the Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library!
2020-02-01 15:00 - 17:00 | Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, 7771 Foothill Boulevard 7771Foothill Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042, Tujunga (Los Angeles), CA, 91042, United States
Join us and the Wide Open Reading group at the Sunland-Tujunga Library and learn to bind together your own book you can use as a journal, sketchbook, diary, dream catcher or idea book!
Learn what signatures are in bookbinding, and how they become book pages.
Create your book, then design, embellish, decorate and personalize your cover for inspiration
All materials provided.
All ages welcome. Bring the family and create together!
This program is part of my Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Public Library and is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department Cultural Affairs.

Making Books Together at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
2020-02-01 09:00 - 12:00 | Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Join us and learn to make a “folded fan” book at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,

Family Art Class: Bookmaking (Ages 8+)

Learn to create a wild and wonderful folded fan book, inspired by the sketchbooks in the exhibition Betye Saar: Call and Response. Make an accordion-folded spine, add covers and pages, personalize your book with a variety of materials, and see how your fan book unfolds!

For the Whole Family!
Details:
One Day Workshop: Making Books Together Inspired by the Sketchbooks of Betye Saar!
Family Class: Ages 8+ | Saturday, February 1, 2020 | 9 am–12 pm
Family members create side-by-side or collaborate together in this inter-generational class
With teaching artist Debra Disman

Making Accordion Fold Books with Pockets at the Sunland-Tujunga Library
2020-01-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, 7771 Foothill Boulevard 7771Foothill Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042, Tujunga (Los Angeles), CA, 91042, United States
Learn to create an accordion fold book with pockets that can be used to hold your treasures: photographs, notes, poems, recipes, and more! Start off the New Year with creativity and new skills, and make something fun, beautiful and useful!
This program is part of my Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Public Library and is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department Cultural Affairs.
All ages welcome. Bring the family and create together!
All materials provided.

Make A Calendar at the Granada Hills Public Library!
2020-01-07 14:30 - 2020-01-09 16:30 | Granada Hills Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 10640 Petit Avenue Granada Hills, CA 91344, Granada Hills, United States
Welcome in 2020 by creating your own calendar and personalize it for you!
Join us for this two-session hands-on bookmaking program, where you will bind together your own 2020 calendar and embellish it to give it your own personal touch. Highlight special dates and events, add birthdays, and put your best foot forward into the New Year!
This program is part of my Artist Residency at the Granada Hills Public Library and is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department Cultural Affairs.
Program runs from 2:30PM – 4:30PM Tuesday and Thursday January 7 and 9, 2020
All ages welcome. Bring the family and create together!
All materials provided.

2020 LA OPEN
2019-12-18 11:00 - 2020-01-17 17:00 | Tag Gallery, 5458 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, United States
I am thrilled to be part of the 2020 LA OPEN Exhibition at TAG Gallery in Los Angeles.

2020 LA OPEN
TAG Gallery is proud to announce the 3rd annual LA Open Exhibition for 2020! This juried exhibition aims to serve as a gateway for a diverse range of artists in the greater Los Angeles area to display their artworks on Museum Row, home to four major Los Angeles museums.
TAG’s calendar year commences with this vibrant exhibition of works by local artists. The focus of this exhibition is to illustrate that artists are strong and impactful when they come together to facilitate dialogue amongst varied styles of works. To this end, the viewer and artist alike are encouraged to make unapparent connections between works in an effort to facilitate an intimate and unique experience for each viewer.
Exhibit:
December 17 – December 21, 2019
January 2 – January 17, 2020

Reception and Awards Ceremony:
Saturday, January 4, 2020, 5 – 8 p.m.
Juror: Juri Koll
As part of the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA), Juri Koll presents exhibits in their galleries in Los Angeles, and traveling exhibits at museums, galleries, and alternative spaces in the U.S. and abroad, such as Trans Angeles: Crossover Experimentation (curated by Senior Curatorial Advisor Peter Frank) seen at the Chabot Museum in Rotterdam and the Neuer Kunstverein Aschaffenberg e.V. and Wilhelm Morgner Haus Museum in Germany, among other institutions. Other exhibitions have appeared in venues including the Museum of Art and History, LA Art Show, Photo LA and many others in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Japan. Koll regularly exhibits his paintings, photographs, and art videos. He serves on the LA Advisory Board for Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. His documentaries on artists and other art world figures are available in university libraries across the U.S. His films have screened all over the world, in over 70 festivals, including Cannes, the Cork International Film Festival, the Australian International Film Festival, and won many awards.
After graduating from California Institute of the Arts with majors in Fine Art and Film, Mr. Koll produced the first Art/World documentaries from 1990 – 1995. He worked with major curators in their museums and galleries, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. His subjects included world famous and infamous artists and art world figures from the Renaissance period to the present. Recently, Juri’s first documentary, In The Steel: A Portrait of Mark di Suvero, (1991), was accepted into the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.

Holiday Bookmaking at the Sunland-Tujunga Library!
2019-12-14 15:00 - 16:30 | Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, 7771 Foothill Boulevard 7771Foothill Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042, Tujunga (Los Angeles), CA, 91042, United States
Learn to create the festive “Envelope” book in honor of the holiday season and use it as a unique gift or card for those special people in your life!
This workshop is part of my Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Library, supported by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
All materials included.

Making Sculptural Books at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
2019-12-14 09:00 - 12:00 | Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Learn to make sculptural books at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, inspired by the awesome show from China: The Allure of Matter, currently on display at the Museum.
For the Whole Family!
Details:
One-Day Workshop: Sculpture Books
Family Class: Ages 8+ | Saturday, December 14 | 9 am–12 pm
Family members create side-by-side or collaborate together in this inter-generational class!
Be inspired by The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China exhibition to explore unusual art materials
used by contemporary Chinese artists. In the studio, learn book-making techniques to design a
sculptural book.
With artist Debra Disman
