Debra Disman

Bookmaking and Boxes: Valentines Day at the West Valley Regional Branch Library!
2021-02-09 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | West Valley Regional Branch Library, 19036 Vanowen Street,, Reseda, CA, 91335, United States
Join us to celebrate Valentine’s Day by learning to create the double flower fold book structure, complete with it’s own box, to offer as a loving gift for the holiday! Contact the West Valley Regional Branch Library to reserve your spot and pick up your free materials packet!
This program is part of my Artist Residency through the wonderful Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and is online to accomodate participants all over Los Angeles. For all ages. See the instructions on the attached flier!
We hope to see you there!

Calendaring 2021 at the Panorama City Branch Library
2021-01-12 16:00 - 17:30 | Panorama City Branch Library, 14345 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA, 91402, United States
Learn to create a calendar for 2021, and highlight important and meaningful dates and events!
With Panorama City Branch Library Artist in Residence Debra Disman, and supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles! materials packets available!

Calendaring 2021: West Valley Regional Branch Library
2021-01-07 16:00 - 17:30 | West Valley Regional Branch Library, 19036 Vanowen Street,, Reseda, CA, 91335, United States
Learn to create a calendar for 2021, and highlight important and meaningful dates and events!
Led by West Valley Regional Branch Library Artist in Residence Debra Disman, and supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles! Materials packets available for pick-up!

Small Works Big Talent at Las Laguna Gallery
2021-01-07 00:00 - 2021-01-30 00:00 | Las Laguna Art Gallery, 577 South Coast Highway, Suite A1, Laguna Beach, 92651
I am thrilled to participate in:
Small Works Big Talent

January 7 – 30, 2021
Showing “Narrow Bridge“
​“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

For this selection of work, Las Laguna Art Gallery received hundreds of submission from artists across the globe. The theme for this exhibition was open, and the only limitation for this exhibition was that sizes of the art was limited to 18 Inches on any side. Smaller works provides art lovers a great opportunity to begin collecting art.

Exhibitionista: IDENTITY at Art Fluent
2020-12-30 12:00 - 2021-08-01 12:00 | Art Fluent
“IDENTITY is a display of aspects that usually remain hidden—a bittersweet and raw take on what churns inside us. We all have a certain idea of who we are through our identity, but to get there, we need to probe beneath the surface. To get a sense of ourselves, we need to explore who we are, how we are viewed by the world, and the characteristics that define us. This exhibit explores our beliefs, qualities, expressions, and personalities that collectively form our identity.”
I am honored to participate in this exhibition, showing “White Zip“.

Make An Envelope Book for the Holidays at the West Valley Regional Branch Library!
2020-12-02 16:00 - 17:30 | West Valley Regional Branch Library, 19036 Vanowen Street,, Reseda, CA, 91335, United States
Join us online as West Valley Regional Branch Library, in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, presents Artist in Residence, Debra Disman teaching you how to make a fun and versatile “Envelope Book”, that can be used as a gift or a card for the Holidays!

This is an online program. To request the program information, please send an email to wvally@lapl.org with AIR in the subject line. Space is limited and will be filled in order of request.

For ADA accommodations, call (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to the event.
Para ajustes razonables según la ley de ADA, llama al (213) 228-7430 al menos 72 horas antes del evento.

ENVELOPE BOOKMAKING WORKSHOP for the Holidays at the Panorama City Branch Library!
2020-11-30 15:30 - 17:00 | Panorama City Branch Library, 14345 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA, 91402, United States
Celebrate the Holidays!
Make an Envelope Book with Panama City Branch Library Artist in Residence Debra Disman!
Join us online on Monday November 30th at 3:30PM and learn to create your own special ENVELOPE BOOK you can use as a gift or a card this Holiday Season and send through the mail!
This is an online program. To sign-up and reserve your space, send an email to bgallego@lapl.org
Art materials packets will be available to the first 25 patrons who request them! To request yours call 818-894-4071.
This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Inaugural Exhibition: "Illuminate" at Springboard Arts Chicago!
2020-11-28 11:00 - 2021-01-17 17:00 | Springboard Arts Chicago, 1910 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL, IL, 60622, United States
I am thrilled to participate in:
“Illuminate”
Springboard Art Chicago’s Inaugural Art Exhibition!
It would be easy to believe the world is cloaked in darkness. But Springboard Arts Chicago invites you to join us as we illuminate the darkness through art. We believe the arts have the power to brighten our lives. Music, theatre, performance art, dance, and fine art light up our world. In our inaugural show, we are featuring 15 inspiring artists. We hope you’ll allow them/us to illuminate your indoor spaces this season.

LACMA Fall Art Camp: The Art of the Book
2020-11-23 10:00 - 2020-11-25 12:00 | Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents:
Fall Art Camp: The Art of the Book
Date/s: Monday-Wednesday, November 23, 24, and 25, 2020
Time: 10 am-12 pm PST
Hours: 2 hours
Location: Class will be conducted on Zoom
Class Description
Create your own books using fun folding and gluing techniques! Add your own writings, drawings, photographs and more! Sketchbook, journal, album, what will YOUR book become? Each class will teach techniques for creating fun and fantastic books, and unleash your imagination! With artist Debra Disman.
Teaching Artist: Debra Disman is a Los Angeles-based artist working primarily in the form of the book, both
as a solo practitioner and in the public sphere of community engagement. As a maker and teaching artist she
creates work and projects which push the boundaries of the book into new forms and materials and
encourages her students to do the same while learning bookmaking skills and techniques and having FUN!
To participate in this online event, you will need internet access; a computer or tablet; and these art-making materials. Questions? Email artclasses@lacma.org
Day 1
Accordion Fold Book with Pockets
We will look at Chris Burden’s URBAN LIGHTS sculpture!
Day 2
Folded Fan Book with Windows and Doors
We will look at Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls) fountain sculpture/stabile
Day 3
Flag Book with Found Writing
We will look at Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Shafted) elevator work

THE ART OF THE BOOK at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
2020-11-23 10:00 - 2020-11-25 12:00 | Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Kids Art Class: Fall Art Camp—The Art of the Book (Ages 9–12)
Create your own books using fun folding and gluing techniques! Add your own writings, drawings, photographs, and more! Sketchbook, journal, album—what will YOUR book become? Each class will teach techniques for creating fun and fantastic books, and unleash your imagination!
With artist Debra Disman.
Join on your computer or tablet wherever you have internet. A Zoom link will be sent prior to camp start. Materials are included in tuition.
Three Days: Monday–Wednesday, November 23–25

Mon, Nov 23, Tuesday Nov 24, Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
10 am–12 pm PT
Online
Art Camp is designed for children ages 9-12; children ages 8 and under will not be admitted.
NexGenLA Members $100; General Public $125
Pre-registration is required for all classes
Tuition includes materials.
Additional fee for shipping.
For additional art class information, please contact ArtClasses@lacma.org.
For ticketing support, contact boxoffice@lacma.org.
Please visit LACMA’s FAQ page for our refund policy.

Get Tickets
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Making Memory Albums for Dia de los Muertos at the West Valley Regional Library
2020-11-02 16:00 - 17:30 | West Valley Regional Branch Library, 19036 Vanowen Street,, Reseda, CA, 91335, United States

The Book As Art, vol. 8: Infinity - ARTIST TALK!
2020-10-28 16:00 | OR
The Book As Art, vol.8: Infinity- Artist Talks

by Georgia Center for the Book

Free
October 28, 2020
7:00PM EST
4:00PM PST

Join us for an artist talk every Wednesday in October with artists featured in the 2020 Book As Art, vol.8: Infinity Exhibition.

About this Event

Join us for an artist showcase, featuring 5 artists’ who have pieces in the 2020 The Book as Art v.8: Infinity exhibition: Debra Disman (“Maximum Security”; “Prairie”), Christian Feneck (“The Unmade Room”), Julie Fordham (“The Dream”), Nicole Polonsky (“32xF”), and Chris Revelle (“Living Monuments”). For more information about their work, visit the catalogue for the exhibition here: Book As Art, vol.8: Infinity Catalogue
Debra Disman is a Los Angeles-based artist working primarily in the form of the book, both as a solo practitioner and in the public sphere of community engagement. As a maker and teaching artist she creates work and projects which push the boundaries of the book into new forms and materials. Her work is shown in museums, galleries, universities and libraries across the US including The Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, CA, Craft Contemporary in LA, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. Disman was the featured artist for the Big Read in LA in 2016; is the recipient of a WORD: Artist Grant / Bruce Geller Memorial Prize in 2016 to create “The Sheltering Book”, a life-sized book structure; and was commissioned by LA’s Craft Contemporary Museum to create an interactive book for their 2017 exhibition, “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California.” She was a Studio Resident at the Camera Obscura Art Lab in 2018, and was awarded five Artist-in-Residence grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs since 2017 to work with the diverse Valley communities of LA.
Artist Christian Feneck combines his architectural training with painting, print, and installation art to create visual experiences of space using color. Feneck’s paintings explore the relationship of vision and the understanding of space by using architectural perspective conventions in combination with a layered series of translucent color fields.. Born in Massachusetts but raised primarily in Hawaii, California, and Florida, Feneck has resided in Fort Lauderdale since 2004. Feneck was a Visiting Professor of Architectural Design and Theory at Florida Atlantic University and participated in the FATVillage Artist Incubator Residency and the IS Projects Existent Books Residency programs. Feneck contributed to numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout South Florida as well as curated several installation art exhibitions.
Julie Fordham is a mixed media artist working in Atlanta, Ga. She attended Rhode Island School of Design where she studied Illustration. Julie’s work is a personal narrative. She uses plants, animals, and insects along with her figures to interpret the world and the people around her. She creates intuitively and enjoys experimenting with new materials. She loves tedium and contrast. The combination of rough texture with feminine details. Tons of miniscule stitches and lace. Bright colors with dark heavy feeling imagery. Words are added as a source of texture. Her work explores the symbolism tied to animals and plants and reframes them in a way that establishes her own visual vocabulary. She has shown around the city of Atlanta and Nashville, and participated in many shows at the Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford.
Nicole Polonsky is a visual artist whose practice encompasses limited-edition prints, bookworks and multiples; drawing and unique object-making; writing; film, installations and performance. She also devises and produces group projects and exhibitions, and collaborates with other artists to realize cross-disciplinary ventures. Nicole gained her bachelor’s degree at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and master’s in Print at the Royal College of Art, London UK. She has shown extensively throughout her career. Recent exhibitions include lapse:re:lapse, MOCA London WE UK; Lighting Up Time, Northern Print and Side Cinema, Newcastle UK; A Pollock’s Gallimaufry, and The Contemporary Print, Flatbed Press and Gallery, Texas USA. In 2019 Nicole received an Arts Council England Project Grant for Lighting Up Time; she was shortlisted for the 2018 Flourish Award for Excellence in Printmaking and the 2016 Neo:Printprize .Nicole’s artworks are held in private collections internationally and public collections at Museum of Modern Art and Lafayette College; Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art,and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others. Her work was featured in a number of publications including Creative Review, Art Monthly and Printmaking Today, as well as The Word is Art. Nicole lives and works in London, UK.
Chris Revelle is an interdisciplinary artist with a socially-engaged and research- based studio practice. Through the examination of history, language, and visual culture, Revelle’s work confronts the failures and abuses of social, political, and economic systems. The goal of his practice is to challenge public memory while inspiring discourse and empathy. Revelle has exhibited in the United States, Hong Kong, London, South Korea, and India. He was the recipient of the 2018 Idea Capital Grant and a finalist for the 2017 Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize. Revelle has created work for United Nations organizations, and was formerly the Chair of Fine Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design, Hong Kong, and a Faculty Instructor of Painting and Drawing at Arizona State University. He earned his Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) in Valencia, CA.

Chasing Ghosts V: Art that Pierces the Veil through remembrance, legacy, & beyond
2020-10-28 12:00 - 2020-11-25 17:00 | Verum Ultimum Gallery, 3014 NE Ainsworth, Portland, OR, 97211, United States
I am honored to be participating in:
Chasing Ghosts V: Art that Pierces the Veil through remembrance, legacy, & beyond
This show emphasizes the idea of revealing the unseen or the soul in a work of art. The term ghost may be interpreted in many ways, not necessarily meant to be a literal elucidation. This year’s interpretation might be loaded with the added turmoil of current social, health, environmental, and political climate. The exhibition asks artists: “Does your process manifest an identity within your work that somehow speaks to the past? Do you express your deepest fears or concerns through your work? Do current political, health, and environmental concerns follow you into the studio and shadow or define your work? What ghosts or parts of the past leave their mark on your work? Is a legacy revealed through your work or your process? Is memory a vital vehicle of expression for you? Do you inadvertently honor something from your past or concern for the future through your work? ”
Verum Ultimum never seeks to drive the work, the only hope to unveil unique visions.
Verum Ultimum Gallery has engaged audiences of artists and collectors since its founding in Northeast Portland in 2013.
The brainchild of artist Jennifer Gillia Cutshall, Verum Ultimum (meaning the ultimate truth) showcases work that demonstrates the deepest connection to the creative process.

Textile LA Textile Slam Presentation!
2020-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | OR
TEXTILE SLAM! OCTOBER 27
PLEASE JOIN US!
Tuesday, October 27th
7pm
online

Looking forward to seeing you Tuesday evening October 27, 2020 for Textile Slam!
from $10.00

Textile Slam! is an opportunity for friendly conversation and networking, featuring a rotating slate of presenters, each of whom will deliver an informal six-minute (or less!) slide show / improv / show-and-tell presentation.
We invite members, artists, designers, architects, educators, and all-around neat thinkers to talk about their work, ideas that interest them, or projects they are exploring or have completed or would like help with.
The Slam! as a casual, community, conversation-oriented event.

Featuring Lea Feinstein, Kathy Nida, and Debra Disman talking about current work, creating in a pandemic, thriving.
Tickets $10 members; $20 non-members. Thank you for your support!
INFO HERE

FALL HOLIDAY BOOKMAKING Through the Panorama City Branch Library
2020-10-27 15:30 - 17:00 | 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.
