Debra Disman

Artist

  •

Contemporary Art

Exhibitionista: The Center for Contemporary Art 2022 International

By

I am thrilled to participate in The Center For Contemporary Art‘s

2022 International Juried Exhibition

EXHIBITION DATES: January 14, 2022 – February 26, 2022
Exhibition Opening Reception: Friday, January 14, 2022,  6-8 p.m.

Attend the Zoom OPENING, January 14th, 2022, at 7PM EST, 3PM PST!

JUROR: Erin Jenoa Gilbert

EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Joan Appel, Claude Beller, Bill Brookover, Monica J. Brown, Lionel Carre, Arden Cone, Steven Daiber, Debra Disman, Tracy DiTolla, Marvin Eans, Steven Epstein, Tracy Finn, Sandy Furst, Anita Gladstone, Gregory Hennen, Valerie Huhn, Pat Kelly, Karen L. Kirshner, Jack Knight, Shawn Marshall, Monica Mendes, Edward Mills, Myra Nowlin, David Orban, Clare Parry, Sandi Pfeifer, Robert Reid, Lilly Saywitz, Alireza Vaziri Rahimi, Mark Vogel, Chrissy Wallace

ABOUT THE JUROR:
Erin Jenoa Gilbert is a New York based curator and art advisor, specializing in Modern and Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora. Exploring the relationship between art, power and politics, her curatorial practice examines the physical and psychological connection to land, the trauma of displacement and the Black female body as contested terrain. Gilbert’s intersectional critical analysis exposes the fault lines in the aesthetic regimes that dominate visual culture, specifically by presenting artists whose contributions to the canon have been overlooked, particularly women artists from the “Deep South” and the “Global South”. Most recently the Curator of African American Manuscripts at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, she has also held positions at The Art Institute of Chicago and The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Over the course of her career she has addressed audiences at The Studio Museum in Harlem, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Howard University, Fashion Institute of Technology and Swann Auction House. Figure and Force, a conversation she moderated between Barbara Chase Riboud and Ilyasah Shabbaz for Solange’s Saint Heron, exemplifies her commitment to expanding the audience for modern and contemporary art.

In July 2021, Gilbert curated A Force For Change, an exhibition presenting 26 contemporary women artists of African descent in New York benefiting UN Women. She is the co-curator of Mary Lovelace O’Neal: Whales Fucking which will open at MoAD in San Francisco, California in November 2022. Since 2015 she has curated several museum and gallery exhibitions in the US and UK including Zohra Opoku: Draped Histories/Beyond Visage, Sienna Shields: Invisible Woman and In The Eye of the Beholder.

Gilbert holds a BA in Political Science and a BA in African and African American Studies from the University of Michigan, and a MA in Contemporary Art from the University of Manchester.  She has published catalog essays on several prominent artists, including Deborah Roberts (Spelman University, 2018); Alma Thomas (Mnuchin Gallery, 2019); Chakaia Booker (ICA Miami, 2021) and Mary Lovelace O’Neal (MoAD, 2022).

Attend the Zoom OPENING, January 14th, 2022, at 7PM EST, 3PM PST!

 

Facing REFLECTION at the Korean Cultural Center

By

I am thrilled to be participating in:

REFLECTION at the The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles in partnership with Launch LA  co-juried by Sunook Park and Terrell Tilford

 A reflection may be an image mirrored back to the observer or serious thought and consideration. In the case of this exhibition, it’s both. Launch LA, in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center presents “Reflection”, an open call exhibition. 

Sunook Park is a professor in the CSULB School of Art and Brand Coach at SUNOOKPARK Branding. He is the independent curator and founder of ANDLAB: a motivational retreat center, alternative exhibition space, and education lab of art and design thinking.

Terrell Tilford is an accomplished actor as well as long time collector and curator of contemporary and modern art. He founded Band of Vices in the West Adams area of LA in 2015. The gallery serves as a platform for emerging, mid-career & established Contemporary artists.

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.

The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles (KCCLA) is the axis of Korean heritage in Los Angeles. KCCLA welcomes the general public to experience Korea’s rich traditions and history through specialized programs, sponsored events, and multiple learning resources. KCCLA will always aspire to promote cultural exchanges in southern California and continue to take initiative in globalizing the excellence of Korean culture.

For more information, contact:
James Panozzo, Executive Director LAUNCH LA
[email protected]
www.launchla.org

I am showing, “Maximum Security“, 15 x 18 x 10.25”, mixed media (book board, canvas, wood, hemp cord, watercolor paper, acrylic paint and ink)

Tour the Show!

Exhibitionista: “Reflection” at the Korean Cultural Center and Launch LA

By

REFLECTION

A LAUNCH LA  GROUP EXHIBITION

In partnership with The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles

Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles

AUGUST 6 – AUGUST 27, 2021

 A reflection may be an image mirrored back to the observer or serious thought and consideration. In the case of this exhibition, it’s both. “Reflection” brings together artists from across Southern California whose practices contemplate and reflect our times.  Through their work, they provide an authentic lens to view contemporary culture.

JURORS:

Sunook Park is a professor in the CSULB School of Art and Brand Coach at SUNOOKPARK Branding. He is the independent curator and founder of ANDLAB: a motivational retreat center, alternative exhibition space, and education lab of art and design thinking.

Terrell Tilford is an accomplished actor as well as long time collector and curator of contemporary and modern art. He founded Band of Vices in the West Adams area of LA in 2015. The gallery serves as a platform for emerging, mid-career & established Contemporary artists.

I am showing, “Maximum Security“, 15 x 18 x 10.25”, mixed media (book board, canvas, wood, hemp cord, watercolor paper, acrylic paint and ink)

“Torrent and Tangle” in “Turmoil and Transformation”

By

I was excited to participate in the “Turmoil and Transformation” show at the Hera Gallery and Educational Foundation, a non-profit, artist-run organization that  has continued to stimulate discussion and challenge perceptions for over 40 years. This creative space has allowed countless artists a place for transformation, exploration, and community with one another,  BRINGING CREATIVITY TO THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1974

“2020 was a year that was filled with worldwide turmoil. The Pandemic. Another reckoning with racism and police brutality. Climate Change, wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts.  The undermining and politicization of science. The widening political divide. An election with voting rights, healthcare, immigration, paid sick leave, income inequality, living wages, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, our environment and the future of democracy at stake.

This begs the question:
Is this turmoil leading to transformation? And what kind of transformation is it going to be?“


Read about the show here !

Hera Gallery/ Hera Educational Foundation presents work that addresses the current turmoil and visions of our future. What are the emotional, physical and spiritual effects of the turmoil and how might they manifest into the transformation? What does our world look like and what might it look like post-2020. Will transformation reflect the multiplicity of voices of America? How will our future be transformed by the current chaos?

The exhibition juror,  Francine Weiss is the Senior Curator at the Newport Art Museum in Rhode Island where she curates exhibitions of contemporary art, photography, and American art. Her recent exhibitions include “Andy Warhol: Big Shot,”  “The Shapes of Birds: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa,” and “Domestic Affairs” among others. Her past positions include Curator at the Photographic Resource Center (Boston, MA), Acting Assistant Curator in the Department of Photographs at the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC), Curatorial Fellow at the deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, and Curatorial Fellow of American art at Harvard University Art Museums (both in MA) among others. She has taught art history at Wellesley College, Simmons College, and Boston University (all in MA) and has taught and advised students in the MFA program at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College. Dr. Weiss has a Ph.D. in American studies, specializing in art and photography, from Boston University and a B.A. from Wellesley College in English. She has received fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC), Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Research Center (NM), Center for Creative Photography (AZ), The Huntington (CA), and Harry Ransom Center (TX). She has published widely on photography and American art.

See the virtual exhibition, and hear the artist talks here!

I was honored to show:
Torrent and Tangle: Keep Your House in Order, (aerial view) 2019, 10.5 x 25 x 18”, mixed media (book board, lace, ribbon, mulberry paper, hemp cord, watercolor paper)

2021 Los Angeles Open at TAG

By

TAG Gallery Proudly Presented
The 2021 Los Angeles Open, 
May 11 — June 5

This year, TAG celebrated local area artists with a dedicated showcase from May 11-June 5 in our Sky Gallery in the upstairs loft at TAG.
I was honored to be included.

Participating artists included:
Mariko Bird, Milan DelVecchio, L. Aviva Diamond, Debra Disman, David Emmett, Taz Essa, Pat Shafer Falkner, Tony Gangitano, Daniela Garcia, Kyoung Han, Andy Hann, Gina Herrera, Tom Lasley, Nancy Goodman Lawrence, Monica Marks, J.D. Mathes, Nelson Munares, Vojislav Radovanovic, Brian Reynolds, Emily Sunez, & Michael Usher.

Each artist had 48 inches of linear wall space to highlight their work. In a novel concept, artists collaborate with TAG’s in-house team of artist curators and staff to build each display.


Textile, fiber, zipper string


“Steppin'”, “Facing Darkness”, “White Zip” on wall, and “BedTime Story” (on pedestal).


“Ellipse” with the work of L. Aviva Diamond.

 

 

 

 

Exhibitionista: LIMINAL at Verum Ultimum Art Gallery

By

Verum Ultimum Gallery tasks artists to define “Liminal” for this first edition of this exhibition.

I am thrilled to be part of this first edition of the theme: LIMINAL, at Verum Ultimum Gallery through which artists are invited to explore the theme, LIMINAL in any interpretation. Pictured: my work  The Gates, (interior), 2019, 7.5 x 20 x 10.25”, mixed media/sculptural artists’ book.

Liminal is the space between. What significance does transition (or the “space between“) have in your work or your artistic voice? Does your work reflect the liminal aspects of our pandemic-impacted world and the adaptation to a post pandemic existence? Does your work represent and or challenge the threshold to a more equitable society? Or, perhaps it reflects a vehicle for expression through pure abstraction.

As with all Verum Ultimum’s calls for art, the curator never seeks to drive the work, the only hope is to unveil unique visions. All mediums and modes of expression have been welcomed from low brow, pop surrealism, realism, abstraction, and more. The term Liminal may be interpreted in many ways, and is not necessarily meant to be a literal elucidation.

Liminal is defined as
1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.
2. occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.

​One could argue that artists are conditioned to occupy the liminal state. And a successful studio is a space in flux, poised for adaptation (to projects, challenges, and materials). The focus of the artist is the creative process or the place between the 2 boundaries of “the beginning” and “the outcome or result.”

A gallery benefits from maintaining that liminal state, too (adaptation is a constant).

Verum Ultimum is celebrating it’s eighth year and this exhibition serves to herald the artists unique vision…especially during these challenging times!

View the Show!!!