Debra Disman

Artist

  •

Los Angeles

EXHIBITIONISTA: “NOMAD IV” at the Torrance Art Museum!

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TAM’s innovative contemporary art pop-up returns for its third year 

JULY 11-13, 2025

NOMAD IV is a non-commercial exhibition that showcases the diverse and dynamic talents of Southern California artists, helmed by TAM executive Director, the indefatigable, MAX PRESNEILL,  Los Angeles based artist and curator.
​Max Presneill  is the Director/Head Curator for the Torrance Art Museum.  He founded and is the Director of TRYST (2023-current), an international art fair for alternative galleries and artist-led initiatives. He is also part of the BLAM curatorial team, an international art festival showcasing artist-run initiatives from Berlin, Los Angeles and Mexico. He is Founder and a current member of Durden and Ray, an artist-run curatorial collaborative gallery in Los Angeles. He has extensive experience internationally as a curator having organized exhibitions for museums, institutes and galleries in the US and UK, the Netherlands, Japan, France, Mexico, China, Turkey, Australia, Germany, Austria, Norway and many more. His curatorial interests are with artist led projects, emerging art, new models for curatorial methodologies and an international scope for partnerships and exchanges.

Featuring sculpture, painting installation and more from 175+ artists from Southern California and beyond. NOMAD IV will be presented alongside the third edition of TRYST, TAM’s international alternative art fair for artist-run spaces and galleries.

NOMAD IV is a giant artistic get together. It is aimed at letting artists show what they have been making recently to each other as well as to the wider public. It is an opportunity to meet peers, make connections, and arrange for future opportunities. It is a non-commercial exhibition that showcases the diverse and dynamic talents of LA artists.

This year’s exhibition will once again take place at Del Amo Crossing in the heart of the South Bay region of Los Angeles located at 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503. The space itself features open plan concrete floors where we will present 150+ artists alongside the third edition of TRYST, an art fair for alternative galleries and artist run initiatives.

ADMISSION is FREE

Friday, July 11: VIP Opening – 4-6pm
Networking for participating artists 12:00-4:00pm

Saturday, July 12: Open 12-6pm

Sunday, July 13: Open 12-6pm
Panel discussions

 

 

 

BRAND 53 Celebrates PAPER in its many forms

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I am thrilled to have my artists’ book, “THIN ICE” made in collaboration with artist Luciana Abait, shown in Brand 53: Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper

Opening Date: July 19, 2025
Closing Date: September 12, 2025

The Associates of Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California hosts its 53rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper this summer. All works in the show are on view in the beautiful Brand Library’s Gallery and in both printed and online exhibition catalogs. 

This year’s juror, Sigrid Burton, considers color and drawing as the foundation of her artistic practice and is noted for her works in oil on canvas or linen and mixed media on paper. She explores the natural world both literally and figuratively, with the intention of making light and depth tangible and visible on a two-dimensional picture plane. Burton captures the phenomenological occurrence of reflection and refraction of light, in particular, water, sky and deep space. Her studies of the art of the Indian subcontinent and its ancient and sophisticated aesthetic theory have influenced her thinking that the importance of a work of art is the response that the work evokes from the viewer. Within this context, color is understood to have great expressive and communicative power.

The Brand Associates is offering a printed exhibition catalog for purchase at Brand Library & Art Center.
A digital version of the catalog is also available to download for free.

View the Online CATALOG HERE!
Please see a video of show HERE with a talk by Juror Sigrid Burton

NOMADIC Encounters: “The Center Will Not Hold” 2025

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I participated in the 2025 Torrance Art Museum’s (TAM) innovative contemporary art pop-up NOMAD IV which was held at Del Amo Crossing, 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503, JULY 11-13, 2025

So Much FUN!

NOMAD IV is a non-commercial exhibition that showcased the diverse and dynamic talents of 175+ Southern California artists featuring sculpture, painting installation and more.

The event itself is a giant artistic get together, aimed at letting artists show what they have been making recently to each other as well as to the wider public. It  presented an opportunity to meet peers, make connections, and arrange for future opportunities. It is a non-commercial exhibition that showcases the diverse and dynamic talents of LA artists.

NOMAD IV was presented alongside the third edition of TRYST, TAM’s international alternative art fair for artist-run spaces and galleries.

I presented a further iteration of my 2023 performance piece,
“The Center Will Not Hold“, this time reimagining the central tarp-based component as a sort of tent, with legs and feet sticking out, a la the classic Judy Garland Wizard of Oz film, which evocation was remarked upon.


Prep at studio. Embroidered Indian shoes long ago gift from sister travels.  Who knew?


All tied up


Packed into zebra beach bag, useful gift from other sister. Who knew?


Expandable/contractable. Basic piece created from a tree landscaping tarp. Flexible material.


Set up near window on second floor of Del Amo Crossing in Torrance. Light streaks across the floor…



Shifting the legs and feet around.


The braids increase the footprint of the work.


Play in texture


Young collaborators rearranged the legs and feet, and then added their own!


The inimicable and always impeccable Louis Jacinto and Kene Rosa, gracing our scene.


Lots of wonderful visitors. Wonder what “Tapestry LA” is?


Virginia Arce, from the Irvine Fine Arts Center, and her partner visited!


What an experience!  Thanks to Max Presneill and the whole team at the Torrence Art Museum and City of Torrance for making the effort to create this magically expansive opportunity for SoCal artists!

Candid Conversation with Kristine Schomaker!

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“A Candid Conversation with artist Debra Disman: Art, Community, and the Beautiful Chaos of Creative Life“

 

I was honored to be:
Conversation with Kristine Shomaker
Founder and Director of Shoebox Arts

Please enjoy our conversation!

Candid Conversation with Kristine Schomaker: “Art, Community, and the Beautiful Chaos of Creative Life””

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“A Candid Conversation with artist Debra Disman: Art, Community, and the Beautiful Chaos of Creative Life“
Conversation with Kristine Shomaker
Founder and Director of Shoebox Arts

It was wonderful to talk with Kristine, and I thank her for this opportunity to share!

“I’m excited to share this heartfelt conversation with the incredible Debra Disman, an artist whose generosity and support of the LA art community never ceases to amaze me. What started as our usual Instagram dialogues evolved into this deeper YouTube discussion about the realities of being working artists in Los Angeles.

In this conversation, we dive into topics that I know so many of us struggle with but rarely discuss openly: the overwhelming guilt that comes with LA’s abundance of art events, the paralysis of wanting to support everyone while managing our own creative needs, and the constant juggling act between community engagement and studio time.

Debra shares her thoughtful daily practice – from morning walks and I Ching readings to the “wonky” reality of studio life at 18th Street Arts Complex. We explore how authenticity means accepting our imperfections (yes, I’m talking about being a messy painter!), the geographic challenges of our sprawling city, and how some of our best ideas come when we least expect them.

This isn’t a polished conversation about artistic success – it’s an honest look at the beautiful messiness of creative life. We talk about anxiety, health challenges, the pressure to attend everything, and the importance of forgiving ourselves for being human. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by opportunities or guilty about not doing “enough,” this conversation is for you.

Whether you’re part of LA’s art scene or creating anywhere else, I hope you’ll find something that resonates. As Debra wisely notes, we all need practices that help us reset and come back to ourselves throughout the day.

Thank you, Debra, for always being such a supportive voice in our community and for being so open about the real challenges we face as artists. Your wisdom and authenticity shine through every word.

Watch the full conversation below, and let me know in the comments what resonated most with you.”

—Kristine Shomaker, Founder and Director of Shoebox Arts

“A Candid Conversation with artist Debra Disman: Art, Community, and the Beautiful Chaos of Creative Life“

NOMAD IV Presented By The Torrance Art Museum

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NOMAD IV is a non-commercial exhibition that showcases the diverse and dynamic talents of Southern California artists.
Organized by the Torrance Art Museum
Happening: JULY 11-13, 2025


A giant artistic get together, NOMAD is aimed at letting artists show what they have been making recently to each other as well as to the wider public. It is an opportunity to meet peers, make connections, and arrange for future opportunities. It is a non-commercial exhibition that showcases the diverse and dynamic talents of LA artists.

This year’s exhibition will once again take place at Del Amo Crossing in the heart of the South Bay region of Los Angeles located at 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503. The space itself features open plan concrete floors where  150+ artists will be presented alongside the third edition of TRYST, an art fair for alternative galleries and artist run initiatives.