Debra Disman

Artist

Sculptural Books

EXPO 41 at B.J. Spokes Gallery

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I am thrilled to be included in:


a virtual exhibition of the b.j. spoke gallery

The show was juried by Sewon Kang, Archivist at The Easton/Bourgeois Archive, formerly Curatorial Assistant at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, who selected the work of 15 artists. I am honored to be included in this roster of stunning creative makers.

Artists and their selected works can be viewed below. Enjoy

David Acquistapace, Saint Louis, MO
Kat Alyst, Austin, TX
Neville Barbour, Silver Spring, MD
Matthew Barton, New Orleans, LA
Kimberlyn Bloise, Edinboro, PA
Stephen Delaney, Middleton, MA
Debra Disman, Los Angeles, CA		 Eriko Kobayashi, Carbondale, IL
Anthony Adonis Lewis, Ashland, OR
Kambel Smith, Philadelphia, PA
Karen Theisen, Santa Fe, NM
Amy Usdin, Mendota Heights, MN
Jae Yun Yi, Seoul Korea
Dier Zhang, Brooklyn, NY
Foad Seyed Mohammadi, Gainesville FL

I am showing:
Excavation of the Interior, 2021, 12 x 28 x 12.5″, mixed media (wood, canvas, muslin, mulberry paper, hemp cord, linen thread, watercolor paper)

and
Forest Through The Trees, 2021, 15 x 42 x 12″, mixed media (book board, acrylic paint, hemp cord, wood, canvas, typewriter tape, lace, watercolor paper)

ARTIST STATEMENT                                              
 I work in the form of the book, in forms evoked by the book, and in multidimensional media of my own devising. Both as a solo practitioner and in the public sphere of community engagement I push the body and boundaries of the book into new media, materials and meanings to invite altered ways of viewing the world and how we inhabit it. Although much of the work continues to relate to loose definitions of the book as structure, it is moving into other sculptural and conceptual realms where devotion to material labor and a passion for the haptic become powerful motivators and themes. I am fascinated by the parallels between books and buildings in terms of architecture, meaning and utility. Each constructs public and private spaces where stories are “read” on many levels, often revealing more than their makers ever intended. My work seeks to offer places of contemplation, solace and bafflement, while instigating exploration, investigation and examination of what we think we know, and are.

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Sharing the words of Juri Koll

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I am honored to share the words of the artist, curator, filmmaker and fonder/director of Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, Juri Koll:

Thank you Juri, for your time, your care, and your comprehension of my work.

It means a great deal.

Musings…THE BOOK AS ART v. 9: MUSE

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Artist books take many forms – from handmade and lusciously tactile to linear and informative, abstract and questioning to sculptural and monumental.

The Decatur Arts Alliance presents the ninth edition of the juried exhibition of artists’ books, The Book as Art v.9: Muse, August 13–October 3, 2021.
This show celebrates the book with a wildly varied collection of inventive and spectacular work that challenges expectations. The exhibition will be installed once again at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library.

This year, the exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Dorothy “Dot” Davis Moye (1941-2021).

Brought to you by Decatur Arts Alliance, Georgia Center for the Book, the DeKalb Co. Public Library, DeKalb Library Foundation and Keep it Indie-catur.

I am thrilled to be showing, “WINDOW TREATMENT”;


13 x 38 x 9.25″, mixed media

To see a video of this work, please see VIDEO below!


Watch Video HERE

To see and hear three artists including myself discuss their works in the show, please go  HERE or click the link below.

 

Experience the talk HERE

Please see the online version of the Show, Opening Night Tour, and all other information HERE!

If you can experience the show in person:

Gallery Hours
Aug. 13-Oct.3
The Periodicals Gallery of the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur, Ga. 

The gallery will be open for limited, in-person viewing hours. Registration required.

Book An Appointment

Decatur Library
215 Sycamore Street
Decatur, GA 30030 United States + Google Map
Phone:404.370.3070Website:https://dekalblibrary.org/branches/deca

“The Fine Art of Denim”

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I has thrilled to be included in

at Monmouth University Center for the Arts Pollak Gallery
June 17 – October 14 , 2021

I am showing two Artists’ Books of which denim is a primary material:


Reading Color I   (outside) 8.75 x 13.25 x 6.25″, mixed media/artists’ book 


Reading Color VI   (outside)7.5 x 17 x 8″, mixed media/artists’ book

These works utilize denim, which is altered through painting, cutting and gluing to form coverings and pages for the books.   

Denim, with all its symbols and dualities, is a common item of clothing that unites many around the globe. Dad Jeans, skinny jeans, low riders, bell bottoms, boot leg, wide leg, no leg, 501s, 504s, button fly, stretch jeans, the American dress code writ large across centuries. With so many styles available and ways to accessorize/manipulate the fabric, denim has historically allowed for a freedom of expression representing both individuality and shifts in cultural movements. Denim comes in a wide range of blues and other colors, washes, fades and textures making it a perfect, but not obvious, medium to create fine artwork. Join us now, for a re-imagining of the meaning of denim. Denim that was discarded can open up a new way of looking, a startling way of seeing past the everyday. What we have abandoned, will be presented again, re-purposed from the lives we lived, to moments we experience together “forever in blue jeans.”

Monmouth University’s Center for the Art is exhibiting the work of artists  who use recycled denim in new and creative ways in paintings, sculpture, collages, small constructions and wall hangings, etc. from June 17 – October 14 , 2021 in the Pollak Gallery. Works shown use denim as the principal medium of the piece and the fabric are reconstructed from its original form in some way. 

See The Show Here!

Extended to October 14th!

Pollak Gallery, Monmouth University Center for the Arts400 Cedar Ave, 
West Long Branch, NJ 07764 United States + Google Map
Phone:732.263.5715Website:https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/pollak-gallery/

The Fine Art of Denim

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I am excited to be included in the wild and wonderful show, The Fine Art of Denim, Pollak Gallery, Monmouth University Center for the Arts, W. Long Branch, NJ, Juror: Vincent DiMattio  2021

at Monmouth University Center for the Arts Pollak Gallery
running from June 17 to August 14 , 2021.

It is a fascinating show, showing the emotive, expressive and visceral qualities of denim as a material, and its rich potential and capacity to communicate a range of human experiences, ideas, passions and concepts.

I am honored to be showing two works from my “Reading Color” series which are artists’ books featuring denim as the primary material:

Reading Color Reading Color I, 8.75 x 13.25 x 6.25″, mixed media/artists’ book (denim, acrylic paint, board, hemp cord)

Reading Color VI, 7.5 x 17 x 8″, mixed media/artists’ book  (denim, acrylic paint, metal, hemp cord, board, paper)

“Denim, with all its symbols and dualities, is a common item of clothing that unites many around the globe. Dad Jeans, skinny jeans, low riders, bell bottoms, boot leg, wide leg, no leg, 501s, 504s, button fly, stretch jeans, the American dress code writ large across centuries. With so many styles available and ways to accessorize/manipulate the fabric, denim has historically allowed for a freedom of expression representing both individuality and shifts in cultural movements. Denim comes in a wide range of blues and other colors, washes, fades and textures making it a perfect, but not obvious, medium to create fine artwork. Join us now, for a re-imagining of the meaning of denim. Denim that was discarded can open up a new way of looking, a startling way of seeing past the everyday. What we have abandoned, will be presented again, re-purposed from the lives we lived, to moments we experience together “forever in blue jeans.”

Monmouth University’s Center for the Art is exhibiting the work of artists  who use recycled denim in new and creative ways in paintings, sculpture, collages, small constructions and wall hangings, etc. from June 17 – August 14 , 2021 in the Pollak Gallery. Works shown use denim as the principal medium of the piece and the fabric are reconstructed from its original form in some way. “

See The Show Here!

Art Less Traveled

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“NARROW BRIDGE”, 5.5 x 16 x 3.5″, mixed media Artists’ Book / Flag Book Structure (board, paper, linen thread, tissue, collage, window treatment material)

I am thrilled to be participating in the exhibition:

Backroads: Art, Less-Traveled

(through July 30th, 2021)
at:
Vestige Concept Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA,
Curator: Alexander Sands  2021

This exhibit showcases works of art that venture off the beaten path, especially with regard to travel.   Artwork includes places or experiences involving hidden gems, special or unusual places, wanderings, odd travel, strange encounters, and/or “lost” and fading places.

Featuring work from: Paul Roden, Heather Wendelboe, Julia Scheckel, Bengu Cetinkale, Kent Klaudt, Hannah Ayers, Edward Rossel, Walt Padgett, Majorie and Bob Moskowitz, Mark Dierker, Debra Disman, Kate Snow, Jeffrey Neumann, Paige Kleinfelder, and more!

5417 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
contact@vestigegallery.com
Tel: ‪(412) 532-8969‬

View the show!