“ECHOES: Women Inspired by Nature”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Pamela Grau Twena
OrangeCounty Centerfor Contemporary Art (OCCCA)
Telephone: 714.667.1517
Email: grau@prodigy.net

Website: http://occca.org/index.html

“ECHOES: Women Inspired by Nature”

FULL COLOR CATALOG
with essay written by Dr. Betty Ann Brown and designed by Dr. Paula DiMarco, Roadwork Design

Exhibition Dates: April 6, 2007 to May 20, 2007
Opening Receptions: April 7and May 5, 6–10 pm

“Echoes: Women Inspired by Nature” will be presented at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) from April 5 through May 20, 2007. Curated by art historian Betty Ann Brown and visual artist Linda Vallejo, the exhibition will highlight the work of 21 women artists who focus on the natural environment. In artwork that ranges from traditional easel painting, to the newer media of photography and installation, to the very Postmodern use of non-art materials such as Gummy Bear candies, these artists call out attention to the beauty and wonder of the natural world, and to humanity’s deep and abiding connection with it. They also address issues such as pollution, over-consumption of resources, scientific atrocities and animal abuse.

A full color catalog will be published in conjunction with the exhibition with essay written by art historian, critic, and curator Dr. Betty Ann Brown. Dr. Brown was trained in Latin American art history, receiving her B.A. from Southern Methodist University, her Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. After moving to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, her interest began to shift to Chicano art and, ultimately, to contemporary art. She has worked as a contributing editor for Arts, Artweek and the Los Angeles Reader, writes frequently for Artscene, and was founding editor of Visions, the Los Angeles art quarterly. In her writing and curating, Brown has focused on feminism, identity, and the use of art as a community building tool. She and Arlene Raven co-wrote Exposures, Women & Art, a volume with essays on fifty contemporary American women artists. Her edited anthology, Expanding Circles: Women, Art & Community, was published by Midmarch Arts Press. Her volume on Surrealism, Gradiva’s Mirror: Reflections on Women, Surrealism & Art History won the CSUN Scholarly Publications Award in 2003. Brown is a professor in the Department of Art at California State University, Northridge.

Dr. Paula DiMarco and her company Roadword Designwill design the “Echoes” catalog. Dr. DiMarco is a design educator, researcher, and graphic artist with an interest in social awareness in the design of visual culture. She is a professor in graphic design, at California State University, Northridge and has worked for over ten years in design education. Originally from the east coast, Paula worked independently as a graphic designer for Met Life, MTV, SPIN Magazine, and a variety of design studios in New York City. Roadwork Design and she has been involved in design solutions for several non-profit organizations. Her mission is to humanize graphic art and design through didactic and reflective imagery in a visual culture society.

“ECHOES” ARTISTS:
Kim ABELES
Judith F. BACA
Rabyn BLAKE
Yaya CHOU
Patsy COX
H. Barbara CUTLER
Cheryl Marie DULLABAUN
Cheryl ECKSTROM
Samantha FIELDS
Linda FROST
Cheri GAULKE
Suvan GEER
Pamela GRAU TWENA
Akiko JACKSON
Astrid PRESTON
Lezley SAAR
Susan SILTON
Holly TEMPO
Linda VALLEJO
Miriam WOSK
Takako YAMAGUCHI