FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Logan 510-451-6610 or Press@ArtWorksForChange.org
Global Art Show Inspires
New Perspective on Gender-Based Violence
"Off the Beaten Path" Comes to San Diego October 23
TIJUANA, MEXICO, January 8, 2010 — A new international exhibition of contemporary art brings together artists from around the world to explore the many dimensions of gender-based violence. In “Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women, and Art,” set to open January 22 at the Tijuana Cultural Center in the EL CUBO museum, 32 well-respected artists from 26 countries create new stories through their artwork addressing gender-based violence from a global perspective..
"Throughout the world, women and girls are victims of countless and senseless acts of violence," says Randy Jayne Rosenberg, executive director of the nonprofit group Art Works for Change and the show's curator. "The range of gender-based violence is devastating, occurring, quite literally, from womb to tomb. It occurs in every segment of society, regardless of class, ethnicity, culture, or whether the country is at peace of war. Often, the victim's only crime is that she is female."
The goal of the exhibition is to help create a new conversation on the full spectrum of issues that surround this important topic. Within the context of the exhibition, Art Works For Change explores various definitions of violence against women and girls as it relates to the themes of Violence and the Individual; Violence and the Family; Violence and the Community; Violence and Culture; and Violence and Politics. The hope is that the audience leaves the exhibition with a better understanding of the roots of abuse, a feeling of empathy, and an awareness of choice in their actions and beliefs.
These problems, though widespread, are often invisible, says Rosenberg. "When we encounter violence against women, we often overlook the facts and experience a sort of blindness. We choose not to see the devastation of domestic violence, calling it 'a family affair'. Honor killings of women in faraway regions of the world become nothing more than a 'cultural difference'. We find it hard to believe that sex trafficking and exploitation occur in our cities, close to home. The rape and torture of women during armed conflict is the inevitable 'messiness of war'. As such, the political and systemic sources of violence are often underestimated or overlooked."
To promote social change, Art Works For Change and its exhibitions serves as a catalyst within the community. Through its partnerships with museums, galleries, and advocacy and educational organizations, Art Works For Change provides a forum for which local education and outreach can take place within each host city the exhibition travels.
Organizational partners for "Off the Beaten Path" include Amnesty International; Art for Amnesty; Five Women who Care; Global Fund for Women; International Rescue Committee; the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); and The Voices and Faces Project.
Participating artists include Agency: Volontaire; Marina Abramovic; Jane Alexander; Laylah Ali; Louise Bourgeois; Lise Bjorne Linnert; Maria Campos-Pons; Patricia Evans; Luciana Fina; Maimuna Feroze-Nana; Global Crescendo Project; Mona Hatoum; Icelandic Love Corp; Yoko Inoue; Kim Myung Jin; Jung Jungyeob; Amal Kenawy; Hung Liu; Almagul Menlibayeva; Gabriela Morawetz; Wangechi Mutu; Miri Nishri; Yoko Ono; Lucy Orta; Cecilia Paredes; Susan Plum; Cima Rahmankhah; Jaune Quick-to-See Smith; Joyce J. Scott; Masami Teraoka; Hank Willis Thomas; Miwa Yanagi.
“Off the Beaten Path” will run through April 4, 2010, before touring to other cities including Paris; Hanoi; Bogotá; São Paulo; Mexico City; Chicago; Ottawa; Toronto; Accra; Cape Town; Johannesburg; and more. It opened in Oslo, Norway, in June, 2009 and traveled to San Diego, California, United States, in October, 2009.
For more information, visit www.ArtWorksForChange.org.
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ABOUT ART WORKS FOR CHANGE
Art Works for Change produces contemporary art exhibitions to address social and environmental issues. It uses the power of art as a vehicle to promote dialogue and awareness, and to inspire action and thought. Art Works for Change operates under the fiscal umbrella of the Tides Center, a tax-exempt organization.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Logan 510-451-6610 or Press@ArtWorksForChange.org
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY EXHIBITION
SHOWS THE ‘MILLIONS OF PIECES’ OF CONNECTION
BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
Online exhibition for United Nations produced by the nonprofit
Art Works for Change
OAKLAND, California, June 1, 2010 — A new online photography exhibition created for World Environment Day 2010 explores the critical connections between humans and biodiversity. The exhibition was produced for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by the nonprofit group Art Works for Change.
World Environment Day, celebrated every June 5th, is coordinated by UNEP. The host city for 2010 is Kigali, Rwanda.
UNEP invited Art Works for Change to curate an exhibition on the 2010 theme: “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” This theme focuses on “the central importance to humanity of the globe's wealth of species and ecosystems,” according to UNEP.
“Antonio is a talented artist who has a deep appreciation for and understanding of indigenous populations,” says Randy Jayne Rosenberg, executive director and chief curator for Art Works for Change. “He has recorded the images and stories of the Maori in New Zealand, shamen in South American, the Sami in Finland, and other people around the world, helping connect their stories to the larger puzzle of humanity.”
Among the stories Briceno tells in both words and pictures are those of John Bosco Ukurikiyeyezu, the head of a cooperative seeking to find alternatives to deforestation in order to save honey harvesting; Jeannete Uwineza, who gathers her family’s daily use of water at a public fountain amid growing water stress; and Alphonse Nsengiyumva, part of an effort to use wildlife tourism as a means of protecting forests and the creatures that reside there.
"This work is a homage to the peoples of Rwanda," says Briceno. "Despite of its dramatic history and the many problems it is facing, it bets for a green economy where nature’s respect and preservation will conduct to the best health and wealth of its population. We also bet for Her, as an example to the rest of the world."
"Millions of Pieces, Only One Puzzle" will launch on June 1 on the UNEP and Art Works for Change websites, and is also being featured by the U.S. business magazine Fast Company. In 2011, it will join with additional artworks to form the exhibition "Nature’s Toolbox," which will tour museums internationally for two to three years.
The exhibition was made possible with support from SC Johnson & Son and Contour Global. Both companies have a strong presence in the Rwandan and greater African community: SC Johnson & Son working with sustainable agriculture in the East Africa region to secure the botanical insecticide Pyrethrum, extracted from the chrysanthemum flower to create a natural pest control product; and Contour Global, developing and operating new applications of heating and electric power to high-growth and under-served markets throughout the globe—including Rwanda.
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ABOUT ART WORKS FOR CHANGE
Art Works for Change (www.artworksforchange.org), based in Oakland, California, produces contemporary art exhibitions to address social and environmental issues. It uses the transformative power of art as a vehicle to promote dialogue and awareness, inspire action and thought, and address systems for social change. It uses the storytelling power of art to raise awareness and foster learning opportunities among a diverse population.
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Contact: Andy Cushman 510-451-6610 or Andy@ArtWorksForChange.org
THE NATURE OF CITIES AT SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO 2010
4 - 31 JULY 2010 | UNITED NATIONS PAVILION
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, July 3, 2010 - Art Works For Change is proud to announce The Nature of Cities, a group video installation created for the United Nations Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. Guided by the Expo theme "Better City, Better Life" the exhibition presents 16 short videos from artists, animators and architects from around the world addressing the theme of urban biodiversity. The exhibition is presented through the generous support of the Adobe Foundation and will be the first created by Art Works for Change in Asia.
The exhibition illustrates the relationship between the urban and natural environments, proposing new ways forward that acknowledge the necessity of human habitats and the fragile state of our ecosystems. Created with design and previsualization by Zoetrope Aubry Productions, the exhibition is presented as a series of six looped videos played across six separate monitors divided in four parts: "The City as Metabolism", "Cities Liquid Assets: Water", "Why Cities Need Nature", and "Nature as Model and Mentor".
"We are extraordinarily excited to stage The Nature of Cities in a setting as visible as the Shanghai World Expo, where it is expected to be viewed by roughly one million visitors over the course of the month" explained Director and Chief Curator Randy Jayne Rosenberg. "China is a community that is critical to the advancement of this cause, and it is our sincere hope that these visitors leave with an understanding of how cities can exist in a way that supports both people and the planet."
ARTISTS ON VIEW
Allora & Calzadilla; Vincent Callebaut Architectures; Rob Carter; Catherine Chalmers; Ri Crawford; Anthony Discenza; Cao Fei; Lane Hall & Lisa Moline; Katja Loher; Kevin Nolting & Team; Sven Pahlsson; Kahn/Selesnick; Molly Schwartz; Marina Zurkow.
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
The Nature of Cities is made possible by the Adobe Foundation, Zoetrope Aubry Productions, GreenBiz.com, AER Culture, and the United Nations Environment Programme.
NATURE'S TOOLBOX: Biodiversity, Art & Invention
The Nature of Cities serves as a prelude to Nature's Toolbox: Biodiversity, Art and Invention, an internationally-touring museum exhibition that launches in 2011. This larger exhibition is formed from The Nature of Cities, additional artworks, and Millions of Pieces : Only One Puzzle, a recently commissioned series created in Rwanda by Venezuelan photographer Antonio Briceño. Millions of Pieces : Only One Puzzle may be viewed online at: http://www.artworksforchange.org/Rwanda.
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ABOUT ART WORKS FOR CHANGE
Art Works for Change produces traveling contemporary art exhibitions that address social and environmental issues. A nonprofit organization, Art Works for Change applies the transformative power of art to promote awareness, inspire action and provoke dialogue. The exhibitions serve as a crucible where artists, museums, advocacy and educational organizations, and the local community may join together.