"Making Political Art: Expression of a Movement"

"Making Political Art: Expression of a Movement" marks the debut of OAM's quarterly speaker's programs. Join OAM for a panel discussion with noted Oakland-based art critic, author, and curator Jeff Kelley, panel moderator; mixed media artist and activist Mark Harris; Sawyer Rose, sculpture, installation and social practice artist; and Leslie Dreyer, tactical art, media spectacles and unsanctioned installations creator. The event is Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 6pm-8pm, at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room in Oakland’s Uptown District, with a special coffee reception immediately following. Tickets in advance $15/per person; $20/per person at the door, subject to availability. Information/ticket purchase https://oaklandartmurmur.org/s....

Art in Oakland and the Greater Bay Area has long been a tool for activism — from political posters to social movements. In this first speaker event of Oakland Art Murmur’s new series, the panel will ask important questions about the confluence of art and politics, such as ‘How do deep divisions in our political scene affect the way we view art today?’ ‘Should we perceive political art differently; and if so, through what lens?’

Oakland resident Jeff Kelley, panel moderator, has been a practicing art critic since 1977, writing reviews and essays for such publications as Artforum, Art in America, and the Los Angeles Times. From 1993 – 2005 he taught Art Theory and Criticism at the University of California, Berkeley. Kelley was also the Consulting Curator of Contemporary Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from 1998 – 2008, where he developed the museum’s contemporary exhibitions and publications programs. During the past several years, he has written for Artforum about internationally known artist and activist Ai Weiwei, and has contributed essays on Liu Xiaodong to catalogs for the Mary Boone Gallery in New York and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. He recently completed a book-length essay on the paintings of Martin Mull, and for the past several years has conducted interviews with artist John Mason for an upcoming book on his work and career to be published by Scripps College.

Guest panelist and San Francisco resident Mark Harris is an award-winning artist, activist, and educator combining passions for art-making and activism, creating a unique visual vocabulary and engaging audiences on critical issues facing society today. Having established a strong, independent voice, Harris is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most controversial artists, with The Metro Silicon Valley News calling his work “brilliantly subversive.” Harris’ expanded practice includes mentoring at-risk youth through art education programs and teaching art at schools including Lycée Français de San Francisco and Yang Fan Academy. He has worked with the ArtSpan Youth Open Studios program as an Artist Mentor in San Francisco. In 2017 Harris received the Teacher 4 Social Justice award. Harris' evocative, elegant and dynamic creations have caught the eye of international and domestic art collectors alike.

Guest panelist Sawyer Rose is a sculpture, data visualization, and social practice artist. Throughout her career, Sawyer has used her artwork to shine a spotlight on contemporary social issues, such as The Carrying Stones Project which addresses women’s work inequity. Sawyer co-curated the 2019 exhibition titled F213 with the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art curatorial collective. The exhibition spotlights powerful artistic expressions of feminist protest, with 50 artists paired with 50 writers offering their responses to current injustices. She has been a resident artist at MASS MoCA, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco, Vermont Studio Center, Ragdale Foundation, and The Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland. She has been awarded merit grants from The Creative Capacity Fund, The Awesome Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, and ArtistGrant.org. Sawyer is President of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art.

Final guest panelist is artist, organizer, and educator Leslie Dreyer, who creates tactical art, media spectacles and unsanctioned installations. Her collaborative work reclaims public spaces with an integrated media strategy to push policy and public discourse towards an ethic of equity, justice, and accountability. She also works with the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition, and Coalition on Homelessness to help spotlight global real estate speculation, hyper-gentrification and the tech industry's impact on housing, inequality, and displacement. Dreyer lectures and organizes workshops/discussions focused on housing justice, techno-capitalism, surveillance and displacement, tactical performance, creative direct action, and media strategies rooted in on-the-ground movement work from within spaces, such as UC Berkeley, CCA, Stanford, SFAI, The Art Institute of California, UT Austin, and Other Cinema. She was the 2016 and 2018 UC Berkeley American Cultures Engaged Scholarship Artist in Residence.

ABOUT OAKLAND ART MURMUR

Since its inception in 2005, Oakland Art Murmur (OAM) has been a leader in promoting awareness, visibility, and understanding of the city's vibrant visual art communities. The organization, with its more than 50 affiliate venues throughout Oakland, strives to increase access to – and participation with – the many rich and diverse visual art experiences through events and education programming. OAM's aim is to aggregate information, and to be a leading resource and advocate for Oakland's visual arts to the public and broader arts community.

FOR INFORMATION:

Julia Lehman
Black Ink
julia.lehman@blackinkllc.com
415.845.9186

Moss Kardener
Vice President, Oakland Art Murmur Board of Directors
moss@oaklandartmurmur.org