The Feminine Canvas - 2011 October 1, 2011

Beacon Arts presents The Feminine Canvas - 2011, an exhibition featuring sculpture, painting, drawing, performance and writings that focus on gender and body issues by Bijoux Altamirano, Meg Cranston, Zackary Drucker, Sara Hunsucker, Amy Kaps, Laura Krifka, Laura London, Yolanda McKay and Fay Ray opening Saturday, October 1, 2011.
The Feminine Canvas - 2011, runs from Saturday, October 1, 2011 to Sunday, November 6, 2011. Exhibition special events include an opening reception on Saturday October 1, 6:00 - 9:00pm, a Costume Party celebrating Halloween with performance and video in and behind the gallery on October 29, 8:00 pm - midnight, and a closing reception on Sunday, November 6, 1:00 - 4:00pm, which will include sparkling wine and a talk with art critics (TBA) and the artists. Beacon Arts is located at 808 N. La Brea Ave., Inglewood, CA 90302. Regular gallery hours are from 1:00pm to 6:00pm Thursday through Saturday, Sundays 1:00pm - 4:00pm. All The Feminine Canvas – 2011 events are free. For additional information please call 310-419-4077 or visit http://www.beaconartsbuilding.com
For The Feminine Canvas - 2011, photos, please see http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/20737916@N05/
Statement - The Feminine Canvas – 2011 is a feminist exhibition that focuses on contemporary gender and body issues and questions the facade of gender identity. A costume party and performances will be held Halloween weekend, using the tradition of dress-up as an opportunity to assume whatever identity one chooses. Guests are encouraged to get into character and liberate themselves from pressure to conform to a social norm or specific gender identity.
Where MOCA’s 2007 exhibition WACK! focused on the international foundation and legacy of revolutionary feminist art, The Feminine Canvas – 2011 assumes a confident, contemporary approach because feminists’ efforts of the past have made it possible. From the groundbreaking “Feminine Mystique” that Betty Friedan wrote about in 1963, to the recent “Strange Stirring” observations of Stephanie Coontz, The Feminine Canvas – 2011 reflects both men and women’s contemporary struggles with constraints of gender identity. The work is at times shocking, beautiful, witty, humorous, and historical. The exhibit will be supported with texts by notable Los Angeles writers and conversations at the close.
Beacon Arts –
Housed within the iconic Beacon Arts Building, the venture offers innovative art programming to enrich the cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Its primary directive is to provide and maintain the integrity of an exhibition space for contemporary fine art by Southern California artists working in all media, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, and performance art. Works by both emerging and established artists are presented in an effort to provide a variety of ideas in different forms that both challenge and inspire. As a catalyst and advocate for new ideas, the endeavor enriches public understanding and appreciation of contemporary fine art by creating conversations through special events, lectures, symposia, and panel discussions with intellectual commentary on exhibitions. Exhibiting artists are encouraged to forge new relationships and learn from arts professionals through programming such as the gallery’s inaugural Critics-as-Curators series – consecutive shows conceived and curated by art writers and critics. This series ran for the first year of the space, from October 2010 to October 2011. The gallery plans to continue programming with self-curated exhibitions that are meaningful in and outside of the “art world” and relevant to the times in which we live.
Beacon Arts Building –
The 32,400-square-foot Beacon Arts Building is an iconic four-story, solid reinforced concrete structure located in the heart of the burgeoning Inglewood Arts District. Having stored inanimate items for close to sixty years, originally as the legendary Bekins Moving and Storage Company, this dramatic, 1951 edifice is now transforming into a springboard and “beacon” for artistic expression. In addition to ground floor gallery and retail spaces, the building offers a gorgeous New York warehouse-style environment for professional artists, with spaces in various sizes up to 8,000 square feet with 11’6” ceilings. It has a high rear loading facility, large freight elevator, WiFi availability, and sprinkler system throughout. Beacon Arts Building sits prominently on La Brea Avenue, located just 11 minutes south of the 10 Freeway (I-10). On-site parking is available or found on the adjacent streets. For further information about availabilities in the Beacon Arts Building, please contact Scott Lane at 310-576-3543 or scottlaneco@yahoo.com.