Up until now it’s been all about the girls at the Project –Fine Art Zone (740 State St, Suite 1, on De La Guerra Plaza), a collaborative non-profit art gallery owned by nine female artists–ERIKA CARTER, SUSAN TIBBLES, LIZ BRADY, LISA PEDERSEN, VIRGINIA McCRACKEN, DONNA ASYCOUGH, ASHLEY DART, THERESA CARTER and LLOYD DALLETT–who operate the gallery themselves and donate 20 percent of all art sales to Girls Inc.
The gals will still have their art on exhibit in February, but starting this month they have invited some guys to show off their work—and match their commitment to donate to Girls Inc.—in the Zone gallery within the gallery.
Up first is Dan Levin, an assemblage artist who typically integrates man-made artifacts that have been discarded as no longer viable. Levin says that recently he has gravitated primarily towards materials extracted from beaches, streams, mountains and deserts.
Whether commenting on the mysteries of the natural world or simply producing an abstract that is aesthetically pleasing, Levin is driven to orchestrate relationships between objects that may never have been in close proximity – forming a singular composition or metaphorical device.
His exhibit at the Project, “My Mother’s Sun” is collection of what he calls “fibercations,” pieces that incorporate embroidery into the assemblage work, a new technique for Levin. “Since the ladies were gracious enough to let a male artist exhibit, I thought I’d try something different,” he says.
Levin will be the first of five “calendar boys” to exhibit at the Project, says Erika Carter. They have also selected Philip Koplin to exhibit in March, Rafael Perea de Cabada to exhibit in April, Dug Uyesaka to exhibit in May and Hugh Margerum to exhibit in June.
This week’s 1st Thursday reception is on February 2 from 5-8 p.m. TheProject –Fine Art Zone is also open Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For information call 805/895-7759 or visit www.theproject-fineartzone.com.
