As mentioned previously, I have been working on a cool oral history project, “Resurrected Histories: Voices from the Chicano Arts Collectives of Highland Park” from a California Council for the Humanities grant. Kathy Gallegos from Avenue 50 Studio included me in the grant and we all have been working very hard to move it along. We partnered with KCET’s Departures online interactive exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods to share resources. Video clips are available online for your enjoyment, education, and interest.

“Resurrected Histories” has an exciting update. After scheduling, filming, editing and fine-tuning, KCET’s Departures, has video clips, photos, and essays available online for viewing.

In an effort to share resources, KCET partnered with our grant group, Avenue 50, on our documentary project, “Resurrecting Histories.” As a part of this partnership, we have contributed to KCET’s “Departures” in their neighborhood profile of Highland Park. Our grant group helped to contribute to the “Departures” segment titled, “Painting the Walls,” which will find available online links to below:

PLAN DE AZTLAN

THE CHICANO MORATORIUM

CORAZON PRODUCTIONS

CENTRO DE ARTE PUBLICO

MECHICANO ART CENTER

CHISME ARTE

SHIFRA GOLDMAN

YO SOY CHICANA

RECLAIMING THE CITY

"Mil Marscaras" detail by Abel Alejandre 2010

Top 10 Now

Exhibition Closes: October 3, 2011
Hours: 11 am – 4 pm

Location: 1835 South Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90015
Corner of Main & Washington adjacent to Platform-LA at the L.A. Mart

Avant-L.A. Top 10 Now will feature L.A.’s 10 best indie artists, in a prime space located in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to Platform-LA at the L.A. Mart.

This event is FREE

Show exhibits Friday, September 30 – Monday, October 3, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. open daily

(424) 226-2485 or info@Avant-LA.com
Avant-L.A. Top 10 Now is sponsored by Purity Vodka

TOP TEN NOW ARTISTS: Abel Alejandre, Michael Arata, Mark Brandvik, Megan Geckler, Kristi Lippire, Vito LoRusso, Antonio Mendoza, Leigh Salgado, Veronica Soto, Tim Youd

Avant-L.A. produces fine art exhibitions that connect established and emerging contemporary artists to the public through a presentation of independent curatorial visions. Avant-L.A. was co-founded by Los Angeles art icon and curator Mat Gleason and creative entrepreneurs and gallerists Michael Napoliello and Maria Frisk.

For more information about Avant-L.A., please visit www.Avant-LA.com.

"FAMILIAR GROUND" by Abel Alejandre

Artist Reception: Sunday, February 14, 2010 4p-7p

Exhibition: February 11 to March 6, 2010

Familiar Ground is a body of work which journals a personal family history. It is a panoramic view of my manhood. It is delivered through old world traditions in a modern era. With fragments and layers of the men in my family, I illustrate the living contradictions, which surround me. The patriarchs of the family battle over what manhood means between them and those whose lives they seek to guide. The aggressive physical expressions amongst each other and women often collide and merge like two rivers in a rush to certainty. The sexual appetite we posses is always building up until its ravenous desire overpowers our intellect. The minimal communication we participate in often alienates us from those we love and care for. The sibling rivalry and competitive nature regularly ostracizes the more gentle souls amongst us and our restrained emotions anchor us to further self-isolation.

-Abel Alejandre

ABEL ALEJANDRE: Familiar Ground is a debut solo exhibition of new work by the Los Angeles artist. Chronicling his family history, Alejandre tackles personal issues that include masculinity, patrimony, sexuality, aggression and isolation. In “My Fathers,” a massive woodcut measuring four by eight feet, the artist has exquisitely rendered the image of two men. The older man’s weathered face reveals evidence of a hard life and his eyes fill with tears as he stares poignantly into space. Perhaps alluding to this man’s past behavior, Alejandre has organized the composition so that the viscous teeth of a confrontational dog line up perfectly with the old man’s mouth, creating a stark symbolism. The younger man is illuminated, gazing upward in contemplation, as if planning his future. The juxtaposition of these two men is uncomfortable but like all of Alejandre’s work, masterfully drawn and undeniably beautiful. The exhibition also includes intimately scaled and meticulously crafted graphite drawings on primed wood panels.

Project_210
2888 E. Walnut St #10
Pasadena, CA 91107-3703

MAP LINK HERE
323.225.2229
project210.org

Note: If you are unfamiliar with Pasadena let me tell you that there are tons of places to dine, eat or just grub. List of restaurants link here

Artists Reception: Sunday, December 6, 2009

4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Exhibition: 12.03.09 to 12.19.09

Includes the works of:
Cindy Rinne, Gina Stepaniuk, Sean Gall, Gianna Vargas, Anita Bunn, Stanton Hunter, Sandra Gallegos, Seth Pringle, Ruth Anne Tarletz, Sean Edward Finegan, James Griffith, Denise Seider, Erin Payne, Gwen Samuels, Abel Alejandre, Catherine Roman, Chuck Feesago, Quinton Bemiller, Phillip Griswold, Jaye Russell, Alison Aten, Roni Feldman, Adrian Culverson, Kireilyn Barber, Bridget Jesionowski, Allison Alford, Michelle Walker, Jennifer Mitchell, Sophia Tise, Seyed Dehbozorgi, Tony Maher, Julienne Hsu, Megan Madzoeff, John Chang, Poli Marichal, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Megann Zwierlein Bemiller, Monica Carmen Birakos, Chris Trueman, Leora Lutz, Ruth Trotter, Heather Arndt, Lucien Saxton, Sayon Syprasoeuth, Farzad Kohan, Heather Scholl, Francisco Alvarado, Cheryl Walker, Cielo Pessione, Ruth Cochran Strick, Karen Hansen, Dorothy Shepherd, Denise Johnson, Lillie Bemiller, Christopher Alday, Saralyn Lownstein, Billy Reynolds, Tess Logan, Kathryn Jaroneski, Teale Hatheway, Jason Dawes, Charlotte Apacible, Matthew Cramer, Roman Stollenwerk, Mike Schelly, Natasha Helton, Rebecca Quesada, Armando A Ruiz, Juan Thorp, Anahid Boghosian, Myron Kaufman, Valerie Wilcox, Fumiko Amano, Michelle Dakan, Eileen Rapke, D Jean Hester, Karen Mussette, Tal Yizrael, Yoshie Sakai, Susan Sironi, Eduardo Rocha Soto, Ryan Even, Rebecca Trawick

Project_210
2888 east Walnut St. Studio 10
Pasadena, CA 91107
hours: Thr, Fri & Sat12p to 5p and by appointment
phone: 323.225.2229