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di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art Debuts Two Exhibitions in 2019:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
danielle@frameworksf.com
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di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art Debuts Two Exhibitions in 2019:
Viola Frey: Center Stage
February 23–December 29, 2019
Building a Different Model: Selections from the di Rosa Collection
March 9–December 29, 2019
Napa, CA, January 31, 2019 – di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art will showcase the work of Viola Frey and its own significant collection of Northern California art in two exhibitions in 2019. On view February 23 through December 29, 2019, Viola Frey: Center Stage marks the artist’s first major institutional survey on the West Coast since 1981 and includes more than 100 works of art, offering a fresh take on Frey’s prolific and influential practice. On view March 9 through December 29, 2019, Building a Different Model: Selections from the di Rosa Collection is the first in a series of exhibitions exploring di Rosa’s remarkable holdings of Northern California art, organized by guest curators from beyond the Bay Area.
Frey, a fiercely independent artist up to her passing in 2004, is best known for her larger-than-life figurative ceramic sculptures. Viola Frey: Center Stage traces her career through a chronological progression spanning five decades. A large portion of the featured work—which includes not just ceramics, but also painting, drawing, photography, and bronze—has never been shown publicly.
Monumental ceramic works, including The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization (1992) and China Goddess Group (ca. 1979–81) will be shown alongside early works from the 1960s and 1970s, presenting an unprecedented look at the artist’s thinking and process. The large-scale presentation will occupy di Rosa’s 8,500-square-foot Gallery 2, marking the first time the gallery has been devoted to the work of a single artist. The exhibition draws from a mix of di Rosa’s extensive holdings, generous loans from Artists’ Legacy Foundation, and private collections.
“Frey’s wide-ranging interests—from identity to class, culture, consumerism, and environmental issues, with an undeniable undercurrent of feminist statement—parallel many of the pressing issues of our day,” observes curator Amy Owen. “This presentation is a long-overdue look at an artist working far ahead of her time.”
This is the first of three major solo exhibitions at di Rosa, rolling out over 2019 and 2020, focusing on singular artistic voices in Northern California art history. Exhibitions in 2020 will feature the work of Jean Conner and Deborah Remington. The series shines a light on the artists’ years living and working in the Bay Area, highlighting their shared impulse to draw inspiration from the personal, cultural, and environmental realms, and how critical aspects of the region enabled their work to develop and flourish. While their practices may not be viewed as overtly feminist, their distinct approaches to art making and their strong, independent spirits demonstrate an approach to feminism rooted in lived experience and unshakeable determination.
Viola Frey was born in Lodi, California, in 1933, and died in Oakland in 2004. She received her BFA and an honorary doctorate from California College of Arts and Crafts and attended graduate school at Tulane University. She was awarded two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, the Award of Honor in Sculpture from the San Francisco Arts Commission, and many other grants and awards. Her work is in numerous public and private collections worldwide.
This exhibition is curated by Amy Owen in conjunction with the Artists’ Legacy Foundation, Oakland.
Building a Different Model: Selections from the di Rosa Collection is the first in a series of exhibitions exploring di Rosa’s remarkable holdings of Northern California art, organized by guest curators from beyond the Bay Area.
“One of the great strengths of postwar Northern California painting and sculpture is the collective reimagining of what art and the world can be,” says di Rosa Executive Director Robert Sain. “The di Rosa collection offers a vision apart from most art histories, one led by individual sensibilities focused on building languages of communication and community.”
Curated by Dan Nadel, some 70 works by 40 artists in Building a Different Model address the world through generative visions of transformation and repair through social, physical, and ceremonial relationships. Carlos Villa and K. Lee Manuel made garments-as-art or ceremonial garb; Norman Stiegelmeyer and Robert Bechtle offer visions of psychic shifts; paintings by William Theophilus Brown, Irene Pijoan, Oliver Lee Jackson, and Joan Brown catch their subjects on the cusp of social change. Exhibited here for the first time are 12 collaborative drawings by William Allan and friends William T. Wiley, Robert Hudson, Robert Nelson, and Bill Geis, which were made for Dorothy Wiley and Gunvor Nelson’s 70-minute film Five Artists: BillBobBillBillBob (1971) about those artists and their families. These and a handful of related drawings memorialize the ethos documented in the film and remain a powerful example of the collaborative, community-based art and life that found fertile ground at di Rosa itself.
“I selected works that surprised me and might surprise a visitor based on our knowledge of the art and artists,” said Nadel. He wanted to show extra dimensions of each artist, when possible, and bring to the fore artists who are known in the Bay Area but not much outside of it, like Oliver Lee Jackson and Carlos Villa. “It was important to me that this not be another show of ‘the usual gang’ or ‘funk art,’” he says.
Nadel focuses on the idea of “repair,” guided by two works by Bill Allan and William T. Wiley that appeared in the 1969 Repair Show at Berkeley Gallery: Indian History Repair (1969) and Repair for Super Natural Events and Natural Events (1969). The theme, repairing ourselves and our communities, is emphasized through collaboration (thus the 12 collaborative drawings), ritual (Carlos Villa), spiritual awareness (Stiegelmeyer, Bechtle, Pijoan, H.C. Westermann, Gage Taylor, James Melchert) and art made for the sake of demonstrating new ways to think about life and the land around us (Allan’s Rome painting, Paul Kos’s drawings). Nadel hopes visitors will come away with a sense that art can be transformative, and that these artists were working with the intent to demonstrate its potential for personal and communal revelation.
Based in New York, writer and curator Dan Nadel has previously curated the exhibitions What Nerve! Alternative Figures in American Art: 1960 to the Present, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence (2014) and Matthew Marks Gallery, New York (2015), Victor Moscoso: Psychedelic Drawings, 1967–1982, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York (2015), Return of the Repressed: Destroy All Monsters 1973–1977, PRISM, Los Angeles (2011); Karl Wirsum: Drawings 1967–1970, Derek Eller Gallery, New York (2010), Suellen Rocca: Bare Shouldered Beauty, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York (2016); The House That Jack Built, the first major Jack Kirby retrospective, Fumetto, Lucerne, Switzerland (2010), Macronauts, Athens Biennale (2007), The Passing of Time: Michael Hurson at Work, 1971–2001, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York (2017); Gertrude Abercrombie, Karma, New York (2018), Red Grooms, Handiwork 1955–2018, Marlborough Contemporary, New York (2018); and Alan Turner: Paintings 1979–2009, Parker Gallery, Los Angeles (2018). Nadel is a frequent contributor to Artforum and the New York Review of Books and has authored the books The Collected Hairy Who Publications (Matthew Marks Gallery, 2015), Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900–1969 (Harry N. Abrams, 2006), and Dorothy and Otis: Designing the American Dream (Harper Design, 2014).
Viola Frey: Center Stage is on view February 23 through December 29, 2019. Building a Different Model: Selections from the di Rosa Collection is on view March 9 through December 29, 2019. A public reception for both exhibitions takes place Saturday, March 9, 2019, 4–5:30 p.m.
For details about upcoming public programs related to the exhibitions, visit www.dirosaart.org.
ABOUT DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art presents contemporary exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and maintains a permanent collection of notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. A wide range of styles, media, and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterizes this region of California. di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park, and a 35-acre lake, located on 217 scenic acres in Napa Valley’s famed Carneros region that are protected in perpetuity under the Napa County Land Trust. di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art is located at 5200 Sonoma Highway, Napa. The galleries are open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. For more information, visit dirosaart.org.
CONTACT
For images, interview requests, and curatorial media tours, contact
info@frameworksf.com
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Napa Valley College Theater Performing Arts Presents A Muse of Fire: A Performative Response
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Holly Krassner Dawson
(707) 738-9238
holly@hollykdawson.com
Napa Valley College Theater Performing Arts Presents
A Muse of Fire: A Performative Response at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
Saturday, December 1, 12:30-2:30 pm
NAPA, CA, November 23, 2018 – Students and faculty from Napa Valley College Performing Arts will share original performances that seek to make sense of what it means to live in today’s world on Saturday, December 1, from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.
Performed in repertory, these pieces live in dialogue with di Rosa’s current exhibition, Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times Part 2. The performances were developed under the guidance of Jennifer King, Napa Valley College Performing Arts coordinator and artistic director, and as part of a workshop with Shakespearean actor and author Ben Crystal. Crystal led an ensemble of Napa Valley College students, former students and faculty on an exploration of Shakespeare’s sonnets (44, 118, 60, 40 and 81) with themes of immigration, societal health and solidarity. From the workshop, original work was created and will be performed alongside the works of Be not Still: Living in Uncertain Times Part 2.
On view through December 30, 2018, Be Not Still is the second installment of the two-part exhibition, and blends works from the permanent collection with new projects by a fresh roster of Bay Area artists—Victor Cartagena, Ranu Mukherjee, Lava Thomas, and Lexa Walsh—each exploring a topic of their choice in response to the present sociopolitical climate. Organized by Curator Amy Owen and Assistant Curator Kara Q. Smith, with Andrea Saenz Williams, director of education and civic engagement, Be Not Still is an institution-wide initiative to support the production of new work while bringing new dynamism to di Rosa’s comprehensive collection of Northern California art. Major support for Part 2 is provided by Wanda Kownacki and Nion McEvoy. Additional support is provided by Larry S. Goldfarb, Phil Schlein and di Rosa’s Patrons Circle.
Admission to attend A Muse of Fire is $10 general; free for members, children 17 and under and Napa Valley College students with ID. Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes in advance to allow time for shuttle service from admissions to Gallery 2. For more information, visit:
Napa Valley College Theater Performing Arts Presents A Muse of Fire: A Performative Response
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jennifer King is the founder and artistic director of Napa Valley Conservatory Theater and Shakespeare Napa Valley. Her teaching and directing credits include work for the California Shakespeare Theater (Associate Artist), Dallas Theater Center, Aurora Theatre Company, Playground, Berkeley Playhouse, Sonoma County Repertory Theater, 6th Street Playhouse, The White Barn, the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Napa Valley College (Professor of Theater), Richland, Foothill and Solano Colleges as well as the University of California, Davis.
Ben Crystal is an actor, author, producer and explorer of original practices in Shakespeare rehearsal and production. He was the co-writer of Shakespeare’s Words (Penguin 2002) and The Shakespeare Miscellany (Penguin 2005) with his father David Crystal. His first solo book, Shakespeare on Toast – Getting a Taste for the Bard (Icon 2008) was shortlisted for the 2010 Educational Writer of the Year Award. His 2017 TEDx talk is called Original Practices: Shakespeare’s Craft. Ben collaborates with theatre companies and gives workshops and talks on performing Shakespeare around the world.
ABOUT DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art presents contemporary exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and maintains a permanent collection of notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. A wide range of styles, media, and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterize this region of California. Protected in perpetuity under the Napa County Land Trust, di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park, and a 35-acre lake, all located on 217 scenic acres in Napa Valley’s famed Carneros region. di Rosa is located at 5200 Sonoma Highway in Napa. For more information, visit dirosaart.org.
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di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art seeks volunteers for school tour program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Holly Krassner Dawson
707-738-9238
holly@hollykdawson.com
DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR SCHOOL TOUR PROGRAM
NAPA, CA, November 16, 2018 – di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art is recruiting volunteers to conduct school tours that provide meaningful learning experiences for students of all ages.
Gallery teachers/volunteers should be curious about art and ideas, comfortable working in an indoor/outdoor environment and available to volunteer weekdays during the day. Applicants from all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply. Conversational Spanish or other languages is helpful but not required.
Training will be held on seven consecutive Tuesdays, January 8 through February 19, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The training program will include an overview of the di Rosa collection and upcoming 2019 exhibitions, viewing strategies for looking at art, mini-workshops for guiding hands-on gallery activities and engagement, management, and teaching strategies for students in galleries and museums. New volunteers are expected to make a two-year commitment to the program, participate in monthly training sessions and be available to instruct a minimum of two gallery lessons per month.
Applications are due by December 21, 2018. For more information, or to apply, contact Hugo Corro at hugo@dirosaart.org or call 707-226-5991.
ABOUT DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art presents contemporary exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and maintains a permanent collection of notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. A wide range of styles, media and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterize this region of California. di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park and a 35-acre lake, all located on 217 scenic acres in Napa Valley’s famed Carneros region that are protected in perpetuity under the Napa County Land Trust. For more information, visit dirosaart.org.
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Colleen Schulman named Director of Development for di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Holly Krassner Dawson
707-738-9238
holly@hollykdawson.com
COLLEEN SCHULMAN NAMED DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
FOR DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
NAPA, CA, November 14, 2018 – di Rosa Center for Contemporary Arts announced today the appointment of Colleen Schulman as director of development for the Napa-based arts organization. Schulman joined di Rosa in 2017 as senior development officer and has served as interim director of development for the past 4 1/2 months.
As director of development, Schulman is responsible for planning, developing, organizing and directing di Rosa’s fundraising efforts, including membership, annual fund, major and leadership gifts, grants, corporate support, planned giving, events and large-scale fundraising campaigns. She is currently spearheading efforts for di Rosa’s Centennial Gala, which will take place on February 2, 2019. The event will mark the 100th year of founder Rene di Rosa’s birth and will feature the presentation of the inaugural di Rosa Award.
A seasoned fundraiser, Schulman brings to di Rosa more than a decade of experience in the arts and higher education, including her most recent role as annual and special giving manager for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis where she launched the new museum’s inaugural annual giving program.
Schulman’s fundraising career also includes roles as the director of development for UC Davis in the College of Letters and Science and development officer and function manager for the Concord Museum in Concord, Mass. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history and classics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Colleen earned her Master of Science in Arts Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management from Boston University. She currently serves on the Arts Council Napa Valley board of directors.
“We welcome Colleen as an important addition to our leadership team,” said Robert Sain, executive director of di Rosa. “During her interim position at di Rosa, she has proven time and again her passion for and expertise in arts philanthropy. We are delighted to confirm her as director and look forward to her continued contributions to di Rosa’s growth and success.”
“di Rosa is at an exciting pivot point,” said Schulman. “Over the past year, the organization has opened its doors to engage new audiences and visitors like never before. A robust, expanding roster of rotating exhibitions and public programs has been well-received. I look forward to continuing my work as an advocate for di Rosa and securing the philanthropic support the organization needs to assure its long-term sustainability.”
ABOUT DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art presents contemporary exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and maintains a permanent collection of notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. A wide range of styles, media and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterize this region of California. di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park and a 35-acre lake, all located on 217 scenic acres in Napa Valley’s famed Carneros region that are protected in perpetuity under the Napa County Land Trust. For more information, visit dirosaart.org.
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di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art announces Centennial Gala Fundraiser and Presentation of Inaugural di Rosa Award February 2, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Holly Krassner Dawson
707-738-9238
holly@hollykdawson.com
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art announces Centennial Gala Fundraiser
and Presentation of Inaugural di Rosa Award February 2, 2019
NAPA, CA (November 1, 2018) – di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Northern California’s destination for transformative encounters with contemporary art, announces its upcoming fundraising event. The Centennial Gala will be on Saturday, February 2, 2019 from 6-10 p.m. The event will mark the 100th year of founder Rene di Rosa’s birth and includes a seated dinner and presentation of the inaugural di Rosa Award to Bay Area art collector and philanthropist Nion McEvoy.
A forward-thinking collector and supporter of the arts, McEvoy demonstrates Rene di Rosa’s legacy of and commitment to supporting artists and bringing people together through their experimental work. Most recently, McEvoy provided major support for di Rosa’s landmark exhibition Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times on view through December 30, 2018. Presented in two parts, the exhibition brings new dynamism to the permanent collection, initiates exchanges about ideas that matter and demonstrates an institution-wide initiative to support the production of new work. McEvoy’s investment in artists and new ideas has significantly impacted the cultural landscape of the Bay Area and beyond. This is perhaps best exemplified by the launch of The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, the eponymous San Francisco nonprofit presenting exhibitions and public programs that engage, expand and challenge themes present in the McEvoy Family Collection.
McEvoy has been invited to select an artist represented in his personal collection to be honored alongside him at the Centennial Gala. The event will kick off a year of programs and activities celebrating di Rosa’s bright future. Proceeds raised during the fund-a-need will support di Rosa’s robust exhibitions roster and a broad variety of public events focused on experimentation, artists and ideas that matter. Tickets are available online at www.dirosaart.org/centennial-gala and by phone (707) 226-5991 x19.
di Rosa is committed to the civic dimension of arts education and to convening public audiences of all ages to explore the issues of our time. Current community partnerships include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, Napa Valley College Performing Arts and the Napa County Library.
Event management and design is provided by Clea Massiani. Event sponsors include Bump Wine Cellars, Chronicle Books, Domaine Carneros, Fort Point Beer Company, Hotaling & Co., Obsidian Wine Co., William Duff Architects, Inc., Wilson Foreigner Wine, and 1440 KVON/99.3 The Vine. For sponsorship opportunities, contact development@dirosaart.org.
EVENT DETAILS
Centennial Gala
February 2, 2019, 6-10 PM
Location: di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, 5200 Sonoma Highway, Napa, CA 94559
Tickets: $425 per person / $5,000+ per table of 10
Includes cocktails, seated dinner, award program and fund-a-need paddle raise.
Tickets are available online at www.dirosaart.org/centennial-gala and by phone (707) 226-5991 x19. Donations can also be made online at www.dirosaart.org/give-now.
ABOUT NION MCEVOY
Nion McEvoy is chairman and CEO of Chronicle Books and founder of The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts. He is the immediate past chairman of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Board of Commissioners and serves on the boards of Aperture, SF FILM, McSweeney’s, SFMOMA and the UCSF Foundation, among others. McEvoy is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and of UC Hastings College of Law. He is also a lapsed rock musician and retired meditation teacher.
ABOUT DI ROSA CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art presents contemporary exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and maintains a collection of notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. A wide range of styles, media and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterize this region of California. Protected in perpetuity under the Napa County Land Trust, di Rosa features multiple galleries, a sculpture park and a 35-acre lake, all located on 217 scenic acres in Napa Valley’s famed Carneros region. For more information, visit www.dirosaart.org.
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di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art Debuts “Site Walk Weekends”
Community Resources for Children
di Rosa and Community Resources for Children are pleased to work together to engage the artistic expression and imagination of young children and their families. Initiated in 2015, the partnership provides an opportunity for families from all socio-economic backgrounds to engage with the art of Northern California.
Community Resources for Children advocates, facilitates, and supports the development of quality early learning environments and experiences for children at home, in child care, preschool, and the community at large.
Recognizing the first five years of a child’s life as the foundation for a child’s success in school and life, Community Resources for Children links parents to activities that encourage children’s early development. The art connection with di Rosa enhances children’s language acquisition, cognitive abilities, and social emotional well-being by motivating children’s curiosity, exploration, and creative spirit.