Freewaves and The Sam Francis Gallery at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences Present Dis…Miss
Multimedia, participatory project aims to inspire ongoing dialogue about intersectional feminism and gender
Exhibition: November 26-December 13
Opening Reception: Wednesday, November 28// 4-6 p.m.
Visual artists: April Bey, Boychild, Chan and Mann, Roya Falahi, Alexandra Grant, Micol Hebron, Thinh Nguyen, Ovarian Psycos, and Shizu Saldamando
Video artists: Adebukola Bodunrin, Mail Order Brides (Eliza Barrios, Reanne Estrada and Jenifer Wofford), Gloria Morán, Meena Nanji, and Caress Reeves
Featuring additional artwork by Santa Monica High School and Crossroads School visual arts students
Freewaves’ Dis…Miss exhibition at Sam Francis Gallery will feature work by artists and artist collectives, together comprising a survey of the challenges facing intersectional feminism now. Featured artworks address persistent issues prioritized by the second-wave feminist movement, combined with a third-wave awareness of the intersection of sexism and other forms of oppression based on age, ethnicity, religion or class. Dis…Miss examines how, and to what extent, contemporary feminism will adapt in response to society’s evolving understanding of the complexities of gender identity.
Dis…Miss will include videos and the public sharing of artist-designed postcards, each posing a provocative question related to identity, such as “Who decided your gender?” and “How can feminism support equality?” Prior to the opening of Dis…Miss at Sam Francis Gallery, these postcards and adjoining questions have been discussed in Crossroads’ Literature and Gender Studies classes. Students’ answers to the postcard questions will be included in the gallery. In addition, student artwork by Crossroads and Santa Monica High School visual arts students will also be on display. They chose postcard images that resonated with them and directly responded to the work through various mediums. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will be encouraged to participate in answering the questions.
“Showcasing feminist art has always been an important part of Freewaves’ mission,” says Anne Bray, who founded Freewaves in 1989 and serves as its executive director. “And as our understanding of feminism and gender continues to evolve, it’s important to have an ongoing dialogue about how feminist art will change and evolve accordingly.”
Freewaves’ Dis…Miss initiative ranges from community workshops to panel discussions at locations throughout Los Angeles. Previous presentations were included at Self Help Graphics, Women’s Center for Creative Work, KAOS, Las Fotos, Human Resources, UC Irvine Beall Center for Art + Technology, Cerritos College, Las Fotos Project, Japan America Community Cultural Center, Glendale City College, KAOS Network, Cypress College Art Gallery, Vincent Price Art Museum, USC Annenberg School, Occidental College, California African American Museum, Scripps College and Armory Center for the Arts as well as a current interactive social-media campaign.
About Freewaves A magnet for the media arts, Freewaves is a grassroots yet global arts organization. Freewaves is dedicated to the creative exhibition of the most innovative and culturally relevant independent new media art from around the world. Freewaves facilitates cross-cultural dialogues by inventing dynamic new media exhibition forms at established and unconventional venues in Los Angeles and online.
Freewaves’ region-wide events have had a strong presence including “SoCal Social,” 14 artists’ conversations about socially engaged art; and “Out the Window,” with artists’ videos placed on 2,000 Los Angeles Metro buses over three years. Recently Freewaves presented “Long Live L.A.,” featuring videos by five L.A. artists at community health clinics.
For more information, visit: freewaves.org