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The Art Guild of Pacifica is pleased to present its 63rd Annual Members Show and its 62nd Annual Awards Exhibit, at Sanchez Art Center, Oct 29–Dec 12.
Art Guild members fill the East and West Galleries, while the award winners from 2020 share an exhibition in the Main Gallery. The 62nd Annual award recipients, Alan Firestone, Misha Flores, Tanya Lin, and Sheldon Yee, were selected by DeWitt Cheng, a San Francisco–based independent curator, critic, and art writer who will also curate the 62nd Annual Awards Exhibit. The awards juror for the 63rd Annual Members Show will be Jamey Brzezinski, artist and now-retired Professor Emeritus from Merced College. The AGP artists he selects this year will exhibit in the Main Gallery in 2022.
First, we want to honor Alan Firestone, who was selected for the award is unable to participate in the exhibit due to health reasons. His enigmatic sculptural piece Argus that won this award is shown on the exhibition graphic. The title references a figure from Greek legends who was known as Argus the All-Seeing. Firestone's work is always thought-provoking and compelling, surprising and somehow familiar at the same time. He has won numerous awards as well as grants, and has mounted many solo shows, including in NY and Montana as well as in California. A SAC studio holder and member of the community of SAC artists, Firestone is also a longtime art instructor at City College in San Francisco. Heal well, Alan.
The enchanting artwork of Misha Flores flows along the path of her individual spiritual journey. Flores enriches the concept of divinity to include the Divine Feminine, thereby creating a much-needed balance through the confluence of spirit and matter. Specimen, her award-winning painting, captures the vulnerability of being human, both spirit and flesh. As the artist says, "… embracing our divine attributes is imperative, as well as embracing the animal in all of us. I am interested in the tension between the human animal and the human spirit….When we accept our whole selves, we can come into better relationship with All Our Relations, be they other humans or the rest of the natural world." Flores feels strongly about environmental issues, and human and animal rights. She volunteers and donates to these causes, paints billboards for Pacific Beach Coalition events, and serves on the board of the Art Guild of Pacifica. Flores studied in Texas and California, and has exhibited widely in the Bay Area.
Tanya Lin is a former SAC studio holder and a photographer extraordinaire working primarily in black and white. After creating a large body of work using X-ray photography, Lin has now moved into the realm of augmented reality, or AR. Her latest works concern the indelible effects of the pandemic on all our lives, when we are "all in this together" yet must isolate for safety. Says the artist: "May this work bring pleasure, solemnity or somehow resonate with the 'Great Adventures' over the last almost 20 months you and yours have witnessed and endured." With Lin's ability to dive deep into human experience and bring emotional pearls to light, her new artworks offer much to learn from and remember.
Sheldon Yee brings a wry, sardonic wit to his work to remind us we are not always as we seem. Very much concerned with political and social realities, his enigmatic pen and ink drawings are multilayered with meaning, inviting viewers to spend time parsing the details and forming their own interpretations of the events pictured. His award-winning piece, Reward, shows some rather grotesque haloed caricatures standing behind a brick wall. Despite their haloes, their hands seem to be grasping greedily, while below a crime scene is being processed, complete with chalked body outlines and EMTs. In the artist's words, "By use of meticulous detail and complicated symbolism, I want the viewer to observe my work closely . . . to step forward, but never backward." Yee studied art and education at University of California, Berkeley, and has taught in various organizations. He brings his graphic arts skills as a superb draftsman into his fine artwork, and we are the beneficiaries.
You can hear these award-winning artists talk about their work at our free Artist Talk, to be held in the Main Gallery on Sunday, Nov 14 at 3:30 pm.
Beginning Oct 30, gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm, no appointment needed. Our health and safety protocol is in line with the State and San Mateo County. Masks are required for all while in the galleries. We are also leaving doors open for maximum air flow, so dress warmly.
Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. For more information: info@SanchezArtCenter.org.
The Art Guild of Pacifica is a thriving community of regional artists, art lovers, and supporters. Its mission is to increase the awareness and appreciation of artists and their works. Founded in 1958 by Pacifica Postmistress, Juanita Lombardi, the Art Guild of Pacifica has always stressed art education as well as promotion of the arts. Since 1996, the AGP has found its permanent home in the Sanchez Art Center. Today with a membership of over 150 artists and supporters, the Guild continues to promote art with ongoing non-juried exhibitions, monthly artist gatherings, and its gift shop, "Shop on the Shelf" for small artworks and cards. To learn about and join the Art Guild of Pacifica, visit www.ArtGuildofPacifica.org.
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