Ongoing Educational Activities
“Who in the world am I?” asked Alice in Wonderland. “Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Indeed, it’s the question that has inspired philosophers throughout the ages, with no definite answer beyond with whom and what we identify.
Throughout history, from the most remote tribes to modern life, we know who we are by identifying “the other” or “the outsider”. Attire, furnishings, iconography, and emblems serve the purpose of identifying membership in a particular tribe, kingdom, church, or nation. Over the centuries, accepted aesthetics have been a means of sharing, and identifying position within a community.
With the breakdown of traditional societies, individuals began to exploit clothing and accessories as a means of expressing their individuality. As the modern world created fragmentation and a paradoxical sense of what it meant to be an individual, fashion and possessions provided a sense of personal acceptance and exploration of potential. We select garments, accessories, and ornaments to enhance beauty, attract, or express status. These accoutrement embellish, enhance, or distinguish us, expressing cultural, social, or religious status.
Wearing a work of art is a means of self-expression. We hang necklaces on ourselves as we hang paintings on walls. Brooches and grand rings act as personal sculpture. We decorate the places we call home or workplace in line with our mode of dress. We adorn ourselves and our worlds as a means of expressing, communing, and celebrating.
Humans are, by nature, creative and this ability has served us throughout evolution, as we moved from village life to cities. Science suggests that self-expression might be the most important way for us to connect, navigate, and grow within community and as a culture. We are transformed by rituals - secular, social, and spiritual - and there is an art to crafting the objects that make this possible. There is a marriage of the elements involved in crafting the objects that, in turn, create our lives.
In this workshop, led by Kevin Wallace, director of the Center, participants will explore identity through the arts. Following a PowerPoint presentation, drawing upon the recently published book Intersection: Art & Life, participants will work with pencil, paint and clay to create drawings, paintings, figures, and objects that explore the visual and tactile language of art as a means of better understanding and expressing ourselves.
Kevin Wallace, Director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts & Happy Valley Cultural Center, will lead this workshop. As a curator and writer, Wallace works with museum curators and collectors to place works of art in the permanent collections of leading museums, is a regular contributor to numerous international publications, and regularly speaks on the subject of art and craft.
Kevin Wallace Teaching at the Center
Wallace has guest-curated exhibitions for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Cultural Affairs Department of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles International Airport, and the San Luis Obispo Art Center.
Books include Celebrating Nature: Craft Traditions/Contemporary Expressions; Transforming Vision: The Wood Sculpture of William Hunter, 1970-2005; River of Destiny: The Life and Work of Binh Pho; Moulthrop: A Legacy in Wood; Every Exit is an Entry: The Life and Work of Liam O’Gallagher, The Cutting Edge: Contemporary Wood Art & The Lipton Collection, and Shadow of The Turning.
Wallace has also co-authored a number of books, including New Masters of Woodturning: Expanding the Boundaries of Wood Art; The Art of Vivika and Otto Heino; Michael Peterson: Evolution/Revolution; Contemporary Turned Wood: New Perspectives in a Rich Tradition; Baskets: Tradition & Beyond; and Contemporary Glass: Color, Light & Form.
“Our educational programming at the Center is concerned with sharing knowledge and opening people up to the wonderful world of creative expression,” Wallace says. “Everything I know I learned from others and I have been fortunate to know and work with so many fascinating artists, collectors, dealers, curators and writers.”
Please contact the Center for more information.
For workshop registration, please contact:
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts
Tel: 805-646-3381 or email us at BeatriceWoodCenter@gmail.com.
Our workshops and classes all take place at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts (driving directions).
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Please call 805-646-3381 or email BeatriceWoodCenter@gmail.com for more information on our exhibitions, workshops, and performances. |
