December 19, 2014 through March 30, 2015
The Museum of Friends new exhibition December 19th 2014, extended thru April 15th 2015 Labor, Mining and Immigration, Contemporary Artists Interpret the On-Going Struggle. Please join us for the opening of a new exhibition on Friday December 19th, from noon until 7 pm at 600 Main Street in the 1st level gallery space. This exhibition highlights the works of artists from many parts of the United States. The “Labor, Mining and Immigration” exhibition began as homage to those who lost their lives at Ludlow, and its surrounding areas one hundred years ago. As submissions from artists from many parts of the country were received, this exhibition has evolved into a statement about many timely national issues. Some artists in this exhibition explore the contemporary concerns of labor: minimum wage, illegal immigration, corporate, and safety and health related abuses in the work place. These are New York artists: Constance Del Vecchio Maltese, Larry Racioppo, Peter Gourfain and Connie Hwang who resides in Berkeley California. Reggio is a Trinidad artist, Joe Adamich from Pueblo, John Dyes, Texas and Billy King from Arkansas all responding to the courage exhibited by miners and the legacy of their labor through photographs, sculptures, mixed media and paintings. The subject of immigration is relevant to another Berkeley artist - Guillermo Pulido, and Walsenburgs’ Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli. These artists are referential in their treatment of the subject matter and honor those who have made sacrifices. The exhibition continues through March 30th and contains a lively public program schedule of films related to these topics. All will be shown on Thursday afternoons from 3 to 4 pm, followed by a group discussion. MOF welcomes high school students who are interested in these timely subjects. The first film viewing will be January 15: “Animas Perdidas” (Lost Souls) is the story of a young Latina filmmaker documenting the emotional journey of her uncle, a U.S. military vet deported to Mexico. With today’s U.S. – Mexico border issue, Animas Perdidas helps explore national identity, and what happens after deportees are sent to a homeland they don’t consider home. The other dates are: January 29th, (Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire), February 19th, (Labor and the State of the Union) and March 12th (Colorado Experience, The Smaldones).