Overview
2024 Oasis in the Woods: “The Land” "Earth Art" is a living, creative, and cultural experiment with sustainable practice at its center. It is an incubator for the artist’s and community’s personal and collective transformation. Land art or earth art is an art that is made directly in the landscape, sculpting the land itself into earthworks or making structures in the landscape using natural materials such as rocks or twigs. Land art, also known as earth art, is documented in artworks using photographs and maps, which the artist will use to exhibit in Loiter Galleries; for this project, artists will make land art in the gallery by bringing in material from the landscape and using it to create installations.
Theme: Oasis in the Woods: “The Land” "Earth Art"
Loiter Galleries will host artists, dancers, musicians, and storytellers whose art is inspired by the land. We have invited four artists who are curators of this work to exhibit their nature and environment-centered artworks at Loiter Galleries.
Our collective goal is to build generational bridges while working with ideas and materials that emanate from the land to create installations that answer the question, “How will we rebuild our communities to be stronger and recreate sustainable places to live?” Importantly, this conversation addresses environmental justice's physical and psychological dimensions and impact.
SELECTED ARTISTS IN THE COLLECTION
Caryl Henry Alexander- Clinton Maryland, Visual/Environmental Installation Artist
Alpha Bruton- Chicago, Illinois, Visual/Installation Artist
Happy/LA Hyder- Mendocino, California, Photograph
Jennifer Andrea "YAYA" Porras- Oakland/Sacramento, California, Multi-disciplinary Art Practice
Happy/LA Hyder from Mendocino, California, will install an exhibition of photographs and maps of The Land Retreat 2013 & 2023. The Land is a project facilitated by the Visual Arts Development Project/ International Society of Arter makers.
International Society of Altar Making artists construct temporary installations curated by master altar makers, drawing on personal history. Envisioned to evoke the transformative value of historical and contemporary cultural traditions, the MAP's Gallery uses the power of myth, stories, and imagination to give voice to the universality of cultural traditions.
Co-curator Andrea Jennifer "YaYa" Porras was an artist and assistant at the MAP Gallery, where she was mentored and guided by master artist/Altar Maker Michelle Walker. YaYa, in her own right, has studied the traditions of her ancestry; she is an Aztecan dancer, an African-modern dancer, an actress, a poet, and an altar artist from Sacramento, California.
August 23, 24, 25th Join us as four artists culminate to exhibit their nature and environment-centered artworks at Loiter Galleries in downtown Long Beach, California.
Sunday afternoon, we will celebrate and use food as a social construct with a sit-down dinner with Long Beach, California's favorite cook, Cecile's Catering, who inspires our menu!
As someone who loves to cook and eat, I have always been fascinated by the cultural significance of food. Eating is not just about satisfying hunger; it is a social activity that brings people together and builds relationships. Food can evoke memories, create shared experiences, and reinforce cultural traditions.
"At this afternoon's salon, we will explore the role of food as a social construct and how meals play a crucial role in societal bonding. We have invited twenty-four guests, including gallery staff, members of our network, friends of the artists, and benefactors."
The closing on Sunday will feature storytelling and music and a de-installation of the artworks.
● The environmental and social impact of the project.
How your project directly explores or impacts environmental issues.
We have in mind a topic we have addressed in our curatorial practice, calling curators and installation artists to create temporary installations to examine the state of our environment. In addition, we are unraveling common patterns of activism aimed at rebuilding communities and remaking places, addressing the physical and psychological dimensions of environmental justice.
Our project directly explores the idea and focuses on the social impact of deep play and risk-taking play that serves to overcome fears and develop confidence as we explore this work. Exploration of natural or imagined environments versus the urban built environment and strategy play involves long-term planning to achieve a goal of temporary installation to design and develop infrastructure in placemaking.
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