CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

WOMEN ARTISTS ON IMMIGRATION

Crossing Borders, Confronting Barriers, Bridging Identities

Organized and presented by:

Women's Caucus for Art

with the Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles

Exhibition Dates: February 20 – March 6, 2009

Opening Reception: February 27, 2009

Deadline for Receipt of Entries: November 14, 2008

Juror: Alma Ruiz, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles

In the 21st Century, we can no longer assume that people will remain in one place their entire lives. Globalization, mobile communication and ease of travel allow people to seek opportunities, not only in their own country but across the globe. Over time, immigrants establish new communities in their adopted country, which help preserve their home culture and assist the newly arrived in adapting to their new environment. Unfamiliar customs, attire, language, color of skin, religion and value systems create challenges and calls for resiliency between residents and the newly arrived. The United States is a country built from immigrants and California embodies the challenges and strengths of multiculturalism.

We encourage California-based women artists at all career levels — emerging, mid-career and seasoned — whose work addresses the topic of immigration to submit work for jurying. Submissions will be selected by Alma Ruiz, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and exhibited in the contemporary art gallery of the Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles from February 20 - March 6, 2009. The opening reception will take place during the annual conferences of the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) and the College Art Association on February 27, 2009. The work of accepted artists will be featured in a color catalog to support the inclusion of the show in the cultural record.

In this election year, we're seizing the moment to engage all women artists in California on the important topic of immigration. Each subtopic — Crossing Borders, Confronting Barriers, Bridging Identities — offers useful starting points for creating or selecting work for this show. Like the many related exhibitions that have preceded it, this show seeks to inspire an ongoing conversation and examination of the formation of our cultural, personal and political identities.

Women Artists on Immigration is part of the ART AND ACTIVISM INITIATIVE of the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) that happens both inside and outside the gallery walls. It consists of exhibitions, discussion groups and artist and collaborative projects around the country that visually profile the thinking of how we live our lives together and share our concerns on critical social issues. In March 2008, the Northern California WCA chapter collaborated with the Mission Cultural Center for a stellar show on Women on War and, a year prior, the Southern California WCA chapter produced EcoArt: A Visual Conversation at Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles.

Click here to view the prospectus for the show (PDF). If you wish to participate, please print it out, complete the entry form and mail it to the address provided along with the requested enclosures. The deadline for receipt of entries is November 14, 2008.

If there are any questions, email annisolde@scwca.org.

ABOUT THE JUROR
Alma Ruiz is a curator at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles. She has curated numerous exhibitions of contemporary art, with a primary focus on the postwar period in Italy and Latin America, as well as working with emerging artists. Ruiz has served as a panelist for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans since 1999, as grants reviewer for the U.S. - Mexico Fund for Arts and Culture in 2000 and 2001, and as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) in Miami, Florida since 2006. She was born in Guatemala City, earned a B.A. in art history at the University of Southern California, and received an M.A. in Italian language and literature from Middlebury College.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CAUCUS FOR ART
The Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) is the leading national nonprofit organization for women in the visual arts professions. Founded in 1972, WCA has 27 chapters across the country (six in California) and is an affiliate society of the College Art Association. The Southern California chapter is the largest local chapter and has been providing programs, workshops, exhibitions and recognition opportunities to women arts professionals in this region for over three decades. In February 2009, WCA will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Lifetime Achievement Awards in Los Angeles by honoring Maren Hassinger, Ester Hernández, Joyce Kozloff, Margo Machida, and Ruth Weisberg. Visit www.nationalwca.org.

ABOUT THE KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER
The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles (KCCLA) is the largest facility outside of Korea that provides insights into the rich cultural heritage of Korea through sponsored events, films, and educational programs. KCCLA’s spacious 2,500 square foot gallery is a venue for traditional and contemporary art exhibitions. Visit www.kccla.org.

The exhibition is part of The Feminist Art Project, a national initiative recognizing the aesthetic and intellectual impact of women in the visual arts and culture. Visit feministartproject.rutgers.edu.