Art + Impact: AMA

While AMA is not a household name (yet), we actually do a lot of really interesting things outside our gallery walls.

Aside from showcasing amazing art from the Americas, we are also charged with the task of creating a positive impact in the world through our museum's mission as well as our being a part of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose core values are to promote human rights, democracy, justice, and security (if you don't know what the OAS is, you should look it up, it's a pretty cool institution). Our efforts in this area range from the choices we make in selected art for exhibitions to international programs to keep at-risk youth off the streets. Much of these efforts are less visible to the public, but I am going to use this platform to help shed some light on the "behind the scenes" work we are engaged in.

Not a bad neighborhood, huh?

To begin this new series, I'd like to go back a bit and talk about Tent Life: Haiti, a photo exhibition by Wyatt Gallery (a person, not a place). The show took place in the OAS | AMA F Street Gallery at 1889 F Street, NW. Though our gallery space is less known then our museum, we've been receiving quite a bit of positive press on our (usually photography) exhibitions there. Tent Life was no exception. Gallery traveled to Haiti to document the life of displaced Haitians following the devastating 2010 earthquake there.

from "Tent Life: Haiti" by Wyatt Gallery

The series of photographs range from the uplifting to the down-right depressing; however, what binds them together is a candid sense of perseverance. As the Washington City Paper put it, "is it appropriate to find transcendence in photographs of abject poverty?" It's not the kind of work that says "look at these poor, helpless people" nor does it say "look how great they're doing under horrifying conditions", rather it comes across as a well-crafted documentary and calls on the viewer to enter - and empathize with - another human being's experience. During the exhibition, and after, a book with the same title as the exhibit was - and is still - being sold to raise money to support relief efforts in Haiti and all proceeds from the book go to Haiti. The book is really beautiful, contains all the photos from the exhibit, and more photos that we didn’t have room for. (This isn’t a sales pitch, I promise. I bought one for myself. Ok, maybe a bit of a sales pitch, but it’s totally worth it.)

Exhibits like Tent Life: Haiti serve to accomplish many aspects of our mission. We are bringing talented, contemporary artists to Washington, DC, bridging cultural gaps between different cultures of the Americas, as well as promoting a positive impact in the world by creating greater awareness of social issues in our global community. The selection of artwork is probably the most basic of ways the museum accomplishes our mission.

 Next up: One of our current exhibit, Common Place...

Ruby Rumié | Contemporary Art from Chile: Common Place | Artist 2 of 2

Ruby Rumié | www.rubyrumie.cl

Ruby Rumié

Contemporary Art from Chile: Common Place

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

As described in the last post, Rumié's current exhibit on the second floor of AMA, Common Place (Lugar Común), was created together with artist Justine Graham - both of whom are based in Santiago, Chile. The exhibition portrays the evolving subordinate relationship between Latin American housekeepers and their housewife employers, reflecting issues of gender, power, class and race. Comprised of photographs, videos, and surveys of 100 women between the ages of 19 and 95, this project merges art and sociology, and explores new sensorial and emotional experiences in an attempt to discover affinities and differences among participants, separating itself from the bias and stereotypes present in hierarchical relationships. Common Place challenges conventional methods of portraiture and proposes new social constructs.

Video Installation from Common Place | Photograph by Christopher Cunningham

Adriana Ospina, AMA's education coordinator, says of the relationship between housekeepers and their employers in Latin America: "It can very well be a love-hate relationship, the housekeeper can know everything about the housewife, but she needs to respect their boundaries. The exhibit examines the domestic and social dynamic behind the relationship and it opens up a can of worms."

Bio

Ruby Rumié was born in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Since 2005, she has lived and worked between Cartagena de Indias, and Santiago, Chile. She studied painting, drawing, and sculpture at The School of Fine Arts in Cartagena, David Mansur Academy in Bogota, and has participated in numerous workshops with artists such as: Maria Teresa Hincapié, Eugenio Dittborn, Fabian Rendón, and Jean Pierre Accoult. From 1989 to 1996, she worked using a hyper-realistic painting technique to portray portraits of the native people of Cartagena de Indias. After breaking away from the Academy, she started to work with a clear focus on social and territorial heritage, during which she questioned the commitment of the artist to society. 

Her most recent exhibitions include, “Wholesale and Detail”, which addresses the issue of intangible memory through El Cardonal Market in Valparaiso (2009), as a landmark of jobs threatened by the presence of modern hypermarkets. “Gestemani: subject/ object”, a multimedia project about a neighborhood being displaced by real estate development (2003- 2008), exhibited in The Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, The Animal Gallery in Santiago, and The Affordable Art fair in New York. “The Real Things” exhibited within the framework of new curatorial projects of the Caribbean region for the Ministry of Culture, curated by Néstor Martinez Celis. 

Since 1995, she has made multiple posters and prints such as the book, “The Visit”, with serigraphs from 15 Colombian artists, “The Last Letter to a Kidnapped Man”, with 1000 copies for the Boehringer Ingelheim company, the Centennial Commemorative poster “The Gift”, for the Mayor of Cartagena, and finally the poster “The Short Circuit “made for the Institute of Cultural Heritage, to celebrate the festival of the independence of Cartagena de Indias. 

As a teacher she has carried out workshops and diploma courses with institutions such as the Banco de la República and the university Jorge Tadeo Lozano. She recently participated as a teacher in one of three cultural initiatives for social entrepreneurship in the city of Cartagena, created by The American Development Laboratory of the Technological University of Bolivar. 

Justine Graham | Contemporary Art from Chile: Common Place | Artist 1 of 2

Justine Graham | www.yapoproject.cl

Justine Graham

Contemporary Art from Chile: Common Place

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

Graham's current exhibit on the second floor of AMA, Common Place (Lugar Común), was created together with Colombian artist Ruby Rumié - both of whom are based in Santiago, Chile. The exhibition portrays the evolving subordinate relationship between Latin American housekeepers and their housewife employers, reflecting issues of gender, power, class and race. 

detail from Common Place | Photograph by Christopher Cunningham

Comprised of photographs, videos, and surveys of 100 women between the ages of 19 and 95, this project merges art and sociology, and explores new sensorial and emotional experiences in an attempt to discover affinities and differences among participants, separating itself from the bias and stereotypes present in hierarchical relationships. Common Place challenges conventional methods of portraiture and proposes new social constructs.

Bio

Justine Graham (Nice, France, 1976.) is a photographic artist and cultural producer based in Santiago, Chile since 2005. She holds a Masters in Urban Studies, London School of Economics in 2001, Bachelor in Culture & Politics, Georgetown University, 1999, and photography foundation studies at Parsons School of Design, Paris 1995. Justine Graham worked in London as Projects Director for cultural organizations linked to urbanism and architecture from 2001 to 2005. In 2005 she founded YAPO Project in Santiago, Chile, a cultural laboratory dedicated to exploring social, spatial and cultural issues of identity through multi-disciplinary projects (www.yapoproject.cl). She is Photography Professor at the Universidad Católica de Chile’s School of Design. 


Graham is also currently exhibiting her first solo show in one of Santiago’s premier contemporary art spaces (Sala Gasco), which can be seen here. There's also small "making-of" video of this installation ( of more that 8,600 postcards!) and can be viewed here.


Recent exhibits include: Common Place (Lugar Común) (with Ruby Rumié, Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC 2011), An Imaginary Atlas of Santiago de Chile (Sala Gasco Arte Contemporáneo, 2011), Ripping (with Ruby Rumié, Centro de Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 2010), Lugar Común: 100 women (with Ruby Rumié, Museo de Artes Visuales, Santiago, 2010), Geography of Work: Photographs of Chilean Workers (Museo de Bellas Artes, 2008). She recently published her first 400-page book, Atlas Imaginario de Santiago de Chile, documenting 6 years of Santiago’s informal urban landscape.

Tomás Rivas | Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light | Artist 5 of 5

Tomás Rivas | www.tomasrivas.com

Tomás Rivas

Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

Rivas' site-specific piece, The Room Next Door, is a revision of the Salon Doré, which is the Corcoran Gallery of Art's 18th Century French period room with gilded paneling and Corinthian pilasters. Concentrating on segments of patterns and moldings of the Salon Doré, this piece relates the structure and surface of decorative motifs with speculation about the interior order of these forms inside the Corcoran.

Made from plaster, wood, and everyday materials, the work generates a temporary distance from the original source and a close-up study of decorative forms from the 18th Century and other neo-classical patterns. The Room Next Door also explores ornamentation and hierarchy in architecture.

detail from The Room Next Door by Tomás Rivas
(Photo by Christopher Cunningham)

Bio
Tomás Rivas (b. 1975, Santiago). Rivas holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Notre Dame, IN, United States and a Bachelor of Arts from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His work has been exhibited throughout Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Chile, United States, France, England, and Israel. Among his main Exhibits we find Tectonic Shift: Arte Contemporáneo de Chile, Saatchi Gallery y Philips de Pury, Londres (2010); Contaminaciones Contemporáneas, MAC USP, São Paulo (2010); Chili, l’envers du décor , Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris; Slash, Paper under the knife, Museum of Art and Design, New York (2009); Material Ligero: Five artists from Santiago, Chile travelling light, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, VCA, Melbourne (2009); Flujo, Obras de Gerardo Pulido y Tomás Rivas, Museum of Visual Arts, Santiago (2009); Boyscraft, (Haifa Museum of Art), Haifa (2008); Abre Alas, Galería A Gentil Carioca, Rio de Janeiro (2007); Feedback, Cultural Center Matucana 100, Santiago, Chile (2007); Alegoría Barroca en el Arte Contemporáneo, Museum of Contemporary Art MAC, Santiago (2006). Since 2003, he has received awards and scholarships including the AMA Scholarship, (2008), the Scope Emerging Artist Grant (Emerging Artist Award) Foundation Scope New York (2006), 1984 Foundation Fellowship (Fellowship) Project for the Study of Ancient Architecture (Director: Robin F. Rhodes). Ancient Corinth, Greece, The Outstanding Student Achievement Award (International Award for graduate students in Master in Fine Arts), Graduate Teaching Assistantship Fellowship (Academic scholarship) University of Notre Dame, IN. Rivas is currently doing a residency program at LUX Art Institute, USA, and RIAA, Argentina. He also teaches at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Gerardo Pulido | Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light | Artist 4 of 5

Gerardo Pulido | www.gerardopulido.com

Gerardo Pulido

Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

Pulido's sight-specific installation at AMA, Lapislázuli en pintura al temple v/s Pino Melis en esmalte spray (Lapis Lazuli in Egg Tempera vs. Knotty Pine in Spray Enamel), juxtaposes materials, paint, and what is painted - emphasizing the materiality of the work with its capacity for illusion. By contrasting a marble texture made with a material that dates very far back into history (egg tempera) with a wood texture made with contemporary media (spray paint), Pulido creates a dialogue between classical and modern forms of art and the materials used to make art. 

Lapislázuli en pintura al temple v/s Pino Melis en esmalte spray | Gerardo Pulido

Bio
Gerardo Pulido (b.1975, Santiago). Pulido holds a Ph.D in Art Education, from the University of Seville, Spain, a Master’s and a Bachelor of Arts Degrees from the Catholic University of Chile. He joined the RIAA residence in Argentina. His work has been exhibited throughout Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, United States, England, and France. Among his main Exhibitions are Tectonic Shift: Arte Contemporáneo de Chile, Saatchi Gallery y Philips de Pury, Londres (2010); Flujo. Obras de Gerardo Pulido y Tomás Rivas, MAVI, Santiago (2009); Sur Scène, Castillo de Tours, Tours (2007); Políticas de la Diferencia: Arte Iberoamericano de Fin de Siglo, MALBA, Buenos Aires (2001).


Pulido represented Chile on the 1^st competition of Golden Arches of Latinoamerican Painting (Argentina -Colombia, 2010). He has also received numerous scholarships and awards such as the AMA (Chile, 2008); Fondart, CNCA (Chile, 2006); Scholarship MAE, AECI (Spain, 2005-2003).  He has published several essays on art and is the Co-editor of Index, Paper Art and Criticism (2001-1997, Chile). Pulido teaches at the UC Art Schools from the Universidad del Desarrollo and Universidad Diego Portales.

Rodrigo Galecio | Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light | Artist 3 of 5

Rodrigo Galecio | rtrodrigogalecio.blogspot.com

Rodrigo Galecio

Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

Rodrigo Galecio's piece, Zig, is a work of geometric abstraction in which perspective and dimension have a really important role. It creates illusions of volume that is read as an axonometric drawing. 

Zig, Rodrigo Galecio

Bio

Rodrigo Galecio (b.1972, Santiago). Galecio holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain and a Bachelor of Arts, from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His work has been exhibited in Australia, Chile, Spain, United States, and London. Among his most significant work we find the HCO Tribute to Carlos Ortúzar, at Galería Die Ecke Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago (2010); Beuys y más allá, Educar como arte, (MAVI), Santiago (2010). Material Ligero, Five Artists from Santiago, Chile Travelling Light, at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery in the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia (2009); ZABRISKIE POINT, Galería Die Ecke Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago (2007); El Efecto Pedagógico, Tribute to Eduardo Vilches, National Council for Culture and the Arts, , Valparaíso (2006); 5ª Bienal de Artes Visuales: Utopías de Bolsillo, MNBA, Santiago (2006); CONDOROS/MISTAKES, Galería de Arte Gasworks, Union Walk, E2, Londres (2005); Transformer, Centro Cultural Matucana 100, Santiago (2005); To be political it has to look nice, Galería APEX, Nueva York (2003); PAC, Galería de Arte Metropolitana (GALMET), Santiago (2002); Video Biennial Iva Colleges and Schools, Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid (1999). He has twice received the Scholarship for Development and Artistic Creation V.R.A.I.D. from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (2006, 2008). Galecio teaches at the Pontifical Catholic University, School of Arts.

Rodrigo Canala | Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light | Artist 2 of 5

Rodrigo Canala | More information

Rodrigo Canala

Contemporary Art from Chile: Traveling Light

AMA | Art Museum of the Americas

Artwork

Rodrigo Canala's sight-specific piece entitled Banderines Vacíos (Invisible Banners) are constructed out of PVC and coated in silver glitter. The flag-shaped banners hang in the doorways separating each gallery on the ground level of the museum and are reminiscent of ornamental, festive decorations. The piece is purposefully subtle and can be sometimes unnoticeable to the viewer - playing with the notion of invisibility - which begs the question "how much art needs to be in art to be art?"

Bio

Rodrigo Canala (b. 1972, Santiago). Canala holds a Master’s Degree in Visual Arts from UCh, a Bachelor of Arts from UFT, Santiago, and has a background in architecture from UVM, Viña del Mar, Chile. His work has been exhibited  in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Korea, Chile, Spain, and the United States. Among his most significant exhibitions are Destellos Negros, Galería Centro, Talca (2011); Contaminaciones Contemporáneas, MAC USP, São Paulo (2010); Material Ligero: Five artists from Santiago, Chile travelling light at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery, VCA, Melbourne (2009); Suite-Patrón, Galería Die Ecke, Santiago (2007); Stgo/Bog/Stgo. Envío de Arte Contemporáneo Chileno, Galería Valenzuela Klenner, Bogotá (2007); 5ª Bienal de Artes Visuales, Utopías de Bolsillo, MNBA, Santiago (2006); Arte Contemporáneo Chileno: Desde el Otro Sitio/Lugar, MAC, Santiago y NMCA, Seoul (2006-2005). Canala has received multiple awards and scholarships including a nomination to the AMA scholarship, the Gasworks International Residency Programme (UK, 2010); nominee to Award of the National Arts Altazor (Chile, 2007), Fondart, CNCA (Chile, 2009, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2000, 1999); Recipient of the Friends of Art Scholarship (Chile, 1999). Canala teaches Sculpture and Volume at the Schools of Fine Arts at UFT and UNAB.