A professional development program for artists who are ready to raise their practice to the next level, The Center Program offers the unique opportunity to develop new work, receive feedback from art professionals in the field, and work towards an exhibition at the Art Center. Over the course of eight months, a supportive peer network, guest artists, gallerists, critics, and professionals pushed 20 Center Program artists to answer tough questions and evolve their practice. Guest curated by educator, organizer, and Center Program Alumnus artist, Silvia Inés Gonzalez, the exhibition introduces strong, new work that often determines bold new directions for local artists.
Beneath the Visible features the work of Center Program artists translating impermanence, cyclical events, and transformation. By reflecting on the cultural, environmental, and social layers of their work, artists enact poetic research processing beyond immediately apparent material. Fragments are re-constructed into blueprints. What was once an idea becomes a detectable dimension.
In exploring the topographies of artistic practice, artists are considering what it means to exist today, preserve the past, and envision multiple possible futures. Ephemeral materials are transformed into a type of documentation of the processes of change. Through repetitive actions, artists are uncovering methodologies that shape the meaning of their work. The exhibition challenges baseline views by solidifying the relationships between memory, material, and process.
Beneath the Visible is therefore a space of experimentation, engaging curiosity for expansion and clarity. It encourages us to slow down and ask–How do we know what we know and how do we get to know more deeply? Where can our intentional investigations lead us, and what spaces are unearthed as a result? Beneath the Visible does not shy away from the impermanence of things but rather affirms that though change is inevitable, the impressions and marks we leave behind can be meaningful.
Top banner image: Detail of Tracing Exile by Karen Dana Cohen, 2023, Graphite and charcoal on handmade paper, graphite on paper clay sculptures, carmine paper pulp, paper mache, and a graphite stick, Dimensions variable.
Featured image on Exhibitions page: Marylu E. Herrera, Paloma Querida, 2023, Celosa ribbon, dove figurines, bows, ribbon, flowers, gems, butterflies, artificial turf, and iron stands, 70 x 108 x 40 inches.
