Upcoming 2016 exhibit (date correction)

I'm posting this a year early because I had reading comprehension issues at one point and had January 2015 as the exhibit date in one publication. No! 2016. I spend so much time obsessing over not overlapping exhibit dates and pieces during this month or that that the actual year just totally eluded me. No more speed reading for me.

Contemporary Realism Biennial 2014: Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Contemporary Realism Biennial 2014 opens September 20

My plywood drawing installation People 41, 42 43, at Contemporary Realism Biennial 2014 at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Denise Stewart-Sanabria: People 41, 42 43, charcoal on plywood

Contemporary Realism Biennial 2014 opens September 20

Posted on September 17, 2014 at 10:00 am

 

News release from the Fort Wayne Museum of Art:

Contemporary Realism Biennial 2014 opens September 20
Featuring work from more international realism artists than ever before

(September 16, 2014) – America has enjoyed a long, rich history of Realist art from Colonial times to the present. The Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Contemporary Realism Biennial is an invitational and juried exhibition which highlights the strength and innovation of the most compelling trends in American and international realism. In the course of the history of art, a singular quest has commanded more artists’ attention than any other: to render the objects in our world with accuracy, dignity, and grace. We are proud to expand the discourse on this enduring tradition in presenting the 2014 installment of this dynamic contemporary exhibition, on display September 20-November 30.

Cheryl Kelley   Cadillac   oil on canvas

The art in this exhibition presents a vast range of ideas, approaches, styles, and subject matter. Some artists are building and expanding upon the legacies of Photorealism, Magic Realism, trompe l’oeil, and urban realism. Others strive to capture light and texture, or delve into the psychology of the situation or sitter. Several create fantastic and macabre narrations, but all strive to achieve the unthinkable with their technical skills in making realistic works of art.

Park Hyung Jin    SiHyun  oil on canvas

Only 34 works were juried in from more than 700 entries from around the country, and 22 works were selected by invitation from the world’s masters of realism. This year marks the first time when the number of invited artists rivals that of the juried artists, a decision made by FWMoA President and CEO Charles A. Shepard III that was meant to elevate the status of this exhibition as a showcase for not just emerging realists all over the country, but also for the powerhouses of realism in established circles. This hybrid of emerging and established artists presents a dynamic exhibition with a diversity of artistic perspectives.

 

Roberto Bernardi  Mary's Candy Pot   oil on canvas

The FWMoA will award prizes to outstanding exhibiting artists to be determined by prize juror Frank Bernarducci, Director and Partner of Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, a prominent SoHo gallery presenting the finest contemporary realist art including established and emerging artists of the genre. Prizes to invited artists will be chosen by Charles. A. Shepard III.

CRB2014 will be accompanied by a distinctive, full color exhibition catalogue designed by the premier designer Alan Nauts Program Director, Communication Arts and Graphic Design University of Saint Francis, School of Creative Arts, featuring the work of the invited artists and a selection of the juried artists. The exhibition will be celebrated at the Fall Party on October 10 from 6-9pm at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Entrance is $12 for guests/$5 for Members. Main Street Bistro will cater, and the Freak Brothers will perform. On October 2, Chief Curator Charles Shepard will lead a Director’s Tour at 12:15pm, offering his unique perspective as the visionary for the exhibition. For more information, please visit the Museum’s website at www.fwmoa.org. 

Exhibiting Artists:

Roberto Bernardi Hubert DeLartigue Robin Eley Zaria Forman Gabriele Grones Gus Heinze Park Hyung Jin Martin Janecky Cheryl Kelley Tom Martin Jack Mendenhall Edie Nadelhaft Adam Normandin Alyssa Monks Matthew Pierog Bernardo Torrens Doug Webb Daniel Adel Mary Jane Ansell Travis Michael Bailey Michael Banning Casey Baugh Mark Bush Matthew Cornell Nancy Depew Vincent Giarrano Takahiro Hara Richard Heisler K. Henderson Philip R. Jackson Steven Kenny Elaine Kurie LJ Lindhurst Bruce McCombs  Gregory Mortenson Dora Natella Jack C. Nixon Alaina M. Plowdrey Kari Rajkumar Julio Reyes Cesar Santander Dan Scott Daniel Sprick Sharon Sprung Denise Stewart-Sanabria Alexander Timofeev Melinda Whitmore Eric Zener Naijun Zhang

Installation at Pellissippi State, Blount County Campus, Friendsville, TN

Pellissippi State Community College
2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway
Friendsville, TN 37737

Pellissippi State: Blount County Campus hosts inaugural art exhibit

August 8, 2014 elsimpson

Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus presents its first art exhibit Aug. 18-Oct. 17, and the community is invited to enjoy the display.
The exhibit, “Quantum Confusion,” features the work of artist Denise Stewart-Sanabria. 
A public reception takes place 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. The art will be on display in the lobby of the campus, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., during normal business hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each weekday.

“‘Quantum Confusion’ involves the many theories given to the existence of parallel worlds, both in the disciplines of quantum physics and metaphysics. Whether any parts of these theories eventually prove to be true remains to be seen, but with further developments in the world of quantum physics, we are constantly reminded that the more we discover, the less we know,” Stewart-Sanabria said.

The exhibit will feature installations of large charcoal drawings on plywood that suggest the presence of portals, using existing walls and building spaces. Visitors and students will walk through the installation when they visit the Blount County Campus.
“We’re planning to use some of the architecture of the building and to reconstruct this exhibit so that the environment of parallel universes is actually in the college,” Stewart-Sanabria said.

Figures in the exhibit appear to be disappearing into and reappearing from alternate dimensions, as if they’ve not quite discovered what is happening to them. The sole alert figure in the exhibit is called “The Physicist,” who appears to study the other figures while holding a pencil and clipboard.

“Quantum Confusion” is one of the events that make up The Arts at Pellissippi State. The arts series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures, and the fine arts.
For more information about the exhibit, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts or contact the Blount County Campus at (865) 981-5300. To request accommodations for a disability, contact the executive director of Human Resources at (865) 694-6607 or humanresources@pstcc.edu.

Article credit the Pellissippi web site. My photos.

Pellissippi State/Blount Co. Campus Installation

This is going to be a reinvention of my piece "Quantum Confusion". It will be more like "Quantum Deconstruction". In all previous locations I have shown this work, it had two 4' x 8' sheets of plexiglas creating a Multi-verse situation where some of the 11 charcoal on plywood drawings would be split by the wall of plexi. In this version, I will use the entire entrance architecture of the main building to absorb and spit out my partial people, and the rest of the people will just be clueless and standing around. I'm bringing an additional person who will stand there photographing everything.

 

Official awesome poster designed by art dept. staff?

The reception is Sept. 25th 5-7 PM

Pellissippi State Blount County Campus

2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway
Friendsville, TN 37737

Three Upcoming Exhibits

 Group, Solo, Group

I've got three upcoming exhibits in the next few months. The first is a fun exhibit put on by the Art and Culture Alliance of Knoxville in the Emporium Center for the Arts, 100 Gay Street, "Then and Now". I've got 2 of my plywood pieces in it:

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Arts & Culture Alliance Presents “Then & Now” to Celebrate the Emporium’s Ten-Year Anniversary

(06/19/2014/Knoxville) – The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition entitled “Then & Now”, a celebration of the ten-year anniversary of the Emporium Center which reopened in July 2004 following renovations. “Then & Now” will host 24 regional artists with a unique display of artwork in a side-by-side format: a piece from “then” (at least ten years old) and a piece from “now” (created within the last two years). The exhibition includes acrylic, charcoal, clay, photography, woven works, sculptures, oil, pen & ink, watercolor, and more and will be displayed in the main gallery of the beautifully-restored Emporium Center at 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville’s downtown arts anchor location, from July 4-26, 2014. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, July 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by Qdoba Mexican Grill. The First Friday reception also features a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Black Box Theatre.

Artists featured in the exhibition include: Stephen Brayfield, Jason S. Brown, Victor Costantino, Bobbie Crews, Judi Gaston, Carl Gombert, Jessica Gregory, Annamaria Gundlach, Steve Hankal, Chriss Hardy, Hannah C. Holder, Kris Rehring Jones, Terri Jordan, Mary Lingen, Hali Maltsberger, Fritz Massaquoi, Roy McCullough, Kate McCullough, Clay Pardue, JoAnn Parsley, Elizabeth Porter, Ralph Shick, Denise Stewart-Sanabria, and Anika Toro.

The Emporium is free and open to the public. The exhibition hours are: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM; and (NEW!) Sundays, July 6 and July 20, 3:30-6:30 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Saturday, July 5. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

 

Here's the old piece from 2003: Couch Possums, charcoal on plywood, eyeglasses

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I've got a solo exhibit, "Quantum Reconstructed" in the rotunda entrance of the Blount County campus of Pellissippi State from August 18th - October 18th. It will feature a group of my figurative full-scale plywood drawings in an installation interacting with the space. Reception TBA.

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I also have plywood drawings going to the  Fort Wayne Museum of Art 2014 Contemporary Realism Biennial in Indiana:

September 20 – November 30, 2014

This national invitational and juried exhibition highlights the strength and innovation of America’s current trends in realism. We are proud to expand the discourse on this enduring tradition in presenting the 2014 installment of this dynamic contemporary exhibition. Although a seemingly narrow focus, the art in this exhibition presents a vast range of ideas, approaches, styles, and subject matter. Some artists are building and expanding upon the legacies of Photorealism, Magic Realism, trompe l’oeil, and urban realism. Others strive to capture light and texture, or delve into the psychology of the situation or sitter.

Exhibit Article in The Tennessean (the Nashville newspaper)

‘Culinary Drama’ spices up The Arts Company

MiChelle Jones, For The Tennessean; 2:48 a.m. CDT June 20, 2014

Knoxville-based artist Denise Stewart-Sanabria has a way with food. Her latest exhibition at The Arts Company includes several overhead views of fruit and produce — eggplants, mangoes, apples, etc. — painted in a way that makes them seem fresh, enticing and also a little mischievous.
“Culinary Drama” remains on view through June 28 and includes “Smashed Watermelon on Mid-Century Pink and Avocado Tile.” In this oil-on-wood painting, a round watermelon sits spilling its bright red guts, yet still wearing its produce label.
The pink and green tile also makes an appearance in “The Battle of Goo Goo Moon” (36 inches by 36 inches), oil on canvas. This painting shares the look of Stewart-Sanabria’s previously exhibited series of decadent doughnuts staged against black backgrounds.
Here, a white cake stand balanced on two empty Ball canning jars is topped with partially eaten Goo Goos and Moon Pies; a wrapper and smashed box (displaying its “Made in Nashville” claim) are also in the picture.
“Polished Key Limes” is a grid of 16 lime halves, some a little worse for the wear, as though they’ve already been squeezed into a beverage of some sort. All have been splattered with pink glitter nail polish.
The Arts Company is at 215 Fifth Ave. N. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For information call 615-254-2040 or go to theartscompany.com.

June Exhibit at The Arts Company/Nashville

Culinary Drama

June 2014

The Arts Company, 215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, Nashville, TN

615-254-2040

 Humans do things that amaze, entertain, and occasionally horrify Stewart-Sanabria. If she documented them literally, she would, according to her, probably have constant censorship issues. As a solution to this dilemma, she uses food as a stand in for humans, “figuring that not only would it be amusing, it could even be delicious!” Over the years, she has impaled maraschino cherries on nails, had pears enact Inquisition scenes, and encouraged donuts to enact the seven deadly sins and various fertility rites. This year’s exhibit will offer even more inventive perspectives!

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Below is a complete inventory of the exhibit. Battle of Goo Goo Moons, however, was pre-sold to the Tennessee State Museum, and has already been taken there for acquisition processing.

The Battle of Goo Goo Moon    oil on canvas  36” x 36”

Citric Levels    oil on canvas    48” x 60”   

Smashed Watermelon on Midcentury Pink and Avocado Tile oil on panel 30” x 40”

Flying Mangos of the Baroque Palace Ceiling   oil on canvas   40” x 60”

Hot, Smear & Melt   oil on canvas 36” x 48”

Surrounded by Eggplants  oil on canvas   2’ x 4’  

Observation    oil on canvas      3’ x 5’       

Mango Patterns    oil on canvas   21” x 28”   

Twisted Jimmies     oil on canvas    30” x 48” 

                            Binge and Purge  oil on linen  24”H x 48”W                      

Wet Strawberries    acrylic on canvas     4’ x 5’

Muscadines and Scupernogs Squared    oil on canvas  3' x 4'