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We are living in tumultuous times... in our personal lives, at home in the United States and internationally. Art Center Ukiah has chosen the month of August to celebrate the brave souls who step up to speak their truth, fight for freedom and call out injustices. There are also ideas, movements and organizations that make a difference to promote freedom on countless levels. 

 

Artists were asked, "What does freedom look like to you? Who or what inspires you?" The hope is to inspire a wide variety of people to share their perspective on the concept of freedom. A couple of Ukiah artists have stepped up already to share their responses... Bobby Brumback and Amanda Garcia.

 

This will be the third time that mosaic artist Bobby Brumback has entered an ACU show. "It's a 'this year phenomenon," he says with a laugh, "because it just happens that some of my pieces work with the themes."

 

"I've just completed the piece that I'm entering in this show," Bobby says. "It's a Ukrainian flag done in pastel colors, which are faded from all the hard wear and tragedy of the past years. When I saw the colors coming together I got the idea about how it could represent the Ukrainian flag, though it was originally planned to be an image of the Anza-Borrego desert. There is a dividing line between the blue and the yellow areas, which I was planning to make with ordinary brown tiles, but I substituted a row of palm trees made of shotgun shells. I think they represent the rights and freedoms that are being eroded in Ukraine. The shells are a good punch about the horror of the war in Ukraine."

 

Bobby does not shy away from making a strong statement through his art. "Art is supposed to be provocative and make you question things and feel things," he says. "That's what art is for. It's supposed to be visceral."

 

Painter Amanda Garcia also has a strong statement, but hers is about the freedom to show vulnerability and make personal growth. "It's my first time to enter anything in a show," she explains. "I'm being vulnerable now to let people see my art for the very first time. Every piece feels like one of my children... all full of memories and emotions."

 

Amanda continues, "I lost my grandmother recently, and she was a person who really inspired me to do art. She was the person who believed in me. She was 100% Pomo from Point Arena and Manchester, and she instilled in me a desire to get to know my roots. I wish I had learned more about the Pomo culture while she was still alive, but now I'm inspired to dig deep and be the person she believed in."

 

"All of the art I did during the Covid quarantine is about my pain and emotions," Amanda explains. "Art is what I did through most of the quarantine. I look at my pieces now and understand them. I lost my sister through suicide during that time, and a lot of my artwork is dealing with my own mental health and using my painting as an outlet. And the fact that I work at a homeless shelter doesn't make me any different from anyone else. I deal with hard stuff just like the people at the shelter do, and I share my story about my sister with the guests. You can use artwork to communicate when words fail."

 

Amanda has created an image of a bird for this show. "I got the idea from one of the guests at Building Bridges," she says. "The gentleman handed me a sticker and asked me to paint it. When I showed it to him he was in awe. It was my first animal, and I'm proud that I was able to let go and paint it. A bird represents connecting with your group and knowing you are part of a community... even when you have lost someone important. The bird also represents the independence and freedom of leaving the nest and starting your journey on you own, which is what I am blessed to be doing now."

 

The First Friday opening for 'The Face of Freedom' will be on August 1 from 5-8pm. Live music will be presented throughout the evening by Steve Winkle. Art Center Ukiah is located in the rear of the Corner Gallery at 201 S State Street in Ukiah.