23 Aug Brand 49 Opens September 11
Brand 49 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper
Juried by Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG)
Sponsored by Brand Associates in cooperation with Brand Library & Art Center
On view September 12 – October 29, 2021
Invitation-only Paper preView Reception: September 11, 6-7pm
Public Opening Reception: September 11, 2021, 7:00pm – 9:30pm*
Brand Library & Art Center
1601 West Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91201
*Note that due to the changing COVID-19 situation, we will closely follow City and County guidelines regarding in-person events. Updates will be made as required closer to the event.
Brand Associates in partnership with Brand Library & Art Center, is pleased to announce the opening of Brand 49 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, on view from September 11 through October 29, 2021. The exhibition includes 125 artworks chosen from 1200+ submissions selected by juror Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG) in Los Angeles.The exhibition will be presented both in person and online. A complete catalog will be available virtually for free and there will be a grid presentation of all artworks. In addition, a printed catalog for sale will accompany the exhibition.
The Brand Associates recognized the toll that the last year has taken on artists around the country and know that artists now more than ever want an opportunity for their work to be seen and celebrated. This year, financial barriers to Brand 49 were removed with entrance fees that were greatly reduced and, if necessary, waived completely.
As the country continues to reckon with a public health crisis and deeply ingrained racial injustice, artists responded to the Brand 49 call with bold creative works grappling with current events and our collective social questioning. As Brand Associates president Debra Thompson remarked:
“Artists from around the country responded with enthusiasm to our call for artists and this year we will have a record-setting 125 artworks on display. Once again, we will have artworks in a wide variety of paper-based media with content ranging from the intimate and personal to the expansive and political. Returning to the Brand Gallery with a physical exhibition is something for which we had been hoping and planning. Brand 49 will be a great opportunity to join together in celebration of artists and art.”
The works on paper featured in Brand 49 have an astounding range and intimacy on the page and in virtual space. Prizes totalling $4,700 will be awarded to six works in the show, including the Juror’s award selected by Muro, the Jane Friend award, the Robert Brown award, and three Brand Associates awards selected by the Board of Brand Associates. These awards will be announced in the September 11th opening event. As juror Marvella Muro, the Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG) remarked about the selection process:
“Jurying Brand 49 has been both an honor and one of the most challenging tasks I’ve accepted. We received an astounding number of submissions, each unique in style, medium, and theme. Despite these differences, the artists’ need to create and express themselves during a dark period is a linear thread that connects this group beyond the exceptional work on or made of paper.”
The artwork in Brand 49 is available for sale.
ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION
The Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper has been organized and sponsored by Brand Associates since 1971 in cooperation with the City of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department. It is one of the region’s most prestigious juried shows, drawing entries from across the country. Over the years the exhibition has evolved to include an increasingly diverse array of three-dimensional artworks as well as an expanding range of approaches to the two-dimensional paper surface. Exhibition chairperson, Debra Thompson, is the President of Brand Associates and an adjunct Assistant Professor of Art History at Glendale Community College. This year’s juror Marvella Muro joins a distinguished roster of jurors who have given their time, energy and expertise over the 49 years this exhibition has been mounted. Included among these artists, gallerists, curators, and educators are Dan McCleary (2020), Alma Ruiz (2019), Edward Goldman (2018), Leslie Jones (2017), Jack Rutberg (2014), Peter Frank (2011), Lita Albuquerque (2007), Ruth Weisberg (1985) and Millard Sheets (1979) among many other prominent arts professionals.
ABOUT THE JUROR
Brand 49 welcomes Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG) in Los Angeles, as this year’s juror. From its inception in 1973, Self Help Graphics (a 501(c)3 non-profit) has been nationally known for functioning at the intersection of the arts and social justice. Providing a home that fosters the creativity and development of local artists, it is the pre-eminent center for Latinx printmaking and a resource for young and emerging artists. Muro oversees and implements exhibitions at SHG and since 2019 has been overseeing the Artist Lab and Artist in Residence programs with specific interest in creating multidisciplinary approaches and community engagement. Prior to joining SHG, Muro was the Community Engagement Manager at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), developing and executing art programs with community partners and artists in Compton, North Hollywood, and East Los Angeles. She also functioned as a curatorial assistant at LACMA and as Executive Assistant and project manager at USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Muro has a B.A. in Art History from Cal State University, Fullerton, and an M.A. in Arts Management from Goucher College in Maryland.
Left to right: William Ner, Environmentally Friendly, 2020, graphite on paper, 30″ x 22″ x 1″; Laura Klopfenstein, blunt, 2021, collage, acrylic and graphite on paper, 12″ x 18″ x .05″; Martin Beck, Study For a Boxer 2, 2020, mixed media on prepared paper, 42″ x 29.50″ x 0″ All images courtesy of the artists.