Chromatic by Linda Behar showing at Product 81 in Miami

Fordistas & StArt present - Chromatic by Linda Bahar

Explorations of modern standards of beauty, society and the individual’s sense of self.

Linda Behar is a Venezuelan artist who’s lived, worked and studied in the United States for nearly twenty years. Originally trained as a civil engineer, her interest in art led her to attend the Academia Taller Art y Fuego in Caracas where she studied glass casting and pate de verre. She continued studying new materials and methods at Florida Atlantic University where she received a Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis on printmaking. Her current work integrates new technologies and traditional printmaking techniques, specifically woodblock printing. Behar has exhibited internationally, received numerous awards and has been a dedicated teacher in Venezuela as well as at the University of Miami, and Florida Atlantic University. ​

Behar’s work focuses on the modern standards of beauty placed on the female body and seeks to bring forward the contradictions between expectations and the individual’s sense of self. In Maccabees, she aims to create images that echo the past while embracing the future and empower women to fight for their rights in society. She used the concept of paper dolls as medium of culture and social expectation to question the representation of women’s bodies and gender identities throughout history.​

In her collaborative work entitled Chromatic, Behar invites over 300 women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures to participate in a project inspired by the complex geometric patterns of modern coloring books to explore gender identity throughout history and body language as it relates to gender norms. The black and white prints use traditional art nouveau iconography to represent confident nude women in through-provoking poses.

Library staff collaborated with this artist and we all contributed by coloring one of her prints. It is really exciting to see her work grow and this project take on a life of its own. Linda is a great artist. She was kind enough to present a printmaking demo to our students and we enjoy following her projects and exhibitions.

If you are in the MIami area stop by the show

Student work on display in the library

We have two classes exhibiting student work in the library:

CRN 36293:  Honors Audubon’s Nature

                 Professors: Dr. Jon Moore & Dorothea Lemeh

Here are a few of the great student works on display. Come by to see them all!

Christopher Tepetitlan

Rock Dove foot and Sharp-skinned Hawk Head

Graphite on paper

Daniel Wu

Cardinal Feather

Graphite on paper

Calren Wang

Beautyberry Bush

Colored pencil

Daniel Rico-Madrazo

Zebra Longwing and Mockingbird

Mixed media

Kia Taylor-Riccio

Juvenile Coconit Palm

Craphite and colored pencil

Natalia Centifanti

Untitled 

Copic marker on paper

Sarah Stamos

Queen Angelfish

Watercolor and ink

The second class is ART 122C: Design and Color Phenom

                                Professor: Sibel Kocabasi

Here is a small sampling of the student work.

Product 81 Curatorial Lab with IHP

IHP Curatorial Lab (a project of FAU libraries) held a Curatorial discussion at Product 81/Creative Lab on April 7, 2017 [located at 2930 NW 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33127].

IHP Curatorial Lab holds informal gatherings at artist studios, galleries and museums to facilitate dialog relating to contemporary art practices. By gathering a group of professionals from different disciplines; the conversations act as a visual learning lab and facilitator to understanding current art practices; how curators or museum administrators view artists and work; and more importantly how the public interprets what creatives do.

Our discussions are meant to promote cross-sector dialogue about the arts; but also how we as artists and cultural curators can contribute to solving societal problems. Each Roundtable focuses on a specific topic or artist. This meeting focused on the solo show by artis Birds are Nice. The lead topic was environmental art. Other topics included activist art, Didacticism in this genre of art, as well as the commercialisation of art. 

Attendees included:

IHP officers: Diane Arrieta, Dana Donaty , Gianinna Dwin, Sibel Kocabasi

Product 81 Arts program coordinator, Karina Hayes Blakeley, Miami, FL

Elisa Medrano, Relationship mangaer with CIC Miami.

Artists Maria Martinez-Canas, Mary Ellen Scherl and Alessandrl Mondolfi

Art historian Mary Jo Aagerstoun

Below are a few images from the gathering. As you can see the topic stirred some emotion and as always a sense of fun and community.

[The Birds are Nice exhibition was part of the Wayne Ackers Ford #stART program.

What Happens in the Forest...

START ARTIST BIRDS ARE NICE TO EXHIBIT AT FORDISTAS GALLERY IN WYNWOOD: WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FOREST DOESN’T STAY IN THE FOREST

WESTPALM BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 10, 2017: StArt artist Birds Are Nice has been selected to exhibit at the #Fordistas Gallery on March 11th, during Wynwood Art Walk.

StArt is Wayne Akers Ford’s cultural initiative with a threefold, interconnected mission: help local artists thrive, inspire the Palm Beach area and benefit important philanthropic causes. The program invites local promising artists to showcase their work in an unexpected format, on the walls of an automotive dealership, and donates a portion of all artwork sold to one of three charities: Autism Speaks, Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Birds Are Nice was a StArt exhibiting artist for the program’s gallery night last winter; her thought provoking work is currently on the walls of Wayne Akers Ford. Birds are Nice employs a nonchalant use of stripped down schematic characteristics from 21st century cartoons and animation. This, together with the application to her paintings’ surfaces of ambiguous symbolic phrases and shapes, serve to intensify the curiosity of the viewer regarding the density of meaning implied in the term syncretism.

In her new exhibition What happens in the forest doesn’t stay in the forest, she explores the plight of animals and ecosystems in their struggle with humans. The artist delves into the real dilemmas affecting our basic health and wellbeing as a result of living off of a consumer based, human-centric treatment of the planet for decades. Her artwork highlights endangered, vulnerable species that are struggling to survive.

The exhibit will integrate with GALT is coming, a special evening previewing music and visual art from local nonprofit Miami Piano Circle’s show, GALT. The stunning musical representation of Ayn Rand’s 1957 groundbreaking novel Atlas Shrugged will be a an immersive experience in musical and visual storytelling.

Fordistas is a program with roots embedded deeply in South Florida culture, namely the arts. It has commissioned, hosted and supported resident artists and initiatives that enhance the community.

Join us for an evening of drinks, food, original art and a live music performance. Join us for an evening of drinks, food, original art and a live music performance. For more information, visit us here.

For media inquiries, please contact Nicole Cornella at nicole@kiphuntermarketing.com at Kip Hunter Marketing (954-765- 1329).

#Fordistas presents Birds Are Nice, What happens in the forest doesn’t stay in the forest.

March 11, 2017

7-11pm

The #Fordistas Gallery

2930 NW 7th Ave.

Miami 33127

About Fordistas

The Fordistas program is a platform for emerging arts and culture focused on nurturing and elevating homegrown talent. Powered by South Florida Ford, the platform has taken many shapes over the years adapting to artists and their evolving media. From street art to fine art, the culinary to the immersive, Fordistas has disrupted the flow of what has now become the South Florida arts and culture scene. To learn more visit www.fordistas.com. #Fordistas

About Wayne Akers Ford

Wayne Akers Ford, an automotive dealership based in Lake Worth, Florida, sells new and preowned vehicles. The company provides auto financing for personal and business needs, as well as full service and heavy truck repairs. For more information regarding Wayne Akers Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://www.WayneAkersFord.com

Fordistas Gallery Artist Roundtable

IHP Curatorial Lab (a project of FAU libraries) held an artist roundtable at the Fordistas Gallery/Product 81 space [powered by South Florida Ford] on Friday, August 12^th, 2016. The gallery is located at 2930 NW 7TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FL 33127 in the Wynwood Arts District.

IHP Curatorial Lab holds monthly roundtable gatherings at artist studios, galleries and museums to facilitate dialog relating to contemporary art practices. By gathering a group of professionals from different disciplines; the conversations act as a visual learning lab and facilitator to understanding current art practices; how curators or museum administrators view artists and work; and more importantly how the public interprets what creatives do.

Our roundtable discussions are meant to promote cross-sector dialogue about the arts; but also how we as artists and cultural curators can contribute to solving societal problems. Each Roundtable focuses on a specific topic or artist. This meeting focused on the solo show [Reality Check] by artist Dana Donaty at the Fordistas Gallery. It is on view through September 9th, Monday -Thursday 10am-5pm.

Attendees included:

IHP officers: Diane Arrieta, Dana Donaty & Sibel Kocabasi

Fordista/Product 81 staff: Karina Hayes Blakeley, Cristina Ramos, Joel Fernandez, Guillermo Arias Ramiraez [Memo Arias], David Turk

Bakehouse Artists: (Dana Donaty), Troy Simmons, Jenna Efrein

Andrienne Chadwick, Deputy Director of Education at the Perez Museum of Art; 

Carmenza Ortiz, art agent; Clara Vanessa Avalo, Uninhibited Urban Magazine; Heather Davis, Special Events Coordinator [along with her lovely mother]; and Gary James Fitzsimmons, Streamline real estate associate MB.

[All images copyright of Dana Donaty].