Urban Gallery highlights community strengths
ASU’s College of Public Programs will celebrate the positive impacts of community partnership at the 5th Annual Urban Gallery Exhibition from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., April 2, at University Center, 411 N. Central Ave.
This free exhibit is part of Artlink’s First Friday and will feature four new art collections, with more than 600 multimedia pieces on display from ASU Emeritus faculty, nonprofit community organizations and artists, students of Barrett, the Honors College, and South Mountain High School students in Phoenix. Live music will be featured on two stages, along with dancers and interactive art demonstrations. Many artists and nonprofit groups will be on hand to discuss their work.
“The Urban Gallery Exhibition provides a unique opportunity to meet and engage with people working toward the improvement of social, economic and educational needs of Phoenix,” said Debra Friedman, university vice president and dean of the College of Public Programs at the Downtown Phoenix campus. “These talented artists and community nonprofits are working together to use art to tell their stories of social change.”
Among the new collections this year is “Community Cohesions: Barriers, Bridges and Bonds,” designed to emphasize the ways positive and negative influences can change communities. Featured Phoenix artists include Junjie Verzosa, Derrick Kempf, Joseph “Sentrock” Perez, Carolina Parra and Lisa Jacobs.
Other new art collections include works from students of Barrett and an exhibit by Carol Francine Swagel called “Metamorphosis” in the Information Commons.
Artwork in the “For Our Eyes” collection shares viewpoints from nonprofits in the Phoenix community and the people they serve. Another collection showcases the talent of ASU Emeritus professors, including Mark Reader, John Aguilar and influential artist and educator Eugene Grigsby, Jr.
Diverse music, poetry, dance performances and interactive art demonstrations will be provided by ASU, community organizations and sponsors.
The 5th Annual Urban Gallery Exhibition is an Artlink shuttle stop, and has been planned in coordination with the Roosevelt Row block party.
More than 30 community partners of ASU’s College of Public Programs will use the arts to showcase their mission and strengthen shared community ties. This includes Young Life College, Tanner Community Development Corp., Arizona Lost Boys Center, Cultural Arts Coalition, the Rag Collection, Conspire Phoenix and Spraygraphic.
The exhibition is among the highlights of a daylong community event, “Action, Advocacy and Arts,” focusing on the power of community at the Downtown Phoenix campus.
For information about the exhibit, visit http://copp.asu.edu/aaa or contact ASU community liaison Malissa Geer at malissa.geer@asu.edu.
High-resolution photos of examples of the exhibit are available at: http://copp.asu.edu/aaa