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Charles Leslie has spent the last 50 years showcasing and protecting queer art —and now his collection includes 30,000 pieces. Check out the latest episode of Legendary, hosted by @JMunozActor: pic.twitter.com/Hcybov7m56
“I spect I grow’d. Don’t think nobody ever made me.”
- Topsy from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Alison Saar's Grow’d sits majestically in L.A. Louver’s open-air Skyroom. Last night, I was privileged to chat with Ms. Saar about her life and work in front of her haunting bronze sculpture. Saar has reimagined Topsy as a strong, fully aware woman. The cotton bale that she sits on has become a throne. And the sickle in her hand has become a harbinger of justice to come. Cotton stalks tied to her hair float like a firmament of earthly stars.
Alison Saar Grow'd 2019 / cast bronze / 78 1/2 x 39 x 38 3/4 in. (199.4 x 99.1 x 98.4 cm) L.A. Louver - June 5, 2019 (photo by Gregg Chadwick)
In 2017-18, Saar created a body of artwork featured in a 2018 solo show at L.A. Louver centered around the character of Topsy. Saar's exhibition entitled Topsy Turvy dove headfirst into the legacy of slavery in America. Douglas Messerli wrote, " Topsy becomes a black heroine threatening patriarchal ideas and seriously challenging male privilege—in short setting the world, as the show’s title suggests, Topsy Turvy." Saar said to us last night at L.A. Louver that she considers Topsy Turvy an angry show. I replied - echoing Spike Lee's 1619 hat - "400 years of built up anger." In 1619 the first enslaved people stolen from Africa were brought to colonial Virginia. Saar's artwork digs into this painful American origin story and brings to light the literal skeletons buried in our soil. For Saar, her artwork summons the collected rage and frustration of our current time. Saar references poet and activist Audre Lorde:
“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. Racism and homophobia are real conditions of all our lives in this place and time… I urge each one of us here to reach down into that deep place of knowledge inside herself and touch that terror and loathing of any difference that lives here. See whose face it wears. Then the personal as the political can begin to illuminate all our choices.”
Saar said that she sees her latest sculpture Grow'd as a hopeful artwork that takes Topsy to a new place. The naïve enslaved girl has grown into a regal presence. She is now in control of her own destiny. Looking at Grow'd I am reminded of Tomi Adeyemi's recent novel Children of Blood and Bone. Shammara Lawrencein Teen Vogue describes Adeyemi's book as a "tale of triumph, that chronicles the journey of Zélie Adebola, a powerful young woman fighting to return magic to her people in the land of Orïsha after it was eradicated by a ruthless king, hell-bent on wiping them out completely." Both Zélie and Topsy fight back against injustice.
Alison Saar Grow'd 2019 / cast bronze / 78 1/2 x 39 x 38 3/4 in. (199.4 x 99.1 x 98.4 cm) L.A. Louver - June 5, 2019 (photo by Gregg Chadwick)
Saar in her artwork takes back forms and stories from African art that were appropriated by Picasso and his circle as they attempted to find a new path but remained trapped in their colonial history. In 2016, Saar's solo exhibit at L.A. Louver Silt, Soot and Smut struck a deep chord with art writer Christopher Knight. He wrote Saar "reminds us that European Modern art in the early 20th century is unthinkable without its profound, complex relationship to Africa. She brings artistic diaspora into play."
I agree with Christopher Knight that "Saar has been making exceptional work for quite some time. A full museum retrospective is overdue."
Alison Saar's Grow'd is on exhibit at L.A. Louver through June 8, 2019.
L.A. Louver
45 North Venice Boulevard
Venice, California 90291
T: 310.822.4955
F: 310.821.7529
info@lalouver.com
Alison Saar L.A. Louver - June 5, 2019 (photo by Gregg Chadwick)
100 years ago today: the U.S. Senate in 56-25 vote adopted what would become the 19th amendment
“The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” #19thAt100
On this day in 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Follow #19thAt100 to read on the complicated and complex history of the women's suffrage movement. #BecauseOfHerStorypic.twitter.com/Qc5FgNilh2
— National Portrait Gallery (@smithsoniannpg) June 4, 2019
On June 4, 1919, Congress passed the #19thAmendment, granting women the right to vote. African American women, however, still faced barriers exercising their right to vote. This could include waiting hours to register, facing violence, or taking new tests. #19thAt100pic.twitter.com/b3RhpehBr3
Gregg Chadwick
Love in Vain ('Frisco)
16"x20" oil on linen 2016
Tucson Train
Bruce Springsteen
I got so down and out in 'Frisco
Tired of the pills and the rain
I picked up, headed for the sunshine
I left a good thing behind
Seemed all of our love was in vain
My baby's coming in on the Tucson train
I come here looking for a new life
One I wouldn't have to explain
To that voice that keeps me awake at night
When a little peace would make everything right
If I could just turn off my brain
Now my baby's coming in on the Tucson train
We fought hard over nothing
We fought till nothing remained
I've carried that nothing for a long time
Now I carry my operator's license
And spend my days just running this crane
My baby's coming in on the Tucson train
Hard work'll clear your mind and body
The hard sun will burn out the pain
If they're looking for me, tell 'em buddy
I'm wailing down at the station
Just praying to the five-fifteen
I'll wait all God's creation
Just to show her a man can change
Now my baby's coming in on the Tucson train
On the Tucson train
On the Tucson train
Waiting on the five-fifteen
Here she comes
THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY VENICE ART WALK IS ON
TODAY MAY 19, 2019, RAIN OR SHINE
Don't let the passing inclement weather change your plans -- join us!
It may be raining right now, but the weather report says it will stop soon, just in time for the 40th anniversary Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction to open. And even if it doesn't, the silent auction is 100% indoors, which means you can view and bid on amazing contemporary art in dry comfort.
Come what may (and we predict sunshine), the music will be playing, the beer and wine will be flowing, the studio tours will be on, and the community celebration will be in full swing under tents to protect everyone from the elements. We just need you to make the day complete.
"We came down the day before and we went down to the Lower Ninth Ward and saw a lot of the devastation. Rock 'n' roll is at its best when there are high stakes on the table. That's when something much, much larger than yourself can happen. It's music that's meant to push up against things, whatever they may be: against troubles, against hard times. It's a lovely and fortuitous day to be able perform a small service for people… it's one of my favorites, one of the Top Five of my lifelong musical experiences."
-Bruce Springsteen
Gregg Chadwick Belle Ville (Katrina) 11"x11" oil on linen 2005
From writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) comes the inspirational drama “Blinded by the Light,” set to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s timeless songs.
“Blinded by the Light” tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra) a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of “the Boss,” Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen’s powerful lyrics.
As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.
Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park, “Blinded by the Light” is a joyful story of courage, love, hope, family and the unique ability of music to lift the human spirit.
Chadha directed and produced the film, which was written by Manzoor, Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. The story is underscored by the music and poetic lyrics of Springsteen, who gave Chadha his blessing from the film’s inception.
“Blinded by the Light” stars Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Aaron Phagura. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Sarfraz Manzoor, Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Jane Barclay, Chadha, and Jamal Daniel produced the film. Paul Mayeda Berges, Hannah Leader, Tory Metzger, Tracy Nurse, Stephen Spence, Peter Touche, and Renee Witt served as executive producers.
Chadha’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Ben Smithard, production designer Nick Ellis, editor Justin Krish, and costume designer Annie Hardinge.
The original score music is by A.R. Rahman. A presentation of New Line Cinema, “Blinded by the Light” is slated for release on August 14, 2019 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The inspiration for the smash Sundance hit, soon to be a major motion picture, “Blinded by the Light”: The acclaimed memoir about the power of Bruce Springsteen’s music on a young Pakistani boy growing up in Britain in the 1970s.
by Gregg Chadwick “This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements. It's a jewel box of a record." - Bruce Springsteen
Gregg Chadwick Las Piedras del Cielo
16"x20" oil on linen 2010
Under blue skies on a California Spring day, I am listening to Bruce Springsteen's new song Hello Sunshine from his forthcoming album Western Stars. It is a country tinged song reminiscent of Harry Nilsson's Everybody's Talkin' from the movie, Midnight Cowboy.
Over the years I have driven thousands of miles under wide open skies across the American west. Scanning the radio dial as I drove, I was searching for the sound of the western road. Today I found that cinematic sound in Springsteen's new work. A rhythmic wash like a distant train running in the distance underlies the song. Pedal steel brings us into the west and the strings add a wide open sonic vista. Bruce's vocals are world weary but not defeated.
"Hello Sunshine" and an accompanying video will be released just after midnight ET tonight - April 25, 2019. You can listen to the song now on E Street Radio - Link here.
Hello Sunshine
Had enough of heartbreak and pain
I had a little sweet spot for the rain
For the rain and skies of gray
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
You know I always liked my walking shoes
But you can get a little too fond of the blues
You walk too far, you walk away
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
You know I always loved a lonely town
Those empty streets, no one around
You fall in love with lonely, you end up that way
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
You know I always liked that empty road
No place to be and miles to go
But miles to go is miles away
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
And miles to go is miles away
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
Hello sunshine, won't you stay
Hello sunshine
℗ 2019 Bruce Springsteen
Released on: 2019-04-26
Drums: Matt Chamberlain
Steel Guitar: Marc Muller
Conductor: Rob Mathes
Other: Sandy Park
Violin: Lisa Kim
Violin: Hyunju Lee
Violin: Joanna Maurer
Violin: Sharon Yamada
Violin: Annaliesa Place
Violin: Suzanne Ornstein
Violin: Liz Lim
Violin: Jung Sun Yoo
Violin: Emily Popham
Viola: Robert Rinehart
Viola: Vivek Kamath
Viola: Desiree Elsevier
Cello: Alan Stepansky
Cello: Nathan Vickery
Engineer, Producer: Ron Aniello
Engineer: Rob Lebret
Engineer: Ross Petersen
Engineer: Toby Scott
Mixing Engineer: Tom Elmhirst
Assistant Engineer: Joe Visciano
Mastering Engineer: Bob Ludwig
Bruce Springsteen’s new studio album Western Stars takes his music to the American West, drawing inspiration in part from the Southern California pop records of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The 13 tracks of Western Stars encompass a sweeping range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope. The album was recorded primarily at Springsteen’s home studio in New Jersey, with additional recording in California and New York. Ron Aniello produced the album with Springsteen and plays bass, keyboard, and other instruments. Patti Scialfa provides vocals and contributes vocal arrangements on four tracks. The musical arrangements include strings, horns, pedal steel and contributions from more than 20 other players including Jon Brion (who plays celeste, Moog, and farfisa), as well as guest appearances by David Sancious, Charlie Giordano, and Soozie Tyrell. The album was mixed by Tom Elmhirst.
Columbia Records will release Springsteen’s 19th studio album on June 14. Western Stars will be available for pre-order on Friday, April 26.
Gregg Chadwick Rio Grande 30"x40" oil on linen 2015
Under blue skies on a California Spring day, I am listening to Bruce Springsteen's new song Hello Sunshine from his forthcoming album Western Stars. It is a country tinged song reminiscent of Harry Nilsson's Everybody's Talkin' from the movie, Midnight Cowboy.
Over the years I have driven thousands of miles under wide open skies across the American west. Scanning the radio dial as I drove, I was searching for the sound of the western road. Today I found that cinematic sound in Springsteen's new song. A rhythmic wash like a distant train running in the distance underlies Hello Sunshine. Pedal steel brings us into the west and the strings add a wide open sonic vista. Bruce's vocals are world weary but not defeated.
Last September I ventured solo from Southern California to Chicago for a show of my artwork at The Other Art Fair in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The 2,000 mile drive took me across the western desert scapes of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Western Colorado. The espresso fueled hours brought back memories of cross country trips with my family when I was a kid. At night under western stars, my dad drove with the window open to keep him alert. My brother and I would scan the license plates on the trucks and autos around us, hoping to get all 50. The rushing sounds of wind and tires on the road muted my parent's conversation to a sort of road trip lullaby. I looked out the window as if I was in a movie. Each passing place, every passing car played a role in our family film. We drove from coast to coast - California to New Jersey and back. The last miles were always the most exciting. Driving up the New Jersey turnpike we could feel the power of Manhattan reaching out across the Hudson river. And on the return journey to California, we could see the glow of L.A. on the horizon as we grew close to home.
Years later when I got out of college, the wanderlust remained. On nights when I didn't have to work the next day, I would take my car out on the road and drive hundreds of miles into the desert and back. As the pink light of sunrise glowed around me I would pull my car in back home. With the engine off, the car would lightly rumble like a horse after a run. I would pick up the morning paper from the driveway. I could taste fresh coffee already.
Gregg Chadwick Road Movie 48"x48" oil on linen 2013
