2022 Left Coast Annual Exhibition in Pacifica (April 8 – May 15)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

2022 Left Coast Annual at Sanchez Art Center

The 2022 Left Coast Annual Exhibition on view from April 8 through May 15, at Sanchez Art Center brings a dynamic mix of contemporary art to the Bay Area to stimulate the mind through the stories that are being told and techniques used to create the pieces. This year’s juror, Jeff Nathanson, Executive Director and Art Curator, Sonoma County Museum, had the daunting task of selecting approximately 50 pieces in all fine arts media from over 1000 entries submitted by artists on the left coast (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Nathanson noted, “the job was made even more difficult as the overall quality of the submitted work was truly impressive.” Nathanson, as a curator, is concerned with socio-political content, the environment, personal expression, and innovation. His choices as the juror for the show incorporated these themes and were made with an eye for a harmony between mediums, subject matter, materials, scale, personal statements, and topical content.

Here are just a few glimpses into the show: Ric Ambrose’s State of Perpetual Indulgence, a large-scale elongated work in graphite is a composed scene “stitched together” from several images, allowing the viewer to experience the whole environment, as well as its parts, as they move along the length of the panorama. Intrigued by research showing trees communicate with each other through their root systems, Dotti Cichon manipulated the color in photographs and then printed them on fabric for her piece Ghost Trees, with a goal to use her art to draw attention to issues of deforestation. In a video piece, Memory Care… the long goodbye, Catherine Forster probes both the loss of self and the loss of a loved one from mental health challenges or the ravages of age. Lidia Hasenauer’s work Jaded Justice, in oil, presents an allegory of justice that questions non-partial judgment. Delving into the darker side of social media and big tech, Stacey Gregory’s assemblage of scrap computer parts tech, tech, tech BOOM illustrates the influence of big tech on San Francisco and questions the grip technology has on society. Evolving Evidence, cone 5 sculptural ceramic clay, created by Charles Stewart, reflects his interest in life forms and expresses the metamorphosis from one being or thing into another one.

Don’t miss the Juror’s Talk on Zoom at 3:00 pm on Saturday, April 23. Juror Jeff Nathanson will talk about his experience, and the artists in the show will take part in a virtual Gallery Walk. A link to pre-register for the talk will be available on the Sanchez Art Center website and via emails. The 2022 Left Coast Annual will also be available to browse online in the Sanchez Art Center virtual gallery before and after the talk.

In the East Gallery, Lily Glass and Mary Mocas, the two artists chosen for exhibition awards by 2021 Left Coast Annual juror Christine Koppes, then Curator and Director of Public Programs at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José, will present their works.

Lily Glass shares work in, First You are Mothered, seeking to explore the individual and collective value that we place on the work of caring. Gridded photographs alongside methodically crafted ceramic pieces echo the unceasing rhythms of care. The viewer is invited to witness the work that is done largely behind closed doors — either because it is impossible to measure or perhaps because in meeting the physical needs of another we are confronted with our own mortality and limitations —and given the opportunity to remember the care they have given and received. Lily Glass recently returned to the fine art world after a decade working in commercial photography. With a Bachelor of Arts in both Photography and Ceramics, her practice explores the deep spiritual connection between the feminine experience and the natural world. Her works have appeared in publications including “Where I Go”, Mother Tongue, 2021, “Put Down Roots” All Good Things, 2021, “Gatherings” Hearth, 2014, and “The Perfect Match” Ceramics Monthly 2009. Her fine art prints are included in private collections across the United States. For additional information: lilyglassphotography.com

The Space We Hold, couples sculptural forms and paintings by Mary Mocas. Collectively the works build a dialogue between body and landscape. Reflecting on a quote by Caelan Reeves TEDxYouth@JCP, that “For almost of our entire lives, women are surrounded by a pressure to take up as little space as possible, be that with our body or voice or ideas,” Mocas highlights psychological territory and holds space for all of us to contemplate where and how we hold space. Her sculptures in the exhibition are physical stand-ins for the actual women who were asked to use their bodies to create the artworks. Made of medical grade foam impressed by the bodies of friends and fellow artists, the casts were then covered with collaged fragments of found paper, fabric, leather, paint and words/phrases. By challenging the way women are represented, the feminine body no longer becomes the object of a dominant fantasy; these sculptures become a memorial, extracting the impression of the body, and also pointing to the absence of the body that created the artwork. The mixed media paintings depicting abstracted landscapes represent our challenged environment. Alluding to sky and ground they articulate neither specifically. The paintings use a similar collage method as the sculptures, reframing disparate discarded objects and materials to create the sense of landscape. Mary Mocas received her BA from Marietta College and received her MFA from California College of the Arts. She has exhibited extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work is represented in numerous private collections and in the public collection of Visa International. For more about the artist: marymocas.com

Both the 2021 Left Coast Annual and the LCA Awards Show open Friday, April 8, with an evening reception from 7-9 pm, with live music by Blue Jazz. After opening night, general gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm. The concurrent exhibitions run through Sunday, May 15.

Upcoming: The galleries will be open to ticketed guests only for one weekend (Fri April 29—Sun May 1) during the run of the Left Coast Annual for a fundraiser supporting Sanchez Art Center. Art x Nature x Art, pairing natural floral designs inspired by art in the show, will be on display along with live music each day. Tickets ($25.00 in advance) for this celebration of spring and art are available on Eventbrite.

Additionally, many Sanchez Art Center artists will be participating in Silicon Valley Open Studios coastside weekend on Sat May 7 and Sun May 8.

Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Boulevard in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. For more information, visit www.SanchezArtCenter.org or email info@sanchezartcenter.org.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.