In his original request for artists proposals for inclusion in the Artists’ Balls show, curator Hugh Margerum said, “as we all know, whether you are male or female, it takes balls to make art…”
The resulting show encompasses that sentiment and extends in the case of the nine participating artists to a broad interpretation of the ball theme in paintings, drawings, sculpture and wall pieces.
The Artists’ Balls idea came about as a result of a conversation between artists. The original idea for the show was to exhibit balls that artists had collected; it seems as though many artists have amassed a personal collection of a variety of spherical found objects from a wide variety of sources.
The concept evolved beyond simply showing balls from artists’ collections to selecting a group of artists who would direct their creative energies to creating work on the broader ball theme, basing their work for this show on their interpretation of “balls” that would include biological balls, conceptual balls, sport balls, gum balls, game balls, sculptural orbs and other spherical interpretations.
In addition to Ann Diener, Julia Ford, Carlos Grano, Colin Gray, Hugh Margerum, Giuliana Mottin, Keith Puccinelli, Tom Stanley and Dug Uyesaka, the selected artists for the main show, dozens of other artists will be showing pieces they have created especially for a fundraiser aspect of the show called the “Ball Wall.”
Artists in the community were provided a plastic sphere as a blank canvas (donated from the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.) to artistically transform by painting, drilling, collaging, puncturing, filling or any other creative manipulations.
The resulting pieces will be exhibited on the “Ball Wall” and will be for sale for $100 to benefit The Arts Fund. If you are an artist interested in submitting a ball, please contact the Arts Fund prior to Dec. 4, 2015!
A public reception will be held in the gallery from 5 – 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, during the Funk Zone Art Walk.
There will be an after party at Shalhoob’s new “Ball Room” just around the corner at 220 Gray Avenue from 8 – 11 p.m., including music by DJ Fab, a planetary installation by Mathew McAvene and video projections by Nancy Gifford.
Tickets may be purchased at the door for $20, cash only. Tickets include ball-themed food by Chef Pete Clements and one complimentary glass of wine or beer.
The exhibition will be held at The Arts Fund Gallery, located at 205-C Santa Barbara Street, and will be on view through Jan. 30, 2016.
Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12 – 5 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
— The Arts Fund’s mission is to create, fund and administer programs that foster the arts for the people of Santa Barbara County, to maximize the effectiveness of arts resources and to nurture collaborative relationships between arts organizations.