Join us tonight in the James Gallery for the opening reception of Left Coast: California Political Art!

Curated by Nadiah Fellah, GC Art History student and Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, Left Coast includes artworks from the 1980s to the present that focus on the spirit of protest and resistance, which has come to be synonymous with the West Coast in recent years. The title of the exhibition takes its name from a playful moniker for the left-wing politics associated with California, a place that curator and art historian Peter Selz has referred to as “America’s edge.” By exploring how the roles of these artists cross into the realm of activism, the show brings to the fore timely political tensions and social movements that are unfolding across the country.

The exhibition will feature sculptures, drawings, paintings, video and prints by several contemporary artists currently working in California, as well as newly commissioned works by Los Angeles-based artist Andrew Schoultz, the Bay Area-based mural collective Precita Eyes Mural Collective, and the international artist collective Futurefarmers, founded by San Francisco artist Amy Franceschini. Also included in the presentation are works by artists Judith F. Baca, Evan Bissell, Libby Black, Enrique Chagoya, Bruce Conner, Estudio Teddy Cruz with Fonna Forman, Jennifer Moon, PERSIA and DADDIE$ PLA$TIK, Lari Pittman, Rigo 23, Favianna Rodriguez, Martin Wong, and Imin Yeh.

More information, including related programming, is available on the Center for Humanities website.

Left Coast: California Political Art is cosponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the PhD Program in Art History, and the Public Science Project, The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Special thanks to exhibition lenders: George Adams Gallery, Commonwealth & Council, The Conner Family Trust and Paula Cooper Gallery, Durón Family Collection, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Barbara Gladstone Gallery,  Interference Archive, Joshua Liner Gallery, and P.P.O.W. Gallery.