THOS. MOSER CABINETMAKERS - MISSION CULTURAL CENTER

GIANT ROBOT

08.29.09

(with assistance from DeWitt Cheng)

Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers: Jill Keller-Peters - Prayers to the Sun.field, Kristine Mendoza, Susan Sims-Hillbrand, Constance Smith, Heidi Yount.

Comment by AB: Tasteful California plein-air landscapes and still life paintings by Jill Keller-Peters are the perfect complement to the fine furniture of Thomas Moser Cabinetmakers.

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Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts: Casper Banjo Memorial.

Review and images by DeWitt Cheng: Printmaker Casper Banjo was shot and killed by police in March of 2008 while purportedly brandishing a gun (or toy gun) at a shopping mall near his Oakland home. The sudden violent death of this seventy-one-year-old printmaker shocked the art community. This commemorative event features tributes by Banjo's friends and colleagues including curator Art Hazelwood, print dealer Lee Stone and music by the Gospel Angels, and most importantly, a retrospective show of the artist's vivid, powerful collages, screenprints, etchings, lithographs, monoprints, and embossed prints (made from printing plates of layered cardboard). Banjo studied at Laney College and the San Francisco Art Institute, and exhibited at The Studio Museum in Harlem, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian Institute.

Audience members as well as scheduled speakers remember Banjo. Curator Hazelwood is at left, pulling silkscreen prints depicting the artist. Tomye Neal-Madison (I believe, having arrived a bit late) emcees.

Collage with embossing, with Banjo's trademark brick wall, symbolizing racist barriers and the artist's tireless efforts to break through to freedom and knowledge.

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Giant Robot: Albert Reyes, Aiyana Udesen, and Matt Furie - Future Colors of America.

Comment by AB: A cornucopia of solo and collaborative works by Albert Reyes, Aiyana Udesen, and Matt Furie reference everything from current events and pop culture to big city life, animal matters, curious creatures and psychological predilections.

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