CURA Art presents: It’s My House!
A celebration of collecting creativity
Porch Gallery, Ojai, CA 93023
January 13 to March 21 2022
CURA Art, in collaboration with Porch Gallery, invites you to It’s My House!, a collective space and exhibition celebrating the role of collectors in their embrace and support of creativity. This immersive installation-exhibition utilizes the building’s former life as a domestic space and creates a united “house” and cultural hub for inspiration, debate and sanctuary, surrounded by the joy that artistry brings.
Humans have collected objects throughout our existence as functional apparatus, for the pursuit of knowledge, as status symbols, and to surround ourselves with beauty, but also as sentimental mementos and to feel a part of the wider human experience through the creative skill of others. The objects in our homes reflect our personality, interests and storytelling about our lives, selected and positioned with intent.
It’s My House! reflects a new era of collecting with purpose, with an emphasis on preserving artistic legacy and acknowledgement of the wider role of the collector in the promotion and support of both emerging and established artistic talent. Many contemporary collectors also have chosen a non-hierarchical approach to medium in response to an increasingly experimental practice by contemporary artists and a growing interest in “cross collecting.”
The exhibition therefore honors the notion that art defies medium, showcasing an eclectic mix that encompasses – not only artists working on canvas, paper and collage – but those practicing in other mediums, such as sculpture, wood, ceramic and textile. Contemporary pieces by leading artists working in both the US and UK are placed among modern furniture in a display that encourages you to sit, enjoy and reflect. A special loan of ceramics by the iconic Ojai artist, Beatrice Wood and collages by Modern British artist Margaret Mellis provide access to incredible works from otherwise unseen local private collections.
The significance of our homes as havens has become even more poignant in the last two years. Global events have widely illustrated disparity and that although a house is an inviolable domain for some, it is not for others. In light of this, proceeds from the sale of selected works will be donated to local charities, each of which focuses on homelessness. Alongside the exhibition a festival of collecting will take place, with special events to include artist and collector talks and workshops.
Artists included: Adia Millett, Alex Asher Daniel, Alexandra Grant, Beatrice Wood, Ben Todd, Brett Childs, Chad Attie, Firoozeh Neman, Hormazd Narielwalla, Jonathan Prince, Margaret Mellis, Michael Shaw, Patti Oleon, Pia Pack, Rebecca Farr, Sean C. Flaherty, Senon Williams. Furniture supplied by Whatever Gallery.
About Porch Gallery
After moving to Ojai in 2009, Lisa Casoni and Heather Stobo saw the need to create an art space befitting to the town’s renowned creative spirit. In 2013, merging their backgrounds in the arts, they established Porch Gallery in its current historic building in downtown Ojai. Five years later, they purchased the storied establishment, and embarked on a restoration that now encompasses a creative live-work art gallery and gathering space.
Today, Casoni and Stobo create exhibitions representing emerging and established contemporary artists, while producing artistic events throughout the Ojai Valley.
Address:
310 E. Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023
805-620-7589
Gallery Hours:
Monday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday & Wednesday: By Appointment
Thursday & Friday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm