BOXOPROJECTS, a Joshua Tree based multi-program arts initiative, is hosting a new exhibition. Arts & Entertainment Reporter Charlie Thomas tells you how to check it out…
Contradictions – Bringing The Past Forward is a research-based multimedia arts and humanities project consisting of mixed media installation works developed by contemporary artist Barbara Gothard. The project documents, visually interprets and honors the legacy of African American Homesteaders in the Mojave Desert.
While searching for information on a different topic, Barbara discovered a Daily Bulletin article by Joe Blackstock about African American Homesteaders which included an ad from the 1910 Los Angeles Herald. In response to this 1910 newspaper ad specifically recruiting “colored” homesteaders, 23 families became western settlers in far eastern San Bernardino County. This article became the impetus for Barbara’s project, Contradictions – Bringing The Past Forward. Barbara is creating mixed media artworks to share the story of these African American homesteaders with the community, contrasting their plight in the context of her own lived experience as an African American female artist living in the desert. The project works through a framework of change and continuity, diversity, cause and effect, interconnectedness, community, identity, and belonging in the context of social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental factors prevalent in the early 20th century in the United States. Barbara’s work explores themes of hope, disillusionment, and strong family bonds based on archival research and interviews.
The artworks inform a series of artist talks and community discussion hosted by public/nonprofit organizations and on social media. Please join us on Saturday, November 6, 2021, 2-5pm, Artist Talk at 3pm in person at BoxoPROJECTS studio at 62732 Sullivan Road Joshua Tree, or virtually on Zoom.
Covid Protocols: Exhibition and artist talk will be held in and around the BoxoPROJECTS studio which features a large wall opening to the outside. At times, we may control the number of people in the studio. Please wear a mask, even when in the outdoor area, and observe social distancing. Water and iced tea will be available in individual servings. No alcohol or food will be provided.
From modest Illinois roots, Barbara aspires to tap into her creative potential with a contemporary art form known for exploring the subconscious mind. She lives, works and is influenced by the ever-changing colors and majesty of the desert in the Palm Springs/Mojave Desert area. The desert is a soft malleable and metamorphic environment surrounded by majestic mountains awash in brilliant colors. Barbara’s artworks are symbolically autobiographical and are exhibited locally, nationally and internationally. Her non-traditional career path zigzagged from education to global corporate leader to her art. Her artwork continuum evolves from traditional art education, Bachelor’s Mount Mary University, Master’s Long Island University, Ph.D. Michigan State University, and her historical influencers: Hieronymus Bosch, Georgia O’Keefe, Gustav Klimt and Rene Magritte.
Community service is an integral part of Barbara’s life. She is currently an Emeritus Member of the Artists Council, having previously served as President and is an art magazine writer and contributor.
Artist website: https://www.barbaragothard.com
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org
This activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov
BoxoPROJECTS is a multi-program arts initiative based in Joshua Tree, California, dedicated to exploring contemporary art at the new frontier. BoxoPROJECTS is interested in the role of art and artists in creating community and in the power of art to shape the destiny of communities. We offer facilitated artist residencies and related programming in Joshua Tree, as well as exhibitions, installations and performances in various locations. BoxoPROJECTS is a project of Fulcrum Arts’ Emerge fiscal sponsorship 11program.
