Ab30 Artists Breakfast Exhibition

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When Tom Pfannerstill asked me whether Louisville Visual Artwould be interested in an exhibit featuring members of the Artists'Breakfast Group to commemorate their 30th anniversary-theanswer was easy. Expressing themes of history and community througha generational continuum, this exhibit is a natural fit for LVA, the oldestvisual art organization in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.Curatorially, the process was smooth and collaborative. We discussedparameters for selecting members from the group's long history, and theartists took the lead in choosing pieces that best represented them. Tomguided many of the initial decisions and communication with the group, andI coordinated the logistics through installation of more than 40 works. A fewreached out to share their ideas, and their insight was invaluable in shapinga vision that truly reflects this community of artists.It was no surprise that several artists pushed the boundaries of scale, bringing a dynamic energy of self-expression. The Artists' Breakfast Groupis filled with artists of quality; a range of distinct personali ties who stillexperiment, take risks, and pursue discovery. The exhibition features severalof its founding members, and the depth of invention is alive in the work ofthese septuagenarians as well as the younger generations that have joinedalong the way.The history of LVA and the Artists Breakfast Group is interconnected. Thispoint is underlined by the fact that among the participating artists, two areformer LVA Executive Directors, John Begley & C.J. Pressma. They eachshare a mission for the importance of community and fellowship amongcreatives. Performing arts demand collaboration, but most visual artists workin some degree of isolation. While not exactly hermetic, the key moment ofcreative inspiration typically occurs alone. Ultimately, the artist crafts theiridentity entirely on their own.Which gives us the essential truth of any group show, that a disparatearrangement of work from a host of different inspirations must coexisttogether in a space. In the AB30 Exhibition, we find that the sense ofcommunity and shared history among the group provides enough connectionthat the work effortlessly creates a conversation for the viewer to join.Keith Waits, Curator, Louisville Visual Art

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Pagina's: 102, Paperback, Old Stone Press