Public Conversation on Communal Art Saturday

Avenue 50 Studio is hosting a "public conversation" Saturday on a subject vital to artists and the institutions that support them: How do communal art practices thrive and what is the role of public participation in their survival.

Titled "Collectives and Collaborations," the discussion will be held at Avenue 50 Studio on June 22 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in conjunction with the Deborah Thomas "Remembrance" exhibition that opened there on June 8 and is scheduled to continue through July 7.

Attendees are invited to bring a small remembrance in image or word (no larger than 5 inches x 5 inches) to the event.

Featuring four panelists, the event will be moderated by artist/editor Sandra Mueller and organized by the Eco-Art Collective of the Southern California Women's Caucus for Art. 

The panelists include educator and installation artist Beth Elliott' longtime Arroyo Arts Collective member and past president Heather Hoggan; Ann Isolde, who participated in "The Dinner Party" project; and SCWCA Eco-Art Collective and performance artist MaryLinda Moss, a member of both the Arroyo and Eco-Art Collectives.

Thomas, a long-time member of the SCWCA Eco-Art collective as well as a member of the Arroyo Arts Collective, died in December 2012. She frequently exhibited her work and curated shows at Avenue 50 Studio. 

The current exhibition in her memory features both the large, lush abstract paintings from her days as a New York studio artist as well as her more recent installations, writings and collaborative projects that included photographs and text on themes of family, memory, landscape and the environment.

A memorial service for Thomas is scheduled next week on Saturday, June 29, at All Saints Church in Pasadena at 2 p.m.

Collectives and Collaborations
Avenue 50 Studio
131 N. Ave. 50, Highland Park, 90042.