01/28/2025
Beautiful 🌸💠🌼 artwork by Grace Gutierrez is up at Pittsburgh's - check it out!
This is the first of four pieces in a 4-month exhibition of rotating artwork at sidewall mural project (the corner of 608 S Millvale & Lima Way, Pgh), which runs from January-April 2025 as part of the of the Pittsburgh & Denver
The larger art exhibition LFACXNWC Collective Dreaming 2 will be up at Artists Image Resource through February 10, 2025.
"This work contains oilcloth patterns, a recurring material used in my work. Oilcloth is the plasticky table cover at gatherings where food and drinks are shared, tea is spilled, and family and community connections are made. I often use oilcloth to stretch canvases and paint on top of, and I paint individuals strengthening the community around me. Jessica, pictured, is a friend, a business owner, a cultural practitioner and educator, and a community advocate. Her shirt in the painting says “She owns a business, She minds her business, She is about her business.” I want to celebrate her and her accomplishments that have benefited so many around her."
Grace Gutierrez is a Longmont, Colorado based artist working in a variety of mediums including painting, ceramics, sculpture, and video art. Her work celebrates her mixed-race, Chicanx identity, and is a response to deeply personal experiences as well as her family’s experiences navigating culture, heritage, and stereotypes. She is inspired by Mexican folk art, folklore, and literature. Constant reflection of community and cultural pride helps Grace build sentimental narratives to encourage empathy, equity, and pride within our communities.
Learn more at sidewallproject.wordpress.com
Los Fantasmas Artist Collective was formed in the late 1990’s as a response to the local art scene that, in their view, treated BIPoc artists as “fantasmas” or “ghosts”. They observed the contributions of BIPOC folks in society as unseen; from the creatives working for our communities, to the people who work in kitchens and grow our food, to those who arrive at night, cleaning and providing services to make the lives of the privileged easier. LFAC is currently dedicated to creating work that accurately represents their communities and experiences as well as broadening the scope of opportunities available to BIPOC artists throughout Colorado. They encourage the rejection of assimilation and the creation of work that is confrontational, and by sharing their stories they encourage others to do the same. For the last 20+ years Los Fantasmas continues to build a strong collective of artists that fosters growth and leadership for future generations.
Image Description: A dark red brick wall with a black framed mural of artist Gutierrez's friend Jessica against a bright pink background, with flower banners above and below her. Jessica wears glasses, beaded necklace, a blue shirt and dangly blue earrings and a small hair tie in her black wavy hair. Letters in pink on blue shirt read "She owns a business, She minds her business, She is about her business." Flowers in banners above and below compliment the colors of Jessica's banner space, and are a mix of blue, pink, orange, red, with some green leaves in background.