What:

Art & Democracy V is the fifth art exhibition with the theme of art and democracy; this year it is returning to Greater Los Angeles after its successful 3 months run in New York City five years ago. Visual Artists Guild and curator Diana Wong welcome artworks that address issues concerning: social justice, immigrant rights, freedom, global climate change, democratic struggles and civil liberties for their ART & DEMOCRACY V exhibit to be held on May 20th to June 28th2014 at the Building Bridges Art Foundation gallery in Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, California.

Why:

The Art Exhibition hopes to keep alive the dialogue of “Freedom” and to highlight the 25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the fall of the Berlin Wall. With this exhibit, Visual Artists Guild hopes to create a space for the world to celebrate human rights, freedom of expression and civil liberties. Special events include live entertainment, panel discussions, artist meet-and-greets and public participation on a communal art project.

How:

Interested artists are invited to submit artwork by sending images in the form of .jpgs, web links or .pdf documents. Interested artists are required to fill the attached application and are encouraged to submit a bio, resume and links to a portfolio. All media will be considered. Please e-mail all items to committee chair and assistant curator Selene V.T. at: contact@visual-artists-guild.org

Deadline:

All items (application, images, bio, resume, portfolio) must reach the committee no later than April 15th 2014. All artwork sent for consideration must be work that represents the exhibit theme of ART & DEMOCRACY. Please include a brief description of the artwork, along with medium and dimensions.

Artists Application Form (Click on “Read More” Below)  or visit our site: www.visualartistsguild.info

About Visual Artists Guild

Visual Artists Guild is a non-profit organization that champions the right of freedom of speech and expression. Established in May 1985, it holds the belief that the right of freedom of expression is the lifeblood of all artists. Its mission is to bring to world attention whenever such a right is threatened or suppressed.

Background Explanation by Anne:

To clarify, this year is the 25th anniversary.
We held the 20th anniversary at the house of blues.
More video on the entire 1989 pro-democracy movement that led to the massacre by China’s government:
Just follow this video, from part 1 to part 22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVvwA_34WB8

The last event is the 25 th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre and the 25th anniversary of the collapse of Eastern Europe and the fall of Berlin Wall.
You can watch the documentary Tankman
Part I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLRIWySEMbI
Part II  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLppfTC1hf4
Part III https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aenGVqzk4-A
Part IV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrk31a3Q_IQ
Part V https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxmnLJr3jCs
Part VI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGLMZyIc3Yg
Part VII https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYroCbASbSc
Part VIII https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g79ztzQrto

House of Blues is http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/losangeles/  At Sunset Boulevard

It is a performance and restaurant venue.  Blues is a type of song and music originated from America.
Although the venue as you can see from the web site showcase all types of music.

The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin.^[1] The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls,^[2] which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the “death strip”) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building asocialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart” (German: Antifaschistischer Schutzwall) by GDR authorities, implying that neighbouring West Germany had not been fully de-Nazified.^[3] The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the “Wall of Shame“—a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt—while condemning the Wall’s restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer Inner German border (IGB), which demarcated the border between East and West Germany, it came to symbolize the “Iron Curtain” that separated Western Europe and theEastern Bloc during the Cold War.

Before the Wall’s erection, 3.5 million East Germans circumvented Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin, from where they could then travel to West Germany and other Western European countries. Between 1961 and 1989, the wall prevented almost all such emigration.^[4] During this period, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with an estimated death toll of over 100^[5] in and around Berlin, although that claim is disputed.^[6]

In 1989, a series of radical political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc, associated with the liberalization of the Eastern Bloc’s authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of the rest. The physical Wall itself was primarily destroyed in 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

5 comments on “Santa Monica (LA) , USA: Art and Democracy Exhibition: 25th Anniversary Fall of the Berlin Wall”

1. Bart Petty

   April 2, 2014

   

   good evening, my theatre company is doing a production of Vaclav Havel’s The Memorandum at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica. Very in keeping with the tone and spirit of your website. You or any of your readers can learn more or book tickets at http://www.santamonicarep.org. We can arrange for discounts for your readers if this is of interest to you and you have any ability to give us exposure on your website. Thank you.

   Bart Petty
   Santa Monica Rep

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   • ceciliawyu

     April 2, 2014

     

     Thanks for the reminder. I am just passing along a message from the Chairperson of the Visual Artists Guild. It is probably best to contact VAG (LA) directly. But thanks for the reminder about Vaclav Havel. I enjoyed his writing and well…it would be nice if there was more Velvet Revolution and certain kinds of human rights violations would just go away! 🙂 Best of luck with your play.

     from Visual Artists: Kel1st and Yu

     

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   • ceciliawyu

     March 31, 2014

     

     Thank you! 🙂

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