IN EXHIBITION | "Garden of One World" installation on view at "LaMaMa Family Show"

NEW YORK CITY |  Thanks to LaGalleria's director Matt Nasser, I am included in "LaMaMa Family Show," which runs December 19th through December 30th at La Galleria. If you like my photos, please consider purchasing them for your home or office.

I submitted a photography installation, an excerpt from a larger installation called in the garden of One World.  My artwork consists of a portrait, "Ode to a Farmer in Umbria," and a six-panel photograph installation called "Ripped," which juts out from the wall to the floor. All of these photographs were taken near Trevi in central Italy.

 "Ode to a Farmer in Umbria" by Randy Gener, 16 X 20 (2008)

The farmer is the owner of a vineyard whom I met while I was exploring the area near Ellen Stewart's international arts center LaMaMa Umbria.

"Ripped" is set of six photographs and is part of a larger installation "Garden of Solitude," in which I imagine a garden path where you can find alone or me time. I took those six photos in the springs of the River Clitunno, situated near the town of Trevi and the city of Spoleto.

"Ripped" by Randy Gener. Each photo is 11 X 17 (2008)

The springs of the River Clitunno are immersed in an enchanting oasis of peace which has inspired generations of poets from Virgil to Carducci. In ancient times there was a greater abundance of water, and the river was deeper. Emperor Caligula could go the river with boats when he came and consulted the oracles of Clitunno, the god of the river. There is a small Etrusco-Italian temple made from chalky limestone nearby.  There on the river banks, every year, took place religious feasts with competitions, theatrical performances and gladiatorial matches.

While I was visiting the springs, I learned that this very same pristine spot was once referred to as Caligula's baths. By incorporating a jock strap, a dumb bell and a flower, "Ripped" is my naughty response to the very notion that this oasis was once a site of great decadence.

40 LaMaMa artists are featured in the "Family Show." In a previous post, I talk about some of my favorites.

A post in theaterofOneWorld.org contains a special slideshow where you can view images from the group exhibition.

La Galleria hours are Wednesday through Sunday 1:00-7:30 PM. La Galleria is located on 6 East First Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery.


Happy holidays!

"in the garden of One World" by Randy Gener at LaMaMa LaGalleria

IN EXHIBITION | LaMaMa Family Show dazzles at La Galleria

NEW YORK CITY |  Last night was the opening reception of LaMaMa Family Show at LaMaMa LaGalleria where you can enjoy (and buy) original artwork by La MaMa's large and talented group of current and alumni artists. The evening doubled as a holiday party, which meant many LaMaMa artists came out to enjoy each other's company.

Me and Eugene the Poogene, actor, performers and member of the Great Jones Repertory Company

Thanks to LaGalleria's director Matt Nasser, I am included in the Family Show, which runs December 19th through December 30th.

I submitted a photography installation, an excerpt from a larger installation called in the garden of One World.  My artwork consists of a portrait, "Ode to a Farmer in Umbria," and a six-panel photograph installation that juts out from the wall to the floor. All of these photographs were taken near Trevi in central Italy.  The farmer is the owner of a vineyard whom I met while I was exploring the area near Ellen Stewart's international arts center LaMaMa Umbria.

This latter set of six photographs is actually a portion of a larger installation "Garden of Solitude," in which I imagine a garden path where you can find alone or me time. I took those six photos in the springs of the River Clitunno, situated near the town of Trevi and the city of Spoleto.  The springs are immersed in an enchanting oasis of peace which has inspired generations of poets from Virgil to Carducci. In ancient times there was a greater abundance of water, and the river was deeper. Emperor Caligula could go the river with boats when he came and consulted the oracles of Clitunno, the god of the river. There is a small Etrusco-Italian temple made from chalky limestone nearby.  There on the river banks, every year, took place religious feasts with competitions, theatrical performances and gladiatorial matches. Sometimes the spring are referred to as Caligula's baths, and my piece incorporates a jock strap and a flower. It is called "Ripped" and is actually a naughty response to the very notion that this oasis was once a site of great decadence.

To be honest, I have to revisit LaGalleria this week to take in the original artworks at LaGalleria at my own pace and in solitude. The party overflowed with wonderful people, so I could barely see the work at hand.

I will say that I did get to catch a number of pieces which I found enchanting or inspiring.  Federico Restrepo, the Colombian designer and puppeteer, has a wiry beast sculpture that may be one of the most intriguingly titled pieces in the show.  It is made of aluminum wire and acrylic on canvas, and it is called "Ellen." Also, on a brick wall, Potri Ranka Manis shrouds her painting with a swathe of mystery and mythic lore. She calls it "Hope for the flowers."

Me and Potri Ranka Manis in front of her shrouded painting

Several pieces are directly about the holidays. Ozzie Rodriguez contributes "Winter-Light Xmas," a beautiful painting of blue shapes on a large white canvas that at first strikes the eye as imposing and then becomes more contemplative in mood. As you walk into the space, you immediately see David Adams's "Christmas Tree." And Valois Mickens puts forward a wonderfully executed "Nativity 2012" near the church pew.

And how could you miss Volodymyr Klyuzko’s dazzling "Photo Patterns" from Carpathians? This Kiev-based artist took photographs of everyday scenes and figures of life in the Carpathian Mountain villages during Yara Arts Group's research trip to the Ukraine in August 2012. And then he transformed these photos into a series of visual patterns that that wrap the edge of a gallery wall. You have to see it for yourself. It is so gorgeous.

Some 40 LaMaMa artists are featured in the Family Show. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday 1:00-7:30 PM. La Galleria is located on 6 East First Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery.

Happy holidays!

ACCOLADE | At a Poinsettia Grand Ball, I received an award and painted the town red

Outstanding Filipino American Achievement Award 2012 

NEW YORK CITY |  I received an invitation via email several days ago.  Completely out of the blue.  I was busy installing a new installation at LaMaMa La Galleria.  The email stated: "I am Nena Lozada Kaufman, NaFFAA-NY State Chair. This coming December 9 will be our 5th Annual Poinsettia Grand Ball, and it is also NaFFAA's 15 years of advocacy. I'd like to invite you on Sunday, 1pm to 6pm, Astoria World Manor, Astoria, NY, to grace the occasion. We are honoring Fil-Am achievers like you. Hope you will accept this accolade. Regards!"

I was not sure what to make of the email.  Several days later I find myself in what looks like a Cinderella Ball at Astor World Manor.  A sea of intense reds and black tuxes. I joked that it was like going to the prom.

NaFFAA stands for the National Association of Filipino American Associations.  NaFFAA Region 1 honored me with a 2012 Outstanding Filipino American Achiever Award. At a Poinsettia Grand Ball held at Astor World Manor. It happened tonight.

It was a surreal evening. I sat at a Presidential Table. On a dias. In front of everybody. The rest of the people were sitting on tables on two sides of a dance floor. The Consul General of New York, Mario De Leon, and his wife were present at the party.

What was the award for? It was a Recognition Award for "your dedication and steadfast commitment to the Filipino American community at large. Your invaluable contribution and support will be your undying legacy to the community as well as a permanent imprint earned as one of the outstanding Filipino American achievers 2012 to all you serve in particular and the Filipino community in general."

I had a good time. People were nice. I took some photos, which you see here. I hope the official photos are nicer. Thank you, NaFFAA for the nice recognition.

Me and Dr. Alicia Alemdral. She is Mrs. Philippines International 2013

What is The National Federation of Filipino American Associations?
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt organization established in 1997 to promote the active participation of Filipino Americans in civic and national affairs.  NaFFAA is composed of 12 regions with a national office in Washington, D.C. that monitors legislation and public policy issues affecting Filipino Americans.  NaFFAA partners with local affiliate organizations and national coalitions in advocating for issues of common concern.

NaFFAA was born out of a need for the Filipino American community to take its place in the American mainstream and participate in decisions affecting its interest.  There was a need to harmonize the diverse voices of our community into one clear, powerful voice that could be heard by government, business, media and the American public.

When NaFFAA was formed in the 1997 Empowerment Conference in Washington D.C., the nearly 3 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans did not have a visible presence in the national capital. An office was immediately established with an executive staff running the daily operations.

Since then, NaFFAA has built strategic relations with policy makers on the federal level, including the U.S. Congress and the various agencies of the executive branch. As well, NaFFAA has forged partnerships and alliances with coalition partners in the civil rights community to promote their collective interests, particularly on such issues as immigration, voting rights, discrimination and racial stereotyping in the media, and equal opportunity in education.

The national office has also coordinated and guided the local work of its 12 geographic regions by institutionalizing regional conferences and other events. National empowerment conferences, now held every two years, provide opportunities for assessing the organization’s programs and structure, and charting NaFFAA’s future directions.

NaFFAA Region 1 represents an area covered by: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hamsphire,  New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Each state is represented by a State Chair.

Me and Nena Lozada Kaufman, NaFFAA-NY State Chair

ANOTHER OP'NIN' | Curating America: How to manifest a cultural re-imaging of the U.S. for a world art event

NEW YORK CITY |  Tonight is the opening reception for a unique art-installation project...and a uniquely American one.

For me, this installation has been the culmination of five years of sustained work: an invigorating process of manifesting a cultural re-imaging of American theater for a world audience. Today we get to share the work to other Americans.

Our installation directly tackles with how U.S. artists responded to presidential transition in the White House (between 2007 and 2011) and the awful economic recession, from which we are still struggling to emerge. We hope to bridge the abyss between the white box (museums, galleries) and the black box (traditional theater spaces). We alert Americans of the profound significance of international cultural exchange to force the world to re-examine its hard-to-budge assumptions of what it means to be an American.

We call that this installation FROM THE EDGE: PERFORMANCE DESIGN IN THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA. Click here to read my curatorial essay.

Vibrating within a new discipline that is up for grabs, From the Edge proposes one approach toward an American version of performance design. Future curatorial teams will really have to find the courage to contend with the challenge of displaying the U.S. anew — of re-envisioning U.S. design creativity within a competitive international design environment. --rg

Bold, daring works from a United States national exposition of theatrical designs assembled for the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space will be exhibited in December at La MaMa La Galleria in New York City.  An opening reception is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, December 6, 2012, with many of the featured designers, theater artists and curators in attendance.

FROM THE EDGE: PERFORMANCE DESIGN IN THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA is a one-of-a-kind installation of photographs and work processes from 37 politically compelling productions from across the country.  Commissioned by USITT with additional support from Carnegie Mellon University and in association with LaMaMa E.T.C. and my media project theaterofOneWorld.org, From the Edge represented the United States at last year's Prague Quadrennial, the world celebration of performance design and theatre architecture held every four years in Prague since 1967.  This showing in New York introduces this exhibit to a new audience.

Tennessee Williams's THE DAY ON WHICH A MAN DIES

This exhibition is both a formal experiment and an expensive public commission. Because the U.S. plays such a dominant role in cultural globalization, we were intent on curating and creating a theatrical installation that would force the world to re-examine and revise its hard-to-budge assumption of the American theater. We have gathered works that are uniquely American yet largely new to the world stage. We also identified how performance artists and theatre companies grappled with sociopolitical issues that consume Americans today including war, ecology, political polarities, race, gender, and religion.

From the Edge spotlights the country's boldest performance works and edgiest design processes from performance-makers and young ensembles.  These innovative productions were selected from 360 submissions by artistic director Susan Tsu and curators Chris Barecca, Linda Cho, Don Tindall, and Allen Hahn.  I acted as curatorial adviser during the selection process.

Giant cock from THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

From the Edge richly exemplifies the visceral blurring of performance and theater.  Rock musicals, live-art events, irreverent performance art, devised theater, digital theater, immersive environments, site-determined works and genre-defying works have stretched traditional definitions and pushed the limits of performance design as imagined in the U.S.  The period in consideration, 2007 to 2011, was a deeply politicized environment for U.S. artists.  They responded in complex ways to societal and political concerns. 'From the Edge' spotlights how U.S. theatremakers wrestled with core American values during the intense unraveling of the Aught Decade — a period that coincided with a painful economic recession and a dramatic presidential transition in the White House that brought about the rise of an African-American as our country’s 44th president.

Eugene O'Neill's DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS from Goodman Theatre of Chicago

Among the featured works are Tony-award winning designer Kevin Adams’ ground-breaking lighting and Chrstine Jones's arresting scenery for the Broadway show American Idiot, Paul Chan’s Waiting for Godot set in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, and scenes from Hell House, a New York take on the Evangelical Christian “haunted houses” that aim to scare teens with depictions of pregnant cheerleaders and gay men dying of AIDS.  Also on view are director/designer Nancy Keystone’s fantasia on rocket history Apollo and her arresting production of Suzan-Lori Parks's The America Play, Rob Roth’s Screen Test, Neil Patel's set for This Beautiful City by The Civilians, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s wrestling stage for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, and Basil Twist’s Arias with a Twist.

Joey Arias in ARIAS WITH A TWIST (Design by Basil Twist)

Special recognition is given to companies considered to be founders of innovative and political theatre.  Tribute is also given to American theater greats August Wilson and Ellen Stewart.

Originally displayed in an environmental design of a garage designed by William Bloodgood, the U.S. pavilion reflected the workspace of seminal performance groups such as the Wooster Group and La MaMa E.T.C.  The outer walls were defaced with graffiti, while the interior was furnished with sawhorses and makeshift furniture, and splashed with paint in the frenzy of creativity.  Jutting out on the roof's edge was a fanged dinosaur-type monster engorging the figure of Uncle Sam, a playful inflatable structure by performance artist Pat Oleszko entitled WarUSaurus.  A model will represent the exhibit structure.

Pat Oleszko's BETTY BOOP ON THE BEACH

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) has organized and sponsored the American participation in the PQ since the USA began participating in 1975. "From the Edge" is the 10th exhibit representing America in this singular world event dedicated to design for performance.

Founded in 1984, La MaMa La Galleria is a nonprofit gallery committed to nurturing artistic experimentation.  As an extension of the internationally acclaimed La Mama E.T.C., La Galleria encourages an active dialogue between the visual arts, new media, performance, curatorial, literary and educational projects.

The La Galleria exhibit, located at 6 East 1st Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue, will be on display Wednesday through Sunday between 1 and 7:30 p.m. from December 6 to December 16, 2012.

Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa E.T.C.