Into The Field
Explore the intersection of spirit, dreams, and algorithms in “In the Field” a new exhibition wit @RuthChase and @chaletcomellas at @modfellowsartgallery
Opening reception on Oct 18th 6-9 pm
Modfellows Exhibition
Tag: Artist Ruth Chase.
Eight months with California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project
There is an exhibition that is the result of an eight month journey I’ve been on with California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP), “The Story of Land, Water, and People.”
In the Summer of 2023, it was so exciting to create and co-lead an outdoor experience at Sierra Friends Center/ Woolman in Nevada City, CA where the Tribal youth and elders went into the woods to create art installations with a focus on belonging to the environment.
This experience was part of a larger program to engage in Cultural practices and protocols as tools for healing, Cultural revitalization, and trauma mitigation.
I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity
to amplify Nisenan narratives through
the Arts. This journey has instilled in me a profound
appreciation for the transformative ability of storytelling
through artistic expression.
Working with Shelly Covert, Saxon Thomas, Mira Clark, and the Tribal Elders through weekly workshops, online and at ‘Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts and Culture, has been a very powerful experience.
Using the power of art to engage in
meaningful dialogue, to heal, and to educate
the public and ourselves transform lives.
Funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps program and builds upon CHIRP’s Visibility Through Art initiative. It fosters collaborations between artists and Tribal culture bearers to increase public awareness and engage the community in discussions about Tribal social justice, Nisenan history, and environmental issues related to water and land.
I am a California Creative Corps Grantee through my work with CHIRP.
Saving the best for last……
The exhibition is the result of a journey the Tribe embarked on through a series of gatherings and workshops that centered on discussions about land, water, and people. The eight-month exchange resulted in the creation of paintings, drawings, beadwork, film, and sculpture.
OPENING ART RECEPTION
Saturday, March 16th, 6- 9:30 pm
EXHIBITING
Nisenan Tribal Member Artists: Shelly Covert, Ginger Covert, Lorena Davis, Sarah Thomas, Cindy Buero, Debra McBrien, Saxon Thomas
Participating Artists: Nikila Badua, Maile Claire, Mira Clark, Ruth Chase, Jan-Michelle Sawyer
Native | Nisenan Special Guest Artists: Tiffany Adams and Deerstine Madrone Suehead
The Story of Land, Water, and People will build on the foundation of CHIRP’s Visibility Through Art (VTA) initiative. This project coordinates collaborations among artists and Tribal Culture bearers to increase public awareness and engage the public related to social justice, through the lens of environment-related issues including, land, water, and people.
In addition, non-Tribal artists collaborated individually with CHIRP on artworks to create respectful and reflective works. These conversations come to light in this exhibition by utilizing art as the conduit. This event will promote the visibility of important Tribal social justice issues and expand conversations.
This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps program, administered by Nevada County Arts Council.
Image Credits:
- ‘Uba Seo Nisenan Arts and Culture window in downtown Nevada City,
- Shelly Covert, Ruth Chase, me again, Mira Clark
- Workshop at Woolman with Tribal Elders
- Ruth Chase video footage
- Image of video footage of interviews we did together
Electromagnetic Fields and Art
Recently, I discovered that I could feel electromagnetic fields, which was affecting my ability to work inside my studio. To address this, I moved my creative practice outdoors, where the natural environment helps alleviate my symptoms. This shift has led my work to explore how electromagnetic fields and unseen energies impact our bodies and relationships.
acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24, 2024
acrylic and wax on linen, 8 x 10, 2024
acrylic and wax on canvas, 12 x 12, 2024
This is my indoor art studio, the clean side.
NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN HENDERSONVILLE, TN
Schedule a Visit
Passion Projects – Exhibition of work by Ruth Chase
MACC at The Streets – Passion Projects – September 1 – 30
The exhibition is a collection of works that come from several of Ruth’s award winning and grant funded passion projects exploring themes of the human spirit and belonging. Her paintings are acrylic on canvas, blurring the lines with drips and intersecting patterns, shapes, and edges, allowing drips to break up hard lines to impart a sense of history, memory, and emotional complexity.
“The public plays a vital role in the outcome of my work, taking a journey with me that can last up to three years. Self-aware subjects with strong belief systems fascinate me and become the subjects of my work.”
– Ruth Chase
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ruth Chase is a multimedia artist born in Venice, CA, living in Tennessee. She is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute whose artistic practice is inquiry-based and engages community bridge-building. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles for Art in Action and a grant to an individual artist from the Carl Jacobs Foundation. She was granted a residency at the Millay Colony for the Arts in NY, published in Professional Artist Magazine, Catapult Art Magazine, and Huffington Post, and has taught at the Crocker Art Museum. Ruth was a featured artist on the Dead Files TV program and was awarded an Artist in Residence at Nevada County Arts for Artist Activating Communities through a grant from the California Arts Council for three consecutive years. Her film BELONGING screened at the 18th Annual Nevada City Film Festival and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Ruth received the Legendary Female Artist of Venice, exhibited in The Crocker Kingsley, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute, most recently her work was featured on the Nashville Sign.
MACC at The Streets
300 Indian Lake Blvd. A140
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Wed – Fri 11:30 – 7:30 PM
Sat 10 – 5 PM
Sun 1 – 5 PM
Or by appointment: 615-822-0789 EVENT
LINK: https://fb.me/e/vlw8dDMY
Capital Box Art by Ruth Chase
My art on 9th and O St. is an extension of my studio paintings and video work that reevaluate the roles women have resisted and submitted — highlighting the wisdom women embody beyond limited role models.
Located on 9 Th & O St. in Sacramento, CA.
BLUR
BLUR: Unraveling the Feminine, Masculine, and Everything In-between
curated Ruth Chase and Brynn Farwell
Exhibition Dates
August 6 – September 11, 2021
Gallery Hours
Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 4 PM
Art Opening
Friday, August 20, 5 – 7 PM
Artist Talk
Thursday, September 9, 5 – 7 PM
City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation for West of Lincoln Project
I opened the mail today and found this certificate of appreciation for the West of Lincoln Project. Not sure what it means other than it felt great to have it in writing from an unexpected source.
Growing Up In V E N I C E > Brad James
Brad James was the first to be painted for The West of Lincoln Project, following my ownself-portrait. He offered to tell his story and have me paint it before anyone else had agreed to participate. Brad and I met as little kids, crossing paths at the local church and the church summer camps. I remember Brad was there when I was learning how to smoke pot behind the church in a refrigerator box someplace out of sight of the adults. Over the years, I wouldn’t see much of Brad until we worked together on this project in 2015.
Brad James
1967 | Beach Ave.
I relate to the wolf because of its strength, speed, and because my brothers and I were raised like a wolf pack in Dogtown.
The most challenging thing about growing up in Venice was deciphering the truth from everybody else’s BS. At home, on the streets; it seemed like just about everybody was either lying or they were making up stuff in their heads. I would question my own reality. “Can I trust my brothers? Can I trust anyone?” I should be able to trust family, but it didn’t always seem that way. My brothers were in the Venice Hoodlums. Having those guys to look up to was insane. I thought that was the road I would go down, not realizing I had a choice. I just thought that was the way it was: You’re going to get a tattoo; you’re gonna get your name; you’re gonna be bigger than life; people are going to fear you, and kick every ass that steps in front of you and keep moving. When I heard someone say “Brad, you don’t have to get jumped in, you were born in!” I realized I didn’t ask to be in this, I was born into this. Venice was my world, but eventually, I came to realize that all I wanted to do was to be a better person. Now I help people around me, like my friends by being of service, when someone is tripping, to help walk them out of it. Recovery is a circle. You go through it, you learn from it, then you come out of it. That pretty much sums up a lot of my life: Sometimes good men do bad things, which don’t make them bad. We were all influenced by our surroundings.
Today, I live not too far from Venice. I work maintenance and operations for a Southern California School District. I will always call Venice my home.
Painted in collaboration with Brad James by Ruth Chase. This is the second of 12 portraits in the West of Lincoln Project. The painting reflects the wisdom Brad has as a result of growing up in Venice, CA. The content of the picture came from an interview taken by Ruth, along with daily phone calls and texts to Brad about how best paint his story. Brad’s biography was written by Gena Lasko.
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