So we have taken a break from this project and regrouped a little bit. Below is a short synopsis of some current projects.

The Lucent Phoenix
The Lucent Phoenix is a community resource center located in Gallery5. We have been doing a lot of construction in the space - painting, donating a lot of books (inappropriate to our mission) to Books On Wheels and will soon build custom shelving.

We have also recently developed a check out system instead restricting research to the physical space.

In addition to a resource center, The Lucent Phoenix is a gallery space for socially conscious exhibits. The current exhibition is a selection of paintings by Iraqi Refugees. Information about the current Lucent Phoenix exhibition as well as info about the space can be found here.

Tutorials
We are working on a DIY flyer design tutorial. It needs some editing before being posted on the website, but is fairly comprehensive.

Actions
We have just finished accepting submissions for Repressed V: FREE TO SPEAK. Judging will begin shortly.

Images of the DINOS RULED RVA project will be posted in the near future.

 

 

 

MayDayRVA.org

The site provides photos, information, history, and an up to date calendar of related events for this years May Day Parade scheduled May 1st, 2010 in Richmond, VA.

We are officially endorsing this years parade as well as contributing whatever help we can.

 

 

 

REPRESSED V: FREE TO SPEAK May 2010

DEADLINE IS MARCH 6th

What makes statement driven art so emotionally powerful? It being witness to a piece of work that creates a bond between you, the viewer and the creator of the piece. A bond that can change the direction of thought and purpose. A successfully executed statement driven piece can be the catalyst that inspires the average person into an active agent for change. Art exists in societies to create shared dialogues and experiences. No matter the medium, art and artists can be the spark to establishing a commonality, to allow us to empathize with each other and encourage altruistic pursuits for the greater good.

Dedicated to social awareness, Gallery5 invites visual and performing artists to submit their statement focused work to Repressed V: Free to Speak.

More info and an application can be downloaded here.

 

 

 

Presented by the Lucent Phoenix

FREE March 16th
potluck begins at 6pm
film begins at 7pm

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23220
www.gallery5arts.org

About:
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis."
"Film Synopsis" Heavy Metal Baghdad. 2007. VBS IPTV. 1 Mar. 2010 http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com/about.html.
Official website:
http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com/

 

 

 

Beatufiul Boxer
Presented by Richmond BJJ Academy and The Lucent Phoenix

Free
February 9th
at Gallery5
200 W Marshall St

Potluck begins 6PM
Muay Thai demonstration 7PM
Film showing begins 7:30PM
Richmond BJJ Academy, will be performing the Muay Thai demonstration before the film.

Film info
"Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transgender kickboxer, Beautiful Boxer is a poignant action drama that punches straight into the heart and mind of a boy who fights like a man so he can become a woman.

Believing he's a girl trapped in a boy's body since childhood, Parinya Charoenphol (affectionately known as Nong Toom in Thailand) sets out to master the most masculine and lethal sport of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) to earn a living and to achieve his ultimate goal of total femininity. Touching, funny and packed with breathtaking Thai kickboxing sequences, Beautiful Boxer traces Nong Toom's childhood, teenage life as a traveling monk and grueling days in boxing camps. Shot in 9 provinces across Thailand and in Tokyo, the film also features a series of explosive matches where Nong Toom knocks out most of his opponents in Thailand and Japan."

"Beatiful Boxer The Film." 14 January 2010. http://www.beautifulboxer-themovie.com/.

 

 

 

The Lucent Pheonix presents a free film showing of
Waltz With Bashir an Ari Folman film

"A memoir, a history lesson, a combat picture, a piece of investigative journalism and an altogether amazing film" A.O. Scott, New York Times

Tuesday January 19th
Potluck at 6pm
Film showing at 7pm

FREE
at Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
gallery5arts.org

"In 1982, Ari Folman was a 19-year-old infantry soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2006, he meets with a friend from his army service period, who tells him of the nightmares connected to his experiences from the Lebanon War. Folman is surprised to find that he does not remember a thing from that period. Later that night he has a vision from the night of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the reality of which he is unable to tell. In his memory (Scene on poster above), he and his soldier friends are bathing at night by the seaside in Beirut under the light of flares descending over the city. Folman rushes off to meet another friend from his army service, who advises him to discuss it with other people who were in Beirut at the same time in order to understand what happened there and to revive his own memories. Folman converses with friends, a psychologist and the reporter Ron Ben-Yishai who was in Beirut at the time.

The film ends with animation dissolving into actual footage of the aftermath of the Sabra and Shatila massacre."

Waltz With Bashir. (2009, Dec 20). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 29, 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz_with_Bashir

 

 

 

Gallery5 & The Lucent Phoenix Presents The Garden.

The Garden is more than the subject of the film, it's about the constant struggle and pitfalls activists run into while organizing in the interest of the people. No matter how righteous the cause, how much they follow procedure, how much press they can amass, how much community support and dialog they can stimulate, in the end, bureaucracy will serve the needs of the capitalist and force those without capital to compromise. As a result we'll lose more than a struggle for (insert cause here), it would likely be the last time a lot of those involved will ever attempt to organize against the rich and powerful. And born from this loss is a new justification for apathy, one which will not be easily shaken. If you take anything from this film I think it should be that nothing short of direct militant action on a national scale will result in a victory for the people.

FREE
Tuesday December 8, 2009
At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St.
Potluck: 6:00pm
Film: 7:00pm

ABOUT THE FILM
From [ http://thegardenmovie.com ]
The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.

But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers:

Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public?

And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.”

If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?

The Garden has the pulse of verité with the narrative pull of fiction, telling the story of the country’s largest urban farm, backroom deals, land developers, green politics, money, poverty, power, and racial discord. The film explores and exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us.

 

 

 

REPRESSED V: FREE TO SPEAK May 2010

José María Heredia - poet: inspired the Cuban people to stand up and fight against Spain.

Seymor Chwast-designer - illustrator: his anti-war poster "End Bad Breath" indirectly encouraged the anti-war movement of the 70's.

John Lenin and Yoko Ono - famous musicians/artists: created the powerful anti-war campaign stating "THE WAR IS OVER...if you want it to be."

What makes statement driven art so emotionally powerful? It being witness to a piece of work that creates a bond between you, the viewer and the creator of the piece. A bond that can change the direction of thought and purpose. A successfully executed statement driven piece can be the catalyst that inspires the average person into an active agent for change. Art exists in societies to create shared dialogues and experiences. No matter the medium, art and artists can be the spark to establishing a commonality, to allow us to empathize with each other and encourage altruistic pursuits for the greater good.

Dedicated to social awareness, Gallery5 invites visual and performing artists to submit their statement focused work to Repressed V: Free to Speak.

More info and an application can be downloaded here.

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 13th
6PM Potluck
7PM Film Showing
Discussion to follow.

At Gallery5
200 W. Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23220

Description
Once upon a time girls rallied together to publish their own zines, make their own bands and there was a declaration for "revolution, girl style now!" However, a decade and some change after riot grrrl occurred why are so many women reluctant to declare themselves as feminists? For girls living after the rise and fall of riot grrrl, in a so--called "post feminist" world, what is our agenda today? Are there women still yearning for something more in the underground.

Kerri Koch's documentary "Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl" sets out to chronicle a DIY movement which created a community for women, coast to coast, to make themselves heard. Tired of being eclipsed by boys in the hardcore and punk subcultures, women rallied together and began forming their own bands, publishing their own zines, running art galleries and overall establishing a community accessible and safe for girls.

Koch explores the origins and evolution of riot grrrl through interviews with those involved including members of Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy. A need for a safe and equal space for women in a subculture tinged with violence and gender discrimination is reiterated by almost every interview. The explosive force and growth of the community soon gained national attention and misrepresentation of riot grrrl came along with it. Mainstream media outlets portrayed riot grrrl as a novelty and used the popularity of feminist ideals in the underground to market products and a lifestyle to women. The exploitation of its original sentiments would eventually lead to the dissolution the movement. The film concludes by acknowledging that while riot grrrl dissolved almost as quickly as it began, it's influence (and perhaps need?) is still felt by young women today.

 

 

 

We wanted to thank everyone for participating and to let others know that it isn't too late to win a prize. We are extending the "WHEN DINOS RULE RVA!" project to the end of September so keep an eye out for maps and bones.

Also, shirts and prints are available at GallowLily's, the Gallery5 store. All proceeds benefit the T.O.W.A.R.'s Public Art Collective so that we can produce more work for all of you to participate in.

If this is confusing; check out this past blog entry for more details on the project.