SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica website revealed that book artist Debra Disman and paper and textile designer Huong Nguyen will be the next Studio Artists-in-Residence at the Camera Obscura Art Lab, working onsite between January 10 and April 18.
Disman is continuing a series of works that investigate the emotional, sensory and evocative aspects of the book format. Nguyen is creating paper and textile work that utilizes traditional Asian craft techniques such as Shibori (Japanese tie-dye), Katagami (Japanese stencil making), and Joomchi (Korean paper felting), with shapes and colors inspired by flora and fauna of Santa Monica.
Debra Disman is a Los Angeles-based artist working primarily in the form of the book. She was the featured artist for the Los Angeles Big Read in 2016, exhibiting at the Mike Kelley Gallery at Beyond Baroque in Venice. She was commissioned in 2017 by the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum to create an interactive book for “Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California.” She teaches at LACMA and was recently awarded a Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Artist-in-Residence grant to work with high school students and community members in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood.
Huong Nguyen is a visual artist with roots in the textiles industry, who was born in Orlando, Florida to a large Vietnamese family. She received a BFA from RISD for Textile Design and works in printmaking, pattern design and various media. Her studio work brings a contemporary aesthetic and spirit of inquiry to ancient material and design traditions, with an emphasis on the essential and hand-made.
Here is a lineup of events:
Workshops with Debra Disman
-1/20, 11am-1:30pm – Tunnel Books
-1/27, 11am-1:30pm – Scrolls & Paper Marbling
-2/3 – 11am-1:30pm – Fireworks Book
-2/10, 11am-1:30pm – Simple Sewn Booklets
-2/17, 11am-1pm – Big Beach Book Stenciling & Stamping
-2/24, 3-4:30pm – Big Beach Book Mural Painting
-3/3, 3-4:30pm – Big Beach Book Altered Pages
-3/10, 3-4:30pm – Book Cover Embellishments
-3/17, 11am-1:30pm – Accordion Fold Book + Pockets
-3/24, 3-4:30pm – Double Flower Fold Book
-3/31, 11am-1:30pm – Envelope Book
-4/7, 3-4:30pm – Creating Sculptural Books
Workshops with Huong Nguyen
-1/20, 2-3:30pm – Shibori Dyed Tea Towels
-1/27, 2-5pm – Katagami Shadow Lanterns
-2/3 – 2-3:30pm – Shibori Pillow Covers
-2/10, 2-3:30pm – Shibori Dyed Paper
-2/17, 2-3:30pm – Shibori Tote Bags
-2/24, 11am-12:30pm – Shibori Handkerchiefs
-3/3, 11am-2pm – Katagami Shadow Lanterns
-3/10, 11am-2pm – Paper Weaving
-3/17, 2-5pm – Pojagi Wrap Cloths
-3/24, 11am-2pm – Dimensional Pillow Covers
-3/31, 2-5pm – Katagami Shadow Lanterns
-4/7, 11am-1pm – Embellishing Paper Lanterns
All workshops are for adults 18 years and older. Interested participants can register online at https://www.facebook.com/pg/1450Ocean/events. RSVP to the culminating exhibit/presentation at COALDismanNguyen.eventbrite.com.
The Camera Obscura Art Lab is located at 1450 Ocean Ave in Palisades Park, between Broadway & Santa Monica Boulevard. Parking nearby at Structure 6 is $2.75 for 3 hours and its four blocks from the Metro downtown Santa Monica stop. The Camera Obscura mechanism is free to visit and open Mon – Fri 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. & Sat 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact (310) 458-2239 and email camera@smgov.net. Tag us at #ArtSaMo and #CameraObscuraArtLab. Visit on the web at www.smgov.net/camera.
Camera Obscura Art Lab programs are presented by the city of Santa Monica. For additional information, visit smgov.net/arts and facebook.com/Santa.Monica.Cultural.Affairs. See and share posts about the events by using #ArtSaMo.
