March ushers in Women's History Month and this year Delta College will be celebrating "Creative Women" digitally, starting with an exhibition by eight artists who share a connection to life in Stockton and to creating art.
All events are free and open to the public.
Highlights for the month include:
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Delta also invites you to consider donating to the college's Student Food Pantry. Historically, women have often been responsible for food preparation for the family and right now, a lot of students are facing food insecurity during this national crisis.
It is easier than ever to make a tax-deductible donation through the Student Food Pantry website at deltacollege.edu/student-life/office-student-activities/student-food-pantry.
Read on for more details about VOICES, the upcoming virtual art exhibition.
About VOICES: Stockton Women's Art Collective
VOICES, the latest virtual art exhibition from the LH Horton Jr Gallery, presents the work of eight women artists who currently form the collective and share a connection to life in Stockton and to creating art. The VOICES collective was formed in October 2018 with a group of seven women for an exhibition in March 2019 at the Mexican Heritage Center.
“Our diversity makes us strong," said Luz Lua, one of the founders of the group. "We have different backgrounds with a common thread: sharing our voice through creative expression.”
Luz brought her work as an artist and arts educator full circle with the founding of the VOICES collective and the invitation to former students to exhibit with the group, including Celina Gonzalez-Cortez, Cherry Larkins, Leila Valencia, and Adreanna Rodriguez, who are now all practicing artists. In addition, Gonzalez-Cortez, Valencia, and Allison Savage are graduates from Delta College. Valencia is completing her degree in studio arts from the University of the Pacific, and Gonalez-Cortez and Savage are high school art teachers at Stockton Unified School District.
Throughout the years, members of the group have changed but the focus stays constant. The members presenting for this show were invited because they had two important characteristics: passion for their craft and a dedication to helping others in their community. Another fundamental purpose of the group is to encourage women to continue their practice in the arts. Furthermore, the group supports one another in the promotion and organization of exhibitions locally, nationally, and internationally.
The exhibiting artists present a variety of genres and mediums including painting (on canvas and murals), sculpture, mixed media collage, fiber arts, macramé, short documentary film, and dance. In addition, the content of their work demonstrates how contemporary artists express their voice on the human condition, including immigration, racism, climate change, farm labor in California, spirituality, love, and most recently, the impacts of COVID-19. As member artist Bird Gallagher reflects on this past year through her art, “I chose the exploration of organic ebb and flow. Examined but unplanned metaphors. Mapping out a stream of colorful trails that lead along a textured path with patches of hope, resilience, and some established subsistence embedded along the way.”
Each artist uniquely contributes something to the collective whole. “Though I am creating alone,” said Cherry Larkins, “together with my fellow artists we are making something through presenting our work for exhibition.”
To view the online VOICES Exhibition, starting later this week, visit the Gallery website at gallery.deltacollege.edu.