Invitation to Art & Democracy VI - Call for Artists 邀請藝術與民主提交您 的藝 術作品

To All Interested Artists

Visual Artists Guild is working on two group art exhibit projects for next year. We are applying for acceptance in two locations, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. Since both of the group applications are due at the end of December so we would need your bio and sample images and/or web site by Wednesday, December 26, 2018. Please see mission statement for the group exhibit project below. We will know if our projects are chosen by both cities by the end of January 2019.

The Santa Monica venue will host the exhibit for 3-4 months and our preferred date would be May-August 2019.
The West Hollywood venue will be for a month with November-December 2019 dates.
We are also looking to include additional art on easels during opening and closing events in both venues.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS NEEDED FROM ALL INTERESTED ARTISTS BY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2018:
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY EMAIL TO

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1. Resumes, limited to 2-pages per person, outlining professional accomplishments or applicable life experience. Please include three professional references with contact information 

2. Submit no more than 4 images depicting the artwork that might fit in the exhibition's themes.

3. Title of each art piece with dimensions

4. Please see Mission Statement below for the exhibition themes.

SANTA MONICA VENUE:

* All artwork must be framed/ready to install and wall-mountable (except for display cabinet items), as there is no space for free-standing artwork in the space. Also, take into account that the gallery is a highly-traversed area and open to the public—without dedicated staff posted to continuously monitor the gallery. Delicate artworks are vulnerable in this setting, and their inclusion is not advised.

* The display space is a central hallway consisting of 9-foot high white walls, with approximately 100 linear feet total wall space and adjustable ceiling-mounted track lighting. In addition, there are two (2) lighted display cabinets (4ft.w x 6ft.h x 2ft.d) with adjustable glass shelves for small-scale, two and three-dimensional objects and fragile items.

* The City cannot display any prices or pricelists in the gallery area. However, City staff can work with artists to provide contact information for inquiries about artwork purchase, and the City does not require any profit participation. In addition, the City will ensure the artwork while on display and in the City’s possession. Artists will be required to fill out an artwork loan form stipulating the reasonable replacement value for the artwork on display.

WEST HOLLYWOOD VENUE:

* All artwork must be framed/ready to install and wall-mountable.  There is some space for free-standing artwork but not much.

第六屆 藝術與民主 展覽主題 MISSION STATEMENT/EXHIBITION NARRATIVE FOR "Art and Democracy VI"

The Visual Artists Guild has many important goals. Through this art exhibit we want to educate, provoke, stimulate and provide an opportunity for discussion between all those attending. Currently, the world community is experiencing positive and negative shifts in the political, social and environmental realms. Given the extensive connectivity available via the internet and social media, we can all respond personally to what is happening on our planet.

Around the world, many human rights are under attack or threatened. The essence of democracy includes freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom of association. The non-profit organization Visual Artists Guild has for the past 33 years championed these important rights with protests, campaigns, conferences, street performance art and other peaceful methods that help shine a light when an individual's or community's rights are silenced or ignored. Our actions aim to highlight such oppression in various societies around the world.

The city of Santa Monica is one of the most diverse, progressive and artistic minded in the United States with international economic and cultural ties all around the world. By providing context and education on these important themes, the Cultural Affairs Department along with the historic venue of The Annenberg Community Beach house, which was owned by the late actress Marion Davies and the late newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst can provide a perfectly suited space with historical meaning for our 6^th version of the project “Art and Democracy”.

This group is proposing a unique project that goes beyond the art exhibit which includes a series of immersive, cultural and artistic supportive experiences to take place during the opening and closing events. These will include live music, dance in the main space with video art that could be shown in a loop in the club room space, if available.


The Visual Artists Guild aims to create an art exhibit that provides an international perspective on the previously mentioned topics through the lens of local artists, many of whom are immigrants, having experienced a life much different than most people born in the United States. By bringing these distinctive artistic voices to the Santa Monica community, its visitors, tourists and neighbors, will enable dialogue and promote a greater understanding of diverse societies in their struggles to establish and support our democratic principles.

視覺藝術家協會邀請您提 交您 的藝 術作品參展第 六屆"藝術與民主"藝術展覽.
有興趣的藝術家請在2018年12月26日之前
通過電子郵件將您適合展覽主題的藝術作品, 以四個藝 術品為限提交
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請提供個人簡歷, 每個藝術品的標題和尺寸
了解展覽主題詳 情見上文。

URGENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONFERENCE

WHAT:  Press Conference to call for the immediate release of Poet Zhu Yufu who was taken away

               by China's Public Security Bureau police Beijing time September 17, 2018 at 10:30a..m.

             新聞發布會呼籲中國立 即釋放朱虞夫

WHEN:  Press Conference Monday, September 17, 2018  4:00 p.m.

WHERE:   Consulate of the Peoples Republic of China

                  434 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, Ca. 90020

CONTACT and Information: Ann Lau, Chair, Visual Artists Guild 310-433-0697

Zhu Yufu is the recipient of Visual Artists Guild's 2013 Champion of Freedom of Speech Award.

Statement by Julie Zhu, the daughter of Zhu Yufu, 朱虞夫女兒聲明在下

    "September 17, 2018, 10:30 a.m. Beijing Time, my father, Zhu Yufu, the Chinese Democracy activist, poet and artist Zhu Yufu, was taken home by Hangzhou's Public Security Bureau.

    My father, recently participated in the WeChat group "Conscience Art Auction". His painting and calligraphy work received 7,000 yuan.  My father donated all his proceeds to the families of those prisoners of conscience in China.  My father was warned in advance not to attend the auction.  The Security Bureau said,"You yourself do not even have enough to eat, how can you donate to others?" My father said, "It is true that I have no food, but the families of other victims are worse than mine."  The Security Bureau said, "If you persist, the consequences will be at your own hands."

    However, my father insisted on participating in the auction. The next day, he was taken away five Public Security Bureau police.  His house was ransacked and he is suspected of the crime of "subversion of state power."

    My father is a veteran pro-democracy activist and joined the democratic movement in 1979. In June 1998, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power." In 2007, he was sentenced to two years in prison for "obstructing public service." In 2012, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power" and deprived of political rights for three years.

    In March this year, 2018, he was released from prison. During his imprisonment, my father suffered many illnesses. His life is very difficult and have been constantly harassed by the Public Security Bureau police who visited his house many times. 

    My father though he himself suffers many difficulties, he still pays attention to the families of those prisoners of conscience.

    My father's generosity of spirit and his charitable donations resulted in his current repression from the Hangzhou's Public Security Bureau should cause great indignation and concern from all people around the world.

    Within China and within the international community, I am sure people will condemn this inhuman act and call on China to immediately release my father, Zhu Yufu.

朱虞夫女兒朱利 陳 述

北京時間九月十七日上午十點半，我的父親中國民主黨人、藝術家朱虞夫先生被抄家同時被杭州國保帶走。

我父親朱虞夫日前參加微信群“良心藝術品拍賣會”，他的一幅字畫作品“諸葛亮前後出師表長卷”拍得七千元人民幣，並將拍賣所得全部捐獻給良心 犯家屬，因此遭到打壓。事前朱虞夫曾經接獲有關部門警告，禁止他參加拍賣會。國保說：你已經連飯都吃不上了，怎麼還有錢捐給別人。我爸爸說： 我確實是沒飯吃，但是其他民主人士的家族比我更困難。國保說：如果你要堅持的話，後果自負。然而父親繼續堅持拍賣。第二天就被5個國保抄家並 帶走。這次被抄家和羈押的罪名是“涉嫌顛覆國家政權”。

朱虞夫先生是資深異議人士，1979年投身民主運動。 1998年6月因組建中國民主黨被以“煽動顛覆國家政權罪”判刑七年，2007年被以“妨礙公務罪”判刑兩年，2012年再次被以“煽動顛覆國家政權罪” 判刑七年，剝奪政治權利三年，今年三月剛剛刑滿出獄。長期監獄生涯，朱虞夫多種疾病纏身，出獄以後，沒有醫療保險，生活困頓。但是他仍然以極 大的熱情和愛心關注良心犯家屬。國保曾多次上門，進行無理騷擾。

朱虞夫先生因慈善捐款再次遭受有關當局打壓，已引起全國和世界各地異議人士的極大憤慨和關注，也一定會遭到國際社會的強烈譴責。

PRESS ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8 PM
DETAILS BELOW
Event Tonight 8 p.m. Grand Park
           Visual Artists Guild mourns the passing of Nobel Peace Laureate, Liu Xiaobo today while still under the guard of the Chinese government in a hospital in China.
           Liu Xiaobo had spent a greater part of his life urging for political reform in China.  His 2008 manifesto, Charto 08 calls for democratic reform and resulted in his being sentenced on Christmas day 2009 to 11 years in prison.  In 2010 he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize.  During the Nobel award ceremony, an empty chair became the representation of Liu.  He is only the second Nobel Peace laureate who died in custody since the German Carl von Ossietzky who was awarded the peace prize in 1935 for opposing Nazism and died in 1938.
           Visual Artists Guild will remember what Liu Xiaobo said at his Final Statement, "I have no enemies and no hatred... Hatred only eats away at a person's intelligence and conscience and an enemy mentality can poison the spirit of an entire people (as the experience of our country during Mao era clearly shows.)
           As Visual Artists Guild's mission in championing the right of freedom of speech and expression, we will forever be guided by Liu Xiaobo's Final Statement, "Free expression is the base of human rights, the root of human nature and the mother of truth.  To kill free speech is to insult human rights, to stifle human nature, and to suppress truth."
           May Liu Xiaobo rest in peace.
           At this time we call on the government of China to release Liu Xia from house arrest, allow her to leave China if she so wishes.
Ann Lau
Chair, Visual Artists Guild
WHAT:  Candelight Memorial for Nobel Peace Laureate, Liu Xiaobo
WHEN: Today, July 13 2017 , 8 p.m.
              2017年7月13日下午8時
WHERE:
              Grand Park,
              200 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, 90012
              between Hill and Broadway, Metro Civic Center, Grand Park
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION:
              Hong Kong Forum Paul Ip 626-524-5685
              Los Angeles China Democracy Platform  Weiming Chen 702-750-6066
              Visual Artists Guild  Ann Lau 310-433-0697

           視覺藝術家協會今天哀悼諾貝爾和平獎獲得者劉曉波，劉曉波死於中國政府監督下的一家醫院。
           劉曉波一生推動中國的政治改革。他在2008年零八憲章 呼籲進行民主改革，導致他在2009年聖誕節被判處11年監禁。 2010年，他被授予諾貝爾和平獎。在諾貝爾獎頒獎典禮上，空椅成為他代表。自從1935授予和平獎的德國反對納粹主義的Dee Carl von Ossietzky在1938監禁期死亡, 劉曉波是第二位諾貝爾和平獎獲得者死於監禁中。
           視覺藝術家協會 不會忘記劉曉波在他"最後陳述"說的話，“我沒有敵人，也沒有仇恨...因為，仇恨會腐蝕一個人的智慧和良知，敵人意識將毒化一個民族的精神，煽動起你死 我活的殘酷鬥爭." (正如毛澤東時代那樣殘酷鬥爭.)
           視覺藝術家協會的使命捍衛言論表達自由的權利，我們將永遠以劉曉波的“最後陳述"為指導，“表達自由，人權之基，人性之本，真理之母。封殺言論自由，踐踏 人權，窒息人性，壓抑真理".
           劉曉波安息。
           在這個時候，我們呼籲中國政府釋放劉霞, 停止軟禁她，如果她願意的話讓她離開中國。
劉雅雅
視覺藝術家協會

Press Release:  For Immediate Release.
Visual Artists Guild's China Dream for China's 19th Communist Party Congress
                As China starts its 19th Communist Party Congress on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, Visual Artists Guild's China Dream is that the Communist Party Congress will begin to join the global village in implementing the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights of which China is a signator when the Peoples Republic of China signed the UN Charter in 1971.
                Wu Lihong, named by China's Peoples National Congress as an "Environmental Warrior", have already "being vacationed" by now.  After he was honored by the government in 2005, Mr. Wu later was sent to prison in 2007 when he refused to stop bringing attention to the pollution of Lake Tai, China's second largest fresh water lake.  Mr. Wu was released in 2010 but has been under surveillance since.  Visual Artists Guild honored Mr. Wu in 2013 but he was not allowed to come to the United States to accept the award.  Visual Artists Guild's China Dream is that Mr. Wu would be finally allowed to come to the United States to accept our award now that China has signed the Paris Accord and hopefully recognizes the importance of environmental pollution.
                Another of Visual Artists Guild's China Dream is that the human rights lawyers, Xie Yang 謝陽, Li Heping 李和平,Wang Quanzhang 王 全璋 and Jiang Tianyong 江天勇, who are either waiting on sentencing or trial will have all their sentences revoked.  The lawyers have defended environmentalist, political activists, underground Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, victims of land grabs, victims of forced evictions and other vulnerable groups.
              Visual Artists Guild is distressed by the information that some of the human rights lawyers have been fed drugs that caused them various health and mental problems and that the young children of Wang Quanzhang and Li Heping have been refused admissions to schools.  Such a policy of targeting children of dissidents harks back to the time of imperial China.  Even Mr. Wu's daughter was allowed to go to school after her father was imprisoned although she was watched by security personnel as a young child walking to school.
             In targeting universal values as one of the seven perils of the Communist Party, China's President Xi Jinping in his secret Document #9 has identified his fear of a more enlightened Chinese citizenry.  China's cyber security apparatus is now no longer satisfied with hiring the 50 Cents Party to comment on internet sites or delete offending words or phrases, it has gone on to make citizens as part of the cyber security as evidenced by Weibao's giving points to citizen "supervisors" to report on any violations of the government's taboo subjects.  Such frequent flyer points has brought the Chinese Communist Party's system of neighbors informing on neighbors to the 21st century.  Interestingly, while Twitter is not allowed to operate in China, China's government agencies have nevertheless embraced Twitter as their preferred cyber propaganda tool.
             The government of China during this 19th Party Congress should review China's history especially that of the fall of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty when the Han people were only allowed a chopping knife for every ten households.  Oh, by the way, it has been declared in China a few days ago that shops are no longer allowed to sell knives until further notice.
Ann Lau
Chair, Visual Artists Guild
October 17, 2017

PLEASE JOIN US
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN VISUAL ARTISTS GUILD
           TO STAND WITH THE LADIES IN WHITE AND BRING ATTENTION TO:
                   CUBA'S POLITICAL PRISONERS
                  THE ARBITRARY ARRESTS OF CUBA'S HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS    
                     THE REPRESSIONS AGAINST INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS, WRITERS, AND ARTISTS

WHERE:    Pasadena Doo-Dah Parade – FREE, see map below
                   We are one of the groups in the parade:
                   The Great Firewall of China Marching Brigade.

DATE:        Sunday, November 19, 2017
                  The parade starts at 11:00 a.m.

TIME:        Do join us and be part of the parade; please be there by 9:30 a.m.
                   to practice our skits.  No experience necessary

 Volunteers are needed: 
 Our aim to present the current situation in Cuba in a way that is readily understood by the general audience.
+(2) Men to dress as Castro Police (will provide medium size costumes)
+(1) Male dresses as Castro Police (will provide medium size costume) carrying a sonic device
+(3-4) Men/Women dressed in business suits and carrying briefcase that we will add a "US Embassy" sticker
+(the more the merrier) Ladies dressed all in white who will be given a gladiola to hold and march
+Others are welcomed to join in carrying signs on human rights for Cuba ( white T-shirt, dark pants.)

MEET:        Meet on Nina St, between Altadena Dr and Vindeo Ave in Pasadena

INFORMATION:  Visual Artists Guild, Ann Lau 310-433-0697, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The U.S. began normalization with Cuba in December 2014:

• 53 political prisoners in Cuba were released in the beginning. 
• However, many of those who refused to self exile themselves were soon re-arrested.
• Prisoners are forced to work 12-hour days and punished if they do not meet production quotas.
• The Ladies in White, a group of women who every Sunday after mass would silently march to press for the release of their loved ones have been routinely harassed, beaten and arrested.
• Currently, the Cuban government used a new tactic against the Ladies in White by detaining them before Sunday mass and then release them a day or so later so as to prevent them from their Sunday silent protest.
• Independent journalists, writers, academics and artists who expressed their thoughts are subject to arrests, smear campaign and termination of their jobs.
• Even reporting on the weather has become dangerous.  Journalists Maykel Gonzalez Vivero and Carlos Alejandro Rodrigquez were detained on trying to report on the arrival of Hurricane Irma this year.  Last year, they and Elaine Diaz and four of her colleagues were detained for reporting on the damages from Hurricane Matthew with Vivero being imprisoned for three days.
• Since late last year, U.S. diplomatic personnel and their family members have experienced "hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping" according to the U.S. State Department.  Although Cuba denied it, it is suspected that Cuba had used some type of sonic attacks on the U.S. diplomats and their family.