Herself: Girlhood in Stop Motion Film
Herself: Girlhood in Stop Motion Film
SBCC Atkinson Gallery
January 26-March 23, 2018
The Atkinson Gallery is pleased to present Herself: Girlhood in Stop Motion Film featuring Rita Basulto, Laura Krifka, Heidi Kumao, Kirsten Lepore, and Suraya Raja. The exhibit, which includes a film by each artist as well as stills, production shots, drawings, and sculptural figures, explores the complexities of girlhood and coming of age. In these 5 short stop motion films, the artists portray girls overcoming their fears, coping with loss, solving problems, and succumbing to/resisting societal expectations. Due to explorations of mortality, violence, and mental health the Herself: Girlhood in Stop Motion Film exhibit is intended for audiences 12 years and older.
Presented in conjunction with the Santa Barbara International PuppetPalooza, the exhibit opens with a public reception on Friday, January 26 from 5pm-7pm preceded by an artist discussion with Laura Krifka and Heidi Kumao at 4pm in Humanities Building Room 111. Generously sponsored by the Santa Barbara City College Foundation, the exhibit will be on view through Friday, March 23, 2018.
The Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara City College Art Department's showcase for the visual arts, hosts exhibitions of contemporary art featuring international, national, regional and student artists. All exhibits and events are free and open to the public.
Rita Basulto (Mexico City, MX)
Rita Basulto studied painting at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas and later earned her degree in Audiovisual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. She has participated in more than twenty exhibitions as a painter. She was the co-director of the feature film "El octavo día de la creación" (2000), also directed the short film "Eclosión", and the animation "Desierto adentro" (2008), by Rodrigo Pla. She also produced and directed the art of the short film "Mutatio", by León Fernández and directed "Lluvia de ojos", which was the winner of the XI National Short Film Competition of the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE) and of the Best Short Film of the Festival de Cine de Durango in 2013.
Laura Krifka (Ventura, CA)
Laura Krifka received her MFA from UC Santa Barbara in 2010 and her BFA from Cal Poly University SLO in 2008, following earlier studies at Newbold College in England and Avondale College in Australia. She has shown at L.A. Louver’s Rogue Wave Program, Torrance Museum of Art, and Beacon Arts in Inglewood as well as Seven and Untitled in Miami, Zroboli in Chicago and Vast Space Projects in Las Vegas NV. She has had solo shows in Los Angeles and New York City and is represented by BravinLee Programs in New York. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Westmont Museum of Art, Art Design and Architecture Museum at UCSB, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Her work has been covered in the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Art Pulse Magazine, Artillery Magazine, HiFructose, Beautiful Decay and New American Paintings. She Lives in Ventura, California and is an Instructor of Painting at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Heidi Kumao (Ann Arbor, MI)
Heidi Kumao has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Creative Capital Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, AAUW (American Assn. of University Women), the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally including one-person exhibitions at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires, Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Arizona State University Art Museum, and Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco. Her work has been reviewed in Artforum, ArtPapers, and Sculpture Magazine and is in a number of private and public collections including The Exploratorium, Houston Museum of Fine Arts and Light Work. Her film, “Swallowed Whole,” received awards for “Best Experimental Film” at the Female Eye Film Festival, Humboldt International Film Festival, and the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival. She is an Associate Professor at the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Kirsten Lepore (Los Angeles, CA)
Kirsten Lepore is an LA-based director and animator, and alumna of CalArts. She recently wrote and directed an Annie & Emmy-winning stop-motion episode for Cartoon Network’s hit show, Adventure Time. Her films have taken top prizes at SXSW, Slamdance, Stuttgart Animation festival, Florida Film Fest, Arizona Film Fest, Vimeo Awards, the Annie Awards and many others. She's given talks everywhere from Pixar to Portugal and has also been featured in Juxtapoz, Shots Magazine, Animation Magazine, and named one of the 50 most creative people by Creativity Magazine. With a client list including Google, MTV, Facebook, Nickelodeon, Yo Gabba Gabba, Whole Foods, Toyota, and more, her work has been featured on TV, the web, in museums, and at 100+ international film festivals.
Suraya Raja (London, UK)
Suraya Raja is an award-winning Animation Director, and graduate of the National Film and Television School. Originally from the Liverpool area of the UK, Raja studied Visual Communications at Leeds College of Art & Design. She worked as a freelance artist on residencies and in education, before becoming a puppet fabricator and model maker working in commercial animation and film studios. With a strong desire to tell stories, Raja returned to the National Film & Television School to develop her skills in writing and directing. Her latest film, Don't Think of a Pink Elephant, premiered at Leicester Square Picture House, and has since been showcased at over fifty festivals, receiving the award for Best Animation at Portugal International Film Festival and at Phenicien International Film Festival, and nominations at several others. Since graduating, Raja has been working at Aardman Animations, and is currently developing her own TV series.
Presented in conjunction with the Santa Barbara International PuppetPalooza, the exhibit opens with a public reception on Friday, January 26 from 5pm-7pm preceded by an artist discussion with Laura Krifka and Heidi Kumao at 4pm in Humanities Building Room 111. Generously sponsored by the Santa Barbara City College Foundation, the exhibit will be on view through Friday, March 23, 2018.
The Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara City College Art Department's showcase for the visual arts, hosts exhibitions of contemporary art featuring international, national, regional and student artists. All exhibits and events are free and open to the public.
Rita Basulto (Mexico City, MX)
Rita Basulto studied painting at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas and later earned her degree in Audiovisual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. She has participated in more than twenty exhibitions as a painter. She was the co-director of the feature film "El octavo día de la creación" (2000), also directed the short film "Eclosión", and the animation "Desierto adentro" (2008), by Rodrigo Pla. She also produced and directed the art of the short film "Mutatio", by León Fernández and directed "Lluvia de ojos", which was the winner of the XI National Short Film Competition of the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE) and of the Best Short Film of the Festival de Cine de Durango in 2013.
Laura Krifka (Ventura, CA)
Laura Krifka received her MFA from UC Santa Barbara in 2010 and her BFA from Cal Poly University SLO in 2008, following earlier studies at Newbold College in England and Avondale College in Australia. She has shown at L.A. Louver’s Rogue Wave Program, Torrance Museum of Art, and Beacon Arts in Inglewood as well as Seven and Untitled in Miami, Zroboli in Chicago and Vast Space Projects in Las Vegas NV. She has had solo shows in Los Angeles and New York City and is represented by BravinLee Programs in New York. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Westmont Museum of Art, Art Design and Architecture Museum at UCSB, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Her work has been covered in the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Art Pulse Magazine, Artillery Magazine, HiFructose, Beautiful Decay and New American Paintings. She Lives in Ventura, California and is an Instructor of Painting at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Heidi Kumao (Ann Arbor, MI)
Heidi Kumao has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Creative Capital Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, AAUW (American Assn. of University Women), the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally including one-person exhibitions at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires, Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Arizona State University Art Museum, and Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco. Her work has been reviewed in Artforum, ArtPapers, and Sculpture Magazine and is in a number of private and public collections including The Exploratorium, Houston Museum of Fine Arts and Light Work. Her film, “Swallowed Whole,” received awards for “Best Experimental Film” at the Female Eye Film Festival, Humboldt International Film Festival, and the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival. She is an Associate Professor at the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Kirsten Lepore (Los Angeles, CA)
Kirsten Lepore is an LA-based director and animator, and alumna of CalArts. She recently wrote and directed an Annie & Emmy-winning stop-motion episode for Cartoon Network’s hit show, Adventure Time. Her films have taken top prizes at SXSW, Slamdance, Stuttgart Animation festival, Florida Film Fest, Arizona Film Fest, Vimeo Awards, the Annie Awards and many others. She's given talks everywhere from Pixar to Portugal and has also been featured in Juxtapoz, Shots Magazine, Animation Magazine, and named one of the 50 most creative people by Creativity Magazine. With a client list including Google, MTV, Facebook, Nickelodeon, Yo Gabba Gabba, Whole Foods, Toyota, and more, her work has been featured on TV, the web, in museums, and at 100+ international film festivals.
Suraya Raja (London, UK)
Suraya Raja is an award-winning Animation Director, and graduate of the National Film and Television School. Originally from the Liverpool area of the UK, Raja studied Visual Communications at Leeds College of Art & Design. She worked as a freelance artist on residencies and in education, before becoming a puppet fabricator and model maker working in commercial animation and film studios. With a strong desire to tell stories, Raja returned to the National Film & Television School to develop her skills in writing and directing. Her latest film, Don't Think of a Pink Elephant, premiered at Leicester Square Picture House, and has since been showcased at over fifty festivals, receiving the award for Best Animation at Portugal International Film Festival and at Phenicien International Film Festival, and nominations at several others. Since graduating, Raja has been working at Aardman Animations, and is currently developing her own TV series.