The Free Gallery, by Free Utopian Projects | Exhibition Call Selection 2013

The Free Gallery

By Free Utopian Projects | Exhibition Call Selection 2013

Exhibition Dates: February 26 - March 29, 2013

Preview: Tuesday, February 26 – Friday, March 1

Artists' Reception and Free Art Launch: First Friday, March 1, 6-8pm

Oakland, CA: Pro Arts is pleased to present The Free Gallery by Free Utopian Projects, a new exhibition presenting free artwork, found objects and art ephemera to the public.

The Free Gallery is both an interactive experience of an alternative art economy, as well as a study of art as a consumer product. Who makes art? Who exhibits art? Who buys art? The Free Gallery explores the collapse of these distinctions by offering a subverted gallery experience where not only admission is free, the art is too.

Participating artists donate work to the exhibition to be presented salon-style in a continually evolving cycle of giving and taking art. A 'Preview' will be held from Tuesday, February 26 to Friday, March 1 to allow viewers an exclusive preview of items that will be available free to the public from the Artists' Reception onwards. A practice of taking one work per person will be encouraged. The project proprietor Jocelyn Meggait will be onsite most gallery hours to discuss the project with visitors, coordinate artwork, and document the selection experience.

The Free Gallery brings a distinctly Bay Area tradition of a free community happenings – from The Digger's Free Shops in the 1960's to thriving First Friday's in Oakland – to an exhibition experience. By embracing the potential for visual chaos and participatory mayhem, The Free Gallery seeks to highlight alternative routes for accessing, valuing and experiencing art.

Participating Artists: Gwynessa Balvanz, Evan Barbour, Jennifer Brandon, Kenna Kristen Cabral, Sohyung Choi, Susanna Corcoran, Madelyn Covey, Alix Critchley, Veva Edelson, Peter Foucault, Hilary Galian, Matthew Gottschalk, Michael Hall, Dana Hemenway, Sarah Herniesen, Amy M. Ho, Becky Johnson, Samuel Levi Jones, Michael Koehle, Matthew Kowalski, Barbara Laukat, Hung Liu, Keegan Luttrell, Lauren McDougald, Kath Irwin McGaughey, Michael Mersereau, Nadja Eulee Miller, Doug Millison (Little Free Art Gallery), Seth Minor, Camilla Newhagen, Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Tressa Pack, Meri Page, Chelsea Pegram, Simon Pyle, Kate Rhoades, Alex Rubio, Kent Rodriguez Segura, Jenny Sharaf, Sofia Sharpe, Kate Short, Kelsey Thorne, Chris Treggiari, Marilyn Treon, Katy Warner,          MAP (Mobile Arts Platform)                                                                                                  ... more artists to be announced soon!

The Free Gallery is the 2013 Exhibition Call Selection. The Artists' Reception and Free Art Launch, featuring Mobile Arts Platform, will be held on First Friday, March 1, 6-8pm. Exhibition and events are, of course, free.

About Free Utopian Projects: Free Utopian Projects is an ongoing alternative art project exploring Utopian economic systems by creating free, socially active installations. Curator/proprietor/artist Jocelyn Meggait has installed Free Projects at Kala Art Institute, Mills College Art Museum, and most recently at the alternative art space A Temporary Offering in the Renoir Hotel, San Francisco.

About the Annual Call for Exhibition Proposals: The Annual Call for Exhibition Proposals establishes an open submission process for artists and curators to present and produce a curated exhibition in collaboration with Pro Arts. The program provides a platform for exceptional and unexpected presentations of work from a range of artists and curators. About Pro Arts: Supporting the arts within communities by serving the ongoing needs of artists. Pro Arts provides critical access to contemporary art in the region and serves as a regional hub for arts activities, independent curated exhibitions, advocacy, arts education and capacity building artist services -fiscal sponsorship and professional exhibition services matching artists with community partners. We produce 15 exhibitions annually, exhibit over 500 artists, and reach an annual audience over 72,000.

For more information please contact:  Amy Spencer, Program Coordinator / Curator: amy@proartsgallery.org or 510-763-4361