Exhibition Opening and Concert
Anna Freeman Bentley Exclusive : Paintings of Private Members Clubs Anna Freeman Bentley Exhibition On Saturday, March 17, 2018 Fieldstead and Company welcomed London-based artist Anna Freeman Bentley for an exhibition of her latest work – a series of paintings inspired by the renewed popular interest in private members clubs. Conducting research on several historic clubs in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, the artist recreates these intimate spaces giving the viewer a sense of their exclusive nature. The group of paintings is installed across two galleries and depict fractured views of some of Los Angeles’ most desired social and networking clubs, such as Soho House West Hollywood, the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the Center Club Orange County, and the City Club Los Angeles. Returning to work on a larger scale, Freeman Bentley canvases invite an expanded and immersive entrance into the conflicted nature of these spaces. Her rich and exuberant method of working with color pays homage to the surface warmth and attractiveness of these salons; simultaneously her savvy use of fragmented compositions, which can appear as reflections in paneled mirrors, point to a deeper socio-political and spiritual meaning represented by these environments. Anna Freeman Bentley received a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design, London and a MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London. She has exhibited her work internationally and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. She works and lives in London. Exclusive :
Conversations in Contemporary Painting Join artists Anna Freeman Bentley, Patty Wickman, Brenna Youngblood; gallerist Sadie Kirshman, writer & curator Jane Neal, and moderator, writer and curator Christina Valentine for this discussion on contemporary painting, the role of art amid the current technological revolution and the ability of working artists to survive and work in historically art-centric cities (London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, etc.) while rents and costs of living rise at fantastic rates. Additionally, Anna Freeman Bentley details her motivations and methods for her current exhibition. Moderator Christina Valentine is an independent curator and writer. She resides in Pasadena and is an associate professor in the humanities and sciences department at Art Center College of Design. She blogs at www.horizontalA.com. Anna Freeman Bentley is a London-based artist who uses and distorts architectural imagery to make paintings which explore the emotive potential of space. She has exhibited her work in group and solo exhibitions internationally and has been the recipient of numerous awards and residencies. Sadie Kirshman worked for over a decade in London, UK, for various international galleries including Timothy Taylor and White Cube. Kirshman currently resides in Los Angeles and is an Associate Director at Honor Fraser Gallery. Jane Neal is an independent curator and critic who lives and works between Oxford, London, and Berlin. She has curated critically acclaimed exhibitions at museums and galleries all over the world with a particular expertise in contemporary figurative painting. Patty Wickman is a Los Angeles-based painter whose work employs historical painting devices including narrative, metaphor, representation, gesture, lighting, and paint facture to explore moments of revelation in everyday experience. Wickman, a professor in the Department of Art at UCLA, draws from a range of contemporary and historical literary forms and content, including biblical sources, poetry, and fiction. Brenna Youngblood was born in Riverside, California, and lives in Los Angeles. Youngblood received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California State University, Long Beach in 2002 and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006. She is a painter who works in Los Angeles. Anna Freeman Bentley Panel
Ruth Naomi Floyd Concert Fieldstead and Company welcomed vocalist and composer, Ruth Naomi Floyd and her Philadelphia-based ensemble to perform a special set of music in commemoration of the great African American intellectual and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. A poignant reminder of where we have come as a nation, and of the long struggle for civil rights, Floyd and her ensemble translate this momentous legacy into song. Ms. Floyd has recorded and/or performed with such notable instrumentalists as James Newton, Gary Thomas, James Weidman, Jay Hoggard, Bryan Carrott, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson, Jr., Uri Caine, Charles Fambrough, Julian Joseph, Craig Handy, Reggie Washington, Matthew Parrish, Mark Prince, Ed Howard, Tyrone Brown, John Patitucci, Byron Landrum, T.K. Blue, Bobby Zankel and Greg Tardy. The daughter of urban missionaries, Ruth Naomi Floyd was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From a child she embraced the Christian faith and its immense body of music served as a constant influence and vital part of her life. She began to develop and share her musical talents as a young child by singing in church choirs and studying piano, flute and bassoon. Ruth Naomi Floyd Performance (Excerpts)