College of the Desert held the first artists’ reception of the fall semester on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 3rd, at the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts at the Palm Desert Campus. The reception featured exhibits from Latino and Indigenous artists and doubled as an art market.
This marks the 24th year of art receptions at COD. Artists began setting up at 3 p.m., and the reception lasted from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to the main curators and those selling and displaying their artwork, the reception included complimentary tacos and performances from the band Black Market Jazz.
In September, the Marks Art Center at College of the Desert called upon students, staff, faculty and alumni via Instagram to participate in the artists’ reception. Those accepted were able to present and sell their work at the market.
Art gallery assistant Andrea Calderon says that the artists’ receptions are a great opportunity for all students and members of the community to broaden their horizons and for students interested in art careers to connect with professionals. “We strive to enhance the arts education of our students. It’s a great opportunity for them to see how professional art is displayed and to meet with artists, professional artists, and also the curators,” she said.
Since the artists’ reception took place during Hispanic Heritage Month, there was a focus from curators on Latino and Hispanic culture and history.
The reception showcased the exhibits “Silver Surfer” from Miller Robinson and Luis Motta, curated by Alexis Ramirez Posada, and “Highway Hypnosis” from Oscar Magallanes and the 3B Collective. Both exhibits drew from the artists’ cultural lineages and included multiple forms of media. The exhibits were displayed in the Marks Art Center until Oct. 24th.
“Highway Hypnosis,” described by Magallanes and the collective, “delves into past and present connections within the collective’s work, such as challenging preconceived notions of craft, commodifying cultural goods, hyper-individualism, and hidden labor. All of these while honoring indigeneity and shedding light on migration histories.” The 3B collective collaborated with multiple local and international artists to bring to life a gallery that honors their cultural heritage.
This project also had an emphasis on collaboration. The 3B Collective is just that, a collective. They want to challenge the hyper individuality of the current art scene. “One of the most important things about the collective is that we’re trying to model the behavior we want to see in the community. Working collaboratively is not easy, but it’s possible. We’re trying to do kind of the opposite of what we really see in the art world, which is this hyper individualistic way of doing art,” Magallanes said.
The other exhibit featured at the reception, “Silver Surfer,” also presented works that explore connections of the artists’ ancestral lineages. As described by Robinson and Motta, “Each artwork in this show invites the viewer into a new atmosphere tracing back lineages and ancestry lost through time and space –often catalyzed by colonialism.”
Motta is Guatemalan-American, and Robinson is of Karuk and Yurok heritage. Together, the artists work to create an exhibit that “build[s] dimensions grounded in bodied and lived experience, orbited by imaginations that transcend distinctions between past, present, future, reality and fiction.”
Outside of the gallery, students, staff and alumni all gathered for an art market. Artists gathered under tents and presented and sold their artwork to members of the community. Alexa Vazquez, a vendor and COD alumni, said it’s important for people to come out and support local artists because it helps those looking to start or advance their art career a chance to see what it will be like in the future. “First of all you get a real taste of what people are gonna do when they’re older. I mean all these artists are just finding inspiration right now for their futures. And second of all, it really propels our careers as we advance to see what people like versus what they don’t like,” she said.
The art center aims to hold anywhere from 4-6 exhibitions a year, ending the year with their Student Show. The next market will be held on November 14th. You can follow the Marks Art Center on Instagram, @marksartcenter, for updates on upcoming events and dates.
