Specific Sightings
February 1 – May 31, 2012
Specific Sightings is a micro art exhibit co-curated by Ted G. Decker and Salman Al Wastey for Echo Coffee, Scottsdale. Salman is originally from Baghdad, Iraq but now resides in Phoenix. He is a noted art critic, a writer about art and poetry, and curator. It encourages each of us to go beyond the act of just looking at something to really SEEING it. The art in this exhibition represents art "sightings" across cultures by Salman Al Wastey and me who come from two different cultures but who share a passion for the visual arts.
For this exhibit, we selected 13 artists, multi-cultural in their origins and residencies and diverse in their art making practices, to share the bond of exhibiting together, thereby building cultural bridges between them and the conservatively estimated 36,000 people who have the opportunity to view the art during its 4-month installation at Echo Coffee. Within this group of 13 artists are people from Boston, Irvine, CA, Salt Lake City, and the Phoenix area in the United States, from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, from Baghdad, Iraq (now living in Amman, Jordan and Irvine, California), and Tehran, Iran (now living in Tempe). According to Al Wastey, "The most important means of expression for man's humanity are the senses, so art is one of the most important means by which he/she expresses the human senses. So there will be a number of artists from America, Iraq, Iran and Brazil, brought together by one language, the language of art."
For the better part of the last 20 years, I have advocated for artists and art in various ways, one of which has been hanging art in coffee places and alternative venues including new car dealerships and restaurants. Art that may be "threatening" or a mystery in a more formal setting like a gallery or museum can be viewed in a more relaxed and open minded way in a place like a coffee house or restaurant.
ALL OF THE ART WORKS IN THIS EXHIBIT ARE FOR SALE, providing a vehicle for people to start or add to their collections or to enhance their living and work environments. Please contact me via my website for additional information. https://tedgdecker.com See all the images in an album titled SPECIFIC SIGHTINGS on Facebook at http://facebook.com/tgdecker
Special thanks to Steve Belt (Echo Coffee), Brent Bond (Santo Press), Carolyn Lavender, and Lisa MacCollum (LisaMac Design).