ABOVE: Christine Wong Yap. what have i added to the wealth of creation, 2012, 1920s Chinese silk ribbon, grosgrain ribbon, thread, pins. Supported by Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center. Text borrowed from William Blake. Produced for Montalvo's exhibition Happiness Is..., it asks the (existential) question of legacy and the (flourishing) question of purpose. The colorful work of interdisciplinary artist Christine Wong Yap includes installations, sculptures, multiples, and works on paper. Exploring the ideas of optimism and pessimism, her pieces address the paradox that mundane materials or situations can give rise to irrational expectations, emotions, and experiences. Her "ribbon texts"—a series of pieces she's been working on since 2011—are a lovely exploration of these themes. As the artist describes them on her website: "sewn from ribbons and installed directly on the wall, these messages encourage mental habits that can increase happiness." A selection of the texts were included in Montalvo's 2013 exhibition Happiness Is..., and Yap continued work on the series while she was in residence at Montalvo last year. We were delighted to learn that Yap's work was featured today on Oprah.com's Inspiration section, with the instruction to "Challenge yourself and change your perspective with these creative pieces of advice." If, after you view the slideshow on Oprah.com, you want to see more examples of the artist's work, you can also check out Yap's website.
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Earlier this week, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin began her tenure as a Montalvo Artist-in-Residence. Just prior to arriving in Saratoga, she made headlines at her performance opening the 10th season of Music at Meyer, the concert series at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco, a program inspired by her recently published memoir: Do you Dream in Color?: Insights from a Girl Without Sight, which details her career as an international opera singer…who happens to be blind. If the San Francisco Classical Voice’s review of her show whets your appetite for more information about Rubin, be sure to check out
Happy reading! Artist Hemali Bhuta was an artist-in-residence at Montalvo in 2010. Her work is the subject of an extensive write-up in today’s New York Times. Congratulations, Hemali! You can read more about Hemali on her residency profile page on the Montalvo website. Image taken from the New York Times, photo originally courtesy of Hugo Glendinning/Rolex.
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