Press

Solo Duet

Gallery Exhibition

An exhibition of new work by two old friends at Creativity Explored

August 17 – September 28, 2006
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

SAN FRANCISCO…You’ve heard of Gilbert and George? Komar and Melamid? Well, now the art world is about to be rocked by a new dynamic duo of collaborative creativity. Michelle Kunard and Tony Gomez, two artists at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored, have been friends and artistic partners for eight years. See the fruit of their collective labor, as well as the artists’ individual works, in the new exhibition, Solo Duet, on display at the Creativity Explored gallery August 17th through September 28th. The show opens with a special reception and a chance to meet the artists on August 17th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The gallery is regularly open Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. All artwork is available for purchase.

Artists Kunard and Gomez met 10 years ago at Creativity Explored, a visual arts center for adults with developmental disabilities. It didn’t take long for them to discover how much fun it was to work on projects together. “There’s a common bond between us,” says Kunard. “And no fighting. That’s a no no.”

Curator Catherine Bildhauer says that collaboration is unusual at Creativity Explored, but this one works on many levels. “She talks, and he listens,” she says with a laugh. “But most importantly, they’ve figured out how each can have a distinct role in the art making process that capitalizes on their strengths as individual artists. Tony makes mostly repetitious patterns – he’ll fill a page with color and then lots of crosses or some other repeating shape. So Tony always starts the painting and does the background. Then Michelle, who loves stories and myths and draws figures of animals and people, comes in with the details.”

Frequently Kunard will place the two artists themselves squarely in the middle of the scene. In a large painting of Adam and Eve, it is clear that the smiling figures munching on apples in the garden of paradise are Kunard and Gomez. In a ten-foot-long mural piece that will be prominently displayed in the exhibit, the pair appears again on the shore of a bay surrounded by hundreds of whimsical birds.

The mural project was an inspiration from an artists’ outing organized by Creativity Explored. Each week, artists have an opportunity to visit museums and cultural institutions around the Bay Area. As is evident in her personal oeuvre, Kunard often picks up ideas from these excursions. A series of Black Panther portraits was the result of a recent trip to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. “Art museums – I love em,” says Kunard. “I saw a sculpture of Michael Jackson at MOMA, so I decided to do one too.”

Kunard’s many ceramic busts of famous individuals will be featured in the show. She particularly loves sports stars like Serena Williams and Michael Jordan. Also on display will be her critter puppets and many solo works on paper. Gomez’s individual work will also be on display including several large abstract paintings.

Calendar Listing

Solo Duet

TWO PERSON EXHIBITION AND OPENING: You’ve heard of Gilbert and George? Komar and Melamid? Well, now the art world is about to be rocked by a new dynamic duo of collaborative creativity. Michelle Kunard and Tony Gomez, two artists at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored, have been friends and artistic partners for eight years. See the fruit of their collective labor, as well as the artists’ individual works, in the new exhibition entitled Solo Duet. The exhibition features several collaborative works on paper and a ten-foot-long mural piece. Kunard’s many ceramic busts of famous individuals and a series of Black Panther portraits will also be featured in the show. Gomez’s individual work, rich with repeating patterns, will be on display as well including several large abstract paintings.

What

Solo Duet: New Work by Old Friends – An exhibition of the collaborative paintings of Michelle Kunard and Tony Gomez, two artists at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored, as well as individual works

When

• Opening Reception: Thursday, August 17, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Exhibit Dates and Times: August 17 – September 28, 2006, Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Saturday 1:00 to 6:00 pm

Where

Creativity Explored Gallery
3245 Sixteenth St. at Guerrero, San Francisco

Creativity Explored is a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.

Press Images

Please speak to our press contacts to obtain a Press Images username and password. View the Press Images →

Press Contacts

Nina Sazevich: (415) 752-2483
Amy Taub: (415) 863-2108

# Posted on July 10, 2006