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Super Heroes Super Villains

Gallery Exhibition

From Superman to Super Average Girl, the incomparable artists of San Francisco’s Creativity Explored explore popular and original super heroes and their arch enemies

October 4 – November 21, 2007
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 4 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

SAN FRANCISCO… Fly, leap or zoom over to Creativity Explored for a special exhibition straight off the pages of your favorite comic book. Studio artists reinterpret famous saviors of the universe and those who would thwart them in “Super Heroes Super Villains” at the Creativity Explored Gallery October 4th through November 21st. The show opens with a reception featuring live music on Thursday, October 4th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Those attending the opening are encouraged to dress as their favorite super hero or villain. All artwork may be purchased at the Creativity Explored Gallery, open Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm.

For the show, Laron Bickerstaff gives a new look to heroes like The Flash and Green Arrow while Edana Contreras contributes an ode to Oracle, the only major super heroine in a wheelchair. Warren Gee’s Bat Girl is a masterpiece of thick, textured brushstrokes a la Jackson Pollock while Gordon Shepard’s Batman seems to be posing casually for a snapshot in downtown San Francisco. Douglas Sheran brings his gestural style to bear on some of the more obscure comic book characters such as PychoMan, Maverick and Taskmaster.

Michael Bernard Loggins imagines his own cast of super characters including Super Toothbrush Hero who saves children’s teeth, Super Serious Man who is “no laughing matter”, Super Cat who “wears freaky underwear and saves kittens out of tall trees in a single bound” and even Super Average Girl — “Trying to stay as average as she can be.” Loggins also gives the wannabes a chance with his portrait of a guy who isn’t a super hero but wants to be one some day.

Curator Francis Kohler not only saw an opportunity for artists to explore some of these iconic pop images, but also a chance to tell a real life story about heroes and villains of the American disability movement. Kohler is creating several text panels for the show that will feature historical facts or quotes by famous champions and nemeses of people with disabilities. He hopes to shine a light on the progress that has been made and the work that remains. “I’m sort of the narrator in the comic books, talking about issues beyond the pictures,” he says. “I want to invite people who are interested to delve a little deeper and think about the reality of these artists. This group of people is still far, far away from having equal rights. They’ll probably be the last in the country to achieve that. I mean, how do you advocate for yourself when you are non verbal? I think that takes the will of a super hero.”

Calendar Listing

Super Heroes Super Villains

GROUP EXHIBITION AND OPENING: From Superman to Super Average Girl, the incomparable artists of San Francisco’s Creativity Explored explore popular and original super heroes and their arch enemies.

Fly, leap or zoom over to Creativity Explored for a special exhibition straight off the pages of your favorite comic book. Studio artists reinterpret famous saviors of the universe and those who would thwart them. Laron Bickerstaff gives a new look to heroes like The Flash and Green Arrow while Edana Contreras contributes an ode to Oracle, the only major super heroine in a wheelchair. Michael Bernard Loggins imagines his own cast of super characters including Super Toothbrush Hero, Super Serious Man and even Super Average Girl — “Trying to stay as average as she can be.” Curator Francis Kohler of Creativity Explored also contributes food for thought placing text panels throughout the show to highlight real life heroes and villains of the disability movement.

What

Super Heroes Super Villains – a group exhibition of work about comic book heroes and their enemies created by artists with developmental disabilities at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored

When

• Opening Reception – Thursday, October 4, 2007 from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Exhibit Dates and Times – October 4 – November 21, 2007,
  Monday through Friday 10:00 am. to 3:00 pm, Saturday 1:00 to 6:00 pm

Where

Creativity Explored Gallery
3245 Sixteenth Street at Guerrero, San Francisco

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

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# Posted on September 6, 2007