Growing Up is an exhibit about the murky, complicated process we all go through to become ourselves. The works in this show, created by local contemporary artists, each looking at a different aspect of this phase of life. Freeman’s work explores the tensions of adolescence through ceramic works that represent both vintage 90s teen culture and the historical references to ancient pottery. Sarmiento’s work looks at the complexity of growing up with autism through illustrative works. Smith’s pieces pull back the curtain on Andrew’s struggle with gender transition. The viewer is invited both to look into the stories presented through these pieces, as well as to reflect on their own messy process of growing up.
Come see the art on display from September 5 to October 30, 2019 at the Altadena Main Library at 600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001.
(Top to Bottom): Joshua James Freeman’s Pubertea; Steven Félix-Jäger’s painting; Amara Sarmiento’s PROGRESSION (part of a five-panel piece); Sarah Kuhn’s photo; Christine Lee Smith’s Becoming Dan
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Steven Félix-Jäger (PhD, MFA) is assistant professor at Life Pacific University and chair of the worship arts and media program. As a conceptual realist artist, Félix-Jäger has shown all over the US and even some internationally.
Joshua James Freeman creates artwork that explores the relationships between clay and other primal elements such as water, fire, and air. He works with both fired and unfired clay, resulting in some works that are permanent and others that are temporary and experiential. He was born in Clearwater, Florida currently lives in Azusa, CA. He started his career in teaching in 2010 and taught AP Art and Ceramics at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida from 2012-2019 and is currently teaching AP Art and Art History at Providence High School in Burbank, CA.
Sarah Kuhn is a fine art portrait photographer based in Carbondale, Colorado. Her personal work focuses on the beauty and vulnerability found within the home landscape. Finding a balance between being a mother and an artist has led her to explore the dual themes of motherhood and childhood. Sarah’s current photographic series reflects the bond between artist and subject and is inspired by her constant muses, her two children.
Christine Lee Smith is a photographic artist whose explorations reflect on identity formation and gendered embodiment, and how both are shaped through early attachments and a maturing spirituality. Her photographs hold the tension of being and becoming and consider how we become ourselves. Her work invites conversation with the viewer about the conflicts of identity formation, particularly in relationship with the pre-scripted formulas offered in Western culture, and offers space to wonder about the presence of the Divine in all parts of that process. Christine completed her MA in Spiritual Formation & Soul Care at Biola University. She is also currently completing her MFA in Visual Art from Azusa Pacific University.
Amara Sarmiento works with the themes of presence and absence in her art. These places are physically inhabited, repeated, and dictated by actions and behaviors that create body language patterns that are both discernible and indiscernible. Sarmiento codes the drawings in gestures that invite the viewer to partake in these moments, advocating autism awareness, tolerance, and understanding. From calm to chaos, Sarmiento lives on the edge of balance as she makes sense of her role as a mother and as an artist. In her practice she is committed and actively involved in documenting her son’s daily behaviors and interactions with her, and himself. Sarmiento is a Los Angeles based artist who is currently an MFA candidate and works from her home studio in Whittier.