Etherton Gallery press release Contacts: for immediate release Daphne Srinivasan Hannah Glasston Etherton Gallery Etherton Gallery presents 135 S. 6th Ave Tucson, AZ 85701 The of the Citizens Warehouse 520.624.7370 [email protected] New Show Features 21 Artists from Citizens Collective www.ethertongallery.com Artist Reception and Book Signing -- 7pm, Saturday June 20, 2015

Joe Hatton Desert Dreams, 2015 oil on canvas

Titus Castanza, Citizens Artist Collective Board (2012) oil on canvas

Tucson, AZ -- Etherton Gallery is pleased to present its summer exhibition, The Artists of Citizens Warehouse, opening with a reception June 20, 2015. The exhibition features a selection of work by 21 artists representing the Citizens Artist Collective (CAC), whose informal camaraderie infuses their individual practices in , , mixed media and photography, creating a dynamic interplay between the desire to transform the world through Matthew Diggins, Ida in the Park, 2015 art and the desire to preserve the architecture of its creation. oil on canvas The Artists of Citizens Warehouse, features a selection of work by Dirk Arnold, BICAS, Christina Cardenas, Rand Carlson, Titus Castanza, Matthew Diggins, Jeff Framer, Nick Georgiou, Laurel Hansen, Joe Hatton, Katherine Josten, Alec Laughlin, Ezequiel Leoni, Patti McNulty, Troy Neiman, Joanna Pregon, Robert Redding, Tony Rosario, Michael Schwartz, Christopher Stevens, Jeremy Singer, and Gavin Troy.

Their unique affiliation provides the artists access to wide ranging vocabularies and tools including music and performance that serve a larger effort to transform their corner of the world. Painter Titus Castanza’s portrait of the CAC Board, allows us a bird’s eye view of a lively and thoughtful exchange among some of the artists featured in the exhibition.

Recycling is an important artistic strategy and cultural statement among the CAC artists. Nick Georgiou makes 2-D and life-size , from discarded newspapers and books. In an ironic twist, Georgiou’s sculptures recently moved from the street to the windows of French luxury goods purveyor, Hermès’ at their flagship store in New York. Recycling is also important to textile artist, Robert Redding, who works with discarded scraps of wool and yarn. And artist and Tucson Weekly cartoonist, Rand Carlson, makes mixed Katherine Josten media works using cut tin paired with the pithy text of a wordsmith. Space, 2015 oil on canvas However, the traditional fine arts are alive and well, represented by Matthew Diggins, whose portraits are based on his study of Old Masters and Katherine Jostens, whose large abstract works on canvas are part of the larger endeavor to use art to improve the world. Jostens is the founder of the Global Art Project for Peace.

Several of the artists also have an interest in or have studied architecture, including Dirk Arnold, known for his project Endangered Architecture. Arnold’s meticulously crafted architectural 2-D models framed in shadow boxes remind us of the importance of Tucson’s architectural gems, endangered by residential and commercial development. Designer Ezequiel Leoni began his career making furniture from found materials and now works in forged and fabricated steel.

The artists of the Citizens Artist Collective are also committed to preserving the historic integrity of the Citizens Warehouse and raising public consciousness about community’s contributions to the city of Tucson. To that end, multi-media artist Alec Laughlin edited and published Citizens Warehouse (2013). Named a 2013 Southwest Book of the Year, the book provides information about each artist of the Collective, and details the history of the Citizens Warehouse and the Warehouse Arts District in Tucson.

Etherton Gallery’s exhibition, The Artists of Citizens Warehouse goes on view June 16 with an Artist Reception and Book Signing at 7-10pm, Saturday, June 20th, 2015. Signed copies of Citizens Warehouse will be available for sale. For information about the exhibition or to interview members of the Citizens Artist Collective, please contact Daphne Srinivasan, Hannah Glasston or Terry Etherton at Etherton Gallery at (520) 624-7370 or [email protected].