PRESS CONTACTS: Kori Johnson, Program Assistant

(925) 295-1418, [email protected] Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions and Programs (925) 295-1415, [email protected]

Press Release For Immediate Release

My Hero! Contemporary Art & Superhero Action January 17 – March 20, 2016 Opening Reception: Sunday, January 17, 3:00 – 5:00pm

Walnut Creek, CA – Experience the escapades of iconic superheroes with this

Graham Kirk, Supergirl and pumped-up collection of international artworks in a variety of media. As Mount Taranaki, 2009, contemporary idols, superheroes provide a rich source of inspiration for artists archival print, 16x20 inches around the world. My Hero! celebrates and re-envisions the possibilities that exist when you have a magic cape, lasso, or some superhuman power that changes everything.

About this exhibition Bedford Curator Carrie Lederer says: “For decades, artists have tapped the world of the superhero, eager to explore the alluring concept of what it means to have an avatar. We’re captivated by miraculous, superhuman strength, startling bravery, the enthralling adventures, and even their weaknesses. A number of artists are also asking: What happens when

Superman gets old and checks into Assisted Living? What does he look like and Winston Tseng, International Superhero Series, 2009, what’s he up to?” giclee print on archival museum rag, 24x36 inches.

My Hero! will feature art by nationally renowned artist Mark Newport (Keego Harbor, Michigan), who, for years, has been using superhero imagery to explore issues of identity and the definition of a “hero”. Newport says about his work: “Turning the superhero inside out is a way for me to present an understanding of masculinity. Superheroes suggest strength, but knitting them or covering them with embroidery provides a softness that is contradictory to their image.” Dulce Pinzon (Brooklyn, NY) makes photographs depicting

Mark Newport, Big Batman, the lives of immigrants as society’s “real superheroes,” with images of Catwoman working 2012, hand knit acrylic and as a nanny and Superman delivering pizzas on his trusty bike. buttons, 120 x 28 x 6 inches

Sacramento artist Mel Ramos anchors the My Hero! exhibition. A pioneer in the genre of superhero art, Ramos has been using iconic images in his work for over 50 years. One of his earlier works, an oil painting of Superman (1962), is currently on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Bedford Gallery also commissioned San Francisco artist, Lizabeth Rossof to create a Batman warrior for My Hero! Created in Xi’an, China, this piece features Batman as a historic Terracotta Warrior. The Batman warrior is authentic in composition and detail and is crafted using the same natural material as the original statues. Other notable Batman- themed art include Robert Burden’s The Holy Batman, a large-scale oil painting, Simon Lizabeth Rossof, Batman Warrior, Monk’s Tim Drake featuring a Robin action figure and Steve Seeley’s Family Portrait of 2015 Batman and Batwoman.

My Hero!’s international roster of artists includes a series of humorous, sardonic superhero paintings by Laurina Paperina (Rovereto,Italy), and a sultry rendering of Supergirl laying across Mount Taranaki by Graham Kirk (New Plymouth, New Zealand) that is both dramatic and comic. The Italian photography duo by the name Foto Marvellini (Vercelli, Italy) create rich, somber Victorian-like sepia toned images of our superheroes that appear as vintage photographs, circa 1850. After the Bedford exhibition, My Hero! will travel nationally through December 2018.

Jason Yarmosky, High Rollers, 2011, oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches/Dulce Pinzon, Catwoman, 2001-2009 Superheroes Series, 16 x 20 inches/ Robert Burden, The Holy Batman, 2013, oil on canvas, 12 x 7 feet/ Simon Monk, Tim Drake, 2013, oil and alkyd on wood panel, 24 x 20 inches

Participating Artists

National Artists Mike Alcantara (Austin, TX), Katherine Bradford (Brooklyn, NY), Robert Xavier Burden (San Francisco, CA), Enrique Chagoya (San Francisco, CA), Bill Concannon (Crockett, CA), Jeremy Fisher (Los Angeles, CA), Justin Hager (San Francisco, CA), Cheong-ah Hwang (Columbus, OH), Dave Laro (White River Junction, VT), Adam Lister (Beacon, NY), Mark Newport (Keego Harbor, MI), Aaron Noble (Los Angeles, CA), Jennie Ottinger (San Francisco, CA) Jenny Parks (Denver, CO), Dulce Pinzon (Brooklyn, NY), Peter and Madeline Powell (Maui, HI), Mel Ramos (Oakland, CA), Cheyenne Randall (Seattle, WA), Lizabeth Rossof (San Francisco, CA), Hannah Rothstein (San Francisco, CA), Samuel Rowlett (Western MA), Matt Ritchie (Castro Valley, CA), Steve Seeley (Chicago, IL), Rose Sellery, (Santa Cruz, CA), Inez Storer (Inverness, CA), Mark Todd (Sierra Madre, CA), Frank Trankina (Chicago, IL), Winston Tseng (New York, NY), Linda Vallejo (Topanga, CA), Dan Willner (Charlotte, NC), William Wray (Sierra Madre, CA), Jason Yarmosky (Brooklyn, NY), Maurizio Zuluaga (Jersey City, NJ)

International Artists Sandra Chevrier (Montreal, Quebec), Marcus D’Alfonso (Markham, Ontario), Andreas Englund (Stockholm, Sweden), Ole Marius Joergensen (Oslo, Norway), Graham Kirk (New Plymouth, New Zealand), Jannis Markopoulos (Berlin, Germany), Foto Marvellini (Vercelli, Italy), Simon Monk (Essex, UK), Rémi Noël (Paris, France), Laurina Paperina (Rovereto, Italy), Alessandro Rabatti (Florence, Italy), Patricia Waller (Berlin, Germany)

Opening Reception and Superhero-themed Wearable Art Runway

Sunday, January 17, 3:00 – 5:00pm. $5 Admission, No reservations required. At the exhibition reception, watch as local artists display their unique interpretations of the superhero concept or personal avatars. Wearable art show participants will walk the Mike Alcantara, Superman, 2015, runway donning costumes, capes, masks and other handmade designs. collage, 24 x 18 inches

General Information Location: Inside the Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, four blocks south of the Walnut Creek BART station.

Telephone: (925) 295-1417

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bedfordgallery.org

Admission: General $5; Youth (17 and under) $3; Children 12 and under, free; First Tuesdays are free; Free for ticket holders to events in the Lesher Center for the Arts on ticketed date.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 5:00 pm, and 6:00 - 8:00 pm on evenings when there are theater productions in the LCA. The Gallery is closed on Mondays.

Tours: to book an exhibition tour call or email: (925)295-1416 or [email protected]

Bedford Gallery receives funding from the Lesher Foundation and the Diablo Regional Arts Association. All school tours and receptions are sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. Media sponsor: Diablo Magazine.