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 Cut Up/Cut Out December 18 – March 5, 2017 Opening Reception: Sunday, December 18, 3:00-5:00pm Walnut Creek, CA – This winter the Bedford Gallery presents Cut Up/Cut Out, an exhibition of local, national, and international artists who explore the captivating methods of decorative piercing and cutting, using a wide range of media from paper and plastic to metal and rubber. The transformative nature of cutting into and through a surface provides endless possibilities for converting the material from opaque to transparent, from flat to sculptural, from rigid to delicate, and from ordinary to exquisite. The process and precision required for this method of art-making is laborious, technically demanding, and always astonishing. Organized by the Bedford Gallery, Cut Up/Cut Out will travel nationally Donna Ruff, 6.4.15, 2015, cut newspaper. through 2020. The art of cutting paper dates back thousands of years, with early artworks coming from 6th century China. Originally a decorative handcraft for women, Chinese paper-cutting eventually expanded into rural areas, becoming a staple at religious ceremonies and festivals. By the 14th century, paper-cutting spread to the rest of the world bringing in a new wave of folk art traditions. Cut Up/Cut Out honors both innovation and tradition with a selection of over 50 artists representing diverse styles and techniques. Opening Reception Details: Meet the artists of Cut Up/Cut Out and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres hosted by the Bedford Gallery Guild. This event is sponsored by the Diablo Regional Arts Association. Friends of the Bedford Gallery are free. General admission $5; Youth (13-17) $3; Children 12 and under are free. CUT UP/CUT OUT EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS The Japanese art of paper cutting is called kamikiri or kirie and focuses on intricate and complex designs. A number of artists are channeling this process including Kako Uedo, Maude White, Annie Vought, and Rogan Brown. Coming Soon: Cut Up/Cut Out Events & Workshops! Check our website for more information. Maude White, Sonja, cut paper, 14 x 12 inches. Page 1 of 3 PRESS CONTACTS: Kori Johnson, Program Assistant (925) 295-1418, [email protected] Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions and Programs (925) 295-1415, [email protected] Carmen Lomas Garza, Haciendo Papel Picado/Making Paper Cutouts, 1998, black paper cutout, 22 x 30 inches, Tord Boontje, Until Dawn, 2004, die-cut Tyvek, 30 x 18 inches, Claire Brewster, Winter in the City, 2014, handcut vintage maps of the United States, 17 x 21 inches. Inspired by the late 1960s Chicano Movement and her childhood in South Texas, San Francisco artist Carmen Lomas Garza has employed the Mexican tradition of papel picado, a cut paper form that is still used for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and other celebrations. This show features several large scale installations including: Margaret Griffith’s Coringa, a hand-cut, 12 foot long paper artwork that cascades from the ceiling, Adriane Colburn’s expansive multimedia piece Forest for the Trees (right), and a site–specific, interactive installation by Los Angeles artist Rebecca Niederlander. Cut Up/Cut Out also includes a group of artists who are drawn to cutting into unique or unusual materials such as tires, oil drums, and leaves: Wim Delvoye (tires), Mounir Fatmi (saw blades), Ana Didart (receipt paper rolls), Cal Lane (oil drums and cans, land mines), Hillary Waters Fayle, Francesca Pastine Adrian Colburn, Forest for the Trees, 2010, inkjet prints, sumi ink, film, 12 x 7 feet. (ARTFORUM magazines), and Lorenzo Duran (leaves). PARTICIPATING ARTISTS James Allen (Portland, OR), Ana Bidart (Mexico City, Mexico), Lucrezia Bieler (Zurich, Switzerland), Tord Boontje (London, UK), Nathalie Boutte (Paris, France), Claire Brewster (London, UK), Robert Brinker (Denver, CO), Rogan Brown (Nimes, France), Sarah Burgess (San Francisco, CA), Michael Buscemi (San Jose, CA), Jonathan Callan (London, UK), Charles Clary (Conway, SC), Adriane Colburn (San Francisco, CA), Wim Delvoye (Brighton, UK), Brian Dettmer (New York, NY), Lorenzo Durán (Guadalajara, Spain), Mounir Fatmi Francesca Pastine, ARTFORUM 50 Hindsight, Mask (Tangier, Morocco & Paris, France), Hillary Waters Fayle (Richmond, VA), Adam Series, 2014, cut Artforum Magazine, Plexiglass, 15 x 16.25 x 6 inches. Feibelman (San Francisco, CA), Carmen Lomas Garza (San Francisco, CA), Page 2 of 3 PRESS CONTACTS: Kori Johnson, Program Assistant (925) 295-1418, [email protected] Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions and Programs (925) 295-1415, [email protected] PARTICIPATING ARTISTS (CONTINUED) Geraldine Gonzalez (Paris, France), Margaret Griffith (Los Angeles, CA), Mayumi Hamanaka (Richmond, CA), Adriene Heloise (Oakland, CA), Meg Hitchcock (Brooklyn, NY), Justine Khamara (Melbourne, Australia), Kyong Ae Kim (San Francisco, CA), Will Kurtz (Brooklyn, NY), Lauren Kussro (Indianapolis, CA), Cal Lane (Montreal, Canada), Bovey Lee (Los Angeles, CA), Simone Lourenco (New York, NY), Karen Margolis (New York, NY)), Stefana McClure (New York, NY), Chris Natrop (Los Angeles, CA), Rebecca Niederlander (Los Angeles, CA), Amy Oates (Oakland, CA), Francesa Pastine (San Francisco, CA), Irene Pijoan (1953- 2004), Nikki Rosato (Washington, D.C.), Donna Ruff (Miami, Florida), Rob Ryan Wim Delvoye, Untitled (Car Tyre), 2011, hand carved car tyre, 27.75 x 5.25 inches. (London, UK), Lyndi Sales (Cape Town, South Africa), Gabriel Schama (Oakland, CA), Brian Singer (San Francisco, CA), Andrew Singleton (Wakefield, UK), Xin Song (New York, NY), Jen Stark (Los Angeles, CA), Jana Syvanoja (Helsinki, Finland), Yuken Teruya (New York, NY), Kako Ueda (Brooklyn, NY), Annie Vought (Oakland, CA), Mark Wagner (Charlotte, NC), Maude White (Hudson Valley, NY), Barbara Wildenboer (Cape Town, South Africa), Ty Zemelsky (Durham, CT) CLICK HERE for a selection of hi res images from Cut Up/Cut Out. GALLERY INFO Location: Bedford Gallery is located in 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 Website: www.bedfordgallery.org Admission (unless otherwise noted): General $5; Youth (13-17) $3; Children 12 and under, free; First Tuesdays are free; Free for Friends of the Bedford, members of Diablo Regional Arts Association and ticket holders to events in the Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA) on ticketed date. Tours: To book an exhibition tour, call or email: 925/295-1416 or Nikki Rosato, Time: Detroit, MI, 2013, hand cut road map, 21 x 17 inches. [email protected] Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on evenings when there are theater productions in the LCA. The Gallery is closed on Mondays. Bedford Gallery, a program of the City of Walnut Creek, receives funding from the Lesher Foundation and the Diablo Regional Arts Association. All school tours and opening receptions are sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. Page 3 of 3 #### .