Root Division is thrilled to partner with our neighbors at ODC by curating the theater lobby with the work of our Studio Artists and Affiliates. This season, we present the work of Julie Sutherland. Sutherland’s work consists of paintings and drawings that use pre-existing visual material to examine issues of power, violence, gender, patriotism and the American West. Her sources range from historic American portraiture, war and war trial photography, to patterns, textiles, and European art history. The Union series combines official portraits of Presidents and First Ladies into androgynous a-historical figures.

Julie is currently a Resident Artist at Root Division. She has taught drawing in our Adult Education Program and will be teaching Acrylic Painting in our next term.

More about the work:

The works in Julie Sutherland’s Union series playfully reconstruct figures of American history by combining portraits of US presidents and First Ladies. With images garnered from the Library of Congress collections, each portrait reflects the face of the First Lady, with elements from her husband’s portrait and related visual information. These inter-subjective portraits challenge dominant historical narratives, and explore issues of gender and power in American history. Coded in a language of Americana patterning, and symbols associated with Indian Wars, western expansion, art history, and contemporary visual culture, Sutherland’s work actively creates new mythologies surrounding these recognizable historical figures.

www.juliesutherland.net

ODC THEATER
3153 17th Street
San Francisco, CA

www.odctheater.org

ABOUT ROOT DIVISION:
Root Division is an arts & arts education non-profit located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Root Division's mission is to improve appreciation and access to the visual arts by connecting personal inspiration and community participation. We provide subsidized studio space to working artists in exchange for their service in creating shared learning opportunities for the community. Artists develop creatively and professionally by teaching art to underserved youth, leading adult education classes, and producing exhibitions that showcase local emerging artwork. By combining multiple opportunities for creative exchange, Root Division cultivates an artistic ecosystem that enriches life throughout the Bay Area.

Root Division is supported in part by grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Grant / Organizational Project Grant, Grants for the Arts: San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, and the Fleishhacker Foundation.

For further information regarding events and/or press materials, please do not hesitate to contact Amy Cancelmo at 415.863.7668 or events@rootdivision.org.