Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, 5 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

The juried group exhibition “Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Identity and Social Justice” will have a closing night reception on Friday, Oct. 4, 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., coinciding with Oakland First Fridays, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. The evening also features an outdoor screening of the documentary film “Undeterred” at 7 p.m.

This art exhibit, the first one organized by CNA/NNOC, explores the acknowledgment of a person’s existence, validity, identity, or legality within the context of gender, environmental, health care, and social equality—all issues discussed at the union’s 2019 Global Nurses Solidarity Assembly earlier this month.

The exhibition features work by more than 20 artists from around the country, including Oakland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Tampa, Fla. The artwork ranges from sculpture and painting to mixed media and works on paper, such as linocut prints and silkscreened political posters. The artists have exhibited their work nationally and abroad.

“We are proud to be a union that actively highlights the importance of art in the labor and social justice movement,” says Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of CNA/NNOC. “Art has the power to transform society and galvanize social and political movements.”

“Social justice issues have always been at the center of my art,” says Berkeley artist Jos Sances, whose massive work “Or, the Whale” will be on display in a scaled-down version.

ARTISTS IN THE EXHIBITION (including the premiere of new work):

California
Berkeley: Jos Sances; El Granada: Judy Shintani; Oakland: Ellen Bepp, Dana King, Claudia Leung (premiering new work), Innosanto Nagara (premiering new work), Patricia Miye Wakida; Richmond: CJ Grossman; San Francisco:Alexandra (Ali) Blum (premiering new work), Mark Harris, Nancy Hom, Susan Kitazawa, Fernando Martí, Brian Singer, Truong Tran, Jenifer Wofford; San Leandro: Jesus Barraza, Melanie Cervantes; San Ramon: Pallavi Sharma; Soquel: Lucien Kubo

Minnesota
Minneapolis: Ricardo Levins Morales

Florida
Tampa: Sam Huang

ON VIEW

When: September 20, 2019–October 4, 2019
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where:Lake Merritt Tower, 155 Grand Ave., Suite 100, Oakland, CA

Closing Night Reception: Friday, October 4, 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Exhibition Credits

Exhibition organized by California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

Images available here. 

Calendar Description

Join us for the closing night reception of “Recognition,” the first art exhibition presented by California Nurses Association/NNOC, 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at CNA headquarters. The juried exhibit explores the acknowledgment of a person’s existence, validity, identity, or legality within the context of gender, environmental, health care, and social equality. The show features compelling work by more than 20 diverse artists from around the country who have exhibited their work nationally and abroad. Their work is political, personal, and layered with meaning. The documentary film “Undeterred”screens at 7 p.m. outdoors.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Outdoor Documentary Film Series: “Recognition and Response”

The final film in the series will be screening outside on the plaza at Lake Merritt Tower, 155 Grand Ave., Oakland. The art exhibition will be open to the public during the screenings. The film features a location where Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) volunteers have been deployed to provide direct relief and humanitarian assistance. RNRN volunteers will introduce the film with stories of how RNs have intervened to provide direct care in support of social justice.

• Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Undeterred: Border Militarization and Community Resistance