Thinkspace will present the opening of the  Cry for Help group show this Friday, January 8th (7-11 PM).  Featuring over 100 artists, the show seeks to raise awareness of the plight of endangered species.  Twenty percent of the show proceeds will be donated to Born Free USA, a non-profit charity committed to protecting wildlife.

Dailydujour had the pleasure of dropping by the gallery for an advanced look at the show pieces and Bumblebee working on his front room install.  The install features a life-size paper maiche tree made with hive and his trademark Bumblebee mini sculptures. Made from Yellow Page books, the sculpture  is a comment on the continued existence of unnecessary man-made objects to the detriment of the environment.

We came away impressed with the show – around every corner  there was a piece that caught our eye and beautifully captured the cry of an endangered animal.  Perhaps interestingly or just by coincidence, several drawings stood out including pieces from Edwin Ushiro and Rob Sato. Hit the jump for preview images of these and other show pieces.

This show is not to be missed.  In addition to the original art, Thinkspace will release three limited-edition prints from Amy Sol, Buff Monster, and Liz Mcgrath.  Each print is limited to 30 pieces and will be available for a very reasonable $50.  Come early if you would like to purchase a print.

A Cry for Help
January 8th, 2010 (7-11 PM)
Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

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last week i was invited to see a very humbling show at the chinese cultural centre of greater toronto called Embracing Life Art Exhibition. a show of works by a group of 30 artists with disabilities, the majority of them coming from hong kong.

the work spanned a few decades from artists both young and old. the artists’ teacher, emilie chan is a well-known and respected individual who devoted a lot of her time sharing the arts to people with disabilities.

the show unfortunately was in its last weekend when i went, but here are some of the highlights of the show for me:

circus, tiffany yuen

whale in a forest, taylor chan

various works by perry au, this kid was amazing. click the description to enlarge.

natalie yung

lo pui yang, click the description to enlarge.

lau wai ming, also really incredible. click the description to enlarge.

find the two staircases, alan chan

there’s not a tonne of info online, neither of emilie chan or the exhibition, but here is one good link about the foot painter, lo pui yang to get you started, in case you want to do more research.

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in other news, i have a piece in juxtapoz’s charity auction. here’s your chance to possibly get a piece of mine pretty affordably, and for a very good cause. here is the piece. thanks!

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During his recent trip to Thailand, LA artist Gary Baseman was invited to the Club Martini and Bar Shisha in Chiang Mai for a three hour live drawing session.  Armed with a permanent marker, Baseman created a massive on-the-fly drawing that measures 80.5” x 43”.  The unique piece featuring a menagerie of characters from various stages of his long career is now being auctioned on eBay for charity. The proceeds will benefit Cultural Canvas Thailand, a charity that uses art as means of giving a voice to marginalized and forgotten individuals including single mothers and children.   Click through for detail shots of the piece and then go bid generously. The auction ends on October 8th just after Midnight  PDT (essentially late Wednesday night) — so don’t snooze.

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Joe Ledbetter

Sketch for Change is a great new project using art as a medium to raise awareness and money for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. It came to life during a brainstorming session among a group of concerned individuals who hold regular Thursday fundraising dinners.

During the recent Baby Tattoovile art retreat, artists generously donated sketches to be auctioned off to raise funds for the final push towards the general election in November.  Twenty-one artists contributed including Ana Bagayan, Gary Baseman, Glenn Barr,  Tim Biskup, Luke Chueh,  Dave Cooper, Bob Dob, Gris Grimly, Thomas Han, Julita Januszewska,  James Jean,  Joe Ledbetter, Lola, Brandi Milne,  Mark Murphy, Daniel Peacock,  Shag, Jeff Soto, Nathan Spoor,  Amanda Visell,    The sketches will go up for auction on eBay shortly with all the funds going to Obama’s campaign.

Bid generously if you can.  There are some great pieces here from several high-profile artists, and we believe its a cause that’s of the upmost importance.  It’s grass roots efforts like these that may make the difference.   Click through to the gallery featuring each sketch.

Each of the 21 sketches is now up for auction on eBay.  The auctions end on Saturday, October 25th.

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