Show Dates: January 13 – February 9, 2006
Opening Reception: Friday, January 13, 6-8pm
Musical Guest: Lee Waterman
http://leewatermanproductions.com/

In 2002, nine painters came together at the Berkeley Art Center for critique and support. All of the artists were professional painters, many of whom were BFA or MFA graduates, and already showing and selling their work. Group meetings were serious but lively. As relationships formed, and work was produced and evaluated, it became clear that there was a dynamic interchange and synergy being created among the artists and their work.

Several times a year, arts professionals were invited for consultation. The idea to curate their own shows germinated in 2004, after a visit by Catherine Clark, owner of Catherine Clark Gallery in San Francisco. “Most of us exhibited regularly,” says member Maya Kabat, “but Catherine encouraged us to take the initiative and put on our own group shows.” Thus, Collective 9 was born.

While many group shows pull together a variety of artists that don’t necessarily know each other, or know each other’s work, this collection of artists is particularly interesting because they are an example of a working artistic community. Each is intimately knowledgeable about the other artist’s process, development over time, and artistic goals. A Collective 9 exhibition not only shares the work of the individual artists, it explores the nature of artistic community and collaboration. It explores how artists develop, grow in a community, and the nature of artistic influence. As a group, their work elicits questions of art making that go beyond the individual artist.

Characteristically, the theme for “Off the Grid,” Collective 9’s third exhibition, evolved out of the group process. The painters had noticed that they influenced each other in subtle ways, but were surprised to see structured arrangements and the use of the grid begin to pop up in recent work.

Painters, designers, architects and scientists have long been fascinated with the grid--that rational yet magical intersection of horizontality and verticality. Much like the geometry of the canvas itself, the grid interacts dynamically with organic elements of painting such as color, shape and value. In Collective 9’s work, the grid appears as abstraction--system, network, web; as process--weaving, layering; and as pattern or image--lattice, checkerboard, chain-link fence.

Group member Janice Best explains, “I am intrigued and inspired by the variety of ways that the grid is being used in this exhibit of paintings. Some of us are more visually “on” the grid; others more “off.” It is this diversity in perspective and vision that we embrace and it nurtures our collective production. Personally, I am using the grid to help me search for new directions. It gives me a starting point that I can then paint my way around and out of. Even when I am using straight lines, the challenge is to make a painting that flows.”

The members of Collective 9 are:
Janice Best
Cathy Coe
Maya Kabat
Kathleen King
Andrea Gunderson
Danielle Shelley
Joan Weiss
Judith Williams
Beth Wolinsky