The Art of Negative Spaces

Stencil Archive's 2003 stencil show, San Francisco, CA

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
A.Fire.Inside, UK; Elisabeth Alexander, CA; anonymous; Max Arouse, MN; Joy Baer, KS; Steven R. Barich, Netherlands; Christopher Bettig, CA; Scott Blake, CA; BLEAK; Boom, England; Daniel C. Boyer, MI; Box, TX; Breakfast, VT; Dusty Cox; Victor M. Da Silva Jr., MA; Jane Doe, CA; Dorf Guerilla, Germany; DSM; dumbeast, CA; EAT, WA; ECCE, Australia; eyeformation, MA; John A. Gascon (JAG), WA; Brendan Gavin, PA; Alice Gould, CA; Sarah Hauser, NY; John Hogan, NY; Hope, Canada; Bo Hughins, AL; Hyst, Australia; Isa, VA; JK, transient; jr advertising league, CA; Michael Kenny, CA; Susan Kirby, NY; Klutch, OR ; The Ladies Saturday Morning Stencil Club, CA; Steve Lambert, CA; David Lomeli, CA; Holly LaRochelle (Ministry of Art Collective), MN; John Luna, Canada; Mack, CA; Mahoney, England; Mary V. Marsh, CA; Josh Macphee, IL; Sarah McElroy, NV; Jarred McGinnis, UK; Justine McGonagle, CA; Matt Miller, CA; Claude Moller, CA; Nadine Nakanishi, Switzerland; Ob1, SF; Kelly Ordling; Priscilla Otani, CA; Bob Patterson, CA; George Pfau, CA; Cody Pickrodt, GA; Ally Reeves, TN; Amy Rice (Ministry of Art Collective), MN; rlh, NJ; Luke Rollins, IN; John Ronson; Matthew Rose, France; RSL, CA; scout, NY; Ash Shahparnia (DA!), CA; Shiro, CA; Janne Siltanen, Finland; Shaun Slifer, TN; Paul Speh, NY; Chris Stain, NY; SUB*LING*UAL, OR; Sunshine Stencil Posse, CA; task, England; treesap, SF, CA; V2, NY; Wheel, NY; Jessica White, CA; Scott Williams, CA; Maggie Wilson, CA; Marie-Therese Wisniowski, Australia; withremote, MN; James Wodarek, PA; Peat Wollaeger, MO

at The Crucible Steel Gallery, CELLspace
2050 Bryant St., the Mission District, SF (between 18th and 19th Streets)
Opening: Aug. 21, 2003, 6pm-10pm
Closes: Sept. 6, 2003

OPENING NIGHT
Panel Discussion: August 21st 6-7pm
DIY Stencil-crafting Table
DIY Put-up wall
Scott Williams stencilled VW Bug
Scott Williams video
DJs and Libations, free stuff and stuff for sale

Online stencil art library, StencilArchive.org, and public space reclaimers, The Budget Gallery, present “Stencils: The Art of Negative Spaces.” This upcoming exhibit at San Francisco's Crucible Steel Gallery will be the first art show to document the vitality, creativity, and diversity of the emerging world-wide stencil community and the dialogue that its art creates.

Stencils are used by everyone from blue collar workers, to fine artists, street artists, and political activists as an easy, repetitive method for human expression. A sort of "working-man's printmaking", stencil art requires an idea and minimal tools to make it happen over and over again. A stencil’s potential to be placed anywhere opens up a dialog within its found habitat - from the sidewalk under your feet to a gallery wall - and creates new conversations with whatever else is around it.

The exhibition will cover international, national, and local work including street art, Aboriginal cave painting styles, political work, and graffiti/hip-hop styles. The show will feature a collaborative DIY nontoxic, stencil put-up area (a blank wall) for visitors contribute their stencil during the show’s run and a stencil-crafting table at the show’s opening. The public is invited to a panel/Q&A session discussing stencil topics and the current state of the art form on August 21st from 6-7pm.

Most of the pieces on display will be sold in a silent auction ending at the show's close. All proceeds benefit the supporting grassroots arts organizations - Stencil Archive, The Budget Gallery, and Cell Space. All work will be priced to sell so that anyone can walk away with amazing stencil art. Great deals will be had.

ABOUT STENCILS AND THE CURATORS
Stencil history dates back to earliest cave paintings and has been present throughout civilization. More often used for labeling and signs, the artists in "Stencils: The Art of Negative Spaces" push the limits of the traditional notions of stencils both in materials and design with results that will delight and amaze. Both stencils and prints will be on exhibit so viewers can more fully understand the process.

StencilArchive.org
For over one year, StencilArchive.org has helped connect the international stencil community. Its mission is to be a hub for stencil artists while making people more aware of the amazing free art that they walk through in their daily routines. The wealth of stencil art images and information provided at Stencil Archive has quickly become a source of information and inspiration for first-time to advanced stencil artists world-wide.

The Budget Gallery
The Budget Gallery (budgetgallery.org) brings low-cost gallery style exhibitions to vacant, urban, outdoor spaces - generally on empty walls, chain link fences, and sides of abandoned buildings. Their goal is to transform space that is in need of diverse messages expressing emotion and depicting issues that represent the depth and breadth of humanity. They succeed in transforming underutilized areas into cultural centers, if only for a brief time, and sending unsuspecting passers by home with inexpensive and incredible fine art.

Artists will include: 20 year San Francisco stencil legend, Scott Williams, Chris Stain (New York), Artists from the San Francisco Print Collective, and others from across the US and around the world.