The Downey Patriot

View Original

Group art exhibition featuring interactive installation to open at Stay Gallery

DOWNEY — Stay Gallery is pleased to present The Resilience Archive, a group exhibition co-curated by Los Angeles based, multi-disciplinary artist Yeu Q Nguyen.

The exhibition will feature Yeu’s interactive public art tapestry, Weaving Hope, and a selection of her never-before-seen works, with accompanying works by local artists Carmel Katumba, Cindy “cindita” Macias, Ellie Cota, Jazzmine "Rhyeseyes" Caron, Karina Vazquez, Rocío Villalobos and Tamara Ramos.

A practice in vulnerability, The Resilience Archive celebrates the moments where each of us has needed to dig deep and call upon our reserve of hope and courage to triumph over life’s challenges.

“In sharing my personal moments of pain, grief, and self-doubt in a public setting, and encouraging others to do the same, I want to engage us all in a communal exercise of self-expression, self-affirmation, and social trust,” states Yeu. “My hope is that we can discover our own life’s truths in the process, and thus, bolster not only our connection to one another, but also our own capacity for resilience.”

Yeu’s latest work, Weaving Hope, is a large-scale tapestry made from up-cycled textiles that travels to different cities throughout LA County in its mission to gather over one thousand personal definitions of hope to uplift community resilience and connection through art.

In December 2021, the project was awarded the 2021-22 Fall Grant from Eastside Arts Initiative to bring its message of hope to Southeast LA (SELA) communities, with Stay Gallery serving as the project’s fiscal sponsor. The installation made its SELA debut at the closing reception of South Gate Museum & Art Gallery’s group art exhibition, Cuídate / Take care of yourself, and most recently this past Wednesday at Porto’s Bakery in collaboration with Stay Gallery.

The opening reception for The Resilience Archive will be held on Friday, May 20, from 7- 10 pm and is made possible by Eastside Arts Initiative and The Puffin Foundation. The evening will feature live music, refreshments and the opportunity for visitors to add their own personal definitions of hope to the Weaving Hope tapestry. The reception welcomes people of all ages and is open to the public.

After the opening reception, the exhibition will be on view at Stay Gallery (11140 Downey Avenue, Downey CA, 90241) from May 20 – July 17 during weekly hours: Wednesday – Friday from 12 – 6pm and Saturdays from 10am – 2pm. Admission to Stay Gallery is free for all, though donations are encouraged.

To learn more about The Resilience Archive and to RSVP to the opening reception, please visit: staygallery.org/resilience
To learn more Yeu Q Nguyen about the Weaving Hope project, please visit: yeuqart.com/weavinghope
To learn more about Eastside Arts Initiative, please visit: eastsideartsinitiative.org