Best Shot, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art [OCCCA]

About the Exhibition

'Best Shot' - a photography exhibition with a wide variety of work from emerging and established photographers including photo-based installation and video work. "A wonderland of imagery, exploring both formal and conceptual realms, revealing new and unique perspectives in styles ranging from realism to abstraction." - OCCCA

Dec 1, 2012 - Jan 12, 2013
Two openings: Dec 1, 2012 & Jan 5, 2013 6-10PM

Location:
117 N Sycamore | Santa Ana | CA 92701
Hours: Thu & Sun 12-5PM, Fri & Sat 12-9
OCCCA is located at the corner of 2nd and Sycamore in the Santa Ana Artists Village.
There is no entrance fee.

About the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art

The Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) is a California 501c(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to the pursuit of professional excellence and freedom of expression in the arts. Since it's inception in 1980, It provides emerging and established member and guest artists a forum to explore and develop ideas in contemporary art in an atmosphere that promotes experimentation and risk-taking, but without the specter of censorship.
In addition, OCCCA develops and actively participates in public educational, outreach and community art services. Located in the heart of Santa Ana's Artist Village, OCCCA presents a variety of programs: films, forums, concerts, workshops, classes and first Saturday artist receptions.

In its 30 year history, with a membership roster limited to 40 through its current by-laws, OCCCA has exhibited over 800 guest artists and held numerous solo, group and juried shows that have showcased more than 6,000 participants.
OCCCA exhibitions have consistently received overwhelmingly positive media attention in regional newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, OC Weekly, Riverside Press-Enterprise, art-related publications, and radio and cable and network television broadcasts.
Over the years, the scope of OCCCA's programming has expanded to include collaborative and exchange projects with other venues throughout the United States and overseas. With the generous assistance and support of the City of Santa Ana, OCCCA was granted title and moved to its current 6,300 square-foot facility. Ownership and member management and control of our gallery makes OCCCA unique in the world of non-profit arts organizations.
In the past six years OCCCA has extended its international reach. The new facility has enabled the planning of more ambitious large-scale projects most notably those in the new media areas.

In May 2012 CBS News listed the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art on its list of the five best museums of Orange County.

The Jurors

Susan Spiritus
Founded in 1976, as Orange County's first commercial venue devoted exclusively to contemporary fine art photography, the Susan Spiritus Gallery remains focused on its commitment to feature and support the works of mid career and emerging photographic artists.
During the first twenty years (1976-1996) the gallery mounted monthly one-person exhibitions and summer thematic group shows featuring many artists who were given their first public exposure. In addition, the gallery published a number of artist portfolios and sponsored a photographic symposium, "My Teacher/Myself".
In 1996 the gallery moved and elected to function as a private dealer and consultant. Since then, Susan Spiritus has focused her efforts working closely with collectors, large multinational corporations, hospitals, legal firms, and universities to assist them in creating a special environment that enhances their interior space.
The breath of the contemporary photographic work which the gallery represents includes work in the traditional black and white medium; color photography; hand painted and platinum photographic prints, and with the onset and acceptance of digital imagery, many of the gallery's artists are now capable of making large prints to accommodate the large interior spaces that many corporate offices have.
A selection of artists represented by the gallery include Cara Barer, Jeffrey Becom, Roman Loranc, Camille Seaman, George Tice, Hiroshi Watanabe, Adrian Davis, David Burdeny, Julie Sample, Dave Anderson. Additional names can be viewed at the gallery's website, www.susanspiritusgallery.com
Susan Spiritus Gallery has been actively involved in the participation of local art fairs, including photola, Los Angeles Art Show, Festival of Books, the San Francisco Art Fair and the BTB International Contemporary Art Fair. She has also reviewed portfolios for Review LA & Santa Fe, Photolucida, PhotoNola, Palm Springs Photo Festival and MOPLA's Fresh Look.

Kirk Pedersen
Kirk Pedersen is a Los Angeles based multidisciplinary artist. Traveling to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur to capture what he calls "Urban Asia," Pedersen examines the seemingly ordinary stuff of life - sidewalks, curbs, markets, alleys - and, through his eye for synchronicity, reveals new truths about the world around us.
His active engagement with the creative community is reflected in his publishing company ZERO+ Publishing specializing in limited edition, hardcover and highly collectible art books.
He received his M.A. from San Francisco State University and his M.F.A. in painting from Claremont Graduate University. He has exhibited extensively at major galleries, art fairs and museums throughout the United States. Internationally, Pedersen's works have been featured in Germany, Switzerland and China, including the Today Art Museum (Beijing) and the Duolun Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai). Since 1997, he has served as professor of painting and drawing at the Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. His work can be seen at www.kirkpedersen.com

Gina Genis
Gina Genis is a graduate of Parsons The New School for Design where she concentrated in painting, photography, and mixed media. She exhibits her work in museums, galleries, and Universities in America and Europe.
She exposes the trials of our society through the medium of photography. Most recent topics include aging in America, invasion of privacy, man's interaction with the environment, the collapse of the economy, and hoarding. Her project, Economy Portraits, executed while Artist-In-Residence at the Huntington Beach Art Center, was awarded Best Art Show of 2011 by the OC Weekly.
Gina is included in the permanent collections of the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, the Otto G. Richter Library, Hard Rock Casino, IBM, and the Sarah and Adam Markman Collection among others.
She has been featured in American Contemporary Art magazine and has had favorable reviews in numerous newspapers and magazines. Her work can be seen at www.ginagenis.com

Jeff T. Alu
Jeff is an experienced digital photographer known for pushing cheaper technology to its limits. Using only smaller point and shoot cameras, his photographic work has been featured in Black and White Magazine, Lenswork Extended, Seed Magazine, Design Graphics Magazine, Artworks Magazine, Shots Magazine, among others. His work has been acquired by institutions including Bloomingdale's flagship store in New York City.
He has been involved in the curation of numerous exhibitions both photographic and non-photographic. He has brought two iPhone-only exhibitions to the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art. He has served as a juror for many exhibitions and in 2009 he organized and curated an exhibition involving 10 separate galleries in the Los Angeles area.
Jeff's work has been exhibited at numerous spaces and events including Photo L.A., the Perfect Exposure gallery, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Bleicher/Golightly gallery, Museum of Neon Art, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, and gallery spaces in Bratislava, Trieste, and Barcelona. Future exhibitions include the exhibition of seven large iPhone prints at the Mandelman-Ribak Gallery, Harwood Museum, in Taos New Mexico. A book of Jeff's work will be published through Zero+ Publishing in December, 2012.
Jeff's has always believed that it is not the camera but the artist that creates the image, with technology being used only to further the original vision of the artist. His work can be seen at www.jeffalu.com