INSTAGRAM JAM
SAT 4/11/15 @ 8:00 PM to 12:00 midnight
LOT 613 @ 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021
This show marked the third iteration of the Lucie Foundation‘s popular Instagram Jam and happened in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. An official event of MoPLA’s annual Month of Photography Los Angeles, it was originally conceived by photographer Shaughn Crawford @shaughncrawford. The exhibition featured 20+ Instagram sensations worldwide, including Tasya van Ree @tasyavanree and Melissa Richardson Banks of @DowntownMuse. Produced in partnership with Edgar Varela, a portion of the print sales benefitted SNAPSHOP!, the Lucie Foundation’s at-risk youth workshop program.
¡VETERANO! CARS presented by Frank Romero
SAT 4/16/15 thru SUN 6/14/15
The Muckenthaler Cultural Center @ 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton, CA 92833
This exhibition was about how the automobile has a consistent presence in the work of many artists, including Melissa Richardson Banks. The bulk of the show features work by pioneer Chicano artists of Los Angeles. Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, Frank Romero, Carlos Almarez, and other “veteranos” of the Chicano art movement that depict the ubiquitous cars of Los Angeles as nostalgic objects of past decades, colorful customized expressions of East L.A. culture, and as anthropomorphic fms embodying mythic presences in contemporary times. These paintings, sculptures, prints, ceramics, and other artworks chronicle a generation’s fascination with the automobiles of their youth and the transformations of contemporary production cars into vehicles of cultural identity.
SOUTH BAY SNAPSHOTS
SUN 4/19/15 thru SAT 6/6/15
Phantom Galleries L.A. @ 12609 Hawthorne Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250
Local photographers displayed images depicting daily life in the South Bay, including Melissa Richardson Banks, Jon Berry, Arlene P. Carley, and Richard Podgurski. Phantom Galleries L.A. revitalizes and energizes communities and pedestrian thoroughfares by transforming unoccupied properties throughout Los Angeles County into vibrant cultural hubs through the 24/7 public presentation of art. Curated by Martha De Perez and hosted by Liza Simone of Phantom Galleries L.A., this exhibition is a featured event of Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA) presented by the Lucie Foundation.
PRINTEMPS SOIRÉE: Art Show
FRI 5/2/14 @ 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Jonathan Club • Downtown Los Angeles
545 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles 9007
With the theme of spring, Printemps Soirée featured paintings, photography, prints, and sculpture by artists Steven Barger, Marcel Bastiaans, Don Crocker, L.D. Eller, Martha Greiner, Jack Jasper, Bonnie Lambert, Rita Lee, Shahla Reynolds, Melissa Richardson Banks, Patti Lou Richardson, and Richard Stanley. The show was organized by Shahla Reynolds.
ARTS DISTRICT IN BLOOM: Photographs by Downtown Muse
SAT 4/26/14 thru SUN 4/27/14
Artisanal LA Spring Show • Downtown L.A.
The Reef @ 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles 90007
Most downtown areas might be described as gray, colorless, and devoid of greenery. This series of photography by Melissa Richardson Banks defies that notion of Downtown Los Angeles with her colorful images of blooms in the Arts District surrounded by brightly painted walls adorned by street art.
aMUSEd: Paintings of the Arts District Inspired by Downtown Muse
WED 4/23/14 thru FRI 5/15/14
Art Squared Gallery • Pershing Square in Downtown L.A.
This outdoor exhibit featured six 9-foot photomurals of paintings by artists Kikki Eder, Christian Hernandez, Miriam Jackson, Bonnie Lambert, Sandy Rodriguez, and Roderick Smith who reinterpreted photographs by Melissa Richardson Banks @DowntownMuse.
SUNRISE/SUNSET: Photographs by Downtown Muse
THU 4/10/14 thru THU 5/8/14
Angel City Gallery • 216 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
This exhibit showcased twenty 20″ x 20″ prints from Melissa Richardson Banks, a self-described “snap-shooter.” selected with the support of cinematographer Jason Wawro. The exhibit also featured 24 photographs of the Arts District not previously published or publicly displayed.
MUSE-INGS: Featured Artist of Downtown Art Walk
THU 2/13/14 • YouTube Video
MALDEF Gallery at 634 S. Spring St., Los Angeles 90014
The solo exhibit featured 35 photographs by Melissa Richardson Banks from her book, MUSE-ings: Snapshots of the Arts District.
MUSE-INGS: Snapshots & Paintings of the Arts District
SAT 1/18/14 thru SAT 2/8/14
Warehouse Gallery at Art Share LA
801 E. 4th Pl., Los Angeles 90013
The exhibit featured 50 original works of art by artists inspired by the photography of Melissa Richardson Banks; 50 framed photographs from her book “MUSE-ings: Snapshots of the Arts District” were also on view. Reinterpreting her images, 46 artists created new works of art: Jari “Werc” Alvarez, A.S. Ashley, Qathryn Brehm, Jesse Burgos, Gary Callahan, Diego Cardoso, Susie S. Chang, Jaime Colindres, Kikki Eder, Ramiro Fauve, Clemente Garcia Lassaulx, Margaret Garcia, Tom Garner, Kristopher Gee, Yolanda Gonzalez, Jacinto Guevara, Christian Hernandez, Javi Herrera, Miriam Jackson, Jeremy Thomas Kunkel, George Labrada, Lili Lakich, Bonnie Lambert, Lauren A. Langford, Leba, Tod Lychkoff, Ted Meyer, Colette Miller, Patricia R. Mitchell, Valerie Mitchell, Alberto Miyares, Birgitte Moos, J.W. Pippen, Wenceslao Quiroz, Patti Lou Richardson, Rick Robinson, Sandy Rodriguez, Alex Schaefer, SEK, ShadowMonsterBear, Roderick Smith, Anna Stump, Bob Ujszaszi, Jerico Woggon, and Jaime “Germs” Zacarias.
Participating artists incorporated artistic license to create narrative and representational art based on Richardson Banks’ photographs utilizing a wide range of styles, including impressionism, surrealism, abstract and outsider. Their work represented a wide range of media including paintings using oil, spray paint, watercolor and/or acrylic, mixed-media prints and drawings, as well as sculptural installations, neon, and more.
ROMERO STUDIO ART SHOW
SAT 12/7/13 and SUN 12/8/13
Plaza de la Raza
3540 N. Mission Rd., Los Angeles 90031
The 32nd annual exhibit curated by Sharon & Frank Romero featured artists Margaret Garcia, David Flury, Carlos Almaraz, Patssi Valdez, Yolanda Gonzalez, Melissa Richardson Banks, and Oscar Castillo.
EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
SUN 12/8/13
Duncan Miller Gallery in Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Ave. #A7, Santa Monica 90404
Photographs and books were displayed by Melissa Richardson Banks, Sara Jane Boyers, Richard Chow, Steve Daly, Elena Dorfman, Judy Francesconi, Kevin Gray, Maureen Haldeman, Lorna Hart, Liz Huston, Mark Indig, Renee Jacobs, Tom Johnson, Robbie Kaye, Sandra Klein, Clay Lipsky, Claire Mallett, Rico Mandel, Lisa McCord, Linda Morrow, Lori Pond, Kristianne Koch Riddle, Yasmina Rossi, Douglas Stockdale, and Michael Wood. Sponsored by Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and YourDailyPhotograph.com.
THE INSTAGRAM SHOW: Celebrating the Art of the Phone
THU 12/5/13 thru SAT 12/7/13
Melrose Lightspace
7600 Melrose Ave., Ste. N., Los Angeles 90046
Two photographs by Melissa Richardson Banks were included in this juried exhibition, which features a diverse selection of more than 100 images selected from all over the world.