"Doctrine" political talk this Thursday July 10th

The Lola Gallery presents: An evening of discussion with Michael Watts Ph.D and Dr. Kevin Danaher in conjunction with the political art exhibition Doctrine this Thursday July 10th commencing at 7pm Michael Watts who is professor of Geography at Berkeley and Director of the Institute of International Relations was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship earlier this year in support of his continuing studies on the direct correlation between oil and human violence. Watts is the author of numerous books including "Silent Violence" and has carried out extensive research and analysis on the growth of the oil industry in developing countries such as Nigeria. Dr. Kevin Danaher, a veteran human rights activist and esteemed co-founder of Global Exchange, will focus on the need for a response to global economic forces and the dominance of transnational corporations. Danaher has also written numerous books and has been described by the New York Times as "the Paul Revere of globalization's woes" There will be a requested donation of $3 to attend this event. Please check out http://www.artbusiness.com/lola2.html for photographs of the Doctrine opening reception and also http://www.artbusiness.com/lola.html for images of the reception for Portraits of Mary Jane. Portraits of Mary Jane featuring work by resident gallery artist and curator Cornelia Jensen in the Green Room, will run concurrently with Doctrine until August 2nd. The exhibition Doctrine will run until August 2nd and features work by the following artists: David Best Charles Linder Wally Hedrick Cornelia Jensen Rosie O'Gorman John Eric Otter Clint Imboden Karl Seifert Jane Woolverton Claire McGovern Lee Harvey Roswell Jane McGovern Ferdia Maglochlainn Richard Nockles Susan Kennedy Naseema Khan Lynn Stone Justin Farmer Craig Foster Michael R. Hall Keef Ward http://www.lolabrown.com/doctrine.jpg General Opening Hours: 12-7pm Wednesday - Saturday or by appt. The Lola Gallery Art and Design House is located at 2517 Mission Street @ 21st Second Floor San Francisco, CA 94110 Tel: (415) 401 6800 info@lolabrown.com www.lolabrown.com The Lola Gallery presents “Doctrine”, a group art exhibition featuring work by local and national artists. San Francisco, May 20, 2003. The Lola Gallery hosts the exhibition “Doctrine” from June 26th until August 2nd, 2003. Doctrine showcases new artwork by over 15 artists working in a diverse array of media such as fine art, sculpture and installation and seeks to address a wide range of political and social issues. doc·trine (dõk´tr?n) 1. A principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief, as by a religious, political, scientific, or philosophic group; dogma. 2. A rule or principle of law, especially when established by precedent. “No other word” says director Claire McGovern “could so appropriately encapsulate our intentions with this show. A doctrine presupposes a statement of official government policy, especially in foreign affairs and military strategy and the implications that this has had for the world in recent times is just one of the issues we hope to address in this exhibition.” Doctrine is organized by The Lola Gallery. This exhibition is the first in a series of political art shows that will take place annually at the gallery. The exhibition includes work by such notable Californian artists as David Best whose “Theater of War” was inspired by the climate of political aggression prior to the Iraqi invasion. Charles Linder’s installations of collected road signs and old tin cans pockmarked by multiple bullet holes reflect strongly upon the institutionalized tolerance for guns as a way of life in American society. Works in diverse media by more than thirteen other artists such as Wally Hedrick, Clint Imboden and Jane Woolverton will also be on exhibit. One of the primary obligations of artistic expression within the arts is that it must reflect upon the social and political conditioning of its time. More importantly, art has the ability to transcend the weight of censorship that afflicts the printed word or televised presentation and convey significant meaning. Even with the use of provocative imagery, political art can present values that challenge the status quo and are instrumental in creating useful debate. Hardship and suffering to a large degree cultivates true artistic creativity and in times of war and recession, these feelings are manifest. Wartime dictates an unavoidable fatalism and it is hard to believe that the future of humanity is not a finite one. The art world must respond in ways that will pave the way for change. A new age of unilateralism has dawned since the attack on the World Trade Center two years ago. The ensuing wars and inevitable propaganda machine have invariably caused us to question the nature and scope of our supposed liberty – a liberty that appears to be reserved for the privileged few. Repercussions for freedom of self-expression become clear when all initiatives against war achieve nothing and in true Orwellian style, the media offers us a manipulated version of the truth. We must ask ourselves how far has human civilization evolved when still the only recourse to resolving conflict is by means of war. Despite our capabilities for linguistic persuasion, have we really progressed when we still resort to violence to prove a point? These are just some of the questions that Doctrine hopes to address with this exhibition. The opening reception for Doctrine will take place on Thursday June 26th from 7-11pm. The Lola Gallery will be hosting a talk during this exhibition on July 10th at 7pm featuring Michael Watts, Ph.D. Watts who is director of the Institute of International Studies and professor of Geography at U.C Berkeley was just recently awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for his groundbreaking studies on the correlation between oil and violence. For more information on this event please contact us at the below number or email. About The Lola Gallery The Lola Gallery is an art and design house that was founded in 2002 to provide an exhibition space for emerging and established contemporary artists and designers. The Gallery offers rental or purchase of artwork and furniture in addition to art consultancy services, which include sourcing and provisioning artwork for use in commercial and private properties. We are located at 2517 Mission Street at 21st Street in San Francisco’s Mission District. Contact: Claire McGovern 415.401.6800 or info@lolabrown.com. Please visit us at www.lolabrown.com