With liberty and justice for some

I was invited to be one of the many California artists contributing portraits to this show that raises awareness of immigrants and immigration issues - a subject close to my heart. For the show I made the first portraits I have painted in many years, one of my son Sam, and one of my friend Luis.

With Liberty and Justice for Some

September 23 - October 8, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept 23, 6 - 8 pm

Co-curated by artist Monica Lundy and gallerist Walter Maciel, this exhibition features portraits of immigrants to the United States by artists from Southern California and the Bay Area. Back when Donald Trump was still the President-elect, long before his executive order became a flashpoint for pro-immigrant rallies at airports across the nation, Lundy, like many in her artistic community, felt both helpless and determined to do something. In response to this need, Lundy and Maciel invited artists from across the country to make 8 x 8-inch portraits of individuals who came to the United States as immigrants including historic subjects, personal friends, relatives, strangers, and self-portraits. The exhibition launched in Los Angeles, then traveled to the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery and will be exhibited at Berkeley Arts Center from September 23 to October 8, 2017.

Notable subjects portrayed in this exhibition include actors Bela Lugosi and Marlene Dietrich, entertainer Grace Jones, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Architect I. M. Pei, Province of Pennsylvania founder William Penn, and several established artists such as Eva Hesse, David Hockney, Louise Bourgeois, Mark Rothko, and Enrique Chagoya.
Each portrait will be priced and sold individually, with a percentage of the sales going to the Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI) and YAZDA – A Global Yazidi Organization.