AB30 Artist Breakfast Exhibition
By Louisville Visual Art (LVA)
Description (Foreword)
When Tom Pfannerstill asked me whether Louisville Visual Art would be interested in an exhibit featuring members of the Artists' Breakfast Group to commemorate their 30th anniversary-the answer was easy. Expressing themes of history and community through a generational continuum, this exhibit is a natural fit for LVA, the oldest visual art organization in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Curatorially, the process was smooth and collaborative. We discussed parameters for selecting members from the group's long history, and the artists took the lead in choosing pieces that best represented them. Tom. guided many of the initial decisions and communication with the group, and I coordinated the logistics through installation of more than 40 works. A few reached out to share their ideas, and their insight was invaluable in shaping a vision that truly reflects this community of artists.
It was no surprise that several artists pushed the boundaries of scale, bringing a dynamic energy of self-expression. The Artists' Breakfast Group is filled with artists of quality; a range of distinct personali ties who still experiment, take risks, and pursue discovery. The exhibition features several of its founding members, and the depth of invention is alive in the work of these septuagenarians as well as the younger generations that have joined along the way.
The history of LVA and the Artists Breakfast Group is interconnected. This point is underlined by the fact that among the participating artists, two are former LVA Executive Directors, John Begley & C.J. Pressma. They each share a mission for the importance of community and fellowship among creatives. Performing arts demand collaboration, but most visual artists work in some degree of isolation. While not exactly hermetic, the key moment of creative inspiration typically occurs alone. Ultimately, the artist crafts their identity entirely on their own.
Which gives us the essential truth of any group show, that a disparate arrangement of work from a host of different inspirations must coexist
together in a space. In the AB30 Exhibition, we find that the sense of community and shared history among the group provides enough connection that the work effortlessly creates a conversation for the viewer to join.” —Keith Waits, Curator, Louisville Visual Art
Louisville Visual Art Association (LVA)
From a multi-purpose art facility in the Portland neighborhood, LVA encourages and equips artists with programs like Children’s Fine Art Classes (CFAC); Curate, Purchase, Inspire (CPI); Artist Talks with LVA (on WXOX FM radio); the Artist Resource Series (ARS) workshops and seminars, Open Studio Louisville, outreach programs, six free gallery venues, a weekly artist opportunities clearing house, and more.
LVA nurtures the rising generation of artful leaders by providing quality art instruction to 1,000+ students annually through Children's Fine Art Classes and outreach programs in schools and community centers.
LVA commits to the objectives outlined in the Imagine Greater Louisville 2025 Cultural Plan. To support a full creative life for all, LVA with the Imagine Greater Louisville Steering Committee commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive and equitable society where people from every segment of our community have access and opportunity to learn, work, and play.
