May Town Hall: Sanctuary

Join A4 for a Town Hall on the topic of “sanctuary,” inviting artists to speak on how they examine concepts of refuge and safety in their work. How do you create a zone of safety for yourself and others in your work? How might traditional ideas of security actually be dangerous?

We will be hearing from two multidisciplinary visual artists whose practices traverse these themes and more: Shelly Bahl, whose work is currently on view in the group exhibition Devoted: Religion in Asian American Art at EFA Project Space, as well as Sook Jin Jo, whose work transforms found objects into spaces described as transcendent and sacred. The evening will also feature a line-up of two-minute pitches from the community.

After the presentations, we’ll host a potluck meal, so please bring something to share; homemade or store bought items are welcome. A4 will provide drinks.

This event is FREE and open to the public. RSVP is required to pitch and/or attend, but please note you do not have to pitch to attend.

Interested in pitching? Please carefully read about the pitch process below.

Accessibility: Please see accessibility guidelines on EFA’s website.
If you need CART Transcription, ASL interpretation, large print, or any other accommodations for this event, please email jlee@aaartsalliance.org at least one week before this event.
To keep everyone safe and healthy, if you are not feeling well or have been exposed to COVID-19, please stay home. We will provide masks.

Interested in pitching? Please carefully read about the pitch process below.

About the Pitch Process
A4 Town Halls are a forum to share an upcoming project or exhibition, promote an event or opportunity, find collaborators and venues, or simply introduce yourself to the community. There are two ways to pitch at an A4 Town Hall: a two-minute pitch which requires pre-registering, and a thirty-second pitch which you can sign up for at the event.

Two-minute pitches
You must complete the below steps in order to reserve your two-minute pitch slot.

1. Register for a “Pitch” ticket (either with or without a donation), and
2. Complete this pitch form with details about your pitch at least three days before the event

If you do not complete the form by the deadline, you risk not being included in the line-up.

In your pitch form, please include any images, video, or slides you would like presented during your pitch. We encourage you to share your website and social handles so that we can promote on the event page and in the slides – which we share with all attendees after the event.

Slides will be presented in the order in which they are uploaded. If you would like to ensure your slides appear in the correct order, please number them. We recommend no more than 20 slides. A4 Staff will be compiling and driving the master slideshow. Presenters will not be able to use their devices to present.

This time we are capping the two-minute pitches to 14 total presenters on a first come, first served basis. If we reach capacity, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, please email jlee@aaartsalliance.org.

We will send the pitch order to all presenters by the morning of the event.

Thirty-second pitches
After the two-minute pitches, we invite anyone from the audience to provide a thirty-second pitch. This requires signing up at the event via an online form we provide.

About Shelly Bahl
Shelly Bahl is an interdisciplinary artist and decolonizing art trailblazer. She has been leading and participating in BIPOC and feminist artist-run culture in Toronto and New York City for 30 years. She was born in Benares, India and is currently based in New York City. Bahl received her BFA from York University, Toronto and her MA in Studio Art from NYU. Her interdisciplinary work has appeared in many international solo and group exhibitions. Bahl has also worked with numerous arts organizations as an educator, curator and arts programmer. Recently, she has led curatorial projects for the Lahore Museum and South Asia Institute in Chicago.

Learn more at www.shellybahl.com.

About Sook Jin Jo
For the past 40 years, multidisciplinary artist Sook Jin Jo has produced drawings, sculptural assemblages, installations, photographs, videos, public works and architecture. Originally because canvas was too expensive for her as a young artist, she started to use plywood and began to explore found wooden materials. Continuing her work with this medium, she has discovered infinite possibilities for painting, sculpture, installation and beyond. She often chose marginalized sites for her outdoor installations and public artworks. Most of them are site-specific and collaborative, working with professionals and local peoples from diverse communities in many countries, including, India, Poland, France, Switzerland, Korea, Bolivia, Sweden, Brazil and the US.

Learn more at www.sookjinjo.com.

About A4’s Town Hall
Town Hall is A4’s bi-monthly community gathering event that features presentations, pitches, and power networking. We welcome artists of all disciplines, as well as arts organizations, to pitch upcoming projects, find collaborators, or discover new opportunities in a lively space.

About the Exhibition
Devoted was curated by Danielle Wu (Asian American Arts Alliance) and is on view at EFA Project Space from May 9, 2024 – June 4, 2024. By following the link between religion and Asian American identity, the exhibition confronts religious belief as a central yet under-acknowledged role in racial othering in the United States. For more information about the exhibition, please visit A4’s website.