Visiting Artists Engage Palo Alto in Creative Process

Community members have the unique opportunity to view and contribute to the creative process as artists Lauren DiCioccio and May Wilson who began their residency as part of the Palo Alto Art Center’s Artist-In-Residence program this month.

The two artists, working in tandem, will use a wide range of fabric donated by the public to create a series of imaginative, anthropomorphic sculptures at their workshop in the Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

May and DiCioccio will be creating their artwork in Room F4 of the Cubberley Community Center through Dec. 15, Sundays and Mondays from noon-4 p.m. They will not be in residence on Sunday, Dec. 7, when they will be attending the free annual Holiday Family Day at the Art Center from 2-4 p.m.

At the end of their residency period, the artwork will be exhibited in lift/HEFT: New Sculptures by Lauren DiCioccio and May Wilson, on view at the Palo Alto Art Center’s Glass Gallery, Jan. 17-April 12.

May Wilson uses heavy materials such as industrial felt, nylon strapping, sand, and concrete, while experimenting with scale and exploring the themes of physical struggle and restraint. May, who is based in San Francisco and has presented her work nationally, was a recipient of the Investing in Artists grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation in 2013, and has attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in New York. Wilson is currently a Graduate Fellow at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, Calif.

Lauren DiCioccio’s intricate, embroidered works investigate the beauty of mass-produced media objects facing obsolescence: newspapers, magazines, office papers, and plastic bags. Her works have been exhibited at The Bellevue Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Jack Fischer Gallery, and the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. Her work is represented by Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco and Tomlinson Kong Contemporary in New York. In 2011, she was an artist-in-residence at Recology in San Francisco.

The Artist-in-Residence Program was established to reinforce the mission of the Art Center, and to build important connections between the recognized exhibition and studio programs and the community. Through this program, the Palo Alto Art Center will actively collaborate with artists throughout the region. During their residency, participating artists will engage with community members in a variety of Art Center programs, culminating in an installation project.

The Palo Alto Art Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

About The Palo Alto Art Center:
The Palo Alto Art Center is your place to discover art. See, make, and be inspired because everyone is an artist. Created by the community, for the community in 1971, the Palo Alto Art Center provides an accessible and welcoming place to engage with art. We serve approximately 70,000 people every year through a diverse range of programs.

The Palo Alto Art Center, Division of Arts and Sciences, City of Palo Alto is funded in part by grants from Silicon Valley Creates and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. The Palo Alto Art Center Foundation gratefully acknowledges support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Yellow Chair Foundation, private donations, and members.