On View at the Laband: DISSENT! 1968 & Now

February 10- March 20, 2008

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the global student uprisings of 1968, Dissent! 1968 and Now examines the oppositional power of art. The exhibition features some of the most influential images of protest from 1968, including works by the French Atelier Populaire, Sister Corita and Rupert Garcia. Students from eight of Los Angeles’ prominent art schools (LMU, CalArts, Cal State Long Beach, Occidental, Otis, UC Irvine, UCLA and USC) have also been invited to confront mainstream media, political practices and other issues affecting the contemporary world. The works will be selected by well-known Los Angeles protest artist Robbie Conal along with co-curators Erik Benjamins, a senior at LMU, and Carolyn Peter, director of the Laband Art Gallery. (from Laband website)

Erik Benjamins, a senior studio arts major, explains "the idea for the show came out of my self epiphany in creating work that is political and socially responsible and the importance of students today creating work that addresses such issues instead of simply a celebration of aesthetic and technical skill. To coincide with the fortieth anniversary of global protest we featured a small portion of political art from around the planet as well as work from student artists from seven los angeles institutions. The studio visits were great in that it allowed us to meet with the submitting artists and talk with their work face to face. Students today should all be political entities regardless of educational focus. The arts hold a strong relevance because of the universal applicability towards the medium in affecting the masses. Such means to document and express can act as a powerful tool for cultural thought and progress."