An artist whose quilt exhibit was abruptly pulled from downtown Wells Fargo — a move reportedly prompted by complaints from some patrons — received a standing ovation from about 200 guests at the opening reception at the neighborhood Congregational Church on Saturday.
Artist Allyson Allen and the Community Art Project installed the 46 quilts inside Bridge Hall and the church sanctuary. The exhibit will be open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. until a closing reception on April 24.
The Laguna Art Museum is displaying two of Allen’s quilts simultaneously, which will be in place for the same duration as the church display.
“I’m always happy when someone finds a deeper meaning in a particular piece or something speaks to the viewer for whatever reason, so yeah, it’s rewarding for people to connect with art and be able to person, in real time tell me they are related to a message from the room, said Allen.
Wells Fargo’s decision was ultimately beneficial for the quilt exhibit, as it caught the attention of people who otherwise might not have known and wanted to see the quilts for themselves. Allen said. She has not been personally contacted by a Wells Fargo representative since the quilts were removed from her branch.
Allen told guests she had been approached by several community members interested in protesting at the bank in support of relocating the quilts. She has chosen not to support this action as she does not want Community Art Project and other artists to lose future access to the gallery space inside the bank branch because of this controversial.
The exhibit was a major draw for many prominent Laguna Beach progressives interested not only in seeing the quilts, but also in advocating for artistic freedom and racial justice.
Among the 36 quilts is one that shows a black man with “Enough!” over his head. Another reads “Don’t let hate go viral.” A third has a clenched rainbow fist under “Pride – Love is Love”.
Susan Brown, director of outreach ministry at the Neighborhood Congregational Church, contacted the Community Art Project to offer Bridge Hall as an alternative gallery site after learning of Wells Fargo’s order to remove the quilts, the door-keeper said. word of CAP, Faye Baglin.
After a talk by Allen in the church sanctuary, Pastor Rod Echols led guests in a moment of silence to pray for love and equality in the world, two fundamental tenets of his ministry that are also reflected in “Piece-ful Protest”.
“I am very excited because Allyson Allen’s work is a true reflection of love and justice, which are two very strong goals for our community here in Laguna Beach. And I hope her exhibit will allow us to develop a very important and vital conversation about equality, justice and compassion in our world,” Echols said.
Although many in the Laguna Beach and art communities were quick to call out racism as the source of complaints against the quilts, Allen said it’s hard for her to know for sure because her art covers a variety of topics including LGBTQ rights, gun violence, American Indians. COVID-19 conspiracy treaties and theories.
“Covid only added one more element because I was particularly outraged by the violence and discrimination the Asian community was experiencing not just in this country but around the world,” Allen said. “A lot of it, in this country, was a direct result of the horrible and immature leadership of the time. And it was irresponsible to target any particular group. It was so reminiscent of the days when Asians of all races were all rounded up and herded into concentration camps. And it is because we are so ignorant as a general culture that we cannot distinguish and identify who is really Japanese, who is Korean, who is Chinese. It was the same attitude decades later.
Echols encourages residents who still describe the continued presence of the quilts in Laguna Beach as inconvenient to come see the exhibit in person.
“If there are those who believe this is somehow a negative or black eye on the city, I would invite them to really look at the art, to read Allyson’s explanation of why she has created the art in the first place and then to consider joining really deep conversations with other people – maybe people they don’t even agree with on some of these topics – so they can ask questions, asking yourself questions out loud and listening to someone else with another perspective,” Echols said.
Allen told guests she hopes local discussions about race in America will continue long after her quilts move to other cities in April.
“I don’t think this is the end. This is the start,” she said.
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