The winners of the 2004 Astraea Lesbian Visual Arts Fund Awards are Alma Lopez, of Eagle Rock California and Chitra Ganesh of Brooklyn, New York.

The two awards of $2500 each were determined by a distinguished panel of artists and art professionals via a rigorous selection process. This year's panel was composed of Nancy Azara, Vanessa Haney, Miriam Hernandez, Eve Sandler and Melissa Wolf. "We are very excited about the artwork of these artists," said Eve Sandler. "In very individualized ways," she continued, "each artist includes personal mythical narratives, draws upon cultural and religious heritages, and deals with overt issues of sexuality and gender."

       
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Alma Lopez

Alma Lopez's funky and subversive work fuses personal narrative, contemporary lesbian life and ancient themes. Using an array of media including painting, photography and digital collage, her work is colorful, very personal and provoking.

"My visual work is about who I am, a queer woman of color. Therefore I am honored to have my work recognized and shared as an Astraea Visual Arts award recipient. I plan to use this grant to continue the Sacred Heart painting series about love and spirituality, as well as the documentary video on Jarritos de Miel, an L.A. based Latin Alternative young queer women of color band who write and sing love songs to women."

Alma exhibits her work extensively and has received numerous awards for her work such as the Brody Emerging Visual Artist Grant, the City of Los Angeles (COLA) Individual Artist Grant, and the California Community Foundation Arts Funding Initiative's Individual Artist Grant. Her work has been featured in several publications including, Art in America, Flash Art International, and Ms. magazine. Lopez is the co-founding member and art director of Tongues: A Webzine for Black and Brown Womyn. Alma holds a B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara and a M.F.A. from the University of California Irvine. She is working on a short digital video about short hair. Currently Alma's work is appearing at the Fullerton Museum Center in Fullerton, California.

   
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Chitra Ganesh

Chitra Ganesh weaves together cultural and social themes, including sexuality, mythology, graphic art, and sheroes, creating images that are humorous and provocative. She works in a broad range of media including comics, installation, and photography.

"My work explores how memories and their repression shape moments of personal and social crisis. In this process, I hope to illuminate intersections of race, and excavate untold histories (be it between lovers or empires) to articulate a broader understanding of the lesbian experience. This award is key to furthering my artistic practice and crucial to supporting the work of other emerging lesbian artists. Astraea's direct financial support is especially important at a time when artists and arts organizations across the board struggle with limited resources and drastic cuts in funding ."

Chitra's work has been exhibited in Toronto, Brazil, India and an array of venues in New York including the Queens Museum, The Bronx Museum, Momenta Art and White Columns. Awards include residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Henry Street Settlement Abrons Arts Center. She served as a Board Member of the South Asian Women's Creative Collective (SAWCC) and was part of SLAAAP!, a queer Asian arts activist group in New York City. She has been featured in Velvet Park magazine and was named as one of OUT magazine's top 100 people of the year. A graduate of Brown University, Chitra earned a Masters in Fine Arts from Columbia University. Currently, Chitra's work is on display at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Wave Hill.

A certificate of recognition was awarded to Donna Henes of Brooklyn, New York.

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice works for social, racial and economic justice in the U.S. and internationally. Our grantmaking and philanthropic advocacy programs help lesbians and allied communities challenge oppression and claim their human rights.

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