Tammy Ortegon is never shy about mixing politics with art. With a regular holiday show called "Dump Walmart! Skip The Mall of America!," how could she be?
Now in its eighth iteration, the show at Ortegon's will feature a lively mix of painting, handmade jewlery and small sculpture from local artists Otha Jones, Barbara Thomas, Jessie Lawson, Rachel Rolseth, Ortegon and Ortegon's mother, Eileen Espinosa.
"I'm pretty well-connected around the art scene," Ortegon said with a smile. offers work from local artists for two annual, themed shows.
Despite the exhibition's title, along with the prominence of Occupy Wall Street in this season's news, political overtones in the current show are scant. It's a strong contrast with Ortegon's other regular topical show, "Fight Like A Mother," which she usually runs the day before Mothers' Day. Many of the pieces shown there explicitly engage with feminism, gender and other social issues at home and around the globe.
Still, that doesn't detract from the artistry in the many unique pieces on offer. For example, Kim Buel’s jewelry may look like store-bought beads simply strung together on wire. However, Ortegon said, each of the complex earrings are sculpted individually by Buel folding sheets of polymer clay in on themselves.
The menagerie of multicultural artworks all run small- to mid-sized—i.e. on the more affordable end. Ortegon is holding a two-day opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and noon to 6 p.m.
