RAISING A RIOT | jc lenochan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Project For Empty Space [at] Gateway Project Spaces is pleased to present Raising a Riot, a solo exhibition by Artist-In-Residence jc lenochan. on view from October 12- November 18, 2016.

At its core, Raising a Riot is an exercise in institutional criticism; it is an active attempt at disrupting and reforming systemic inequities within pedagogical and educational structures. lenochan’s interdisciplinary approach combines ephemera, found objects, performance, assemblage, and installation, amongst other objects, to creates spaces which critique institutional structures.

Through a combination of Socratic questioning and satire, this exhibition asserts a level of activism and critique on a collective social complacency. lenochan, who is also an educator, questions the infrastructures of the American educational system while addressing the systemic unjustness such as the divulgence of selective histories and race erasure within curricula. The artist states, “I hope I don't ‘teach’ anyone anything but introduce multiple perspectives and allow space for students and the public to make decisions for themselves.”

As part of the exhibition’s larger composition, lenochan incorporated numerous interactive programs to accompany the static work. One such program has been an ongoing workshop, which began during the artist’s time as a Project For Empty Space Artist In Residence, that brought together local Newark high school students to create performances in response to the lack of the educational system. The culmination of their collective work will be presented on Sunday, October 23rd, at 3pm at the Project For Empty Space gallery.

A limited edition risograph publication commemorating the exhibition will be released in conjunction with the opening reception.

About the Artist
jc lenochan is a multi-disciplinary artist who combines drawing, sculpture, performance and installation. His practice works to critique academic pedagogy as a means of Socratic questioning of the acquisition of knowledge in terms of racial fabrications, perceptions of otherness, and cultural value. He is committed to creating critical transformational experiences for the public through conceptually- based projects and social sculptures that involve heavy input and ideas from local youth in specific communities. These projects include a series of lectures on “art and education being synonymous” as the art of listening. He was recently invited by the White House to lecture on juvenile justice, and is currently working with high school students to create dialogues around justice.

lenochan received his MFA from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of Art in 1996, and attended Skowhegan School of painting and sculpture in 2001. Recently, the artist has had several solo exhibitions, most recent of which were Unfinished Business: Gettin’ School’d at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT, and Decolonizing the Mind at the Arc Gallery in Chicago. His work has also been presented in numerous group shows such as The Young Lords at El Museo del Barrio in New York City, Respond at Smackmellon in Brooklyn, NY, Smash and Grab at the Locust Projects in Miami, FL, and Ready or Not at theNewark Museum in Newark, NJ. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, such as: the Real Art Ways ‘Step Up Artist’ (2014), Artist In Residence at the Fountainhead Residence (2014), SIP Robert Blackburn Fellowship (2013), Franklin Furnace Grant (2011-2012), Newark Museum Artist In Residence (2011). jc lenochan’s work is part of numerous collections, and was recently added to the permanent collections at the Delaware Art Museum and the Newark Museum.