Third Street Gallery archive: 2016 Exhibitions: The New Mother Nature Taking Over Paintings and works on paper by Gina Tuzzi

Humboldt State University Third Street Gallery presents, The New Mother Nature Taking Over, a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Gina Tuzzi. The exhibition runs from October 1 through November 6. This exhibition marks the launch of Humboldt State’s new fine arts gallery in Eureka, California.

Tuzzi, born and raised in Santa Cruz, California makes her home on California’s North Coast and is currently an instructor of painting and drawing at Humboldt State University.

Gina Tuzzi is inspired by American youth culture and the counter-culture from decades past. Her vibrant, often nostalgic imagery is replete with optimistic representations of femininity and youth. The writer Jenny Sharaf notes that, “Tuzzi’s work focuses very heavily on the conjuring and manifestation of the idyll while playing with the ambiguity of romanticized language and autobiographical iconography. Her practice, which spans painting, drawing and sculpture, is inspired largely by counter culture ideologies and a romanticized neo-bohemian aesthetic. Tuzzi appropriates symbols and icons from popular love songs, spiritual divination, pop culture, familial history and an intimate personal narrative.”
 
Of her exhibition, Tuzzi states that, “These paintings were born as love letters. Their elements are strung together like torn magazine pages on a corkboard altar hanging on my bedroom wall in 1994. They are visual messages that I wish I could transmit through time to the eyes of my younger self, serving as a reminder to act boldly and recognize my strengths. The contents of the work are an arsenal for life preparedness. They are rich with totemic protection, lyrical reminders of rebellion and perspective. Ripe with beauty, to serve as a reminder of the potency of desire and recognition of the accomplishments I have achieved as a grown woman.”

The New Mother Nature Taking Over: Paintings and Works on Paper by Gina Tuzzi is produced by Humboldt State students. Students enrolled in the Art Museum and Gallery Practices Program participate in the daily management and planning of shows at the gallery.  The gallery provides real-life opportunities for the students to develop their gallery and museum skills, which in turn provides them with experience that will help them to enter the job market. Many students who have participated in the program have gone on to careers in museums and galleries throughout the nation.

Exhibition Schedule and Location 
The exhibition will run from October 1 through November 6. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. and is closed on Mondays   A reception for the artist will be held at HSU Third Street Gallery Saturday, October 1, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. during Eureka's monthly Arts Alive event. Humboldt State University Third Street Gallery is located at 416 Third Street Eureka, California.  The gallery was recently relocated and renamed after 19 years in its former location on First Street in Eureka.  For more information, call (707) 443-6363.