November - December 2010

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season… until January…

Announcement: Judy Chicago will give a talk at the Skirball Center on her new book, Frida Kahlo: Face to Face (co-authored by Frances Borzello) on Wed., 12/15 & 7:30 pm. Advance tickets recommended.

Please join me for a members meet up at the Hammer Museum that will include a walk-through of the Eva Hesse exhibit on Sun. 11/21 @ 12:30 pm followed by a 2pm lecture on Hesse by Elisabeth Sussman, noted curator and expert on the artist. Admission will be free to our organization. Meet in front of the café. RSVP to karen.j.schifman@csun.edu

SPOTLIGHT EXHIBITION

Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties

A wonderful and varied exhibition of photographs by nine gift photographers is currently at the Getty Center. Upon entering the exhibition you are confronted with the documentary work of two women photographers and filmmakers, Lauren Greenfield and Mary Ellen Mark. The similarities as well as sharp contrasts between the images created by these gifted documentarians are quite apparent. Both women use a sociological approach to their subjects, which in this case are the youth of our culture.

Color prints from Lauren Greenfield’s Girl Culture series are a reminder of the potent effects of popular culture on teen girls. From portraits of young girls involved in daily grooming habits such as putting on make-up to those experiences at Fat Camp to self-destruction via eating disorders and cutting, she put us face to face with some sobering realities. From her Fast Forward series are a few examples that remind us of the influence of material and celebrity culture in Los Angeles. Two photographs of a 13-year old Angeleno named Ashleigh left me with a sinking feeling. One portrays her standing on a scale looking at the results. We don’t see her face; only the black dress and pearls that she wears reveal her petite stature. A friend and her parents casually gaze at the event. Another photograph of Ashleigh captures her in a well-appointed bedroom on the telephone wearing a garment and striking a pose, both way beyond her years.

Just around the corner from this display are several examples from Mary Ellen Mark’s Runaway series. There are no signs of privilege or the influences of material culture, yet the more overt signs of decay in our society. Through this photographic series, Mark has been quite successful in bringing visibility to the problem of runaway children. Her call for a greater social and political commitment to this issue has also manifested itself in a film of the same subject entitled Streetwise. As in much of her work, Mark endeared herself to this community in Seattle where she has captured the realities of these children living on the streets. A gelatin silver print of Lillie with her Rag Doll (1983) stands out in contrast to the photographs by Greenfield. Here again we have a thirteen-year old girl, this time dressed in ragged clothes that makes it difficult to see she is female. She leans against a graffitied alley wall holding a rag doll in one hand and a cigarette with the other. Her innocence is also lost just in a much harsher way than for Greenfield’s Ashleigh.

Both Greenfield and Mark, only 2 of the 9 photographers whose amazing work is featured in this exhibit are documentarians whose approach and subjects are touching and cause the viewer to stop and react to these truths.

This exhibition continues through 11/19/10. (K.J.S.)

CURRENTLY ON VIEW:

Instant Dreams is an exhibition of photographic work by Stefanie Schneider at Frank Pictures Gallery. Also on view are some amazing photographs by Lisa Rinzler. Thru 11/11/10.

east west spring fall is the title of an exhibition of paintings by local artist Astrid Preston at Craig Krull gallery. Inspired by recent travels, Preston, known for her exquisite landscapes does not disappoint. You will find meticulously painted images of leaves, plants, and flowers that will surely delight. Thru 11/20/10.

Photographic work by Catherine Roberts Leach is being exhibited at the very unique Haus Gallery in Pasadena, which has converted a wonderful home into a contemporary exhibition space. In this exhibition, Leach presents un-manipulated color photographs of the vacant storefronts witnessed in her Southern California neighborhood. These poetic photographs serve as testimony to the hard times currently being experienced in the City of Angels. I urge you to check out Haus Gallery’s exhibition philosophy on their website-you may want to submit your work. Thru 11/20/10.

Kim Abeles: Art and Activism continues at the Laband Art Gallery at Loyola Marymount University. Thru 11/21/10.

Drawings on paper by Gale Antokal are Out of the Blue at Couturier Gallery. Antokal uses pastel deftly as well as graphite, flour and ash as her media in creating these mysterious and dreamlike images. Thru 11/27/10.

A wonderful exhibition of textiles by Danish artist Trine Ellitsgaard are now on view at Latin American Masters in Bergamot Station. Ellitsgaard has been a resident of Oaxaca for over 20 years. Her work is heavily influenced by the forms and materials used by the indigenous women of that region. One exquisite example is woven from horsehair and palm leaves. The results are visually more like impeccable and tranquil modernist paintings; only hers are woven with natural media. Thru 12/4/10.

New sculptures and works on paper by Sherry Markowitz are now on view at Lora Schlessinger Gallery. Thru 12/4/10.

Cultural Windows: The Art of Ruth Asawa, Ynez Johnston and Betye Saar at Los Angeles Valley College Art Gallery. These three important woman artists have all made significant contributions to the California art scene over the years. This exhibit includes sculpture, paintings, drawings, prints and ceramics that reflect their personal visions also shows how each has tackled issues of cultural representation.
Opening Reception: Tues. 11/2 @ 7pm
Lecture: Tuesday, November 2, 8pm by Karin Higa, Adjunct Senior Curator of Art at the Japanese American National Museum
Thru 12/16/10.

There are 2 artists currently exhibiting at 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, Dorit Cypis and Elena Siff. FabLab (looking for patterns); towards an economy of inner and inter action is Cypis’ living laboratory of exploration into themes of identity and social relations. The artist will be hosting several interactive workshops here as well as a performance. Siff’s Making Change is a project that addresses how the Internet plays a major role in this new artistic economy by setting up a virtual marketplace and a physical store in the 18th Street project room. Thru 12/17/10.

Vibrant acrylic on canvas paintings as well as works on paper by Lisa Sanditz will be exhibited at Acme Gallery. 11/20-12/22/10.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS:

Eva Hesse Spectres1960 is a selection of rarely seen paintings by the legendary artist continuing at the Hammer Museum. Continues thru 1/2/11.

Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) is the artist’s first museum survey, now on view at the Skirball Center. This Israeli artist is an illustrator, author and designer. Her whimsical imagery spans from children’s book illustration, to fashion design to New Yorker Magazine. The exhibit features a selection of original works on paper that span thirty years of illustration, as well photographs, embroidery, textiles, and performance. To provide context for this wide array of work, Kalman has created a special installation, furnishing the gallery with chairs, ladders, and "many tables of many things" drawn from her own collections.
Illustrated Talk by Kalman on Tuesday, 11/16 @ 8 p.m. tickets available at Skirball Center website.
11/17/10-2/12/11.

The California Biennial curated by Sarah Bancroft is ongoing at the Orange County Museum of Art. In addition to approximately 150 works of art and installations on display, the museum will also serve as the site for approximately 30 programs and performances that will appeal to diverse interests and continue OCMA’s history of presenting new developments in contemporary art. Among the 45 artists and collaborative groups exhibiting are many woman artists including Carlee Fernandez, Eve Fowler, Rebecca Goldfarb, Katy Grannan, Alexandra Grant, Sherin Guirguis, Violet Hopkins, Glenna Jennings, Jennifer Locke, Nikki Pressley, Nina Waisman, Flora Wiegmann, Allison Wiese, and Lisa Williamson. Thru 3/13/11.