Press release: Huntington Library displays photography by local students

SAN MARINO, Calif. —An innovative partnership between The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and East L.A.’s Esteban E. Torres High School has produced some pretty snappy results: An exhibition of photography by students that will be displayed along more than 1,000 feet of construction fence surrounding The Huntington’s Education and Visitor Center project.

The students’ artwork was unveiled today at an event marking the culmination of the collaboration, the first of a series of activities The Huntington and Torres aim to do through their “2nd Campus” program.

“At a time when so many headlines suggest that K–12 education is in dire straits, we’re seeing proof of what can happen when you give students and teachers a little support and a lot of license,” said Steven S. Koblik, Huntington president. “We’re delighted with the results and are equally pleased that we will soon have an expansive display space on which to present them.” The construction fence will be adorned with life-size photographs of students holding the photographs they created. It goes up in early June.

The work will be on display through early 2015, when construction of the new Education and Visitor Center is expected to be complete.

Mingle, meet and eat at the Pacific Asia Museum’s Fusion Fridays

It’s not to early to be thinking about summer and a week from this Friday, 17 May 2013, the Pacific Asia Museum is kicking off its Fusion Fridays with a beautiful Indonesian shadow puppet performance.

Fusion Fridays are all about live performances, meeting people and seeing good art along with good eats. Cocktail and Asian attire are encouraged . DJs will be spinning in the courtyard, you can quench your thirst at the cash bar (Angel City Brewery) and some of L.A.’s best food trucks will be parking in our lot.

Want to enjoy the museum before the crowds? You can purchase a pre-party package and your group can have early entry with happy hour pricing. Contact education@pacificasiamuseum.org for more info.

This Fusion Friday features the Indonesian shadow puppet performance, gamelan music and DJ Arshia with a special Bollywood dance mix.

Current exhibits include the Takashi Tomo-oka exhibit of this contemporary Japanese artist’s photographs on handmade paper mounted on scrolls (closes 28 July 2013), “Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection” (closes 30 March 2014), “The Art of Continuity: Revering our Elders” exhibit on the veneration of ancestors and lineages on the arts of Asia and “The Garden in Asia” which looks at the garden as a source of inspiration throughout the centuries.

In addition to the temporary exhibits, you can wander through the permanent exhibits of “The Art of Pacific Asia” and “The Arts of Korea.”

Fusion Fridays

7:30-10:30 p.m.
Free for members, $15 nonmembers
Reserve your tickets now at fusionfridays2013.eventbrite.com

The Pacific Asia Museum  is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. Regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Press release: June events at the Pacific Asia Museum

Pacific Asia Museum presents a wide variety of public programming in June 2013. All programs below are included with museum admission unless otherwise stated.Silk Road Storytime June 1, 10:30 a.m.                                                                     Some of the best stories don’t have any people in them at all! Join Sunny Stevenson as she shares favorite animal stories from across Asia. You can also make a fun animal craft and enjoy some Asian snacks. Free and open to the public. Dyeing Workshops  June 9, 16, 23, 3-5:30 p.m. Acclaimed textile artist Setsuko Hayashi is back by popular demand! Over three consecutive Sundays, students will create projects using three distinctive dyeing techniques: Japanese shibori, Indonesian batik and stenciling. Taught in Japanese and English. Each class is $35 for members, $45 for non-members, or sign up for all three for $90 for members, $120 non-members. Fee includes all materials. Students under 15 years must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration required, visit the Pacific Asia Museum front desk or call 626-449-2742 x 31. Concert Sunday, June 16, 2:30 p.m. Opera Pasadena presents “Sing a Song Of Shakespeare,” a performance of songs from within the Bard’s plays, as well as scenes from operas inspired by his works. $15, includes museum admission. Fusion Fridays Friday, June 21, 7:30-10:30 p.m.  Experience the dramatic haka warrior dance, catch the summer spirit with traditional Japanese festival dances, try an activity inspired by special exhibition Takashi Tomo-oka, enjoy delicious treats from leading food trucks, plus art, DJ music and drinks! Free for members, $15 general public.   Authors on Asia: Dennis George Crow Sunday, June 23, 2 p.m. Dennis George Crow will discuss and show images from his new book, Old Shanghai’s Bund: Rare Images from the 19th Century. Presented as a collection for the first time, these rare and early photographs of Shanghai’s most famous waterfront offer a unique glimpse into how a small treaty port turned into the city’s most recognized landmark. Dennis George Crow is a leading specialist in historic China and Asian photography. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments. RSVP to 626-449-2742 x 20. Authors on Asia: Kendall H. Brown Sunday, June 30, 2 p.m. Kendall H. Brown will discuss and show images from his new book, Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America. Japanese gardens have been part of North American culture for almost 150 years. In his new book, Brown offers an intimate look at twenty-six of the most beautiful, with stunning color photographs of each, detailing their style, history, and special functions, and explores the ingenuity and range of Japanese landscaping. Top images, from left:  Sunny Stevenson at Silk Road Storytime Japanese shibori scarf Fusion Fridays Old Shanghai’s Bund by Dennis George Crow About Pacific Asia Museum Pacific Asia Museum is among the few institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since 1971, Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults, and scholars through its exhibitions and programs. Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 general, $7 students/seniors, and free for museum members and children under 12. Admission is free every 4th Friday of the month. For more information visit www.pacificasiamuseum.org or call (626) 449-2742.

Press release: Free family celebration at Pacific Asia Museum

Pacific Asia Museum To Hold Free Family Festival Celebrating The Garden in Asia   Pasadena, CA– Pacific Asia Museum will hold a Free Family Festival celebrating the current exhibition The Garden in Asia on Sunday, May 12, 2013 from 12-4 p.m. Admission to the event and Pacific Asia Museum galleries is free and open to the public during that time.   Planned especially for Mothers’ Day, this Free Family Festival is perfect for an afternoon family outing. Visitors can enjoy crafts, henna art, performances and more inspired by the exhibition The Garden in Asia. In addition, the Paradise Cookies truck will be on hand with their signature ice cream cookie sandwiches and other sweet treats.   Admission to the Pacific Asia Museum galleries is also free throughout the Festival; current exhibitions on view include The Garden in Asia, The Art of Continuity: Revering our Elders, Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection, and the newly-opened Takashi Tomo-oka.   Event Schedule: Courtyard Activities 12-4 p.m.             Make a koinobori (fish windsock) Make a 3-D paper mini garden Compose your own garden-inspired poetry Take the garden animals scavenger hunt challenge Plant your own succulent with the California Cactus Center   Auditorium Foyer 12:30-3 p.m.        Free henna hand painting by Lotus Henna   Auditorium 12:00-12:45 p.m. Performance by String and Bamboo Music 2:00 -2:45 p.m.    Folktale Storytelling by We Tell Stories   Pacific Asia Museum’s Free Family Festivals are made possible in part by the Capital Group Company, Margaret Leong Checca, Festival of the Autumn Moon supporters, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Lon V. Smith Foundation, the Union Bank Foundation, and the Katherine Audrey Webb Foundation. About Pacific Asia Museum Pacific Asia Museum is among the few institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since 1971, Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults, and scholars through its exhibitions and programs. Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 general, $7 students/seniors, and free for museum members and children under 12. Admission is free every 4th Friday of the month. For more information visit www.pacificasiamuseum.org or call (626) 449-2742.

Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection

PRESS RELEASE BELOW: Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection Opening April 5   Pasadena, CA– Pacific Asia Museum presents the new exhibition Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection from April 5, 2013 to March 30, 2014 in the Frank and Toshie Mosher Gallery of Japanese Art. The exhibition includes a full object rotation in October 2013 to accommodate a greater number of objects and protect them from extended exposure to light.   The renowned Harari Collection of Japanese Edo (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) era paintings and drawings is one of the most significant groups of works on paper at Pacific Asia Museum. Amassed in London during the 1950s and 60s by Ralph Harari, the collection includes ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”); important prints, paintings and sketches by Hokusai, Hiroshige and their schools; paintings by Kano, Tosa, Nanga, and Shijo schools; and decorative paintings including fans. In the 1980s, Pacific Asia Museum acquired the majority of this collection with the support of several generous donors. Objects from the collection have previously been included in the exhibitions 40 Years of Building the Pacific Asia Museum Collection in 2011 and Reflections of Beauty: Women from Japan’s Floating World in 2006, among others.   Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection features selected works from this group, and elucidates how Japanese painters and artisans shared their appreciation for subjects including landscapes, physical beauty and pursuits like poetry and tea ceremonies. These recurring themes found in the paintings are echoed in other media from the Pacific Asia Museum collection including ceramics, textiles, lacquerware and sculpture. By looking at a few of the finest examples of Harari Collection paintings alongside objects featuring similar subjects, visitors will have an opportunity to appreciate these themes from multiple perspectives, thereby deepening their knowledge of Japanese art and culture. In addition, the exhibition will examine the role of the collector both in private and public realms.   “The Harari Collection is one of Pacific Asia Museum’s great treasures,” said Curator Bridget Bray. “While we’ve had objects from the collection on view over the past few years, this exhibition will allow our visitors to get a fuller sense of the range of paintings in the Harari Collection, the stories they tell, and the collecting choices Harari made.”   Key objects in the exhibition include several examples of ukiyo-e. One such work is Daruma Carrying a Courtesan Across a Stream by Ogawa Ritsuo (1663-1747). Daruma is the Japanese name for Bodhidharma, the Indian monk who is believed to have taken meditational Buddhism from India to China in the 6th century C.E. In Japan, Daruma is regarded as the founder and patriarch of Zen meditational Buddhism and is often depicted as a sullen monk with large, staring eyes and wearing a red robe as seen here. In the Edo period, his image often appeared in ukiyo-e paintings and prints beside beautiful courtesans in a humorous juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness. The two figures are often depicted wearing each other’s clothing, though not in the case of this painting.   Related programs for Focus on the Subject: The Art of the Harari Collection will include an installment each of the popular Art and Coffee series and Silk Road Storytime series.   Top image: Ogawa Ritsuo, Daruma Carrying a Courtesan Across a Stream, Japan, c. 1740, Ink, color, gofun on paper, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Calvin Frazier, Pacific Asia Museum Collection, 1986.67.2

‘Useful Hours’ exhibit to open in June at Huntington

 

SAN MARINO, Calif.—Taking its title from a verse stitched in a 1796 sampler by 10-year-old Anne “Nancy” Moulton, “Useful Hours: Needlework and Painted Textiles from Southern California Collections,” on view at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens June 1–Sept. 2, 2013, explores the development of needlework and painted textiles in the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. With a selection of 29 rare and finely wrought examples, the exhibition offers extraordinary insight into the early training, daily lives, and social and cultural values of American women during this rich period in American history.

“Useful Hours” includes several exceedingly rare pieces of 18th-century American needlework, drawn in large part from the collection of Victor Gail and Thomas H. Oxford, a promised gift to The Huntington, as well as from the collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art and private lenders. The 25 surprisingly beautiful, touching, and painstakingly executed examples of American works are juxtaposed with four examples of British needlework, a related painting, American furniture, and other decorative arts objects, along with books and manuscripts from The Huntington’s collections.

“I hope visitors feel the sense of amazement that I feel when I explore these young women’s accomplishments,” said Harold B. “Hal” Nelson, The Huntington’s curator of American decorative arts. “Their technical skill and creativity within needlework traditions of the time are truly marvelous. I also think people will be surprised when they realize these remarkable pieces are all from Southern California collections,” he added. “A common misconception is that the best American art collections are only on the East Coast, but when you see these pieces you instantly realize that is far from the case.”

About The Huntington

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution serving scholars and the general public. More information about The Huntington can be found online at www.huntington.org.

Visitor Information

The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, Calif., 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is open to the public Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and major holidays. Admission on weekdays: $20 adults, $15 seniors (65+), $12 students (ages 12–18 or with full-time student I.D.), $8 youth (ages 5–11), free for children under 5. Group rate $11 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission on weekends and Monday holidays: $23 adults, $18 seniors, $13 students, $8 youth, free for children under 5. Group rate $14 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of each month with advance tickets. Information: 626-405-2100 or www.huntington.org.

Wild Flower outing at Descanso Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A press release from artist  Renée A. Fox (reneeafox@yahoo.com)

 

Please join me for an afternoon at Descanso Gardens on Sunday, March 10, starting with a 12:30PM lunch at the Descanso Café (full menu and prices, click here), followed by a walk through the gardens to find Camelias, Cherry Trees, Daffodils, Irises and Lilacs in bloom.  At 2:00PM we will meet at the  Sturt Haaga Gallery and view “The Wild Flowers” curated by John O’Brien. LA art critic Peter Frank will join us for a  conversation with me about the show, my work and its context in the exhibition and gardens. “The Wild Flowers” runs until Sunday, March 31.

 

Cover Image: Roland Reiss “Fleur de Mal II”

 

Of the many categories of the fantastical in nature, none is quite as diverse and as consistently astonishing as that of the flower. While we may admire the flower as a beautiful object, what we are really seeing is delightful evidence of possibly the most sophisticated and durable strategy for reproduction, speciation, and evolution our planet has yet offered. 

 

 

Renée A Fox “Lakshmi (Hindu Goddess of Material Wealth)” 2013. Oil on canvas over panel. 36 x 72 inches.

Renée A Fox “Durga (Hindu Goddess, Supreme Mother)” 2013. Oil and colored pencil on canvas over panel. 36 x 72 inches.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada, Flintridge, 91011. Descanso Café is just inside the entrance and the Sturt Haaga Gallery may be reached by a short walk or shuttle through the gardens. The gallery is open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday and is free to visit with garden admission of $8. *Special admission price of $3 for Sunday, March 10 if you have confirmed attendance. Remember to bring cash or credit if you plan to have lunch at the Café. Parking is free. Click here for information on the gallery, café and gardens

Art theft in San Gabriel Valley

Can you help catch an art thief?

By Edmond Leung

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend, Elaine Chiu, is pictured above with her mother Diana. Diana Chiu’s beautiful brush painting as part of an art exhibition at the Alhambra City Hall Lobby from Feb 24th-27th 2013. This painting was stolen. They believe the painting was taken between the night of the 26th and the morning of 28th.

Diana Chiu is not a famous artist, but her art means a lot to her and her family. It took her months of hard work to finish each piece. She is heartbroken at the moment. It’s one thing to steal money from an artist, but to steal an artist’s painstaking works of passion, that is 100 times more painful to the victim.

The theft has been reported to the police and they advised the Chius to use Facebook as a way to spread the word to let people know if they will ever come across this painting, know that it is a stolen piece and please contact Elaine Chiu on FB or call the Alhambra Police Department (211 S 1st St  Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 570-5168). Please share and help.

ArtNight returns on March 8

Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors. Last fall, 14,000 people experienced the excitement of ArtNight! 

Alliance Française de Pasadena
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Christophe Deluy was born and learned the colors in Provence. He traded the French hills for the summit of the San Gabriel mountain, eyes in the sky.

Armory Center for the Arts
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Connie Samaras: Tales of Tomorrow, a photographic survey, features the social and economic construction of “future imaginaries” and the variable membrane between fiction and real world.

Art Center College of Design
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Williamson Gallery: From graphics studio M/M Paris, over 100 large-scale posters capture the rapid pulse and dynamic rhythms of 21st-century culture. Student Gallery: design rocks!

artWORKS Teen Center
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Experience teens’ art, design, music and new media. artWORKS is a collaboration of Learning Works, the Armory Center for the Arts and Flintridge Center. Enjoy, free family art-making workshops, as well.

Lineage Performing Art Center
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Lineage Dance joins Chris Pierce to bring the healing power of dance and music together in an exciting, soul-stirring live performance.

Norton Simon Museum
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Enjoy the opening night of “monument” on the survival of Mrs. Reppin: An Artwork by Dan Flavin, as well as centuries of masterpieces on permanent view.

Pacific Asia Museum
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Enjoy exhibitions The Garden in Asia, The Art of Continuity: Revering our Ancestors, Marking Transitions: Ceremonial Art in Indonesia and the final weekend of Kimono in the 20th Century.

Pasadena City Hall
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City hall is the hub for all the ArtNight shuttles, as well as a site of lively musical entertainment

Pasadena Museum of California Art
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Join us for California Scene Paintings from the 1930s-1960s, Christopher Miles’ painting-sculpture hybrids, and John O’Brien’s installation inspired by “meandering” along the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

Pasadena Museum of History
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I Do! I Do! Pasadena Ties the Knot, spotlights the wedding dress as icon of social customs, featuring 35+ vintage gowns from 1860 to 1950.

Shumei Arts Council
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The dynamic drumming performances (half-hour each) by Makoto Taiko starting at 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, and 9:15 pm. Also, Bill Ellzey’s stunning sunrise photographs.

Bonhams’ specialists at PHM for appraisals

Do you have a mystery object or a family heirloom that may be valuable? Bonhams’ specialists in jewelry, silver, furniture & decorative arts, and fine arts from Old Masters to contemporary will be at Pasadena History Museum to review your treasures and offer verbal auction appraisals on Wednesday, March 20:

Ms. Milena Denis:  Jewelry & Watches

Mr. Paul Fisher:  Furniture and Decorative Arts

Mr. Scot Levitt:  California & American Paintings

Ms. Morisa Rosenberg:  Prints & Fine Art

Mr. Jason Stein:  20th Century Decorative Arts & Design

Ms. Aileen Ward:  Silver & Decorative Objects

 

Street parking will be available. Participants are responsible for managing the movement of their items.

Tickets: Members 2 items for $10; Non-Members 1 item for $10.  Limit of 4 items per household. Reservations are recommended and available online.  For information call 626.577.1660, ext.10.

Founded in 1924 as the Pasadena Historical Society, Pasadena Museum of History operates the only Museum and Research Library devoted solely to preserving and educating the public about the history of Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley. Since 1970, the Museum has been headquartered on the 2.1-acre grounds of the Fenyes Estate, a Pasadena Cultural landmark that is listed on both the National and California Registers of Historic Places. That year, Mrs. Fenyes’ daughter, Leonora Muse Curtin, granddaughter Leonora Curtin Paloheimo, her husband Y.A. Paloheimo, and their four children donated the Mansion and Gardens, complete with original furnishings, artwork, and numerous personal items, to the Museum.

The 1906 Beaux Arts Mansion by noted architect Robert D. Farquhar, with its two-story addition in 1911 by Sylvanus Marston, provided Eva and Dr. Adalbert Fenyes a magnificent home that served as a gathering place for prominent artists, writers, musicians and scientists. The Mansion took on additional stature as the Finnish Consulate during Y.A. (“George”) Paloheimo’s 16-year tenure in that post (1948-1964). Today, visitors to PMH enjoy a rare opportunity to tour this landmark residence that exemplifies the cultured lifestyle of the city’s prominent residents at the turn of the twentieth century.

The Museum’s historic structures also include the Curtin House, a gracious French-style residence designed in 1915 by Sylvanus Marston, and the Finnish Folk Art Museum, a building designed by Frederick Roehrig and adapted by Consul Paloheimo for use as a sauna/guest house.

In 1993 construction was completed on Phase I of the Museum’s History Center building, which houses the Research Library and environmentally controlled archival storage areas for the Museum’s extensive collections. Phase II of the project, completed in 2000, includes the History Center Galleries, Giddings Conference Room, Museum Store and Administrative Offices.

PMH is a private, nonprofit, community-based institution supported by generous gifts from foundations, corporations, businesses, individuals, and our members.