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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
City hall is the hub for all the ArtNight shuttles, as well as a site of lively musical entertainment

Pasadena Museum of California Art
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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
MAP | WEBSITE
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.

What to do for New Year’s in Pasadena

Rose in the Huntington Library garden.

Rose in the Huntington Library garden.

Aloe in the Huntington Library garden.

Blooming succulents in the Huntington Library garden.

Blooming succulents in the Huntington Library garden.

Vegetables in the herb garden.

Narcissus in the Huntington Gardens.

Huntington Japanese garden.

Huntington Japanese garden.

Huntington Japanese garden.

Huntington Japanese garden.

Huntington Japanese garden.

Huntington Chinese garden, Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

Huntington Chinese garden, Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

Food available in the Chinese Garden.

Food available in the Chinese Garden.

Lesley Vance & Ricky Swallow at the Huntington Library.

Lesley Vance & Ricky Swallow at the Huntington Library.

When New Year’s Eve approaches, Pasadena both grinds to a halt and spins into a frenzy. People working on the Tournament of Roses Parade floats are usually feverishly putting on fresh flowers until the early hours of the morning. The parade horse people are camping out and pulling an all-nighter on the freeway braiding the manes and tails of their horses and trying to keep warm.

Yet for those who aren’t involved in the actual parade or football game, things slow down. Offices close because no one can get into Old Pas or other areas on the parade route. And many streets are blocked off. Some people just leave Pasadena. I used to take the Gold Line to Downtown Los Angeles and then the Amtrak to San Diego  or drive up and off to Orange County’s South Coast Plaza.

Because many employees can’t get to their place of work, many attractions are closed on New Year’s Day including the Huntington Library, Pacific Asia Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Norton Simon. If you can (or plan ahead and see these attractions on Monday, 31 December 2012), stick around and see these beautiful institutions that make Pasadena unique.

If you’re new to the area or just visiting, you’ll want to be sure to see other sights in Pasadena. Want to get away from the madding crowd? Try the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanic Gardens. This might not be spring, but there’s plenty blooming there. Some of the trails (such as the Australian Garden or the Desert Garden) are rarely traveled and you can get some solitude. The Rose Garden isn’t in its prime, but there are still flowers blooming. In the Desert Garden, the succulents are blooming, especially the aloes.

There are also the Chinese Garden and the nearby Japanese Garden. When I was there last week, the gingko trees had turned yellow and the leaves were just beginning to fall. The camellia bushes are close to blooming. Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays) from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. you can get something to eat at the Chinese Garden Tea House.  We tried the garlic shrimp spring roll for $6.95 and the Cantonese short ribs soup with rice noodles for $11.95.

If you can think ahead, make reservations for the Tea Room. For $27.99 per person (plus tax) you get unlimited tea and visits to the buffet of savory finger sandwiches, cheeses, fresh fruit, seasonal salads, deserts and scones.

Highlights of the Art Collections are “The Blue Boy” by Thomas Gainsborough (circa 1770), but the Huntington also has one of the major Lincoln collections in the nation and two exhibits explore that time era: “A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, Memories and the American Civil War” which ends 14 January 2013 and “A Just Cause: Voices of the American Civil War” which ends 7 January 2013.

If you like variety, you can hit the Pacific Asia Museum and the Pasadena Museum of California Art which are just one-building away from each other off of Union. That’s just north of Colorado and East of Los Robles.  Garden lovers stop by and see “The Garden in Asia” exhibit which looks at objects that illustrates the importance of the garden in Asia. Asian cultures revere their elders and this is explored in “The Art of Continuity: Revering our Elders.”  There’s also an exhibit on ceremonial art in Indonesia and the “Kimono in the 20th Century.”

The Pasadena Museum of California Art has exhibit on various artists such as Greta Magnusson Grossman (“A Car and Some Shorts”), Paul Landacre (“White on Black: The Modernist Prints of Paul Landacre”), and textile artist Guillermo Bert.

The Norton Simon Museum is at the very beginning of the Tournament of Roses Parade  and is open New Year’s Eve from 12 noon until 4 p.m., but close on New Year’s Day. The museum is deceptively small and has a lovely little garden. What you’ll really want to see if Van Gogh’s 1889 “Self-Portrait” which is on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Other current exhibits include the still lifes (“Significant Objects: The Spell of Still Life”) and Connor Evert lithographs (“Studies in Desperation: A Suite by Connor Evert”).

In nearby Arcadia, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is open on New Year’s Day. You’ve probably seen the Queen Anne Cottage on TV. Built in 1885 and now considered on the National Register of Historic Places, the building was used for the opening sequence of the TV show “Fantasy Island” and the lagoon near it was used for a sequence in one of the Tarzan movies.

The Descanso Gardens in Flintridge La Cañada, is just down the 210 from Pasadena and is open every day except Christmas Day. The camellia forest should be about ready to bloom.  If you’re lucky the Boddy House, home of E. Manchester Boddy, the founder of Descanso Gardens, will be open. Call ahead to check.

Other things to do include a visit to one of the area Chinatowns–Downtown Los Angeles, Alhambra, Monterey Park and Arcadia. Check on Yelp for recommendations. The San Gabriel Valley has excellent Chinese food available.

January 1, is just the beginning of New Year’s celebrations because there’s still the Chinese New Year’s (in February) and the Persian New Year’s (in March).  Happy New Year!

For information about the parade route, street closures or the football game, visit the Tournament of Roses website.

Free museum weekend in January

MUSEUMS FREE-FOR-ALL

Free Admission Days January 26th and 27th 2013

In a joint effort to present the arts and culture to the diverse and myriad communities in Southern California, the Museum Marketing Roundtable announces the eighth annual ‘Museums Free-For-All’ Saturday January 26th and Sunday January 27th. The museums—presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science—will open their doors and invite visitors free of charge.*

Annenberg Space for Photography: Both Days

The Autry: Both Days

California African American Museum: Both Days

California Science Center**: Both Days

Craft and Folk Art Museum: Sunday, January 27th ONLY

Fowler Museum at UCLA: Both Days

Hammer Museum: Both Days

The Getty Center: Both Days

The Getty Villa***: Both Days

Los Angeles County Museum of Art****: Sunday, January 27th ONLY

The Museum of Contemporary Art: Both Days

Museum of Latin American Art: Both Days

The Museum of Tolerance*****: Sunday, January 27th ONLY

Pacific Asia Museum: Sunday, January 27th ONLY

The Paley Center for Media: Both Days

Pasadena Museum of California Art: Sunday, January 27th ONLY

Santa Monica Museum of Art: Saturday, January 26th ONLY

Skirball Cultural Center******: Both Days

University Art Museum, CSULB: Both Days*******

*Regular parking fees apply. General museum admission only. May not apply to ticketed exhibitions.

**Timed tickets are required to see the Endeavour exhibition. Please visit www.californiasciencecenter.org.

***Timed tickets are required. Visit www.getty.edu.

****Offer valid for general admission only. Does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions Caravaggio and His Legacy and Stanley Kubrick.

***** Advance reservations are recommended as capacity is limited. Please see www.museumoftolerance.com for hours and ticket information.

******Timed-entry tickets to the Noah’s Ark at the Skirball™ galleries will be on a walk-up, first-come, first-served basis on these dates, subject to availability.

*******The University Art Museum will only be open for an opening reception from 6-8pm on Saturday, January 26.

Tonight is ArtNight in Pasadena

Pasadena’s Spring ArtNight will feature paint-spewing army ducks, Japanese folding screens, satiric and seditious animated video shorts, pop-up galleries and teen- scene music and art workshops.  The event, set for Friday, March 9, is a great opportunity to bring the whole family out on the town in search of artistic inspiration and entertainment – all for free!

 

From 6 to 10 p.m. a dozen cultural venues will open their doors and the city of Pasadena will provide free shuttle service at each location. Walking is also an option as many of the venues are clustered downtown.  To join a bicycling group visit www.cicle.org.  For easy treats at modest prices, trendy food trucks will appear at a handful of venues.

 

While entry to each location is free, many of the host venues will also offer special discounts on merchandise or memberships with proof of Metro ridership, including 10 percent off store merchandise at the Pasadena Museum of California Art or 10 percent off the price of exhibition catalogues at the Armory Center for the Arts. Other venues will offer additional discounts on memberships.

 

ArtNight is a twice-yearly event made possible through ongoing partnership among many cultural institutions and the Cultural Affairs Division of the city of Pasadena and is sponsored by the Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission. For more information call (626) 744-7887. For accessibility and alternative formats call (626) 744-7062. Para español visite www.artnightpasadena.org.  Venues are:

 

Alliance Française

Voyages à travers l’Europe

Born in Belgium, Elisabeth Johns is an established artist based in San Marino, California. Her paintings are inspired by the beautiful sceneries encountered during her travels through Europe.

 

Art Center College of Design

From the earliest to the most recent images of the cosmos, don’t miss The History of Space Photography – the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind ever organized.

 

Armory Center for the Arts

See Richard Jackson’s Accidents in Abstract Painting, showcasing paint-spewing army ducks and paint-filled airplane wreckage. Plus, solo shows by Jocelyn Foye and Dawn Kasper.

artWORKS Teen Center

See teens’ stunning creations in art, design, music and new media. artWORKS is a collaboration of Learning Works, The Armory, Project Connect and The Flintridge Center.

 

Lineage Performing Arts Center

Enjoy contemporary dance and live music with Pasadena’s own Lineage Dance and Michelle Bloom. Choreographer Hilary Thomas partners with acclaimed singer-songwriter Bloom, presenting new works.

 

Norton Simon Museum

Enjoy Hans Memling’s Portrait of a Man, c. 1470-75, now on loan from The Frick Collection in New York, plus centuries of masterpieces on permanent view.

 

Pasadena City College

Satiric and seditious animated video shorts by multimedia artist Erin Cosgrove, plus live jazz and highlights from the PCC Cinema program.

 

Pacific Asia Museum

46 N. Los Robles: A History of the Pasadena Art Museum traces the development of the Pasadena Art Museum, focusing on its years in Pacific Asia Museum’s Grace Nicholson Building.

 

Pasadena Museum of California Art

Three new exhibitions, including L.A. RAW, which places post-war figurative art in historical context and examines the pivotal role played by L.A. artists from 1945-80.

 

Pasadena Museum of History

Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden III, a collaboration with the Pasadena Art Gallery Association, features juried paintings of life in the San Gabriel Valley by nationally recognized painters.

 

Shumei Arts Council

Enjoy Robert Crowder’s special paintings on Byobu folding screens and panels, and dynamic Makoto Taiko drumming at 6:15, 7:15, 8:15 and 9:15 pm.

 

Side Street Projects

NewTown and Side Street Projects presents Untamed (parking) Spaces:

tents, trucks and trailers transformed into pop-up galleries, theaters and

stages.  Refreshments provided by Whole Foods Market on Arroyo.

 

.

LA RAW night at the Pasadena Museum of California Art

L.A. RAW Film Night #1 Robert Cremean, Hans Burkhardt, Ed Kienholz I L.A. RAW Film Night Sunday, March 11 | 5:30 pm     Join us as we screen the following films in conjunction with L.A. RAW:    Robert Cremean Metaphor and Process: The Work of Robert Cremean 1988 Directed by Patti Day Production Design by Jim Day Marguay Productions 25 min   Hans Burkhardt Hans Burkhardt: The Artists’ World 1987 Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Inc/Estate Films, Inc. 37 min   Ed Kienholz The Story of an Artist 1961 Written, produced, and directed by William Kronick, David L. Wolper Productions 25 min   RSVP (optional) to programs@pmcaonline.org or on Facebook FREE       Pasadena Museum of California Art 490 East Union Street Pasadena, CA 91101 626.568.3665 www.pmcaonline.org info@pmcaonline.org   Hours | Wednesday – Sunday, 12-5pm Admission | $7 adults, $5 students & seniors Free first Friday of the month    unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

PMCA’s new exhibits engrossing and sometimes gross adult fare

When you enter an art museum in America, one isn’t shocked to see naked women served up as objects. That’s not what makes the three new exhibits at the Pasadena Museum of California Art adult.

There is nudity–bared female breasts, and in some situations it’s more about gritty realism than painting a pretty picture. What is likely to give some people pause is there is full frontal male nudity. This should shock Los Angeles theater goers, especially if you’ve been to a few plays in the smaller venues of Hollywood and most definitely if you hang out in West Hollywood. Yet this is Pasadena.

Other art pieces that give you pause is the large canvas that incorporates real human skulls. Don’t worry; they’re from Mexico and desecrating Mexican graves are okay, I guess.

In the Project Room, Nancy Baker Cahill’s “Fascinomas” is a multimedia installation with projected paintings (mostly monochromatic red). The hanging screen catches the images, but viewers can go behind the screen as well. A fascinoma is, medically speaking, an unusual case or diagnosis and the paintings are supposed represent bodily invaders, growths, etc. You ca consider your own body or try to get your body into the act by playing with the shadows for the viewers.  We did this when we were alone in the room (just the two of us) with varying success. Try to respect other museum goers though.

For those people on the Pacific Standard Time track, “L.A. Raw: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles 1945-1980, From Rico Lebrun to Paul McCarthy”  is like a hurried journey through time via art. There are 120 works by 41 artists. If you’ve been around Southern California, you might have heard a few of these names and even taken classes with one of these people. Race, gender and sexual politics are addressed so this might not be the kind of exhibit you take small children to view.

There’s nudity (male and female) as well as the sex act depicted. Then there are those skulls.

Yet if you’re really interested in art and creating while living in California, stop by. I was moved by some beautiful wood sculptural pieces as well as some of the etchings.

On a more focused level, “Richard Bunkall: A Portrait” shows us the paintings, drawings and sculptures of a Pasadena artist. Bunkall died after suffering from ALS in 1999, but his works have such a gentle appreciation for form and subdued colors that suggest a peaceful life.

“L.A. Raw” and “Fascinomas” both continue until 20 May 2012. “Richard Bunkall: A Portrait” continues until 22 April 2012. All three are at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Revisiting 9/11 with Alex Kritselis and the LA Times

How do you remember 9/11? Where were you? What were you doing? Do you recall any other event so clearly? In Alex Kritselis’ “Above the Fold” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art we’re invited to remember what the editorial staff at the LA Times thought was important enough to place above the fold of the daily newspaper.

Originally this installation was at the Armory Center for the Arts in 2001 and now, as part of the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 (2001), we are invited to remember and consider how media shapes our perceptions.

The issues of the Los Angeles Times are preserved by being wrapped in plastic laid out like a grid on the floor while images of water play on the screen. You can’t easily read each of the issues, but perhaps that isn’t the point. Think how murky every day life was and is then, waves of memory colored by emotion and, in many cases, humdrum grayness of apathy. There are accidents and scandals, all long forgotten and yet exciting or important enough to appear above the fold of a broadsheet that was in decline. That’s a good historical lesson for journalists and bloggers everywhere.

Kristselis was the Dean of Visual Arts and Media Studies at Pasadena City College from 2002 until 2011.

This exhibit continues until 8 January 2012 at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Roland Reiss takes the diorama into personal politics

The problem with the Roland Reiss exhibit, “Roland Reiss Personal Politics: Sculpture from the 1970s and 1980s” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art,”  is that it is too much to digest in one viewing, so take time between now and 8 January 2012 when the exhibit closes to walk and think about this two decades of sculpture.

Reiss considers himself primarily a painter, but this exhibit organized by Kate Johnson, has almost thirty miniature scenes–dioramas that have cryptic names (“F/X: In Search of Truth,” “The Dancing Lessons” or “The Gravity Observations”) and scenarios that aren’t explicitly revealed or explained. You get a feeling but really the explanations are left to each viewer’s imagination. Do you think “Jaws” or “jump the shark” when you think of that ferocious fish and Hollywood. What about a fire-breathing radioactive reptile named Godzilla? Bad Japanese movies? Bad Hollywood movies based on bad Japanese movies? How about some office situations that are slightly off-kilter?

Reiss was born in 1929 and received his A.A. from Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. He went on to received his B.A. and M.A. from UCLA. He taught at UCLA and the University of Colorado and then was chair of the Art Department at Claremont Graduate University for 29 years.

So Reiss gives a real reflection of California from a Californian’s point of view. Yet seeing to many pieces all at once left me wishing I could come back and contemplate a few at a time, perhaps in chronological order rather than going on cerebral overload.

“Roland Reiss Personal Politics: Sculpture from the 1970s and 1980s” continues until 8 January 2012 at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 E. Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. (626) 568-3665.

$7 for Adults
$5 for Seniors and Students
Free to Members
Free the first Friday of the month
*Special offer with the Pacific Asia Museum on Colorado and Los Robles: Attend both museums in the same day and receive 50% off admission at the second museum when you present proof of entrance.
www.pacificasiamuseum.org

Edouard and Luvena Vysekal exhibit opens at PMCA

PASADENA, CA – The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is proud to present Love Never Fails: The Art of Edouard and Luvena Vysekal, the first museum exhibition to bring together the work of husband and wife Edouard and Luvena Vysekal. The couple became emblematic of modernism in a conservative art community, opening the door to an avant-garde aesthetic. Featuring over sixty paintings, sketches and photographs, the exhibition examines the deeply intertwined, but distinctive oeuvres of the two artists.

“Love Never Fails” was a favorite song of the couple, sung at their wedding and at his memorial service, a hymn that aptly describes their devotion to each other in marriage and in their artistic practices. While Edouard’s paintings in watercolor and oil of landscapes, cityscapes, nudes, still lifes, portraits, and allegorical subjects tended to be more experimental, ranging from Impressionism  and Post-Impressionism to semi-abstraction, Luvena’s portraits and still lifes in oil hewed closer to Realism. Both artists were notable for their use of color—bold and strong—as well as their sharp senses of humor, which would often permeate their portrait work. Together, they participated in exhibitions as members of the early progressive art organizations in Los Angeles, such as California

Progressive Group as well more traditional art clubs like the California Art Club, gaining respect from modern and conservative critics and audiences alike. Edouard Vysekal also left his imprint on future artists as an instructor of drawing and painting at the Art Students League of Los Angeles and at the Otis Art Institute from 1922-1939.

Some of the works in the exhibition have never been exhibited and others have not been shown since 1954, when Luvena passed away and the Vysekal Studio Gallery was closed. Curated by Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick, co-curator of the critically acclaimed 2008 PMCA exhibition A Seed of Modernism: The Art Students League of Los Angeles (1906-1953), the exhibition and accompanying catalogue will feature new research and insight into the work of the couple. Less than a quarter of a century after the Vysekals arrived on the Los Angeles art scene, they had established themselves as vital components, leaving a lasting imprint on the development of modernism in the city.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

OPENING RECEPTION

Saturday, September 17, 2011

7:00 – 9:00 pm

$5 admission

Free for PMCA Members and individuals holding current PCC staff or student ID cards

About the PMCA:

The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is dedicated to the exhibition of California art, architecture,and design from 1850 to the present. Informed by the state’s rich mixture of cultures and inspired by its impressive geography, California art has long been defined by a spirit of freedom and experimentation. PMCA exhibitions and educational programs explore the cultural dynamics and influences unique to California that have shaped and defined art in all media.

Hours:

• Wednesday – Sunday, 12:00 – 5:00 pm.
• The Museum is closed July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Admission:

$7 for Adults, $5 for Seniors (65+) and Students with valid ID; free to PMCA Members and children under 12.

Access for people with disabilities is provided.

Location/Parking:

The Museum is located at 490 East Union Street. From the 210 Freeway, take the Lake Avenue exit. Go south and take a right on Union Street. From the 110 Freeway/Downtown Los Angeles, follow the freeway until its end, then take Arroyo Parkway and turn right at Colorado, then left at Oakland to get to Union Street. Parking is available at the Museum.

PMCA Tours:

At this time, the museum does not offer regularly scheduled docent tours of our special exhibitions. However, docent tours are available to private groups for a fee of $75. A non-refundable deposit of $40 is due two weeks prior to the scheduled date in order to guarantee a tour. We regret that we are unable to accommodate tours for groups smaller than 10 or larger than 50 people. Before requesting a tour, please check the exhibition calendar to see which exhibitions will be available during your visit.

A discounted group rate of $4 per person is available for groups of 20 or more, and free admission is offered to school groups of K-12 public school students. Please call to notify us at least one week in advance for these special admission rates.

For any questions or to make reservations for a tour or group rate, please call Shirlae Cheng at 626-568-3665 x17.

PMCA Information:

For information, the please call 626-568-3665 or visit the website: www.pmcaonline.org

Roland Reiss’s exhibit on personal politics opens at PMCA

PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART (PMCA) Roland Reiss Personal Politics: Sculpture from the 1970s abstract paintings into figurative tableaus. Wanting to avoid the visual clichés that he felt accompanied most Realist painting, Reiss decided to cast his figures at an intimate scale, creating layered narratives that defy a singular interpretation.

Organized by the PMCA and guest curated by Kate Johnson, the exhibition features close to forty of these miniature scenes from following series: Morality Plays which deals with how middle class families go about finding meaning in life; Adult Fairy Tales I and II which reflect on office and corporate culture; F/X, a mediation on popular culture and myths; Murder Mysteries; Philosophical Homilies and Dancing Lessons.  Each series contains psychological references and the works occasionally reflect influences from Hollywood and the film industry. The tiny worlds suggest and evoke stress, panic, ambition, fear, insecurity, delight, and in each scene, Reiss examines our society’s semiotics, or codified signifiers of hidden meaning.

In addition to the tableaus, the exhibition will also include one of the artist’s most monumental works: a rarely seen life-size representation of a living room entitled, The Castle of Perseverance.

This work is entirely made of MDF particleboard, and includes several large and small recreations of objects from a typical 1970’s living room. By distilling everyday objects to their essential forms, Reiss asks the viewer to reconsider their familiarity with these objects’ meanings, which in contrast to the tableaus, are presented at the scale of the viewer.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

OPENING RECEPTION

Saturday, September 17, 2011

7:00 – 9:00 pm

$5 admission

Free for PMCA Members and individuals holding current PCC staff or student ID cards

About the PMCA:

The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is dedicated to the exhibition of California art, architecture,and design from 1850 to the present. Informed by the state’s rich mixture of cultures and inspired by its impressive geography, California art has long been defined by a spirit of freedom and experimentation. PMCA exhibitions and educational programs explore the cultural dynamics and influences unique to California that have shaped and defined art in all media.

Hours:

• Wednesday – Sunday, 12:00 – 5:00 pm.
• The Museum is closed July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Admission:

$7 for Adults, $5 for Seniors (65+) and Students with valid ID; free to PMCA Members and children under 12.

Access for people with disabilities is provided.

Location/Parking:

The Museum is located at 490 East Union Street. From the 210 Freeway, take the Lake Avenue exit. Go south and take a right on Union Street. From the 110 Freeway/Downtown Los Angeles, follow the freeway until its end, then take Arroyo Parkway and turn right at Colorado, then left at Oakland to get to Union Street. Parking is available at the Museum.

PMCA Tours:

At this time, the museum does not offer regularly scheduled docent tours of our special exhibitions. However, docent tours are available to private groups for a fee of $75. A non-refundable deposit of $40 is due two weeks prior to the scheduled date in order to guarantee a tour. We regret that we are unable to accommodate tours for groups smaller than 10 or larger than 50 people. Before requesting a tour, please check the exhibition calendar to see which exhibitions will be available during your visit.

A discounted group rate of $4 per person is available for groups of 20 or more, and free admission is offered to school groups of K-12 public school students. Please call to notify us at least one week in advance for these special admission rates.

For any questions or to make reservations for a tour or group rate, please call Shirlae Cheng at 626-568-3665 x17.

PMCA Information:

For information, the please call 626-568-3665 or visit the website: www.pmcaonline.org