by Calista Lyon '15
Art
Studio Arts (Photography)
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Cal State LA Professors Jemima Wyman and Anna Mayer AKA CamLab Show at the Armory
CamLab is a collaboration between Jemima Wyman and Anna Mayer. The duo are currently in a group show at the Armory Center for the Arts. The show titled After Victor Papanek: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be runs from May 10 - September 6, 2015 and includes work by CamLab, Dave Hullfish Bailey, Ken Ehrlich & Mathias Heyden, Rafa Esparza, Robby Herbst, Olga Koumoundouros, Liz Nurenberg, and Michael Parker.
Sharon Mizota reviewed the show for the LA Times and titled her piece, Designs for Real People's Real Problems Showcased in Group Show at the Armory. The review was very positive Mizota wrote, "an engaging and thought-provoking exhibition that celebrates not only creativity but the notion that art might make the world a better place."
Installation View of After Victor Papanek: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be. Image courtesy of Armory Center for the Arts
Monday, July 13, 2015
Visual Artist Mark Steven Greenfield Celebrated by Cal State LA
Cal State LA recently held a private reception to celebrate the career of visual artist Mark Steven Greenfield. Greenfield is a Cal State LA alumnus who completed his MFA (painting/drawing) at Cal State LA in 1987. Greenfield was celebrated at the California African American Museum where he has recently held a solo exhibition of works spanning his forty year career. His work often brings to the surface a critical dialog about race, “The work was always intended to stimulate the type of honest dialog and engagement that has for far too long been avoided and it is needed more than ever today,” said Greenfield. The retrospective is based on Greenfield's research in literature, cinema, history and the visual arts. His work explores themes such as genealogy, gang culture, Afro-futurism, African American stereotypes, and the artistic renaissance of the Crenshaw community. President William A. Covino said Greenfield’s career “reflects engagement, service, and the public good.”
Greenfield was interviewed by Carolina A. Miranda for the Los Angeles Times regarding his current exhibition Lookin' Back in Front of Me: Selected works of Mark Steven Greenfield, 1974-2014. You can learn more about Greenfield's work at www.markstevengreenfield.com
Mark Steven Greenfield talking to guests during the Cal State LA reception at, Lookin' Back in Front of Me: Selected works of Mark Steven Greenfield, 1974-2014.
Monday, June 8, 2015
The Luckman Project a Huge Success for Cal State LA Student Artists
Ten weeks ago sixteen students were chosen by the Department of Art Faculty to hold a once a year exhibition at the Luckman Gallery. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to exhibit in a nationally recognized space and to have the opportunity to work with an established artist. Curated by artist and activist Kim Abeles, the exhibition, GALLERY-OF-SOLUTIONS: Artists Respond to Human Behavior and the Environment opening reception was held over the weekend with many wonderful responses from a great number of attendees.
The 2015 participating students are:
Animation: John Chen, Judith Contreras, Johnathan Winter, Fashion and Textile: Alexander Lucero, Ryan Meehan, Cayetano Talavera Reyes, Colin Ryan, Studio Arts: Julian Hsieh, Lorren Ashley Lowrey, Calista Lyon, Bryan Ortiz, Christina Solis, Albert Vitela, Graphic Design/Visual Communication: Sarah Evans, Thomas Nguyen, Jesse James Alvarez
Gallery-of-Solutions: Artists Respond to Human Behavior and the Environment. June 1, 2015 - June 15, 2015
Luckman Gallery, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90032. Monday - Thursday + Saturday 12 - 5, Fri + Sun Closed
Gallery-Of-Solutions Installation Views at the Luckman Gallery. Photography by Calista Lyon
Monday, June 1, 2015
Cal State LA Student, Erica Chapman, Admitted to Parsons The New School for Design
Erica Chapman will soon finish her Bachelor of Arts in Fashion and Textiles at Cal State LA. She was recently admitted to the highly competitive graduate program to undertake her MA in Fashion Studies at Parsons the New School for Design in Fall 2015. This is a wonderful achievement, Parsons was recently named the best college for Art and Design in the United States by Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings.
Chapman was also a recent recipient of the Dean's Merit Scholarship for 2015.
Cal State LA student Erica Chapman. Image courtesy of California State University, Los Angeles
Art Share LA Honors Artist and Cal State Alumnus Kent Twitchell
On May 14th Art Share LA will hold their 2nd Annual Above The Streets fundraising event. Art Share LA's mission is to provide both work and studio space to local artists, while offering community programming that includes classes, exhibitions and events. At the fundraising event, Above The Streets Art Share LA will honor the contributions of Cal State Alumnus Kent Twitchell, a well known American muralist. Twitchwell attended Cal State LA, graduating in 1972 with a Bachelor of Art. Twitchell is most active in Los Angeles, and you are likely to have seen his large scale realist murals around Los Angeles. Painting over one hundred murals in his career, you may have seen Twitchell's LA Chamber Orchestra mural on three nine-story walls overlooking the downtown 210 freeway.
Some of Twitchell's drawings are included in a current show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Drawing in L.A.: The 1960s and 70s, which will be on show May 10 - August 2, 2015. For information visit LACMA.
You can view more of Twitchell's murals on his website.
Mural of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra by Kent Twitchell.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Cal State LA Student, Carlos Chavez Commissioned by Nike
Current Cal State LA graduate student Carlos Chavez (MFA) was recently commissioned to create a painting for the release of Kobe Bryant's new Kobe X 'Silk' shoe by Nike. The painting is now displayed at one of Nike' office buildings. Chavez had the opportunity to meet Kobe, and noted that he was honored to meet his favorite Laker of all time.
In January, 2015 Chavez participated in the LA Art Show held at the LA Convention center. The LA Art show is known for showcasing the highest caliber galleries that represent diverse art genres, broadening its audiences to include enthusiasts of; modern, contemporary, historic and traditional works.
Chavez also recently worked with the Google Cultural Institute on behalf of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA) to create an online "Street Art" database of both past and present murals in Los Angeles.
Left to Right: Artist (unknown), Kobe Bryant, Artist (unknown), Carlos Chavez, Artist (unknown). Images courtesy of Carlos Chavez.
Monday, Apr. 27, 2015
Cal State LA Showcases The MAW Collection of Pre-Columbian Art
Currently on show at Cal State LA's Fine Arts Gallery is an exhibit of Mesoamerican art, entitled Eternal Realms of Revelry: The MAW Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The pieces in the exhibition are being showcased for the first time in Los Angeles and include around 100 ceramic figures and vessels. The artifacts were acquired over the last 30 years by a Los Angeles-area collector. Eternal Realms of Revelry: The MAW Collection of Pre-Columbian Art will be on show from April 10 - May 2.
You can find more information about the exhibition at Cal State LA's Fine Arts Gallery.
Images from Eternal Realms of Revelry: The MAW Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. Images courtesy of The Fine Arts Gallery (Photography by Calista Lyon)
Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2015
Cal State LA Student Artwork Makes Front Cover of Top Scientific Journal
Ying Alexander Cao is currently undertaking two graduate programs at Cal State LA; an MFA in Studio Arts, and a MS in Mathematics. In the April issue of scientific journal; Analytical Chemistry (April 7, 2015: Vol. 87, Iss 7) Cao's artwork graced the front cover, the journal is the most cited in Analytical Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry is a peer-reviewed research journal that is devoted to the dissemination of new and original knowledge in all branches of analytical chemistry. Cao's artwork was described by the journal, "the background image is a rendering of a biological neural network that comprises the same sorts of complex connections found in artificial neural networks gaining in importance amongst the techniques routinely used in chemometrics. The foreground shows a typical plot resulting from chemometric analysis of two variables and its effect on a response (color intensity) and on a paper microfluidic chip depicting an enzyme reaction."
You can view the full cover and journal at Analytical Chemistry.
Artwork by Ying Alexandra Cao. Image courtesy of Analytical Chemistry
Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2015
Cal State LA Alumnus Animating at Pixar Animation Studios
Richard Gunzer graduated from Cal State LA in 2010 with a BA in Animation and Art. He is currently working as a 2nd Unit Animator at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California. Gunzer has animated on a number of films including; Toy Story of Terror (2013), Monsters University (2013), Inside Out (2015), and he is currently working on The Good Dinosaur.
Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2015
Cal State LA's, Dirty Dozen to Create Much Needed Dialog About the Globalization of Apparel Manufacturing
On April 8th, the Cross Cultural Center will host Dirty Dozen, a fashion show that critiques the globalization of apparel manufacturing. The program is organized by Cal State LA's fashion and textiles professor, Carole Frances Lung, with the assistance of Rhonda Mitchell from the Cross Cultural Center. Twelve Cal State LA fashion students will model their everyday clothing, holding posters that critically challenge brands like H&M and Forever 21. Lung will add commentary that informs the audience about the history of garment manufacturing, followed by a show of 12 student-made garments that focus on themes of sustainability and gender. Lung and the participating students aim to create a conversation and open up dialog about the clothes we wear, and the ways in which we the consumer can make sustainable decisions.
Fashion's Dirty Dozen, 3:15 - 4:15pm, Los Angeles Room, 3rd floor, University-Student Union
Monday, Mar. 30, 2015
Successful Graduate Thesis Exhibition at Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery
The Fine Arts Gallery recently showcased the Graduate Thesis/Project Exhibition of Carlos Chavez (MFA), Olga Ponomarenko (MFA), and Ceng Ma (MA). The three graduate students represented Cal State LA with an exhibition of sculpture, painting, print, and video. The exhibition was a wonderful opportunity to view the individual talents that have been developed through Cal State LA's Department of Art MFA and MA programs.
Left Image: Artwork by Olga Ponomarenko. Right Image: Artwork by Carlos Chavez. Images courtesy of The Fine Arts Gallery (Photography by Calista Lyon)
Monday, Mar. 16, 2015
2015 Luckman Project Announced, Artist Kim Abeles, Faculty Mentor Richard Wearn, and 17 Cal State Students to Exhibit at Nationally Recognized Space, Luckman Fine Arts Gallery
The Luckman Project is an annual collaborative project headed by a visiting artist who guides a number of outstanding students selected from the Department of Art at Cal State LA. The project culminates in an exhibition to be held in June at the Luckman Art Gallery.
The Luckman Project allows for the development of a thematic platform that is suitably wide enough in scope to be applicable to the diverse range of artistic interests of the participating students. It is a unique educational experience to provide the selected students the opportunity to enhance and develop their artistic practice through their engagement with an experienced practitioner.
The 2015 program is fortunate to host visiting artist, Kim Abeles, along with faculty mentor, Professor Richard Wearn, and graduate student mentor Albert Vitela.
The participating students selected for the 2015 Luckman Project are:
Animation: John Chen, Judith Contreras, Francisco Guiterrez, Johnathan Winter,
Fashion and Textile: Alexander Lucero, Ryan Meehan, Cayetano Talavera Reyes, Colin Ryan
Studio Arts: Julian Hsieh, Lorren Ashley Lowrey, Calista Lyon, Bryan Ortiz, Christina Solis, Albert Vitela
Graphic Design/Visual Communication: Sarah Evans, Thomas Nguyen, Jesse James Alvarez
Visiting artist, Kim Abeles' installations and community projects cross disciplines and media to explore biography, geography and environment. Abeles received the 2013 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, and is a recipient of fellowships from J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts, California Community Foundation and Pollack-Krasner Foundation. She is a 2014/15 Lucas Visual Arts Fellow at the Montalvo Arts Center. She has created artwork in conjunction with a unique range of collaborators including California Bureau of Automotive Repair, California Science Center, Department of Mental Health, and natural history museums in California, Colorado and Florida. In 1987, she innovated a method to create images from the smog in the air, and Smog Collectors brought her work to national and international attention. She has exhibited large-scale installations in Vietnam, Thailand, Czech Republic, England, China, and South Korea. Kim Abeles: Encyclopedia Persona A-Z toured the USA, and throughout South America sponsored by the United States Information Agency. Abeles’ journals, artists books and process documents are archived at the Center for Art + Environment, Nevada Museum of Art.
You can learn more about Cal State LA's Department of Art on their website, and view the space at the Luckman Gallery.
Painting by Bryan Ortiz, Untitled, 2014. Image courtesy of The Fine Arts Gallery (Photography by Calista Lyon)
Thursday, Mar. 12, 2015
Cal State LA Alumni to Hold Multimedia Art Piece, Monster Mash in April
Lisa Diane Wedgeworth a Cal State LA alumna will be hosting Monster Mash, a multimedia art piece by Los Angeles based artists; Collin Stafford (Cal State LA alumni), Becky Stafford, Ofelia Marquez, and Von Curtis. The collaboration focuses on disrupting narratives by toying with meaning using fractured and incongruent content. Their cumulative efforts result in multimedia art pieces using live and recorded music, installation, wood carving, painting, video, performance, costume design, and sculpture. Monster Mash is a performance consisting of two acts set to music; an informal and formal dance routine. The ensemble includes eight distinct and real monsters.
Collin Stafford, Becky Stafford, Ofelia Marquez, and Von Curtis invite you to attend Monster Mash, hosted by Lisa Diane Wedgeworth at PS 2920.
Monster Mash runs from April 24 - May 2. Opening reception Friday April 24, 7-10pm. Closing reception Sunday May 2, 6-9pm
PS 2920 Gallery, Fri-Sat 1-5pm, 2920 W. Florence Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90043
Monster Mash multimedia art piece, still from video. Image Courtesy of Collin Stafford
Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2015
Cal State LA Professor, Dr. Mika Cho Invited to Lead a CAA Professional Development Workshop in NYC
Dr. Mika Cho, Cal State LA Professor and Chair of the Art Department was recently invited by the College Art Association (CAA), Annual Conference in New York and present a professional development workshop for beginning instructors in higher education.
The College Art Association with 12,000 individual and institutional members, promotes the visual arts and their understanding through committed practice and intellectual engagement. The Association advances the highest standards of instruction, knowledge and practice in the visual arts to stimulate intellectual curiosity and advance skills that enrich the individual and society. The annual conference is the world’s best-attended international art conference. In 2015, CAA's New York meeting’s facilitated networking opportunities and enabled attendees to exchange information and ideas with colleagues from around the globe.
Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2015
Cal State LA Alumna Embarks on Mural Walk and Shares the History of the Downtown L.A. Arts District
Isabel Rojas-Williams is a Cal State LA alumna, and the current Executive Director of The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA). Rojas-Williams and her team at MCLA will be giving tours of the historic arts district in downtown Los Angeles this month. Bring your walking shoes as the tour will consist of viewing close to 20 iconic murals. The next walking tour will be held on Saturday, March 21st, at 10am. You can find more information and how to register for the tour here.
You can learn more about the way Rojas-Williams is helping to preserve and promote the history of Los Angeles through mural art in an article by LARK Magazine and in MCLA's announcement of her appointment as Executive Director of MCLA.
El Mac, Kofie, and Nuke. Image courtesy of Isabel Rojas-Williams
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015
Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery Holds Successful Undergraduate Exhibition for 2015
Recently The Fine Arts Gallery showcased the Department of Art Undergraduate Exhibition for 2015. Ninety-eight students represented Cal State LA, with a total of one hundred and sixty-eight works exhibited. The works included photography, sculpture, ceramics, animation, video, installation, graphic design, and painting. The exhibition was a wonderful example of the quality of works produced by Undergraduate’s from Cal State LA's Department of Art.
Images courtesy of The Fine Arts Gallery (Photography by Calista Lyon)
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015
Cal State LA Graduate Works In Art Collective, Mujeres de Maiz
Michelle Lopez is a recent Alumna of Cal State LA, graduating in 2014 with an MFA in Studio Art. Lopez is currently working with Mujeres de Maiz; a grassroots, multimedia women’s activist art collective based in East Los Angeles. Lopez is assisting as a core member to establish the collective as a non-profit organization. Mujeres de Maiz (women of the corn) mission is to bring together and empower diverse women and girls through the creation of community spaces that provide holistic wellness through education, programming, exhibition, and publishing.
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015
Cal State LA Student Accepts Education Assistant Position at Huntington Beach Art Center
Sabrina Pettrow is a current Cal State LA Art History Graduate student. Pettrow has successfully transitioned from student, to working within her field after recently becoming the new Education Assistant at the Huntington Beach Art Center. Pettrow will be coordinating the arts program for the Center. The Huntington Beach Art Center is a community arts and cultural center serving Huntington Beach and the Southern California region. The Center presents the works of artists producing in all media.
For more information visit the Huntington Beach Art Center.
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015
Cal State LA Professor, Richard Wearn Exhibits at Michael Lett Gallery, New Zealand
Richard Wearn is a full time professor of Studio Arts (Sculpture) at Cal State LA. Wearn was recently invited by Michael Lett gallery in Auckland, New Zealand to re-imagine an exhibition that took place at the Fisher Gallery (now Te Tuhi) in 1992 called Implicated and Immune: Artists’ Responses to AIDS, of which Wearn participated in. The exhibition coincided with and commemorated the 30th anniversary of the creation of the New Zealand Aids Foundation. Wearn was interviewed by David Herkt, for Art New Zealand and Art Monthly Australia regarding his sculpture, Touched (By the Hand of God).
Left Image: Touched (By the Hand of God). Chromed cast resin. 1880 x 175 x 175mm. Right Image: Invitation for Implicated and Immune: Artists’ Responses to AIDS. Images courtesy of Michael Lett gallery
Monday, Mar. 2, 2015
Cal State LA Students Selected to Exhibit Artwork at State University House
Recently five Cal State LA students from the Department of Art (present and recent graduates) were selected to hang their work for the duration of a year at the State University House of Chancellor, Timothy P. White and Dr. Karen White. The chancellor overseas 23 campuses, nearly 437,000 students, and 44,000 faculty and staff, the students chosen to receive this honor and exhibit their work are: Major Jordan, Mark Gutierriz, Alicia Cheatham, Bryan Ortiz, and Rachael Martin.
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015
The Arts Council for Long Beach Announces Cal State LA Professor Carole Frances Lung to receive the Professional Artist Fellowship for 2014-2015
Carole Frances Lung is a Cal State LA professor in the Department of Art (fashion and textiles), an artist, soft guerilla activist, and scholar. In an article published by the Long Beach Post, Asia Morris describes Lung's work as "eye-opening...art-driven activism, that playfully and gently brings the worldwide textile industry's conditions into the limelight...". You can read more about Lung's work and the Arts Council Fellowship on the Long Beach Post.
Learn more about The Future Force Geo Speculators a collaborative group founded by artists Carole Frances Lung, Ellen Rothenberg and Christine Tarkowski. Want to get involved? Visit Lung's studio page to see what's happening at the Institute 4 Labor Generosity Workers & Uniforms.
Image courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts and Industry residency
Monday, Feb. 24, 2015
Cal State La Alumnus, Kaz Oshiro holds book launch at LACMA
Kaz Oshiro is a Cal State LA alumnus completing both his BA and MFA at Cal State LA. Graduating in 2002 Oshiro has gone on to become a highly successful visual artist. In January, Art Catalogues held his latest book launch, titled Kaz Oshiro, published by Damiani/Perrotin, text by Michael Duncan and Ed Schad. LACMA describes Oshiro as being "...best known for creating high fidelity sculptures of everyday objects—microwaves, dumpsters, file cabinets. By using the materials of painting (paint, canvas, stretcher bars) to fabricate sculpture, Oshiro’s work transcends tromp l'oeil trickery and blurs the distinction between the two media."
You can learn more about Oshiro in an interview on Unframed The LACMA Blog, and read a review by the Los Angeles Times.
Monday, Feb. 23, 2015
CamLab (Jemima Wyman and Anna Mayer) Continue to Teach in the Department of Art in Spring, 2015
CamLab is a collaboration between Jemima Wyman and Anna Mayer. The two artists began their collaboration at the California Institute of the Arts in 2005. Wyman and Mayer are current adjunct professors at Cal State LA and will continue to teach in the Department of Art in Spring 2015. In an article on KCET Artbound, Alicia Eler describes Camlab's work as "...moving across the spaces of social practice, performance and sculpture with a focus on feminish, intimacy and the politics of pleasure, CamLab is also interested in 'feral institutions' built by individuals with outsider or non-institutionalized art world tendencies." You can read the full article on KCET Artbound. You can also view one of CamLab’s pieces at MOCA.
CamLab solo exhibition, "Permissionary Work" installation view from Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, 2013. Image courtesy of CamLab
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015
Visual Artist Mark Steven Greenfield to Teach at Cal State LA in Spring, 2015
Mark Steven Greenfield a Cal State LA alumnus completed his MFA (painting/drawing) at Cal State LA in 1987. Greenfield currently has a solo exhibition at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. He will be teaching in the Department of Art at Cal State LA this coming spring quarter, 2015. Greenfield was interviewed by Carolina A. Miranda for the Los Angeles Times regarding his current exhibition Lookin' Back in Front of Me: Selected works of Mark Steven Greenfield, 1974-2014. The exhibition runs from September 25, 2014 – July 5, 2015, for more information visit the California African American Museum. You can learn more about Greenfield's work at www.markstevengreenfield.com
