May 04, 2015 California Art Exhibitions CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY, LEATHERBY LIBRARIES "Changing California: Selected watercolors from the Mark and Janet Hilbert Collection of California Art at Chapman University"On exhibit now through August 10, 2015What is California Scene Painting? California Scene painting (c. 1920s - present) flowed from the California Impressionism movement that flourished in the early years of the 20th century, but it differs from that style in some significant ways. First -- in contrast to the Impressionists, who painted scenes of the unpopulated California coastline, mountains and wilderness -- the California Scene painters always included evidence of mankind in their works. Their art reveals signs of humanity by including or focusing on people or manmade objects: buildings, wharfs, boats, automobiles, ranches, factories, cities, even portraits. Second, many of the artists in the California Scene movement were also working for the movie studios in Los Angeles -- especially Walt Disney's -- painting studio backdrops and doing work on animated films, especially from the 1930s through the 1970s. Their fine art often reflects the imaginative, kinetic style of those studio works. Also, the California Scene movement was part of both the larger American Scene (Regionalism) art movement and the Social Realism movement -- important cultural currents in the early to mid-20th century that attempted to define a uniquely "American" style of art.Portraying a State's Growth and Change .This exhibition of about a dozen paintings from the Hilbert Collection will trace how California Scene painters portrayed the cultural and historical shifts that occurred in California during roughly the period from 1930 through the 1970s. The earliest painting in the exhibition is a farm scene from the '30s, when much of the state's economy was agrarian. The most recent painting, from 1980, shows a family in a beachside hotel, with leisure activities (sailing, fishing, strolling on the beach) happening in the background. The entire sweep of paintings will show the state's development from farming to car and surfing culture to the entertainment/leisure juggernaut it is today.OCEANSIDE MUSEUM OF ARTBe sure to visit the Oceanside Museum of art for 100 Artists: 100 Years. The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, 1915-2015.On exhibit now through July 26, 2015Save the Date! Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - 100 Artists: 100 Years Panel Discussion.Throughout 2015, Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) exhibitions and events will continue to focus on the most important and interesting art created and collected in San Diego and Southern California. This exhibition will feature works by one hundred distinguished artists who lived and worked in San Diego during the last century and who were, or are currently, Guild members. They range from historically significant Plein Air painters such as Maurice Braun, Charles Fries, Alfred Mitchell, and Charles Reiffel, to contemporary masters such as John Baldessari and Richard Allen Morris. Established in 1915, the Guild was instrumental in founding The San Diego Museum of Art in 1926 and, to this day remains an integral part of San Diego's visual arts scene.100 Artist, 100 Years will occupy both of OMA's first-floor galleries. Many major disciplines, including, painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, furniture making, and architecture, will be represented. Borrowed from local museums, institutions, private collections, and artists, many of these works have never been publicly exhibited. Exhibition curator Mark-Elliott Lugo states, "This exhibition will be a rare opportunity for viewers to experience in one venue the diverse range of art created in San Diego over the past century. I believe San Diegans will be excited and proud to see the exceptional skill and creativity of the artists who have lived and worked in the area."In partnership with OMA, The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) will celebrate the Guild Centennial by concurrently exhibiting more than a dozen works in various media by artists who belonged to the Guild during its early years. SDMA curator Dr. James Grebl selected these pieces from the permanent collection of this iconic Balboa Park institution.CALIFORNIA WATERCOLOR has two watercolors in this exhibit: Washington Square, 1946, by Dong Kingman, N.A., and Cobblestone Sanctuary, by Bud Shackelford. MILLARD SHEETS ART CENTERContemporary Art from California's Inland Empire & BeyondOn exhibit now through May 3rd, 2015Millard Sheets Art Center located at the Faiplex 1101 West McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768Free parking at Gate 1The Inland Empire Museum of Art (IEMA) is proud to announce Contemporary Art from California's Inland Empire & Beyond, the first exhibition of the museum's entire collection; featuring over 120 artists and more than 175 works of contemporary art. Many prominent artists from the Inland Empire are represented, including Millard Sheets, Milford Zornes, Don O'Neill and others throughout California and beyond. Along with the Contemporary Art from California's Inland Empire & Beyond, we will be showcasing The Young Eyes Gallery, the museum's gallery for the "young at heart". This space will be filled with many different kinds of art, and will bring joy to viewers of all ages. The work will be more whimsical in nature, capturing the magic of creation and the inspiration of the artists. This special exhibit space will introduce art - and all it has to offer - to those young and old alike, and feature work that will appeal to the child in all of us.CALIFORNIA WATERCOLOR has four watercolors in this exhibit: Bulding the Vincent Thomas, 1962, by Art Riley, Turn Point Light, 1986, by Rex Brandt, N.A., Balboa Pavilion II, 2006, by Ken Potter, and Circus, 1939, by Charles Payzant.
