Making Masks

Super hero mask making at the TAM, led by Kiel Johnson

Although it's been nearly a month since our last show wrapped up, the TAM has been home to numerous events. From film screenings to portfolio reviews to hosting a mask making workshop, our humble museum has been a hive of activity.

I figured that we could share some images from Kiel Johnson's super hero mask making workshop. It was a fun time for all involved, engaging the youngsters and their parents in the joys of art-making, turning an imagined vision into a tangible design. And wearing it as a mask!!!

How cool is that? ;-)

Here are some photos:

It's been a good month of special events, but we now turn our attention to the next big show. Opening on March 30th, the TAM will be hosting In Case We Don't Die, curated by Bibi Katholm. That's just a couple days away.

So, we're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.

Karen Cope: A Symphony of Mankind

Yoda, part of Karen Cope's installation, A Symphony of Mankind

With under two weeks left until the Torrance Art Museum wraps up the current exhibits, I figured that it would be a good idea to spotlight Karen Cope's exhibit, A Symphony of Mankind, which is featured in our installation hall. In this exhibition, numerous distinct faces, sculpted out of pigmented gypsum, are arranged together along the walls in a manner that blends the vast array into a harmonic unit.

Although each is a unique caricature, with individual quirks and expression, Cope's technique and material creates an underlying sense of commonality. It's quiddity versus essence. The visage is individual, but the core is universal.

Hitchcock, part of Karen Cope's A Symphony of Mankind

But these words and photographs are not sufficient in expressing the sensation of walking among the works themselves. To see them simultaneously as both a whole collection and as individual pieces is an engaging experience, as your eyes scan over the installation, pausing or being arrested by distinct features and the trace of the sculptor's touch.

It's definitely something to check out before the show closes. Karen Cope's A Symphony of Mankind will be running until March 9, 2013.

Karen Cope's A Symphony of Mankind at the Torrance Art Museum

And here are a few videos showing Karen Cope's practice:

"Constructing the Portrait"

"On Sculpting Eyes and Hair"

"Demonstration at the Brentwood Art Center"

Karen Cope's A Symphony of Mankind at the Torrance Art Museum runs until March 9, 2013

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

Talks, Discussions, and Demonstrations

Jason Ramos (left) moderates a panel discussion on painting in Los Angeles, with Catlin Moore and Grant Vetter

We had a very eventful day at the Torrance Art Museum on Saturday, February 9th. The afternoon started with a sculpture demonstration by Karen Cope, providing information as to technique and context to her works currently on view, One Gross Face. Then, Grant Vetter gave a talk on his book, The Architecture of Control, discussing the influence of ideology on a wide array of subjects.

Our "main event' was the "Painting in Los Angeles" panel discussion. Moderated by Jason Ramos, the panel was comprised of Catlin Moore, Christopher Pate, Max Presneill, and Grant Vetter. Conversation ranged among various topics, from questioning why art critics recurrently claim that "Painting is Dead" to considering the role that commercial pressures, specifically when establishing gallery representation, plays in how a painter approaches the art of painting.

Yeah, the panel had a lot of "artist's art talk" but it was a lively conversation and presented many engaging opinions and compelling observations.

Karen Cope demonstrated her sculptural technique in Gallery Two.

It was a good time. The TAM thanks all of you who came out to participate in the events, artists and art lovers alike. ;-)

For more information on this panel discussion, you ought to check out "Panel and Paradox at the Torrance Art Museum" at the Painting In L.A. site.

Although the talks and demonstrations are past, the shows continue. Paradox Maintenance Technicians, Theatrical Dynamics, One Gross Face, and Dark Room Presents: McLean Fahnestock, these exhibits all continue until March 9, 2013. So, there are a few more weeks left to come check them out.

Don't miss 'em!!!

Christopher Pate (l) and Max Presneill (r) were panelists at "Painting in LA"

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

Torrance Art Museum: Paradox Maintenance

The Torrance Art Museum will be exhibiting Paradox Maintenance Technicians until March 9, 2013.

The TAM's annual survey of contemporary painting from Los Angeles (and beyond) is now on exhibit. This year, we're calling it Paradox Maintenance Technicians. Yes, there are a whole lot of abstract works on display. ;-)

We have twenty-six paintings on view. It's hard to lump them together into a tidy thesis statement, but we wouldn't be too far off track to say that these works are expressions of the aesthetic conflict which a painter faces in transforming a noumenal inspiration into a manifest phenomenal communication. The vague idea takes shape through the craft of painting into an artistic statement.

It is an interesting concept, which is examined with great variety and distinction by the works collected into this exhibition.

View from the back of Gallery One, featuring Esmeralda Montes' The Formation of Crag

Artists included in Paradox Maintenance Technicians are:

Nicholas Aguayo

Kevin Appel

Sarah Awad

Trudy Benson

Matthew Choberka

Kent Familton

Andrew Foster

Helen Garber

Julienne Hsu

Laura Krifka

Christopher Kuhn

Tom LaDuke

David Leapman

Works by Trine Wejp-Olsen, Sarah Awad, and Summer Wheat

Joe Lloyd

Heather Gwen Martin

Claudia Morales McCain

Esmeralda Montes

Marcus Perez

Monique Prieto

Juan Carlos Quintana

Lisa Sanditz

Aaron Smith

Tyler Vlahovich

Trine Wejp-Olsen

Summer Wheat

HK Zamani

That's a good survey sample by my reckoning. ;-)

Gallery view of work along the inner wall facing the rear

So, come on over to the TAM to check out Paradox Maintenance Technicians and experience the paradox for yourself.

Moreover, we'll be having a panel discussion about the state of contemporary painting in Los Angeles this upcoming Saturday, February 9th, from 3 to 5 pm. The scheduled panelists are Kevin Appel, Catlin Moore, Max Presneill, Christopher Pate, and Grant Vetter.

There will be much to discuss.

Works by Tyler Vlahovich, Helen Garber, and Christopher Kuhn

Remember, this exhibit runs until March 9, 2013. Don't delay!!!

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.

Paradox Maintenance Technicians: Opening

Paradox Maintenance Technicians opened at the Torrance Art Museum on January 19, 2013.

Here at Torrance Art Museum, we're starting off our yearly rotation with a painting exhibition, Paradox Maintenance Technicians, in Gallery One. Showcasing the works of twenty-seven artists, we're continuing our exploration of emerging trends that can be found within the Los Angeles art scene, with a special focus upon new approaches towards abstractions. From the expressive to the minimalist, from the geometric to the organic, there are so many styles and ideas percolating through the realm of the contemporary abstract.

Well, the show opened this past weekend to a large and enthusiastic crowd. Along with Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two, Karen Cope's One Gross Face in the Presentation Hall, and McLean Fahnestock's In The Offing in the Darkroom, we've got a very full set of works on view.

So, here are a few photos of Opening Night.

Facing the Patio, with works by Matthew Choberka and Heather Gwen Martin

The Eastern Wall with works by Helen Garber and Tyler Vlahovich

Along the Southern Wall with works by Lisa Sanditz and Summer Wheat

And it is only proper to start the new year off with some performance art, courtesy of Hannah Schwadron as part of Theatrical Dynamics, curated by David Leapman.

Hannah Schwadron performs among the works of Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two

We had a great time at the show. We thank all the artists who came out to support the opening, the TAM's staff for all their hard work, and all you art enthusiasts who joined us to celebrate the beginning of yet another fine year down here in the South Bay.

The show runs until March 9, 2013. So, come check it out and help us maintain the Paradox. ;-)

Paradox Maintenance Technicians in on exhibit at the TAM until March 9, 2013.

One Gross Face by Karen Cope

Along the North Wall with works by Tom LaDuke and Esmeralda Montes

We're looking forward to seeing you all at the TAM!!!

View towards the West Wall, featuring works by Sarah Awad and Juan Carlos Quintana

Lawrence Manning: Flames / India

Detail of Flames / India (2011) by Lawrence Manning
Digital archival print
48 X 72 inches


With just a few more days left to TAM's South Bay Focus 2012, I figured we could spotlight another artist. This time, let's appreciate the work of Lawrence Manning, one of the few photographers selected for this exhibition.

Given that the selection steered away from representational works, it is important to take note of the special use of color and geometric pattern within these photographs. Although clearly and effectively documenting people, places, and objects, Manning also constructs compositions that go beyond mere representation.

Be it by capturing the trails of smoke or the smudging of paste, the play of shadow and light, these photographs have intriguing nonrepresentational elements. They can be appreciated for their abstract qualities. Their beauty goes beyond mere objectification, although they can equally be enjoyed for that as well. ;-)

Detail of Here I Am / India (2011) by Lawrence Manning
Digital archival print
20 X 24 inches


Remember, this show ends on Saturday, December 15.

We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM!!!

South Bay Focus 2012: Closing December 15

Works by Arzu Arda Kosar, Michael Chomick, and Vanessa Madrid


The TAM's annual show, South Bay Focus, will be wrapping up this weekend. When the doors shut on this exhibition, they also close on the museum for the year. Yeah, we'll be back next year, bringing all sorts of fascinating works of art, engaging panel discussions, and raising plenty of thought-provoking ideas about culture and aesthetics in the South Bay.

But don't wait until January comes to enjoy the riches that our local museum has to offer. With only a few days left, don't miss out on viewing the current show. And, if you've already had the opportunity to see it, come back and give it another look. ;-)

Here are a couple videos of Grace Kook Anderson, the juror behind this year's show, discussing how she went about selecting the exhibited works:

It's an interesting show.

But it wraps this upcoming Saturday, December 15. Don't miss out!!!

South Bay Focus 2012


We're looking forward to seeing you at the TAM.