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Now on View:
March 1 – May 31, 2008
Conceived to promote and
encourage dialogue, reflection, and social interaction about San
Diego's artistic and cultural life, the exhibition, Innocence
is Questionable, will celebrate the accomplishments of six renowned
local artists: Jean Lowe, Ernest Silva, Raul Guererro, Iana Quesnell,
May-Ling Martinez, and Yvonne Venegas, all recipients of the 06/07 San
Diego Art Prize. By bringing awareness to the contemporary landscape and
our place within it, each artist struggles with time and its impact on
community, place, and the individual.
By looking at historical precedents, mapping the physical
environment and documenting the interconnectedness of all things, each
artist explores one’s own history—how it’s constructed, where it
begins and ends. Using the
familiar, and sometimes the banal, to draw the viewer in, they make
reference to the subtle complexities of an idealized image of the past
in the face of the reality of the present.
Ultimately, what each of these artists question is whether or not
the folly of the world is the responsibility of man?

Jean Lowe, Barnes and Noble. Image courtesy of the artist and
Rosamund Felsen Gallery.

Iana Quesnell, MyTijuana, 2007. Image courtesy of the artist. Photography by Pablo Mason.
Upcoming Exhibitions:
June 28 - September 28, 2008
Contemporary Ruin: A Selection of prints
from the
Los Angeles
Printmaking Society
“From age to age...the crash of ruin
fitfully resounds.”
William Wordsworth
In their inherent aesthetic, emotional or inquisitive appeal, the vestiges of
ruin and decay contain, for each of us, a certain level of fascination.
A ruin, whether it is architectural, human or environmental, often
triggers a stirring experience. These experiences can include the recognition of
the uncomfortable signs of mortality or feelings of nostalgia.
In its apparent familiarity, or unfamiliarity, a ruin often causes one to
feel a level of comfort or discomfort, as one ends up confronting the nostalgia
of what could have been or has not yet happened.
For this exhibition, members of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society explore the
stunning, uncomfortable and sometimes unpleasant aspects of the ruins of our
contemporary society.
Active Duty. Work by Owen Mundy
Local artist, Owen Mundy, is currently pursuing an MFA at the
University
of
California
,
San Diego
. The grandson of
Indiana
farmers and once a photographer in the Navy, his work considers issues of
class,
middle America
, and the relationship between art and audience. Utilizing his BFA in
Photography from
Indiana
University
, he co-founded the nonprofit community arts organization Your
Art Here, started yourarthere.net, and continues to make
community-based artworks.
Mundy’s current body of work looks at the transformation of the male through
military basic training, and the cultural representations of this
transformation. As in past artworks, he draws heavily on a mixture of personal
experiences, academic research, and his desire to engage audiences outside of
academic communities through photography and forms of dialogue not commonly
found in the creation of art.
United and Severed
United and Severed is an art installation, created by California State
University San Marcos faculty Kristine Diekman and Karen Schaffman, based on the
experiences of people living with traumatic injuries. Using video, audio, dance
and real life stories to create a multi-layered sensorial environment, the
project considers the physical reality of lives redefined and invites
contemplation of human resilience.
Warning Signs: Prints by Ray Brownfield
Prints include clever combinations of wishbones, seesaws, folded flags, and
three sticks. Born in
Takoma Park
,
Maryland
and now situated in
San Diego
, Brownfield studied with master printmakers Joyce Brunner and Robert Fritsch.
Brownfield says, “I enjoy the dramatic qualities that the different
Printmaking techniques have. Working within the limits of printmaking, along
with its indirect nature provides surprising results."
Shannon McNeill: Little Drawings
Shannon McNeill’s work reflects themes of maternal issues,
daily ephemera, and blissful splendor. She states “I'm always looking for ways
to coax the unique from everyday materials and subject matter. Imperfection,
impermanence, and the hand-made are qualities I admire. My work is usually small
in scale, welcoming the viewer to get close, be quiet, and stay a while.”
Shannon McNeill is an artist from
Escondido
,
California
. She graduated from Art Center College of Design,
Pasadena
,
CA
in 1992. Her illustrations have
appeared in magazines and children's books worldwide, including images in
Coiffure Magazine and illustrations in Ook the Book, Wild and Wooly
and Are We There Yet?. In addition, Shannon's work has been in the
International Design Yearbook 2005 edited by Marcel Wanders as well as in
international gallery exhibitions in
Rotterdam
, The Netherlands and
Paris
,
France
.
Museum
Information
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday
Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Mondays
Closed
Admission:
General Admission: $5
Senior Citizens: $4
Military: $4
College Students/Youth: $3
Youth 12 and under: free
Center Members: free
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Gallery
Talks
Iana Quesnell, Artist
May 10, 2008, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Raul Guerrero, Artist
May 16, 2008, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
May-Ling Martinez, Artist
May 23, 2008, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Left to right:
Raul Guerrero, Hot Dog: Wienerschnitzel, 2006. Image courtesy
of the artist.
May-Ling Martinez, Bagged, 2007. Image courtesy of the artist.
Ernest Silva, Swing, Fireplace, Deer, 2006. Image courtesy of the
artist.
Community Events
Museum on Us - Presented by Bank of America
May 1, 2008 – April 30, 2009
Beginning May 1st, All visitors who present a non-expired Bank
of America ATM, debit, or credit card with a valid photo ID during the first
weekend of each month through April 30, 2009 will receive free general admission
to the Museum.

Yvonne Venegas, Hipodromo, 2006. Dyptich, Tijuana, Baja
California. Image courtesy of the artist.
About The Museum
As a
proponent of the visual arts, the
Center
Museum
strives to deepen the public’s understanding of the importance, depth, and
breadth of the visual arts in the 21st Century.
Focusing on the art of this region, coupled with internationally and
nationally known artists, the Museum aims to integrate the visual arts into our
daily lives through public programs, exhibitions, and educational outreach.
On average, the Museum curates and presents 12 original and traveling
exhibitions annually, which include thematic and historical shows, as well as
solo artist and group exhibitions. The
Museum is committed to make its holdings, exhibitions, and programs accessible
and meaningful to its increasingly diverse audiences.
Approximately 10,000 individuals visit the Museum every year.
The Museum has
three main galleries and an outdoor sculpture court totaling approximately
10,000 square feet as well as secure collections storage and receiving areas,
administrative offices, a Museum Store, and four studio classrooms.
Photo
courtesy of Pablo Mason
Since 1994,
the Museum has organized more than 100 exhibitions and published 13
catalogues. Group and thematic exhibitions have included the work of
modern and contemporary artists such as Ansel Adams, Dave Chihuly, Greg
Evans,Therman Statom, Niki de Saint Phalle, Gerhard Richter, Jean Lowe,
Bruce Nauman, Raul Guerrero, Judit Hersko, Harry Sternberg, Eloy Tarcisio,
and Ernest Silva. Additionally, the Museum hosts traveling exhibitions
from other organizations, most recently from The New York Times Photo
Archives, New York, Washington, D.C.; the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation,
Los Angeles; the SANA Art
Foundation, Escondido; and Independent Curators International, New York.
In addition, the Museum offers special interpretive and educational
programs and events for adults and children in conjunction with its
exhibitions. Thousands of school children tour exhibitions annually and
programs are designed for adult, youth, and family audiences, often in
partnership with local and regional groups. Over the past ten years more
than 200,000 patrons have visited the Museum.
The
California
Center
for the Arts,
Escondido
Museum
recognizes its role as a treasure house of the human race. The Museum’s
sole purpose is to collect, maintain, and preserve precious objects and
records for the benefit of the community and, ultimately, for our national
trust. On a daily basis the Museum unites communities and enhances
people’s lives through education, civic cooperation, and historical
preservation.
Museum Store
Everything old is new again
Ever wonder where your recycled objects go? See them transformed into
unique gifts at the Museum Store. Shop our new assortment of items
from housewares to accessories, all made from recycled materials including
newspaper, wrappers, telephone wire, buttons, cardboard, aluminum and
more.

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