Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism
Sept. 12-Dec. 12, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2014; 5:30-7:30pm
With works as varied as a Vidal Sassoon Salon from 1968, the U.S. Expo Pavilion in Seville, Spain in 1992, and his steel houses, this exhibit will present an overview of almost fifty years of architecture. Barton Myers first attracted attention in the late 1960s for his civic buildings and urban projects in Canada. He returned to the United States in 1984 to open a Los Angeles office and became known for his performing arts centers, campus buildings, and steel houses among many projects.
The Barton Myers papers were donated to the Architecture and Design Collection of the AD&A Museum, UC Santa Barbara in 2000. The archive covers Myers’s work from 1968 through 2002 and includes sketches and computer drawings, watercolors, images by well-known photographers, detailed study models and models of blocks-long sections of cities, as well as research notes, correspondence, lectures, and writings.
Image: A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers; Wolf House, 1974; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; designed by Barton Myers. Photo Credit: John Fulker, Courtesy of the West Vancouver Museum.
Artist-in-Residence: Eric Beltz, The Cave of Treasures
Sept. 12-May 1, 2015
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2014; 5:30-7:30pm
As the 2014 Artist-in-Residence, Eric Beltz will present an ambitious new project, The Cave of Treasures, a dramatic departure for the artist who is known for his intimately scaled, highly-detailed graphite drawings. The title refers to three recurring themes in Beltz’s work that are commonly understood as harmful- Medusa, poison oak, and the swastika- and is rooted in the artist’s academic research into legends, tragedies, misinterpretations, and evolutions of iconography surrounding mythological figures, plants, and symbols. These interests manifest in a large-scale wall drawing, in silver ink on black paper, and a wood and concrete sculpture containing live plants. Collectively, they serve as a meditative interpretation of nature, fear, seduction, and repulsion. The Cave of Treasures is Beltz’s first solo Museum exhibition and represents the ten-year anniversary of the artist’s graduation from UC Santa Barbara.
Click here for the official exhibition brochure.
Image: Eric Beltz, in-progress drawing of Medusa's Totem Pole, 2014, graphite on Bristol. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Tony Mastres.
Art for sale!
In conjunction with his exhibition The Cave of Treasures, artist Eric Beltz has designed a limited edition, do-it-yourself, counted cross-stitch pattern. Available in an edition of 50, the cross-stitch pattern will cost $15 and include: needle, thread, pattern, fabric and a letter of authenticity with the artist’s signature and edition number. Purchase yours at the Museum or contact Michaela Upp at mupp@museum.ucsb.edu; 805-893-2951 for more information.
Bollywood 101: The Visual Culture of Bollywood Film Posters
Sept. 12-Dec. 12, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2014; 5:30-7:30pm
The Indian film industry, or Bollywood, is the world’s largest producer of films, releasing more than one thousand films a year. These films display a spectacular blend of romance, melodrama, fantasy, song, and dance extravaganza. This exhibition explores the history of Bollywood posters and their influence on popular culture, religion, and art. Showcased alongside the film posters are prints, calendars, images of temples dedicated to Bollywood film stars, as well as wedding posters, and other appropriations both personal and commercial. Along with the exhibition, a Bollywood film screening, and a symposium will also be held.
For further information:
1. “The Essential Bollywood” by Jigna Desai and Rajinder Dudrah
2. “Awara”, University of Iowa
3. “The Art of Bollywood: Ode to a pre-digital era in Indian film poster art, CNN"
Click here to see the CNN video.
4. Films: Mother India and Sholay
5. “Home Politics … A Political Fairytale From Bollywood”
Image: Film poster: Chennai Express, 2013, ink on paper, hand-drawn and printed, 20 x 30 in. Museum purchase.
Surface: The Handcrafted Object
Sept. 12-Dec. 12, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2014; 5:30-7:30pm
This exhibition brings together handcrafted sculptures that highlight the enduring appeal of objects that emphasize process and materials. These works demonstrate the primary role of the artist in every aspect of their production, from conception through execution. Will Simons, CCS ‘09, approaches the material as an artist, using his own practice and aesthetic as his curatorial inspiration. He has also considered the University’s celebrated ceramics and foundry programs, no longer extant, which fostered the use of many traditional techniques in innovative ways. Artists in the exhibition include former UCSB faculty and students such as Rollin Fortier, Yoshiro Ikeda, Sheldon Kaganoff, Robert Thomas and others, as well as such internationally known artists as: Robert Arneson, Magdalene Odundo, George Rickey and Beatrice Wood.
Image: Robert Arneson, Ear Brick, 1968, ceramic with partial glaze, 4¾ x 14½ x 3¼ in. Ruth S. Schaffner Collection. Photo by Tony Mastres.
Observations: Travel Sketches from the Architecture and Design Collection
Sept. 12-Dec. 12, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2014; 5:30-7:30pm
Observations: Travel Sketches from the Architecture and Design Collection complements the Barton Myers exhibit and includes sketches by Myers, J. R. Davidson, Maynard Lyndon, Jock Peters, Lutah Maria Riggs, and R. M. Schindler. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the creative minds of architects through their personal drawings documenting famous and obscure regional architecture.
Image: Julius Ralph Davidson, St. Jakobi Kirche, Lübeck, Germany, 1909, watercolor and pencil in sketchbook.