OsCene 2010 Closes this Weekend!

Laguna Art Museum's OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC will be closing this Sunday, May 16 and this weekend is the last opportunity for you to check out the highly-praised exhibition!!

Here is a video of the OsCene 2010 exhibition created by Coast Magazine that features Laguna Art Museum's Curator of Exhibitions, Grace Kook-Anderson, speaking about the art in the show.

For you weekend be sure to come visit Laguna Art Museum to view OsCene 2010. After this Sunday, the Museum's Upstairs Gallery will be open until the next exhibition, Art Shack, opens June 13th!

Last OsCene Events: Allen and LaFarge Performance and Portfolio Review

This Sunday is the last day to check out Laguna Art Museum's OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC, and it is also the last day of programming for the exhibition.

On Sunday, May 16th the Museum will be hosting two exciting events:

Live Performance by Robert Allen and Antoinette LaFarge of their video installation: Hangmen Also Die (12:00 p.m.):

Hangmen Also Die is a multi-media performance orchestrated by OsCene 2010 artists Robert Allen and Antoinette LaFarge. The work begins with a monologue by a live actor interacting with the projected environment. The live performance then merges with the projection, creating a recurring environment that changes over the course of a 70-minute cycle. The installation slowly breaks up as Allen and LaFarge note, “triggering successive attempts to salvage meaning by re-interpolating material.” Ultimately, the work almost completely disintegrates. The actor’s performance reflects upon issues of political actions and systemic consequences drawing from a number of texts addressing these concerns: The Measures Taken (1930) by Bertolt Brecht; Hangmen Also Die! (1943) by Bertolt Brecht, John Wexley, and Fritz Lang; Mauser (1976) by Heiner Müller; and recent U.S. government documents.

Actor: John Mellies
Videographer: Amy Kaczur

Following the performance is a Portfolio Review For Art Students (1:00 p.m.)
An afternoon of portfolio reviews by industry professionals for students who are interested in attending art school and questioning how they will further their practice.

>> FREE for Museum Members, free for non-members with paid admission.

>> For more information, please contact Jackie Bunge at 949.494.8971 x207.

Come and take advantage of these special events and afterward have a last look at the OsCene 2010 exhibition that is closing that day!!!

Art Talk's Edward Goldman on OsCene 2010

On May 11th, Edward Goldman, from KCRW's Art Talk reviewed Laguna Art Museum's current exhibition, OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC.

Jim Jenkins, Jacaranda, 2009, on display in OsCene 2010

His article, Up Close and Personal: Your Only Chance, reviews his recent trips to two Southern California Museums, the Orange County Museum of Art and Laguna Art Museum. Here is what Goldman had to say about the OsCene exhibition:

"Driving another 20 minutes (from the Orange County Museum of Art), I found myself at the Laguna Art Museum, but it felt like a world away. The current exhibition (OsCene 2010), devoted to contemporary art and culture in Orange County, is a focused, thoughtful presentation of paintings, sculptures, video and photography produced by artists in the roughly fifty cities that comprise Orange County. And thankfully, this time (apposed to redundant information on the OCMA labels) each label succinctly communicated the essential information: the place and the year the artists were born and where they currently live. If you hurry, you can catch this exhibition in beautiful Laguna Beach before it closes this Sunday, May 16th."

To read the full article click here.

Take Goldman's suggestion and come view Laguna Art Museum's OsCene 2010 exhibition before it closes this Sunday, May 16.

Michael C. McMillen Joins the Art Shack Line Up!!

This week is very busy at the Museum...

Not only is it the last week to catch the highly successful, OsCene 2010, before it closes this Sunday, May 16th, but we are busy getting ready for the exciting Summer exhibition, Art Shack, which will open to the public June 13th!!

The latest update is that artist Michael C. McMillen has joined the Art Shack line up!! McMillen has sent some images of this petite shack what will be included in the show.
Check it out!

Michael C. McMillen
Hideout, c. 1970
Cardboard, paper, paint construction
2.5 x 3 x 2 inches

For more information about Michael C. McMillen or any of the other artists included in Art Shack be sure to check out Laguna Art Museum's website.

Also, don't miss out on the opportunity to see the amazing OsCene 2010 exhibition that features over 40 talented artists from Orange County!!!

Upcoming Exhibitions @ Laguna Art Museum

This week is the LAST WEEK to view Laguna Art Museum's OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC!

OsCene 2010 is a survey of contemporary art and culture in the OC featuring some of the most provocative painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, multi-media installation, video, architecture, performance, music, and design that Orange County has to offer. Don't miss your chance to see this amazing show before it closes May 16th.

With OsCene soon coming to a close, here is a list of Laguna Art Museum's upcoming exhibitions to look forward to:

Art Shack (June 13 - October 3)
Guest curated by Greg Escalante, Art Shack is a group exhibition in which artists such as Don Ed Hardy, Shag, Paul Frank, and Mike Shine combine art and architecture. Explore surf shacks, tattoo huts, retro shanties and more, and immerse yourself in 25 different worlds created by the artists.

Artists in California (On display now through October 3, 2010)
The show features select works from Northern and Southern California artists included in the Museum's permanent collection. Laguna Art Museum's collection consists of works from the early nineteenth century to the present day and features significant examples from all periods of California art.

Artists in California represents art from the early twentieth century and includes artists William Wendt, Joseph Kleitsch, Matteo Sandonà, Charles Rollo Peters, Frank Cuprien, Granville Redmond, Donna Schuster, and Mabel Alvarez, among others. Alvarez's In the Garden is the most recent gift to the collection from Nancy Dustin Wall Moure.

John Paul Jones (October 31, 2010-January 23, 2011)
John Paul Jones will be a retrospective, from the Museum's extensive collection of his work, in the California and Steele galleries, and will be curated by Mike McGee, Professor of Art, California State University, Fullerton. This exhibition will be on display the same time as Roscoe Shrader, Sean Duffy: Searcher, and Master Strokes.

E. Roscoe Shrader (October 31, 2010-January 23, 2011)
A dynamic and influential teacher and leader in the arts for three decades, E. Roscoe Shrader produced colorful, post-impressionistic paintings-landscapes, figures, and still lifes-that when exhibited elicited praise from critics and patrons alike. Included in the exhibition will be examples of Shrader's illustration work, paintings from his time with the New Hope colony, and California works from the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition will be curated by Curator of Collections Janet Blake, who wrote one of the essays on Shrader for the book published by George Stern Fine Arts. The exhibition will be in four galleries on the main level of the Museum, and will be on display at the same time as John Paul Jones, Sean Duffy: Searcher, and Master Strokes.

Sean Duffy: Searcher (October 31, 2010-January 23, 2011)
Artist Sean Duffy will take a journey that will make its way to his exhibition at the Museum. The story of this journey will unfold over four distinct spaces: the curb just outside the main entrance; the lobby, which is visible from the street; the stairway and Brief Gallery; and Segerstrom Gallery. Each space will contain separate elements linked by the story. All the elements in Duffy's installation are connected by his history, whether through elements or interests from past bodies of work (e.g. turntables, vinyl records, cars, modern design, fuel containers, etc.) or autobiography. Together, they map a progression toward a deeper understanding of Duffy's particular place and time, as well as a personal observation of Southern California.

Master Strokes: Selections from Laguna Beach Plein Air Association Signature Members (October 31, 2010-January 23, 2011)
Master Strokes will be curated by Jean Stern, Executive Director of The Irvine Museum. The exhibition will consist of the best work by Laguna Plein Air Painters Association signature members. Master Strokes will be in the upstairs gallery of the Museum and on display at the same time as John Paul Jones, Roscoe Shrader, and Sean Duffy: Searcher.

Noguchi East Meets West (February 27-May 15, 2011)
Isamu Noguchi (b. Los Angeles, 1904 and d. 1988) is a well-known figure both in the art world and in the design world. Although Noguchi was born in Los Angeles, this will be the first retrospective exhibition of his work to be shown in California.

Noguchi East Meets West is an exhibition that consists of approximately 50 sculptures and 50 drawings, spanning just over sixty years of Noguchi's career dating from 1927-1988. The works in this exhibition are drawn largely from the Noguchi Museum in New York. This exhibition is organized by the Noguchi Museum in New York, and will be on display at Laguna Art Museum the same time as California Scenario: The Courage of Imagination.

California Scenario (February 27-May 15, 2011)
Situated between two office towers at South Coast Plaza Town Center in Costa Mesa, is Noguchi's California Scenario (1980-1982), a 1.6 acre metaphorical abstraction of California's natural resources. Comprised of trees, plants, water, and sculpture, the garden is a space filled with beauty and tranquility. Commissioned by developer and philanthropist, Henry Segerstrom, Isamu Noguchi offered a plan that challenged everyone's notions of a garden.

California Scenario: The Courage of Imagination will feature a model of the park, memorabilia, photographs, and film footage of Noguchi's California Scenario. This exhibition will be guest curated by Bonnie Rychlak who is the curator at the Noguchi Museum in New York. Rychlak has been curating exhibitions internationally and writing on Noguchi since 1996. This exhibition will be on display at Laguna Art Museum the same time as Noguchi East Meets West.

Best Kept Secret: UCI and the Development of Contemporary Art in Southern California, 1964-1969 (October 29, 2011-January 29, 2012)
Little has been done on the contributions of the art department at University of California, Irvine, from its inception through the late 1960s. However, during this period, UCI harbored a group of the most advanced artists, students, and art writers on the West Coast. UCI's first gallery director was the artist and critic John Coplans, who was appointed in 1965, the same year that Artforum, for whom Coplans was a writer/editor, moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Coplans was instrumental in bringing Philip Leider (editor in chief of Artforum, 1962-1971) and Barbara Rose (author of American Art Since 1900) to the faculty at UCI. In addition, Tony DeLap, one of the founding members of the art faculty, relocated from San Francisco along with John McCracken to teach there. Others drawn to the faculty included Vija Celmins, Robert Irwin, and Craig Kauffman. MFA students at the time included Michael Asher, Chris Burden, Jay McCafferty, and Alexis Smith. Artists like James Turrell (DeLap's studio assistant) and Frank Stella (at the time Barbara Rose's husband) contributed to the cultural ambiance of the campus at the time as well.

The exhibition Best Kept Secret will bring together the work of these seminal artists from this critical period, drawing connections between their work and contextualizing it in light of other developments in California and in the rest of the nation. In addition, Best Kept Secret will examine the impact UCI had on the roots of the Finish Fetish and Light and Space movements, performance, video, and conceptualism, as well as the development of the art programs

Clarence Hinkle: And the California Progressive Movement (Spring 2012)
A native Californian, Clarence Hinkle had a career as an artist and teacher that spanned several decades. Although associated with other American impressionists from California, Hinkle's work from the period of the 1920s sets him apart from other artists of his generation. Born in Auburn in 1880, Hinkle began his studies at the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento, followed by classes at the California School of Design in Sacramento. He traveled east, studying at the Art Students League in New York and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia where he won the Cresson Traveling Scholarship. The scholarship afforded him the opportunity to study in Paris for six years, attending both the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Académie Colarossi. After returning to the United States in 1912, he lived in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles in 1917, where he began teaching at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design. Four years later, he accepted a position at the newly founded Chouinard School of Art.

Above Image: Suzanne Walsh, Flying Away, 2009, on display in OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC

OsCene 2010

There are only 2 weekends left to come see Laguna Art Museum's exhibition, OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC!

The show features works by local artists like Wolfgang Bloch, Yasuko, Jeff Foye and Gordon Winiemko, Nobu Nishigawara, Ali Smith, and Brad J. Moore.

Don't miss out on seeing some of the greatest local art being created today!!

And, while you are in the neighborhood, here is some things for you weekend:

The first concert in the Laguna Beach Sunset Serenades begins today.

Indulge in Hush's special Mother's Day Brunch , featuring cinnamon roll french toast!!

Wolfgang Bloch's Art featured in Jack Johnson's New Album

Exciting News! Laguna Art Museum's OsCene and Art Shack artist, Wolfgang Bloch, will be featured in Jack Johnson's upcoming To The Sea album artwork!!!

Wolfgang Bloch, Untitled No. 7, 2009, on display in OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC
Jack Johnson chose to include a Wolfgang Bloch painting from his own personal collection as the center spread of his new To The Sea album artwork. Wolfgang Bloch, one of Jack’s favorite artists, was born and raised in the vibrant Latin American culture of Guayaquil, Ecuador. At a young age, Bloch discovered the joy of surfing along Ecuador’s secluded beaches and, in the process, the coastal scenery that would forever serve as his primary source of inspiration.

To learn more about Wolfgang download the FREE OsCene iPhone app or check out his work on display in OsCene 2010, showing now!!!

Like the music style of Jack Johnson and the surfing-inspired artwork of Wolfgang?? Then, be sure to come check out the Marc B. concert tonight at the Museum and have a chance to check out the OsCene Exhibition for FREE from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Last OsCene Music Concert: Marc B.

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 6, will be the last music concert of the OsCene 2010 series!!!

Performing will be OC Music Awards nominatee, Marc B.

The concert will take place at Laguna Art Museum at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE and the bar opens at 6:00 p.m.

Marc B.'s music is made to mellow you out. His "Sublime-on-Marley" style is an honest representation of the laid back environment of the California coast. Marc was recently named as a nominee for Best Surf Artist at the 2009 Orange County Music Awards, standing alongside other nominees The Offspring, Matt Costa, and The Vandals. Now working with Oniric Records, Marc B has played with the likes of The White Buffalo, Matt Costa, The Dirty Heads, and others in such beachside locales like The US Open of Surfing, The Boost Mobile Pro, and the ASR Tradeshow. "The Yellow Jelly E.P." has been handed out to the industry's top professionals (including the top 52 Surfers in the World) in their contest gift bags for three years in a row at each major surf contest in the ASP World Tour.

"With a look straight out of Endless Summer and his mellow feel-good vibe, Marc B. may just be the next big thing to come from the southern California music scene." ~ Green Guide Network

Also, tomorrow is First Thursdays ArtWalk where admission to the Museum is free from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. That evening, Laguna Art Museum will host a book sale of lightly or never read art books.

The sale will feature art books and exhibition catalogs for 50% or more below Amazon.com's prices, with most in like-new condition.

The sale will take place from 6:00-8:30 p.m. and all proceeds will benefit the Museum Library. The Museum Library features one of the largest collections of California art books.

Come out to support Laguna Art Museum and have a chance to see OsCene 2010 before it ends May 16th!

Two Weeks Left to Catch OsCene!

April is coming to a close, and you only have two weeks left to check out the Museum's OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC!! The exhibition will end on May 16th and then the museum will be closed in order to get ready for our summer exhibition, Art Shack, opening June 13th.

One piece on display in OsCene 2010 is McLean Fahnestock's St. Clare of Burbank.

The artist recreates a moment in history when television viewers across the country watched the Apollo 11 lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Viewers are able to experience what that moment was like—when everyone was asked to accept that what they were seeing via grainy and ghost-like imagery was real, not a staged event on a B-movie set. The moon walk was a miracle, and the title of the work—St. Clare of Burbank—is a reference to Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), a nun who toward the end of her life, when she was too ill to attend Mass, reportedly was able to see and hear it on the wall of her room. In 1958, Pope Pius XII designated her as the patron saint of television. Fahnestock raises the question of faith, “faith in the achievements of science, faith in the truth telling of television, and faith in things that cannot be seen or experienced first hand.”

So, for you weekend, make a trip to see the work by Fahnestock and the other talented local artists featured in OsCene!!

OsCene Last Film Screening

Friday, April 30th, Laguna Art Museum and OsCene 2010 film curator Keiko Beatie present the last film screening of the OsCene 2010 series:

Surf and Skate Liquid and Concrete Action in Film

Featuring four short films from local Orange County filmmakers:

Short by Austin Silvers

Surf Noir by Suyen Mosely

California by Victor Pacpour

Drive: Brazil by Mark Jeremias


Admission is only $5.00 and the screening will start at 6:00 p.m. This event includes FREE wine and popcorn, as well as the opportunity to view the OsCene 2010 exhibition, ending May 16th.

Here is what attendees are saying about the previous OsCene 2010 film screenings:

"Tonight was a wonderful night at the museum. The filmmakers were fabulous. The storytelling was poignant and spoke to the heart. Cannot wait to see what these artists do next."

"Film shorts shown tonight at the Museum are ablaze in my mind!"

"Enjoyed the film shorts event you hosted Friday night IMMENSELY. Can't wait to come back!"

For more information on the event or the featured film artists, visit the Museum's website.

Come join us!

OsCene Spotlight -- Gina Genis

Come check out the works of OsCene artist, Gina Genis, on display now at Laguna Art Museum. Genis' two photographs are located on the lower level and will be up for the duration of the exhibition, ending May 16th!

Gina Genis’ recent series of photographs, Window Peeping, captures the nocturnal activities of a cross-section of average American senior citizens. The works are noteworthy for their technical sophistication and their examination of a relatively rare subject matter in art. They also contain layers of meaning and implications that speak to the complex nature of human existence – its cultural, social, familial, and biological facets. It was on evening walks around a retirement community, that Genis began to photograph interior scenes revealed through open windows; her camera caught brief glimpses into the lives of the elderly. These were not artificially constructed images, but were spontaneously and discreetly shot to capture a straightforward and honest view of what it means to grow old.

Genis’ work says much about the ambivalent place that the elderly seem to hold in today’s mainstream culture, a culture that is primarily focused on and celebrates youth. The traditional position of the elderly as wise and relevant heads of family is something that is growing increasingly rare; reverence and respect is being replaced by obsolescence. This is especially pertinent today as baby boomers become senior citizens in growing numbers. Window Peeping acutely captures this social, cultural, and demographic shift while asking the viewer to reconcile wider cultural attitudes with their personal views regarding the inevitability of aging.

—Selected text from “Gina Genis’ Window Peeping: An Existential Examination of Aging,” by Brandelyn Dillaway, Mt. San Jacinto College

For more information about the work and life of artist, Gina Genis, download the FREE Laguna Art Museum iPhone app today! And be sure to come see OsCene 2010 before it ends on May 16th.

Images of Gina Genis' work Lives Lived in Cubes and and The Pack Rack.

Art News -- Celebrity Art Collectors

Don't you wish you could COLLECT like a celebrity!?!

© Patrick McMullan Company

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are among the many celebrities that have picked up on the art collecting habit.

James Franco and Lady Gaga have been the talk of the art world ever since the two began dabbling in performance art, but they're hardly the only prominent pop-culture stars to have a glittering foot in the art world. Recently, in fact, a rising tide of interest in contemporary art has led more and more celebrities to enter the gallery and museum sphere, oftentimes as collectors, patrons, or producers — a fact that has brought no end of satisfaction to Los Angeles dealers, who have long sought to tap into Hollywood money (and the celebrity endorsements that come with it) in earnest. While there's no mistaking these stars for the Steve Cohens or David Geffens of the world who spend millions on attention-grabbing historic works, these actors, designers, musicians, and sports gods have been throwing their support behind a number of rising (and established) talents in the art world. ARTINFO has assembled a list of 12 celebrity collectors, some of whom you may not have suspected. Read the full article on ArtInfo...

For more on what's happening in the art world, come and check out Laguna Art Museum website and be sure to come see our current exhibition, OsCene 2010, up until May 16th!

OsCene Artist Spotlight

Come into the Museum now to check out our current exhibition, OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC. OsCene 2010 is a survey of contemporary art and culture in the OC featuring some of the most provocative painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, multi-media installation, video, architecture, performance, music, and design that Orange County has to offer. One of the many talented artists on display at Laguna Art Museum is Kendell Carter, a Long Beach-based artist.

Too Black... Not Black Enough, Kendell Carter (artists standing in front of his piece), 2010

About the piece: Carter’s installation Too Black . . . Not Black Enough plays out the discourse of “blackness,” not just in western society, but also in the realm of contemporary art. Each set of objects in the installation provides a marker for this conversation: the tight rope becomes the apparatus for this discussion that hinges on the contradictory context of the two paintings, executed in identical fashion and installed on opposite ends of the rope. The text on one painting reads “too black” and on the other reads “not black enough.” Emphasizing the challenge—and perhaps disorientation—is the diagonal stripes along the walls where the paintings hang. The aspect of spectacle is heightened with the photo-ready sponsor wall—Grounded Studios—the name of Carter’s personal studio and black and white balloons, which add to the sense of celebration to an absurd extent. Undertones of cynicism are carried out in the installation, particularly by the gold shoes, which serve as a twofold metaphor: (1) a medal for accomplishing the balancing act on the tight rope, and (2) a reference to the tradition of shoes hanging from power lines as a marker for a location where drugs are sold. In the installation, the hanging shoes are a symbol of the compulsion of the duality that this discourse holds. A changing presence in the installation is set by the balloons that will slowly deflate and sink to the floor, signaling the end of the spectacle.

To learn more about this artist and the rest of the artists in the OsCene, download Laguna Art Museum's iPhone App for OsCene 2010 for FREE!!

OsCene Artist Panel - Watch the Video!

Did you miss out on the March 14 discussion panel with UCI MFA students and OsCene 2010 artists Andrew Printer, Betsy Seder, and Jenny Yurshansky?! Now you can watch it online! These artists work in different mediums, but similarities are drawn from their work including notions of absence and memory. The artists discuss these larger themes and how these are investigated in their different practices.

>> Click here to watch more videos of past lectures and events at Laguna Art Museum!

>> Don't miss out on another interesting OsCene artist discussion panel taking place THIS Sunday (April 11, 1:00 p.m.).

Ceramic Practices Between Generations: Panelists Richard Shaw, Patrick Crabb, and Nathan Betschart will talk about their own ceramic practice, and a discussion will open up to OsCene 2010 ceramic artists Melissa Thompson, Molly Schulps, Nobuhito Nishigawara, and Stephanie Bachiero on how the medium of ceramics has changed over the years. This panel is made up of a multi-generation of artists using ceramics to further establish this dialogue.

>> Free for Museum Members and free for non-members with paid admission.

>> Click here for more information

Weekend Events @ the Museum: Ceramics Panel and Tip Top

No plans for the weekend?? The Museum has just the thing to spice up your lazy Saturday afternoon!!

Stop by Laguna Art Museum on Saturday, April 11 @ 1:00 p.m. to listen to a panel discussion of ceramic artists that spans multiple generations.

Nobuhito Nishgawara, Princess III (featured in OsCene 2010).

Panelists Richard Shaw, Patrick Crabb, and Nathan Betschart will talk about their own ceramic practices and a discussion will open up to OsCene 2010 ceramic artists Melissa Thompson, Molly Schulps, Nobuhito Nishigawara, and Stephanie Bachiero on how the medium of ceramics has changed over the years.

Immediately following the panel discussion @ 2:30 p.m. be sure to stay and view the compelling art performance by Barbara Berk in Tip Top. Tip Top is the latest in a series of works that use Berk's body as a connecting element. Berk relies on the context of her work to help further determine its content.

Tip Top by OsCene artist Barbara Berk

>> Both events are FREE to Museum Members and free to non-members with paid admission.
>> Click here for visitor information!


Other events for your weekend:

Explore the Spring weather with Laguna Beach Garden Club: "Monach Butterfly Habitat" Expert, Friday, April 9th

Or enjoy a Newport Beach Brunch Cruise!

How is your weekend going??

You be the Critic!

Review OsCene 2010!

Leave a comment and let us know what you think about our current exhibition OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC. One special reviewer will be randomly chosen to win a set of permanent collection postcards from our Museum Store!

Here is what the press is saying about OsCene 2010:

"OsCene exposes the soul of O.C." ~ California Guide Book

"A fascinating exhibition...stimulating art." ~ Laguna News-Post

"A rare treat!" ~ OCLNN.com

OsCene 2010: Patrons enjoying Suvan Geer's Family/Tree: To Revive a Still Image
(video and mixed media installation, 2009).

Haven't visited the exhibition yet?! There is still time! OsCene 2010 is on display through May 16.
>> Click here for visitor information. We hope to see you at the Museum!

OsCene in the News

Laguna Art Museum Reveals Vanguard OC Artists with OsCene

By Joanna Clay, for OCLNN.com
Thursday, April 1, 2010

"Take a break from beachside impressionism and traditional works, and check out some contemporary art at OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC at the Laguna Art Museum.

The three month long exhibition features everything from visual artists and musicians, to painters and electronic installations..."
Read the rest of the story

From OsCene: Diana Donaldson, I Will Love You Forever (2008)

Activities for Your Weekend

The real question is... Who DOESN'T love The Dude???


Joe Forkan, Supper at Emmaus, 2009
Happy Friday everyone! Make sure to come to the Museum to check out our current exhibition OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC featuring this painting by Joe Forkan.

A little bit about the piece:
This painting is part of the larger Lebowski Cycle series, in which Forkan modeled scenes from the Coen Brothers’ film The Big Lebowski, after recognizable masterpiece paintings from western art. In Supper at Emmaus (after Caravaggio), he incorporates into his painting the same linear composition, expressive gestures, and use of still life found in Caravaggio’s painting, Supper at Emmaus (1601) to create parallel visual and emotional tensions within the scene. Forkan foils the seriousness of this biblical story to the absurdly humorous tale of a cult classic to establish connections between two seemingly different paintings; as a result, he invites the viewer to create a wide range of possible readings within the scope of the history of art. By using similar techniques, scale, and recognizable composition, Forkan hopes to draw a parallel between historical and contemporary narratives, revealing underlying structures found throughout the language of art.

For more information about this piece, check out Joe's website or painting blog.

>> Click here for Museum visitor information!

Other local activities for your weekend:

Spend some time outdoors learning about Laguna's surrounding wildlife at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

Enjoy the holiday with your family at the Montage Easter Brunch, Sunday, April 4th.

Check out other local art in Laguna Beach on an Art Tour.

Concert Night at the Museum!

Thank goodness it's Hump Day... the weekend is almost here!

Can't wait to celebrate?? Well you don't have to... Kick off the weekend and come visit Laguna Art Museum for First Thursdays where the Museum is FREE from 5-9 p.m. AND where will be a special performance by the award-nominated pop/folk duo I Hate You Just Kidding presented by the OC Music Awards!!


Enjoy the cash bar while listening to a great local band and looking at the Museum's current exhibition OsCene 2010: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC!

Bar opens at 6:00 p.m. with $5.00 wine and beer.
Band starts at 7:00 p.m.

More information about the event, the band, or the OC Music Awards??

Download OsCene 2010 iPhone App

Make sure you download the FREE Laguna Art Museum iPhone for OsCene 2010!! Have all information about OsCene artists, the Museum, and all the cities in Orange County at your finger tips!


Or rent an iPhone Touch at the Museum front desk to have your own personal walking tour of the exhibition.

For more information about the OsCene Exhibition, visit our website.

What do you think about this new iPhone app????