Surveying the South Bay’s art shows of the year gone by
Artist Jody Wiggins brought “InMotion” to the Lexus Service Center in February. Photo by Gloria Plascencia
As we emerge from the darkness of 2014 it’s become something of a habit to turn around and, like Orpheus, reach out to Eurydice just before she vanishes for good. And so with the visual arts: What was cool and what was a gruel over the past 12 months?
This is my own glimpse back, its flaws and oversights glaring and inexcusable, but anybody who went looking for art in the South Bay was sure to have found a few things worth getting excited about.
January: Artist, curator, and gallery owner Debbie Marr passed away on Jan. 3. Okay, not a good start… ESMoA (the El Segundo Museum of Art) presented its video mapping project on the facade of El Segundo High School and “Sting,” featuring five Cuban artists, in its exhibition space on Main Street… 608 North showed Lynn Folse Attig’s pictures: Kevin Holladay’s gallery provided a showcase for many local artists throughout what would prove to be the venue’s final year.
The Torrance Art Museum (TAM) presented “Reverb,” which focused on visual work with sound, and then spoiled the opening reception with music blaring in from the courtyard… The Artists’ Studio Gallery in Rolling Hills gave us painters Don Crocker and Jody Wiggins, plus ceramicist Jan Napolitan, and followed it with numerous other exhibitions over the course of the year that never seemed to generate much excitement… Susanna Meiers of the El Camino College Art Gallery opened “Architecture Digested,” which featured work depicting architecture as a point of departure for the imagination.
Ron Pippen’s “Crossing the Axis, A Survey 1985-2014” opened at the University Art Gallery at Cal State Dominguez, but the problem with galleries on college campuses is always accessibility – and parking fees… “Unorthodox Anatomy” opened at Zask Gallery, hereafter South Bay Contemporary, in Rolling Hills Estates… APC Fine Arts & Graphics, in Old Torrance, presented a small group show, “Assorted Flavors”… Ego Fine Arts (in the space formerly occupied by Richard Stephens’ Cannery Row Studios) started with “The Year of the Horse,” featuring about 20 artists (an average number for them). The gallery put up new shows about every three weeks, but often marketed them poorly, to the detriment of those with work they wanted to share… The Palos Verdes Art Center featured painter Keith Crown but after curator Scott Canty departed the revered institution seemingly lost touch with many of its former patrons.
February: “InMotion,” brought to fruition by Jody Wiggins, opened at the Lexus Service Center near the Torrance Airport. It’s a spacious venue, and other art shows followed, but now I’m told that this marriage of convenience has ended… 608 North opened “Art and the Movies”… “Rewilding,” with Fatemeh Burns, Lawrence Yun, Fred Rose, and Rebecca Hamm, opened at the Creative Arts Center, hereafter the Manhattan Beach Art Center… Destination Art’s group show opened at the Malaga Cove Library, to bring awareness to its search for a gallery of its own (which it acquired in November: see below).
March: Easy Reader’s art coverage took a big hit when Freedom Communications stepped in as a partner… Right off the bat a preview piece about an impressive art event, coordinated by Thinh Nguyen at the Cordary Avenue complex where he and other artists had studios, was dropped in favor of a movie review, with extra large photos, of “Non-Stop” with Liam Neeson. Photographs in the arts section of Easy Reader fell from about 10 per week to about two.
“Women of the World” opened at 608 North (yes, the women artists were originally from different countries)… “Art Fusion: Color,” curated by Gloria Plascencia, opened at the Frame & Art Dept in Hermosa Beach. Small as it is, this was essentially the only venue in all of Hermosa to host art shows over the course of the year… “In a Word,” a text-based art show, opened at South Bay Contemporary.
Artist Iola Scott had a solo show at Ego Fine Art in Redondo Beach and also painted live at the Frame & Art Dept. in Hermosa Beach. Photo by Gloria Plascencia
April: Iola Scott was the first of several artists who painted live in a weekly series at the Frame & Art Dept. (other participants included Sandra Chu and Cie Gumucio)… The California Museum of Fine Art presented its “Spring Exhibition” group show, featuring owner Dali Higa as well as Danny McCaw, Vadim Zanginian, Nikolai Blokhin, and others. Despite its alluring interior, this venue has not yet lived up to expectations… PADA (Photographers and Digital Artists) showed new work at Summer Studios in Lomita… “Native” opened at South Bay Contemporary and highlighted work by artists with Native American backgrounds or connections, including Gretchen Sagan, Gail Werner, Sheridan MacKnight, and Yatika Starr Fields. One of the year’s memorable shows.
May: The Pastel Society of Southern California showed at the Manhattan Beach Art Center… Penny Noble showed at Harmony Works in Redondo Beach… Angelina D’Arcy had a solo show at 608 North… “Process: The Moment” opened at APC… “Surroundings,” a yarn-bombing show, opened at the Manhattan Beach Art Center… Thinh Nguyen’s “Lime Light” all-media show featured resident and L.A.-based artists.
June: “Scratch” opened at ESMoA, featuring contemporary graffiti artists, and was perhaps the South Bay’s most provocative art show of the year… “The Healing Art of Suzanne Young” was at the Frame & Art Dept… The 11th annual Hermosa Beach Art Walk took place on June 14 and 15, organized by Ken Klade and with about 100 artists… CA 101 gathered submissions from up and down the California coast and held this year’s show at Pier Plaza on the Redondo Beach Pier… Ego Fine Arts presented “Begin Anywhere” with over 20 artists, including Scott Trimble and Michael Chomick.
“Riders Unite” at South Bay Contemporary benefited the Surfrider Foundation, the art and artists expressing concern over the state of our oceans… “Another Summer with the Ladies” opened at 608 North and showed the work of some 20 women artists.
Peggy Zask organized and curated numerous shows during 2014 at South Bay Contemporary in Rolling Hills Estates. Photo
July: Lorna Kaye’s paintings were at Harmony Works… Scott Canty curated “All Themes Considered” at South Bay Contemporary… “Art of the Dance” was at the Frame & Art Dept., curated by Gloria Plascencia… Catherine Tirr curated the South Bay Watercolor Society’s show at the Lexus Service Center… “Floating Man,” being the sketchbook drawings of David Rinehart, painted in the 11 months after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, was shown at the PV Art Center.
August: Iola Scott had her solo show at Ego Fine Arts… “Mas Attack 6” featured 150 artists with one work each; the show was one view for just one evening at TAM… It was astonishingly well attended, as one might imagine… Randy Ruby’s photographs were shown during Barry Hatchett’s annual Beach Shorts Film Festival… Arts Manhattan became Art Avenue and presented the large monochromatic paintings of Natalie Arnoldi, curated by Homeira Goldstein… “Another Thing Coming” came and went at the Torrance Art Museum.
September: “Myth and Magic” opened at the El Camino College Art Gallery and featured art inspired by religions ancient and modern… “Transforming Feminisms” was a group show at South Bay Contemporary that explored perspectives on domestic violence, reproductive rights, and economic parity… “In the Moment,” a solo show devoted to the versatile Janet Milhomme, was on view at 608 North.
Artists Thinh Nguyen brought life – and artists – to Hawthorne with his curated shows. Photo by Gloria Plascencia
October: “Home” opened at ESMoA, and is still on view until Feb. 1… “No Place to Hide,” work by Michael Davis, opened at El Camino College… “Power of Art,” which showcased the Redondo Beach Art Group (RBAG), was on view for three days at the Redondo Beach Main Library, organized by Georgette Gantner and curated by Max Presneill… “Biliana Popova: Ceramic Works,” one of the most appealing local shows of 2014, was curated by Ann Martin and shown at the Manhattan Beach Art Center.
November: “Fresh” opened at South Bay Contemporary, curated by Mat Gleason. There were 97 artists but the opening was underwhelming compared to “South Bay Focus” at TAM, juried by Scott Canty… Phnesha Marchette’s Synchronicity” was quietly received at 608 North.
Destination Art fulfilled a dream and opened their own digs just east of Old Torrance and had a festive grand opening… Robi Hutas was given a brief but much-heralded retrospective at 608 North… Ego Fine Art presented “Bon Voyage Emiko,” a group show dedicated to founding partner Emiko Wake who then moved to London, but who will apparently keep coordinating shows with John Cantu.
December: 608 North’s very last show ever featured several of the gallery’s popular artists, such as Robert Mackie, Edie Pfeifer, Angelina D’Arcy, Janet Milhomme, and Bernard Fallon. PADA opened a compelling show at the Loft in San Pedro… Kiyo Griffith curated “Dragnet” at the Manhattan Beach Art Center (up through Jan. 15)… Velvet Marshall displayed work at Phantom Galleries in Hawthorne… My last piece for 2014 profiled the Twigs art group (Allen Bollinger, Frank Matranga, Winston Marshall, Michael Rich, Mariann Scolinos, and Bob Witte), whose show at the Artcore Brewery Annex opens Jan. 2.
Susan Vint Shilling’s “Avenue C” was featured at the Hermosa Beach Art Walk in June.
Who did we leave out? Probably your favorite artist, show, or venue. There was a lot, as you see, but I’m sure that all of these artists would want me to tell you the same thing: The best is yet to come.