Culinary Cinema Series: Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful

One of Italy’s most successful films will be featured at the next Culinary Cinema Series at Oceanside Museum of Art on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Life is Beautiful, directed, written and featuring Roberto Benigni, is a tragi-comedy about the human spirit in the depths of a WWII concentration camp. Set in 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. The evening begins with pre-film snacks, beer and wine at 6:00 p.m. After the film guests will enjoy a variety of Italian inspired food in a casual cocktail-party setting. Reservations are $39 or $29 for OMA members and include the film, entrance to five exhibitions, light pre-film snacks, delicious cuisine, and all inclusive beer and wine, and desserts. Call 760.435.3721 for reservations.

Remembering Italo Scanga

Monte Cassino 1983

A panel discussion moderated by Doug Simay will be Saturday April 9, 2011.  Complimentary for OMA members and others with a museum admission.  http://www.italoscanga.org

Italo Scanga: for a miracle?

The Saint 1976

Opening Reception will be this Saturday, April 2, 2011 from 5-7 pm.  This is complimentary for OMA members and $10 at the door.

2011 Exhibition Schedule

With five rotating exhibition galleries there is always a dynamic new exhibition to enjoy at Oceanside Museum of Art. Below you will find information for exhibitions on view in our two 2,400 square foot galleries located on our first level. Upstairs in the museum you will find three smaller galleries with rotating exhibitions that change every 3-4 months.  

Quilt Visions 2010: No Boundaries

October 24, 2010 - March 13, 2011

Moving beyond the traditional notions of quilting and into the realm of contemporary fiber artwork, Quilt Visions 2010: No Boundaries surprises visitors with 39 exceptional art quilts. Ranging in styles from abstract to representational the quilts on view challenge one’s notion of what a quilt can be. 

Botanicals: The Photography of Imogen Cunningham

January 9 – May 29, 2011

Preview Reception, January 8, 5-7pm

Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976) played a prominent role in the rise of modernism on the West Coast. She began pursuing photography in 1901 and throughout her long career, maintained a consistent focus on portraiture and nature. Unlike other members of the Western School of Photography who also emphasized nature, such as Edward Weston (1886-1958) and Ansel Adams (1902-84), Cunningham moved the camera in close, creating intimate compositions which call attention to the abstract qualities of nature. This exhibition will feature her black and white botanical photographs from the 1920s-1930s.

Looking for a Miracle? Italo Scanga

April 3 – August 21, 2011

Preview Reception, April 2, 5-7pm

Italo Scanga (1932-2001) was a world-renowned artist of Italian heritage who created fantastic assemblages which straddle the line between sacred and profane. After WWII, when Scanga emigrated to the United States, he found the expression of religion more limited than in Italy. Eventually, Scanga created a paradigm of artistic play to explore the role of faith and survival in his new life. Scanga was an art professor at UCSD from 1978 until his death. This exhibition will feature works that span his long career, focusing on some of his most famous series, including The Potato Famine, Animals in Danger, Troubled World and Metaphysical.

Transitions: Works by Francoise Gilot

June 12 – November 13, 2011

Preview Reception, June 11, 5-7pm

Curator’s Talk, September 25, 2pm

Born in Paris in 1921, Francoise Gilot emerged out of the Post WWII School of Paris and after moving to New York, was inspired by the contemporary American art scene. With an interest in mythology and symbolism, Gilot is able to collapse time while expressing complex philosophical ideas with lyrical accessibility. This exhibition of Gilot’s oils and works on paper highlights her interest in color relationships and the fine line between figuration and abstraction. Gilot currently divides her time between studios in New York and Paris.

It’s Not My Fault: The Art of Everett Peck

September 11, 2011 – January 29, 2012

Preview Reception, September 10, 5-7pm

This exhibition features the paintings, illustrations and animation work of Everett Peck, native son of Oceanside. He is the creator of the Emmy nominated Duckman animated series which ran from 1994-97 and his drawings have appeared in numerous periodicals, including Time and The New Yorker. Peck’s work humorously explores the pop culture of modern America and intersections with everyday life, with a special interest in gender roles and social stereotypes.

William Glen Crooks

December 11, 2011 – April 22, 2012

Preview Reception, December 10, 5-7pm

While his landscapes may include railroad crossings, trucks, trees and buildings, the real subjects of William Glen Crooks’ oil paintings are the opacity of light and the transparency of shadow. Born and raised in San Diego, and currently working in Imperial Beach, Crooks’ outdoor “snapshots” bring a new freshness and local appeal to the landscape genre.

Steampunk:Vintage Futurism

Title wall designed by Elizabeth Tallman

Denise Bonaimo, Steampunk Mannequin


Evan Chambers, Gas Huffer

Brian Giberson, Jetpack

Science fiction, fantasy, futuristic technology and Victorian era style collide in this benchmark exhibition of art and innovation inspired by the Steampunk aesthetic. Featuring the work of twelve artists from San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties including Preston Adell, Glenn Arthur, Tracy Black, Denise Bonaimo, Greg Brotherton, Evan Chambers, Sheri Cohen, Shay Davis, Sean Dietrich, Brian Giberson, Brooke O'Neill, and Jeffrey Steorts. This exhibition ponders the mystery of science and the possibilities of future technology through a Victorian lens.

The roots of Steampunk can be traced to 19th century scientific romances of Jules Verne, HG Wells, Mark Twain and Mary Kelly where creatures such as Frankenstein and inventions such as The Time Machine came alive in the reader’s imagination. Steampunk has been gaining traction since the 1980s when K.W. Jeter introduced the term to reference artwork and characters in his book Morlock Nights. In contemporary pop culture the Steampunk gestalt is prominent in movies, comics, fashion, and the fantastical sculptures created at the annual Burning Man Festival.

Steampunk: Vintage Futurism will be on view in the Groves Gallery November 5-9. The opening reception for the exhibition coinsides with Art After Dark: Dr. Steampunk's Art Extravaganza Friday, November 5 from 7:00-10:00 pm. Tickets are $25 or $20 for OMA members. Call 760.435.3720 for reservations or get your tickets at the door the night of the event. Admission includes Steampunk fashion show by Enigma Fashions, five art exhibitions, video art by Kim Moodey and Lisa Hutton, music by DJ Robin Roth and Danny Massure, live painting by David Joseph Gough, Steampunk creation station, photo booth with photographer Robin Shook, tasty bites from The Fish Joint, specialty wines, and handcrafted beer from The Lost Abbey.

Historic World War II Watercolor Exhibition

Phil Paradise, Evening on the Home Front

Barse Miller, Waving Goodbye and Good Luck

Painting World War II: The California Style Watercolor Artists is an historic first examination of the paintings by California Style artists on the subject of WWII. Each painting tells an intimate and in turn, dramatic story offering a fresh perspective on World War II. This perspective is a mix of two things: first, a passion for using watercolor in spontaneous and expressive new ways, and second, with the influence of WWII, a rich sense of old fashioned “We are all in this together” patriotism.

Forged in the Great Depression, California Style watercolors form an important West Coast chapter of American Regionalist art. Examining a broad survey of everyday life, these artists created a visual record of the unfolding local history of California beginning in the mid 1920s and extending into the 1970s. California Style watercolors form the largest body of paintings in this Regionalist vein.

Many of the original California Style artists were already too old, or had wives and children so were not eligible to enlist. Eager to contribute, when asked they welcomed the opportunity to use their artistic skills for the war effort. In May 1943 the U.S. Government established an official Combat Art Program inviting 42 of the nation’s finest artists to participate. Californians Millard Sheets, Barse Miller and Ed Reep were among this group. Barse Miller was assigned rank of Captain and head of the Combat Art Section in the South Pacific. Millard Sheets traveled with the Air Force to the India- Burma theatre. Ed Reep served in the North African and Italian Campaigns. Other artists enlisted or were drafted and when their skills were discovered they were given assignments to create watercolors of their experiences as enlisted personnel.

Four months after its creation, the Combat Art Program was suddenly defunded by Congress and abruptly dropped. Some artists were given new titles as war artists within their respective branches of the military and created large bodies of artwork for those entities. Artists Millard Sheets, Barse Miller and Paul Sample were hired as artist-correspondents for Life Magazine and created watercolors which were sent back home for publication, to help satisfy the public’s desire for images of events overseas. These watercolor paintings were among the few full color images of the war the American public viewed. In the September 1941 issue of The National Geographic Magazine, just before Pearl Harbor, Arthur Beaumont created an 8 page full color insert profiling the great ships of the Navy. This article was so well received in November 1942 he created a second 16 page portfolio of watercolors featuring the Army on maneuvers for the magazine.

Other artists featured in the exhibition include Standish Backus, Lee Blair, Rex Brandt, Nick Brigante, Robert Caples, Watson Cross, Edmond James Fitzgerald, Duncan Gleason, Hardie Gramatky, John Haley, Dong Kingman, Erle Loran, Louis Macouillard, Charles Morimoto, Ben Norris, James Patrick, Charles Payzant, and Milford Zornes. Painting World War II: The California Style Watercolor Artists is curated by Glen Knowles, a professor of art at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster. Knowles has curated seven exhibitions on the history of California Art and has a great passion for California Style watercolors. The exhibition will be on view April 18 through October 3, 2010.

Total Information Awareness: Black Light Installation by The Ancient Gallery

Experience a glow in the dark wonderland of art in Total Information Awareness, a temporary installation by The Ancient Gallery on view in the Oceanside Museum of Art Groves gallery March 10 through March 12, 2010. Challenging your perception with black lights and UV reactive sculptures The Ancient Gallery has created an installation that comes alive with three-dimensional glasses. Playing with multiple genres and motifs, the artist collective fabricates art from scratch as well as assembling mass-produced cultural icons. Viewers will see recognizable imagery from Renee Magritte, Edward Munch, and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as themes that emulate ancient civilization, medieval Europe, Eastern Religion, science fiction and tribal cultures morphing with psychedelic designs. As a result of their diverse use of imagery they stand aside the demarcation of fine art and kitsch, blurring the boundary.

The Ancient Gallery is a collective of artists: Nigel Brookes, founder of TAG, sculptor and assemblage artist; Iain Gunn, puppeteer and founder of Zirk Ubu; and Mark Johnson, sculptural engineer and lighting specialist. This nomadic collective that has displayed their work at the San Diego Museum of Art, Burning Man and other art driven festivals, strives to create visionary installations that engage the viewer through the medium of black light. Altering your normal perception the viewer is confronted with an ulterior universe that opens your mind to the curiosities of the world.

According to TAG, Total Information Awareness is the idea that we are made of systems that we can and can’t control, such as our nervous system, genetics, biological, social and digital. The average person interacts with media based systems, such as the TV, computer, or your phone, approximately 9 hours a day. With so much information coming and going it can be easy to get lost in a world of artificial intelligence. Being conscious of the material you upload to data mining systems such as facebook and twitter reflects an awareness of the dangers technology can present. Everything around you from the TV programs you watch, the news, and magazines can influence your personality and affect your thinking. Mindfulness of the information you publish and receive can alter your life, just as this installation can open your mind to new forms of perception.