communiqué Spring 2011
“6Fish&4Men” Robert Brown serigraph (original in color) Images are protected by copyright: associates of brand library & arts center
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Robert Brown artwork exhibit in July
In 2009, Brown passed away at age 92, and his daughter Jan Reilly, donated her father’s entire body of work to the Associates. Robert loved the Brand Library and had exhibited his work in the gallery many
WHAT:
Th e A rt wo r k of
R o b e rt B r o w n
times. He had expressed a desire to give back to the place he loved so much. After taking possession of Brown’s vast and diverse collection of work, the Associates sponsored a fundraising show of his artwork in 2010 and the outpouring of interest netted $15,000. Of equal importance was the huge surge in appreciation of Brown’s versatility and talent as a visual artist. Important note: Members of the Brand Associates will receive an invitation to a special “sneak preview” reception prior to the opening of the show to the general public. Please stay tuned to the media for further information and join the Associates to take advantage of this special offer. F
Photo: Courtesy of Jan Reilly
T
he artwork of Glendale’s famed printmaker, Robert Brown (19172009), will be featured at New Puppy Gallery in July. Gallery co-owner, Kent Bulza and show curator Sally MacAller are assembling a collection of Brown’s most admired works to be exhibited and sold over a three week period at the spacious gallery located in northeast Los Angeles. Proceeds from sales will benefit the Associates of Brand Library and Art Center.
WHEN:
WHERE:
Opening Reception: July 9, 7pm – 11pm Gallery Hours: July 9 - August 9, Thurs – Sat, 12 noon – 6pm
New Puppy Gallery 2808 Elm Street, Unit 1 Los Angeles, CA 90065 Email: email@newpuppyLA.com Phone: 213-652-1857 Web: www.newpuppyLA.com
Check website in June for details. Coming Soon! Brand Associates Website
associates of brand library & art center A 501(c)3 non-profit organization supporting the Brand Library & Art Center President Arlene Vidor Photo: Pat Zeider
Vice President / Director of Education Bonese Collins Turner
G
Treasurer Huguette Zmuidzinas
Message from the President
reetings, members and friends. We hope you have visited the Brand Library & Art Center lately to browse the collections and take advantage of the many visual and performing arts events offered free to the public. (See Calendar on page 8.) The Brand Associates newsletter, the Communique, is back after a long absence! The Associates Board of Directors is taking steps to improve communication with our members and the Glendale community at large. We are pleased to bring you this newsletter in a series of quarterly publications. We are also working on a revamped website and email messaging to keep you posted of important special events and interesting information. Did you know that the Brand Library is poised to undergo a $7 million dollar renovation in 2012? This is a very exciting, long-awaited milestone for the City of Glendale and fans of the Brand Library. See Brand Library Newsbriefs on page 3. Although there will be a library closure in 2012 to accomplish the important upgrades, we plan to keep the arts events and special Associates members activities ongoing. Our annual juried exhibition, the Brand National Works on Paper, is now in it’s 40th year and opens on September 17, 2011. Read what this year’s juror, Peter Frank, has to say in an interview with exhibition chair Irena Raulinaitis on page 5. Sadly, the Brand National’s founder, Jane Friend, passed away recently and we all miss her energy and creative spirit. Bonese Collins Turner remembers her fondly on page 6. Finally, the Associates Annual Members Meeting will be held on May 21st at a very special historic Glendale home with a strong connection to Leslie Brand and the library. If you are an Associates member, you have received your invitation by now and we hope you can join us for a fun reception and informative meeting. Please RSVP right away. If you are not an Associates member, please join now – a membership form is enclosed. You will be helping bring world class arts and cultural events to our community free of charge in one of the most historic and beautiful arts venues to be found anywhere. F
2
Acting Director of Memberships Barbara Thorn-Otto Director of Library Tour Docents Barbara Thorn-Otto Director of Fundraising/Publicity Sally MacAller Director of Volunteers VACANT Secretary VACANT Historian Angela Hernandez Chair of Brand National Juried Art Exhibition and Artists Representative Irena Raulinaitis Chair, Dance Series Hilary Thomas Chair, Music Series Blair Whittington Brand Library Manager Pat Zeider Ex Officio Board Members: Cindy Cleary Director of Libraries City of Glendale Arlette DeHovanessian Arts and Culture Commission City of Glendale Contributing Editors: Arlene Vidor Bonese Collins Turner Irena Raulinaitis Cathy Weiss Kent Bulza Pat Zeider Carole Dougherty
Brand Library
NEWSBRIEF
I
By Pat Zeider
am very pleased to contribute to the first issue of the Brand Associates new newsletter. I have been managing the Brand Library since Alyssa Resnick was promoted to her new position as a library administrator approximately one year ago. I have worked for Glendale Public Library for more than 20 years, at Central Library reference, as manager of the Montrose Branch Library, and most recently as a senior library supervisor at the Central Library. Brand Library is a fascinating place to work, and I am still learning new things each day. .
Photo courtesy of Glendale Public Library Special Collections.
Photo: Arlene Vidor
Alyssa and I will be giving a brief presentation on the upcoming renovation of the Brand Library & Art Center at the Associates’ annual meeting on May 21st. The long-planned renovation is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2012. The project is now in the design development phase, and library administration and the project architects, Gruen Associates, have made wellreceived presentations of the plans to the Community Development & Parks, Historic Preservation, and Arts & Culture Commissions.
The History Corner
A presentation of the planned renovation was made to the public at a community meeting here at Brand Library on February 16. That PowerPoint presentation is available for viewing on our website at www.brandlibrary.org/BrandLibraryRenovation.asp. The website also includes a form for comments, so please take a look and let us know your thoughts. In addition, a paper copy of the presentation is available to review in the library. The project will emphasize seismic upgrades, a new roof and HVAC system, some historic restoration to a portion of the mansion, a redesign of the interior to improve library service, upgrades to meet ADA requirements, a redesigned main entrance, and some re-landscaping. We are taking special care to preserve the historic fabric of the building but are not doing a full restoration. For more information please check out the website and plan to attend the annual meeting on May 21st. F
Leslie C. Brand’s home “El Miradero,” also know as Brand Castle, included a hangar and small airfield, as seen in this photograph, circa 1920. The home itself (today, the Brand Library) can be seen in the background at right and the estate entrance (today, the entrance to Brand Park) is in the right foreground.
To view the Brand Library renovation plans visit www.brandlibrary.org/ BrandLibraryRenovation.asp 3
Photo: DeJonge
The Poetry of Peter Frank WALKING MUSIC Gray sizes after midnight. The tuckered tears fold up and in a much-vaulted vat fit for a king cake, one looking like a spun fork back-bucking the haste-chastened chasm (gone to chat, to crust, to ground). In effect turbo-flecked to the point of perturbation, the spited oranges (we laugh) cost next to, er, nothing. Los Angeles January 9-10 2009
RUE KAZOO The morning needle needs to stitch for more information. The spokes atop the erratic display of speakerphones seems to want to display the information on a sackbut or something. (Or something.) I thought you would fall behind, but you fell ahead. And then, no more broken choruses. A case as lovely as a tree decides to befriend a tractor. The tractor resists, feeling like an already quarried poster boy. It’s that simple. You would have turned the corner at the city’s edge, but you kept on going. Right now, we are dressed in orange. No, yellow. Lafayette, Louisiana January 4 2009
4
Talking with
Peter Frank
By Irena Raulinaitis
The Annual National Juried Exhibition, also called “Brand 40 Works on Paper,” is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It has become one of the most prestigious juried art exhibitions in the country with entries from all over the United States. We are honored to have Peter Frank as our juror this year. He graciously agreed to answer questions posed by the exhibition chairperson, Irena Raulinaitis. Irena Raulinaitis: What initially attracted you to art? Peter Frank: I came to art at the age of 12; mildly curious. Before, I was enthusiastic about music, specifically modern, even experimental music such as Cage, Stockhausen, and Varese. I wanted to take a music course in 7th grade, but music was 8th grade, visual art was 7th. I went in intending to have some fun, but when the teacher showed us Kandinsky, Klee, Miro, I was thunderstruck: I was looking at what I’d been listening to. It’s been downhill from there. Irena You are a poet and a writer of critiques, articles and books on art. Do you sometimes wish that you were creating in the visual arts? Peter: As a poet, I’m by and large satisfied to sate my creative urges in words. I do wish I could compose music, though! However, I have exhibited conceptual pieces and even staged performances I’d written, and I just outed myself as a purely visual artist, exhibiting several photographs taken with my BlackBerry -- what a student of mine called “phonetography” -- in the faculty exhibition at Mt San Antonio College. My colleague there, and best friend, is a painter and photographer herself. In fact, I’ve just edited a book of her photos - and when she saw what I was doing with my phone camera, she insisted I exhibit some of my shots. I resisted her entreaties until she pointed out that it was only fair I subject myself to the scrutiny to which I normally subject others. Gotcha.
Irena: What attracts you to a particular work of art? Peter: A work of art attracts me by catching my interest -- by attracting me with something in the way it looks and holding the attraction by revealing other things. I want always to be intrigued, to have my curiosity piqued at least a little bit; if I’m looking at something I think I’ve seen before, I at least want to be shown it in a different light. I want the integrity and mystery of an artwork to be always slightly beyond my reach; in other words, I never want to run out of things to find out, think, or say about an artwork. In this regard I’m open to a lot of artwork because there are many ways such artwork can avoid fitting snugly in my grasp. That, I guess, is my basic criterion for curating shows, and for jurying them. Irena: When you jury an art show, what are your criteria? Peter: Jurying, I’d like to add, is not the same as curating. I love doing both, but curating is a far more pro-active and intellectualized process, while jurying relies passively on submissions and requires no consideration of connecting thematic issues. When juried shows have an announced theme, after all, it’s up to the artist to selfselect. I may be required to do some “gatekeeping,” but it figures little in my exercise of discretion. Peter Frank was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles in 1988. He is currently an art critic for the Huffington Post and Adjunct Senior Curator at the Riverside Art Museum. Frank is a contributing writer for numerous publications and was past critic for Angeleno Magazine, LA Weekly and he edited THEmagazineLos Angeles and Visions Art Quarterly. He has organized many themed and survey shows, most notably “19 Artists- Emergent Americans,” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1981. He is the co- author of New, Used & Improved, a survey of the New York art scene.
5
Photo: Associates Archive
Jane Friend (left) in 2010 with artists Katherine Chang Liu and Gerald Brommer at an Associates of Brand Library arts panel.
Remembering Jane Friend
founder of the Brand National Juried Art Exhibition
By Bonese Collins Turner
J
ane Friend, the guiding spirit of the Associates, passed away recently at age 93. She was an active contributing member of our organization from day one to her last year of life. One of Jane’s greatest achievements was the founding of the Brand National Juried Art Exhibition, now known as the Brand National Works on Paper Exhibition. She organized and administered that show for 35 consecutive years and grew it into one of the most prestigious juried exhibitions in the United States. Every year the Associates of Brand Library acknowledges an outstanding work of art in the show by purchasing it for our permanent collection. This award is now to be known as the Jane Friend Purchase Award, in her honor. In addition to being a great artist, Jane was a fun-loving, warm and
6
generous friend. Born in Pasadena, she was well traveled but also a great salesperson for southern California. She was a fount of information about the most interesting locales in the LA area, and she new all the shortcuts, secret routes, where to find the most interesting destinations, buildings, and restaurants. She was a gracious hostess in her beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival style home. Jane was also a beloved teacher at the Burbank Creative Arts Center and an amazing flower arranger to boot. Jane attended Chouinard College and took several workshops with renowned California artist Millard Sheets, who was her mentor. She also once recalled to me her date with famed author Zane Grey’s son, who took her to a speak-easy in downtown LA, where their entrance was approved by a knock on the door and look through a peep hole!
Thank you, Jane, for everything. We’ll never forget you. F
Bonese Collins Turner is the Vice President/ Director of Education for the Associates of Brand Library.
“Talking About Art” By Arlene Vidor
T
he Brand Associates are lucky to be sponsoring a new lecture series we call “Talking About Art.” This series was the brainchild of a talented artist in her own right, Cathy Weiss. As an LA based printmaker, educator, writer, and curator, Cathy is connected to a vast network in the greater Los Angeles arts community. This has allowed her to bring several brilliant artists to a new audience at the Brand Library. Cathy says she considers it an honor to be able to give these artists the opportunity to share their processes and creative vision and she, in turn, loves bringing their talents to our community’s attention. Cathy’s dedication to sharing her love of printmaking has also inspired her to produce a number of fascinating printimaking demonstrations – and she even gave one herself recently. Many in the audience were able to produce a print for the first time in their lives, either on a t-shirt or on paper. Cathy’s own artistic inspiration comes from stories and experiences. She begins with a concept, a thought, or words that move her. She then begins to read, draw, write, carve, print, build and layer images to convey the meaning of strength, love, and psychological, physical and spiritual interstice. She is particularly fascinated by the symbolism associated with trees and light and the commonality of these symbols across cultures.
Says Cathy, “I grew up in Los Angeles among strong creative women who instilled in me a responsibility to give back. As an artist, educator, and mother, I try to make them proud. I believe change can be effected in a gentle way by recognizing the power of one’s inner light. Where we stand in life and how we effect change in our world matters, and perhaps we must all bring light into the nations, come out from the shadows, and make a difference.” F See the Calendar Communique for “Talking About Art” Series dates. Admission is free to the public.
Photo: Robert Brown
Cathy Weiss’s
Top: Cathy Weiss brings “Talking About Art” to Brand Library.
Photo: Associates Archive
Bottom: Participants in a hands-on print making workshop part of “Talking About Art”
7
NONPROFIT ORG U.S.POSTAGE PAID GLENDALE, CA PERMIT NO. 503
associates of brand library & art center communiqué 1601 W. Mountain St. Glendale, CA 91201-1209
associates of brand library & art center
a 501(c)3 volunteer non-profit organization whose goal is to sponsor cultural events at Brand Library & Art Center – dance, music, visual arts foster education in the arts through presentations, films, and special events raise funds for the Brand Library’s programs and in support of the library’s collections promote awareness of the Brand Library’s history and value to our community as a cultural resource Get involved, join the Associates. Associates of Brand Library & Art Center 1601 W. Mountain St. Glendale, CA
Calendar Communiqué TALKING ABOUT ART SERIES: Mark Steven Greenfield Saturday, May 14 2 pm – 3:30 pm
MUSIC SERIES: Helios Guitar Quartet Sunday, June 12 3 pm – 4:30 pm
DANCE SERIES: Lineage Dance Company Sunday, May 15 2 pm – 3:30 pm
DANCE SERIES: Invertigo Dance Theatre Sunday, June 26 2 pm – 3:30 pm
DANCE SERIES: Kybele Dance Theatre Sunday, May 22 2 pm – 3:30 pm
SPECIAL EVENT: (offsite fundraiser) The Artwork of Robert Brown, New Puppy Gallery, 2 808 Elm St. Los Angeles, CA, 90065 Opening Reception: Saturday, July 9 7 pm – 11 pm
GALLERY: The Byrd Show: 40 Years of Posters and Graphic Design (Additional Byrd Show event may be planned: TBD) Opening Reception: Saturday, June 11 6 pm – 9 pm
GALLERY: The Byrd Show: 40 Years of Art & Design Opening Reception: Saturday, June 11 6 pm - 9 pm
GALLERY TALKS: The Byrd Show: A visual talk by artist David Byrd with anecdotal commentaries on his work Saturday, June 25 3 pm GALLERY TALKS: Bombast & Ballyhoo: The Power of the Poster, 1800-1950 A visual talk by artist David Byrd on the history of the poster Saturday, July 9 3 pm RECITAL HALL: Byrd Songs: A concert with musical direction by Danier Faltus Saturday, July 16 7 pm - 9 pm GALLERY: West Coast Mud Slingers: Ceramics Exhibition Opening Reception: Saturday, July 30 6 pm - 9 pm
Brand Library is a section of the Glendale Public Library www.brandlibrary.org