Brand News, Summer Autumn 2016 by Brand Associates

news SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016

Brandnews is a publication of Brand Associates

Brand 44 Works on Paper will be on view through October 28. Robert Brown Award Susan Hannon You Get Me Closer to God #7 Holy Bible published 1865, wire

Jurors Award Alex Babjanyan Portrait of Vladimir Atanian ~ Graphite on a book page

Jane Friend Purchase Award Ruth Gregory Transition ~ Graphite on paper

Brand Associates Award Marie Danielsson-Yung Resurrection ~ Collage mixed media paint on Rives BFK

Brand Associates Award Jim Newberry Swept ~ Photograph

e are thrilled to have 101 original works of art in our 44th Annual Brand Exhibition of Works on Paper. This is one of the biggest Works on Paper Exhibitions in years. The pieces were all selected by juror Laddie John Dill from 832 submitted from all over the United States. Dill is a Venice-based artist known internationally for his use of a wide range of materials including neon and argon tubing, natural earth materials, concrete, and wax. He is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. Dill has taught extensively in Southern California and also lectured throughout the United States. His installation, Sand and Light, is currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Dill indicated that during the jurying period he felt honored to be looking through the submissions and it was hard to distinguish what he felt to be the finest work. Said Dill: “I was delighted and surprised by the level of artistic ability evident in the pieces. Because the quality was so high the decisionmaking process was remarkably challenging. Over three very long sessions I curated my choices down to about 100 works. On the third and last round I spent a particularly long time with these images and often wished I had the real artwork in front

Brand Associates Award ~ Adele Mills Tormentor ~ Mixed media layer of paper and fabric in shadow box

of me – the physical relationship between the different media and paper was widespread and in most cases very elegantly thought out. I did the best I could do to ensure a fair and professional critique. It was a pleasure to jury this particular group of artists and I wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors.” Dill selected a Juror’s Award and the Brand Associates Board of Directors, with guidance from our juror, selected outstanding artworks to receive the Jane Friend Purchase Award, Robert Brown Award and three other awards. Exhibition chairperson Debra Thompson commented, “The exhibit this year includes an interesting array of three-dimensional artworks as well as a broad range of approaches to the two-dimensional paper surface. Visitors will be delighted by the varieties of artistic expression on view.” The Brand National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper has been sponsored annually by Brand Associates since 1971, in cooperation with Glendale Library, Arts & Culture. It is one of the region’s most prestigious juried shows. Many prominent artists and arts professionals have juried the show through the years, most recently gallerist Jack Rutberg and muralist Kent Twitchell.

MESSAGE from ARLENE VIDOR

President, Brand Associates

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

Arlene Vidor VICE PRESIDENT

Jean Simone

ummer went by in the blink of an eye, so our newsletter for that season has morphed into Summer/Autumn. We hope your summer was wonderful. Did you get to appreciate the crown jewel of Brand Library’s summer activities, the Plaza Series? This was a great year for all the Brand programs, but the Plaza series found its stride with thirteen fantastic performances of an unusually wide variety. A few images from the series are found inside these pages. Brand Associates – and that means our entire roster of members – can be proud to have co-sponsored the Plaza performances again this year as well as our stellar dance, music, and film series and we look forward to continuing to expand these offerings. The Plaza series primary sponsor is the Glendale Urban Arts Fund. Sharon Garrett of the City of Glendale’s Library, Arts & Culture Department tells us more about Glendale arts funding and new programs within these pages. We also welcomed two new Board members, Simon Wright and Tammy O’Connor. Directors Caroline Tufenkian and Judy Walker have left the board and we are very grateful to them for their contributions to the organization and the library itself. It is fun to watch great ideas become reality and fun to witness existing programs maturing and gaining more traction. We recently implemented the “Paper PreView” membership drive in advance of our Works on Paper Exhibition to stimulate membership and engagement in the organization. Our Brand Works on Paper Exhibition catalog takes on an entirely new look this year, too. We are also beginning to explore outside funding of exciting arts events through foundation grants. This is very important to help Brand Library explore new artistic vistas and expand its horizons regionally. We are looking toward the future and embracing change.

SECRETARY

Debra Thompson TREASURER AND ACTING MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Mary Jamora DIRECTORS

Stephen Jerrome Tamara O’Connor Simon Wright EX OFFICIO

Arlette De Hovanessian Arts & Culture Commission

Cathy Billings

Brand Library Supervisor ADVISORY

Nina Crowe Glendale Arts

Joy Feuer

Art From the Ashes

John LoCascio, AIA Historic Resources Group

Hilary Thomas

Lineage Dance Company NEWSLETTER LAYOUT

Judy Walker

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Scott Lasken

MARY LOUISE BRAND SPONSORS Arlene Vidor Estate of Mary Owens

Recently, Brand Associates played host to the Glendale Historical Society’s pre-tour pictorial presentation on Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The recital hall was packed with fans of this popular architectural style, including many individuals who are interested in the restoration of period homes. Did you know that Brand Library is where many people have done research in preparation for landmark applications and restoration projects? The Brand Library is home to an impressive collection of excellent references on architecture, the decorative arts, landscape architecture and garden design. Come in and browse! Books and DVDs

Architecture 3,105 Interior Design 591 Landscape 535

NATHANIEL DRYDEN PATRONS Sally Currie Mary Jamora Debra Thompson and Lawrence Riff Glendale Adventist Medical Center ADDITIONAL SPONSORS Barbara Thorn-Otto Russell Cinque, Jr. Marie Fish Laurel Patric Irena Raulinaitis Elaine Wilkerson Peter Rusch and Scott Halloran Tammy and John O’Connor Kirk Cartozian - Cartozian Associates The Auto Club of Southern California Morgan Stanley Simon Wright and Greg Grammer

Highlights of Summer 2016 on the Brand Plaza

The Irish group, Celtic Consort had a harp petting zoo after their performance.

Songwriter Malynda Hale sings up a storm.

LA Cello quartet sparkled literally and figuratively. Left to right: Anne Suda Wybenga, Paul Maxwell, Efrain Jose Del Pilar, Rusland Biryukov.

John Reynolds and his back up singers really got the place swinging.

Brand Associates brought in East LA’s spirited Los Cambalache for the “Armenia: An Open Wound” exhibition, cooperatively produced with Mexico City’s Museo Memoria Y Tolerancia in April to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Louis Cruz Beltran had everyone up and dancing during his hot Latin set.

Naked Underneath Show Curated by Shannon Currie Holmes, takes photography into another dimension.

Carrie Yury poses in front of her “Room” series of photographic diptychs, on view during “Naked Underneath”. These paired fantasy images both display and disrupt the classic ideal of the female nude form. Each diptych is as much about the personal space of the domestic environment as it is about the body, leaving us wanting to know more about the woman who occupies the room. Visit carrieyury.com for more information about the artist.

Shannon Currie Holmes flips through a book of Carrie Yury’s “Room” photographs. The book gave the viewer an opportunity to create personalized diptychs of Yury’s work.

Jane Szabo’s “LaBoheme” (above) was on view during the Brand Library’s “Naked Underneath” exhibition. The sculptural fabrication anchored a visually arresting series of photographs of Sabo’s conceptual self-portraits. The portraits consisted of dresses made by the artist from personal and familiar objects, (left, “Sewing Patterns”). Visit janeszabophotography.com for more information about the artist.

Glendale’s Vision for the Arts and Answers to Important Questions

he City of Glendale’s vision is to delight visitors, residents, and business owners with engaging artwork. Art can provide a lasting economic benefit to the city’s residents and businesses and is one of the important bridges connecting Glendale’s diverse communities. Art also facilitates a vibrant city where people live, work and enjoy urban life from early morning into the late night. One of my responsibilities is to serve as staff liaison to the City of Glendale Arts & Culture Commission. The Arts & Culture Commission advises City Council on arts and cultural policy, public art programs and Urban Art Fund expenditures. The UAF is not a dedicated city “budget” but rather an accumulation of monies collected over the years that must be very carefully overseen to ensure long term benefit to the City. To that end, Library, Arts & Culture submitted a comprehensive 2-year Work Plan to the

Arts & Culture Commission that has been approved by the City Council. Funding from recent development activities has allowed the Arts & Culture Commission to craft an exciting line-up of programs. The week of September 13 Glendale launched GlendaleX=(Tech+Art), a one day celebration of artists’ use of technology to deliver new artistic experiences. The Glendale Arts’ Open Arts and Music Festival seeded with Urban Art Fund monies followed on Saturday, September 17. The city-wide Glendale Open Studios Tour commences October 15-16, including the next wave of “Beyond the Box” installations, the City’s ongoing utility mural box program. Also, a new pop-up arts program, Art Happens Anywhere (AHA!), launches in the fall. Finally, the pivotal initiative for the Arts & Culture Commission, the developement of the City-wide Public Arts Master Plan (PAMP), begins in November, 2016.

By Sharon Garrett, Principal Library, Arts & Culture Admnistrator

What is the Urban Art Fund? The City of Glendale Urban Art Fund requires monies to be collected from private real estate developers’ new projects. The fund, applicable city-wide, mandates that developers choose from either of two options: (1) allocate 2% of their project’s value to an on-site art project, or (2) make a payment of 1% of their project’s value to the Urban Art Fund. What is the Public Art Master Plan? (PAMP) Currently, the City’s Urban Art Fund contains $5 million dollars. The Public Art Master Plan is the critical strategy document that will determine how UAF funds are to be allocated going forward. The development of the PAMP will include several opportunities for the public to provide input. Stay informed and get involved: If you would like further information on any of the arts programs mentioned or wish to be placed on our mailing list for important announcements please email me at sgarrett@glendaleca.gov. Also visit the City of Glendale’s Library Arts & Culture web page.

Brand’s Fly-in Party commemorated in the Glendale Utility Box Mural Program

rtist Arotin Hartounian, a long time Glendale resident, didn’t have to search his soul for inspiration when he was selected to paint a mural on the utility box at Grandview and Kenneth Rd. “During my visits to Brand Library I began to research the history of the library and the Brand family. The Brands’ Fly-In Party of 1921 really sparked my imagination and I decided to commemorate that famous event on the utility box as an homage to Mr. Brand”, said Hartounian. He added, “I’ve always loved Brand Library. It is the best art and design library I know of, its ambience is unique and the essence of its history surrounds you when you’re there”.

Hartounian is a student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and his studies have included fine art and illustration and, currently, product design. He enjoys visiting Brand Park and often hikes the mountains behind the library. Hartounian previously participated in both the Downtown Glendale and Montrose Utiity Box Mural Programs. The Arts and Culture Commission compensates artists $750 for each utility box with support from the Urban Art Fund, overseen by the Arts and Culture Commssion. Hartounian believes that the Brand Library is “a gift to our community”. We agree!

Arotin Hartounian and his utility box commemoration of the Brand Fly-In Party of 1921.

Brand Associates Collection featured in Maryland Avenue Pop-Up Art Walk Exhibition

irector Jean Simone spearheaded an effort to participate in the City of Glendale’s art in vacant spaces initiative. Jean put her talents as a professional set decorator to use with the help of several fellow board members to create a display at 123 N. Maryland Avenue. The display features the work of Mary Owens. Mary Owens was a longtime Glendale resident who exhibited her work throughout California and the United States. Her unique abstract expressionist watercolors were selected for the Brand Library and Art Center galleries seven times during her career. Mary was very passionate about the Brand Library & Art Center and when she passed away in 2015 her estate left a large collection of Owen’s work to the Brand Associates to exhibit and sell at very accessible prices. In addition to the storefront, which will display her work through October, highlights of the collection can be seen at associatesofbrand. org/collections. We are extremely grateful to Nancy Sanchez, Owen’s executor, for facilitating the transfer of this wonderful artwork to us so we can share it with the public.

Welcome Joemy Wilson – our tour guide extraordinaire

By Arlene Vidor

oemy Wilson and I got to know each other when we shared docenting responsibilities at a featured house on the Glendale Historical Society’s “Mad for Modern” Tour in 2015. Joemy demonstrated her speaking skills by rapidly assimilating a lot of information into a smoothly delivered and very compelling narrative. I remember thinking she would make a great tour guide at Brand Library. I later learned that Joemy was also very much in demand at the Doctors House Museum, where she conducts tours and develops the narratives that accompany the house’s fascinating exhibits. I was not surprised to learn later that she is a retired international tour guide who is well known in that field and even wrote a book for other tour

guides called “Coming Up On Your Left”. Escorting people to exotic destinations all over the world was a dream job for her and also helped to make people’s travel dreams come to life. We are all very pleased that Joemy enthusiastically agreed to serve as a tour docent for the Brand Library & Art Center. Joemy recently brought the under-appreciated Glendale cosmetics entrepreneur Fannie Briggs Carr to life at the Doctors House. Visit associatesofbrand.org for tour information and to sign up. Tours are typically given bi-monthly but depending on demand, frequency may be increased.

Welcome to our new Directors SIMON WRIGHT

TAMARA O’CONNOR

Simon Wright moved to Glendale from London, England in 1993 and continues to retain homes in both England and the U.S., although he is now primarily based in the U.S. Simon is an attorney for a major reinsurance company and is qualified to practice law in both California and England. Simon and his partner, Greg, hosted the Brand Associates’ second “Glendale Collects” fundraising event treating guests to a look at their eclectic art collection in 2015. Simon also demonstrated his culinary talents as he catered the event himself, including the creation of signature cocktails.

Tammy O’Connor is Vice President at Community Arts Resources (CARS), overseeing business operations including development, strategic alliances, marketing, we well as partnerships and corporate sponsorships. She also plays a pivotal role in her firm’s involvement in the areas of cultural event production, community outreach, and the arts in urban planning. Previously, Tammy produced non-fiction television, filming internationally in over eighteen countries. She remains an active member of the Producers Guild.

This year Simon hit the ground running as a new board member and implemented a membership drive in the form of “Paper PreView” a new annual event preceeding our Works on Paper Exhibition to recruit and engage new members in the organization. He commented that “the preview event is a perfect opportunity for those who support the Brand Library and the arts in Glendale to become members and also enjoy a first look at some extraordinary artwork”. Simon still travels to England frequently on business and serves as the Chair of the Bentinck Close Homeowners Associate in London.

Tammy is a native Angeleno and long-time resident of Glendale. She has turned her passion for the arts into civic engagement through the years facilitating community connections for the acclaimed Antaeus Theatre which will soon call Glendale home. She also worked with the Glendale Historical Society on their Restoration Expo. As a Director, she hopes to utilize her extensive experience in the arts to help Brand Associates grow community connections and utilize our programs to enhance our city’s cultural landscape.

HEARTFELT THANKS TO FORMER DIRECTORS JUDY WALKER AND CAROLINE TUFENKIAN Judy Walker and her husband Peter have relocated to Serenbe, a progressive community with strong connections to the arts and nature, located just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. We thank her for serving as Chairperson of Brand 43 Works on Paper, overseeing our newsletter, creating our beautiful donor wall and many other contributions. Judy continues to be involved, helping us with graphic design and newsletter layout in the transition period.

Caroline Tufenkian has resigned from the Board of Directors in order to focus her attention more fully on her gallery, Caroline Tufenkian Fine Arts, now relocating to Louise Street in central Glendale. Caroline helped us raise thousands of dollars for cultural events at Brand. She also curated the monumental Life 100 Exhibition chronicling the work of Armenian artists over the last 100 years. We look forward to partnering with Caroline’s gallery at a future date.

REEL ART Our screening of Guest of Cindy Sherman was a big success! From left to right, Dylan Keith, Max Pretzer, special guest Paul H-O (film Director), Dane Lawing (Director of Photography) and Dan’s wife, Pam Suchman. Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman is coming on on October 13 at 7 pm. If you missed it the first time, now is your chance to see it with a group of fellow enthusiasts.

NONPROFIT ORG U.S.POSTAGE PAID GLENDALE, CA PERMIT NO. 503 1601 W. Mountain St. Glendale, CA 91201-1209 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

A 501(c)3 all volunteer, non profit organization whose mission is to sponsor and promote the Brand Library & Art Center as an arts, cultural, educational, and historic resource for the region.

How do we accomplish our mission? We sponsor free arts and cultural programming. We support special programs, permanent collections, and library infrastructure. We develop a strong base of members and donors. Get involved and join the Brand Associates. You can read more about our goals and activities and join online at www. associatesofbrand.org Like us on Facebook

UPCOMING EVENTS Be sure to check www.associatesofbrand.org or Facebook for the most current information Here are a few of the the upcoming offerings:

GALLERY SERIES September 24 through October 28. Annual Exhibition of Works on Paper

BOOK TO ART CLUB SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 10:30 am. Working with “Brooklyn”

BOOKSMARTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 7 pm. Emerging from the Shadows: A survey of women artists working in California 1860-1960

OPERA TALK SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2 pm. Wonderful Town

REEL ART THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 7 pm. Visual Acoustics: the Modernism of Julius Shulman

MAKE IT! SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 10:30 am. Arts & crafts for patrons 4 years old and up

OPERA TALK SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2 pm. Akhnaten

BRAND LIBRARY HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY DECEMBR 10, 6:30 pm. With the Kaleidoscope Trio

MUSIC ANIMATED SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 10:30 am. The Honolulu Avenue Strummers Ukulele group

BRAND LIBRARY HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 6:30 pm. With the Kaleidoscope Trio