Musings | Fall/Winter 2022 Member Newsletter

Musings...

Musings is a quarterly publication for Members of the Monterey Museum of Art.

Our Mission

The Monterey Museum of Art cultivates curiosity in the visual arts and engages community with the diversity of California art—past, present, and future.

Our Vision

The Monterey Museum of Art is a collaborative center where art and community engage.

Board of Trustees

John A. Greenwald

President

Adriana Hayward, Psy.D. President Emerita Tom Donnelly

Treasurer

Lisa Rheinheimer

Secretary

Monika Campbell

Laura DeBorahCarolineHeidiKristenGambleHustonQuinnScottLowSilguero, Ph.D. Matthew Simis

Lila Thorsen, Ph.D.

©Monterey Museum of Art, Published September 2022

To report a misprint or error, please contact pr@montereyart.org

Museum Hours

Lava Thomas, Fictitious Self-Portrait, 2006, color hardground etching, 33.5 x 32 inches, Edition of 25, courtesy of Paulson Fontaine Press, Berkeley, CA.

Photo: CarmelMediaMoss

Dear MMA Members and Friends,

Recently, I came upon a reprint of an interview from a few years ago with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in an in-flight travel magazine. Woz was asked for some regional travel tips, and he responded, “Go to Monterey for some Dungeness crab, then visit the Museum of Art and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the world’s top We’reaquariums.”bigfans of Dungeness crab and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and are delighted to be included in such good company. We look forward to Woz’s next visit.

In the meantime, we are actively working to make our museum experience even more memorable. We have engaged the services of a world-class consulting firm, Lord Cultural Resources, to help us develop a plan for the 21st century museum this community deserves.

Our goal is to turn our Pacific Street location into an inspiring and welcoming creative hub with expanded exhibition space, broadened educational offerings, more robust digital capabilities, and an improved visitor experience with a roof-top terrace.

All this will require time, planning, and a positive and supportive response from the City of Monterey, but we feel confident we will find a way to make it work.

This year marks my sixteenth year as a docent and my eighth as a trustee, and I can say with confidence that the Museum is in the best position it has been in since the day I started docent training. Our financial position is stronger, our strategic planning more focused, and our staff is talented and committed.

There is much to look forward to over the next couple of years, but there is a lot to enjoy right now. Eye-popping exhibitions. Informative Spotlight Tours led by experts. Free family days full of fun. There’s something for everyone. All ages. All backgrounds. And all life experiences.

So, pay us a visit soon.

And if you see me in the gallery, please say hello. the President

From the Executive Director

Dear MMA Members and Friends,

What a privilege it is to begin my third year at the Monterey Museum of Art! After the challenges we faced over the last 2 years, I am proud to share that this wonderful regional museum is financially healthy, strategically focused, and creatively on fire! These achievements are not possible without the support of our dedicated members, community, and staff.

As the Museum embarks on a new season, we look forward to continuing to showcase the rich legacy of California Art—past, present, and future. Through the vision, creativity, and skill of the esteemed artists and curators we are fortunate to collaborate with, we can provide our community with rewarding opportunities to explore their artistic interests and share the wonder of art with their families and friends. I am eager to introduce you to these remarkable humans.

Join us this fall to experience In My Life: Portraits by Chris Johnson. Spending time with Johnson’s portraits will open your eyes and heart, reminding you of art’s power to forge connection. Meet Victor-Mario Zaballa, a prolific San Francisco based artist who has taught and worked for decades in our region. Zaballa will be in residence in October, sharing his creative connection to Mexican culture through colorful life size installations and engaging art activities. Don’t miss your opportunity to view the Bedford Gallery travelling exhibition Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press, curated by Carrie Lederer. Encompassing works by fourteen artists, Personal to Political highlights the vital role that the Paulson Fontaine Press and creative collaboration play in empowering artists and giving voice to a community.

Our doors are open to you. Meet up with friends during our extended hours on First Friday. Bring your family to our relaunched Free Family Fun Days. Sign up for our popular Spotlight Tours to deepen your experience. And don’t forget to participate in Miniatures!

Looking forward to seeing you in our galleries soon!

Corey Madden

Photo:

Our Fall Season

The fall 2022 exhibition season will debut this September with an autobiographical retrospective of one of the Bay Area’s most important photographers. Taught and mentored by West Coast legends, Ansel Adams, Wynn Bullock, and Imogen Cunningham, Chris Johnson’s work is informed by the lessons of master photographers but defined by his own visual instincts. In My Life: Portraits by Chris Johnson presents a chronological journey through the artist’s introspective portrait photography, demonstrating Johnson’s lifelong interest in capturing relational complexity in film. Both a survey and a tribute to the resonance of

figurative photographic art, the show highlights work shot in black and white analog, polaroid, color film, and smart devices. Curated by fellow photographer, professor, and Ansel Adams mentee, Martha Casanave, the exhibition is a carefully crafted reflection on the connectedness of personal relationships within a career largely celebrated for its influence in broad social practice.

Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press, organized by the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, will arrive at the Monterey Museum of Art in mid-

September after a four-year tour of museums across the United States. The exhibition tells the story of twenty-first century African American Art through the lens of social justice and personal narratives, as depicted by fourteen members of the Berkeley based fine art print studio, Paulson Fontaine Press. The artistic collective includes internationally celebrated African American artists, Martin Puryear, Kerry James Marshall, and the Gee’s Bend Quilters;

voices of the new avant-garde who have helped shape the contemporary art conversation in the Bay Area and beyond. Characterized by a diverse range of styles and media, the exhibition explores personal and political perspectives through abstract and traditional imagery, resulting in a dynamic display of prints, paintings, quilts, and sculptures.

Join Us

September 10 Spotlight Tour: In My Life with the Artist Chris Johnson

October 8 Spotlight Tour: In My Life with Executive Director Corey Madden

October 13 Evening with the Curator: In My Life with Guest Curator Martha Casanave

November 12 Spotlight Tour: Survey of fall exhibitions

Return of MMA's Artist in Residence featuring Victor-Mario Zaballa

love for learning and connection, Zaballa hopes to create work that stimulates growth and mutual understanding.ForVictor-Mario Zaballa, meaningful artistic interaction with the community is supremely important to his art. In addition to the promise of a multisensory art display, Zaballa’s presence in the gallery will offer ample opportunity for the public to interact with the artist and engage more deeply with his

MMA is thrilled to reintroduce Artist Residencies to our 2022 programming roster. Launching this October, the program will kick off with the San Francisco based artist Victor-Mario Zaballa—a Mexican American multimedia artist widely celebrated for his colorful large-scale installations. Spanning over two weeks, Zaballa’s residency will include an original light box installation and community ofrenda inspired by and erected for the Día de los Muertos holiday. Zaballa’s contemporary practice is a synthesis of new and old. He draws from the rich history and symbolism of his Mexican heritage, integrating new materials and technology with traditions of altar making and the folk-art regalia used in seasonal rituals. Driven by his Artist in the House

“Often playful, my work constantly explores new movement, color, and sound languages. By merging the ancient with the modern, I strive for an artistic interaction with the community where no one remains uninvolved.”

– Victor-Mario Zaballa

work. Further, the public will be invited to experience the artist residency on a deeper level through two scheduled programs, an interactive gallery lecture and an expanded Free Family Fun Day led by the artist.

This is a programmatic highlight you won’t want to miss!

Visit the Victor-Mario Zaballa Artist Residency Thursday through Saturday, from October 20 through November 6, 2022.

Victor-Mario Zaballa (b.1954), Tlatquiltl - The Inheritance, altar installation, 2020. Image courtesy of the Artist.

James Fitzgerald's Highway 1 at Big Sur

The construction of the Big Sur Coast Highway, sponsored by the federal government between 1935 and 1943, was one of the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) most significant building projects on the West Coast. The highway has had an enormous and lasting impact on the accessibility of our magnificent Central California coastline and the expansion of economic growth through tourism in Monterey County. The artist James Fitzgerald— who was the subject of a major exhibition at the Museum earlier this year (Seeking Eden: James Fitzgerald in Monterey)—was

fortuitously living in Monterey at the time of the Big Sur Highway 1 construction and socializing with the creative circle of John Steinbeck and “Doc” Ricketts. Around 1935, in the spirit of the social-realist ethos of that era, Fitzgerald spent time observing and documenting the painstaking construction of the road. The jagged, abstracted stone setting of this watercolor, Highway 1 at Big Sur (1935), demonstrates how small man appears in relation to the brooding natural landscape he is attempting to tame. Looming ominously behind the boulders in the narrow strip of blue sky are silhouettes of cranes and New Acquisition

machines meant to aid him in this rough physical labor. In recognition of the successful collaboration that was the Seeking Eden exhibition at the Monterey Museum of Art, The James Fitzgerald Legacy and Monhegan Museum of Art & History has generously donated this Fitzgerald work, and a second watercolor titled Stairs, Stevenson House (1941), to the Museum’s permanent collection. We are grateful to them for so kindly enhancing the artist’s representation in Monterey.

James Fitzgerald (1899-1971), Highway 1 at Big Sur, ca. 1935, watercolor on paper, 19.125 x 23.75 in. (48.578 x 60.325 cm).

Gift of the James Fitzgerald Legacy and Monhegan Museum of History and Art.

Collection Highlight

Gustavo Ramos Rivera’s Ritos Subterraneos

A San Francisco Bay area resident since 1969, artist Gustavo Ramos Rivera was born in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, and retains strong ties to his hometown where he plans to one day build a museum of Mexican and international art. Ramos Rivera’s work frequently draws on the color, light, and shadows he associates with memories of his home, and employs diverse strategies from international art movements such as Abstract Expressionism and early Pop Art, as can be gleaned by the painting, Ritos Subterraneos (1981), in the Museum’s

permanent collection. The painting surface is divided between expressive brushed zones of red and blue, and incorporates threedimensional elements—string, rope, strips of cut canvas—that disrupt the picture plane and pull the viewer in.

When asked about the enigmatic title of the work, Ramos Rivera explained:

We all have small rituals that sustain us in quiet ways, a walk in the morning, listening to the sound of nature when we are having our coffee, sweeping the floor in

the studio, listening to a piece of music waiting for the right moment to begin a painting, cleaning my brushes at the end of the day.

We don't talk about these things, we hold them as little secrets in our heart, nevertheless, they silently sustain us as Ritos Subterraneos.

In a sense, when Museum visitors contemplate a work such as Ritos Subterraneos, one could say they are themselves engaged in just such a private and self-sustaining ritual.

Gustavo Ramos Rivera (b. 1940), Ritos Subterraneos, 1979, mixed media on canvas, 49.75 x 66.38 x 2.75 in. (126.365 x 168.605 x 6.985 cm).

Gift of Edgar and Margarita Hertzka, 1997.132.

Free Family Fun Ahead!Days

The Monterey Museum of Art is resuming our popular Free Family Fun Days in person! Family Fun Days offer our community the opportunity to share fun and creative moments together through engaging art activities led by teaching artists and museum educators. Each Family Fun Day will focus on different art topics and methods inspired by current exhibitions, select works of art, or a featured artist on display. Families are encouraged to put their own spin on the afternoon’s art projects, becoming creative thinkers and problem solvers together!

Visit the Museum during our Family Fun Day hours and enjoy free admission to our galleries! Experience and enjoy the Museum with your whole family while dropping in to take part in the fun. Whether it is a planned or spontaneous visit to the Museum on Family Fun Days, visitors are sure to have a wonderful experience and a take home souvenir in the form of a creative masterpiece.

More information on upcoming Family Fun Days and program details can be found at montereyart.org. We invite families to come and participate, enjoy the galleries, and share the fun on these colorful and creative days!

Acknowledgements

May 1 – August 31, 2022

Thank you to all who have generously supported the Museum over the last few months. We are honored by your trust in us and our mission to engage community with the diversity of California art—past, present, and future.

Art Advocates

Joyce and Jack Jewett Lynn Farris

Rolf and Darleen Trautsch

Susan Payne-Trutna

Grant Supporters

Monterey Peninsula Foundation Manitou Fund

Louise M. Davies Foundation

Harden Foundation

Pebble Beach Company Foundation

Arts For All Annual Appeal Supporters

RichardAnonymousCarr and Barbara Schilling

Kayne Anderson Rudnick

Pam and John Wilkinson

Suzanne Taunt

Nancy and William G. Doolittle

Sarah Spencer

Susan D. Akers

Elizabeth Barlow and Stephen McClellan

Susan and Grant Hunt

Jan Penn Kay and John Krattli

Karen and Jack Steadman

Dave Kwinter

Eric ThomasEbellHaley

To learn about how you can support MMA or to make a gift, visit montereyart.org/support/donate/, email us at advancement@monterey.org, or call us at 831.372.5477 x104.

Photo: CarmelMediaMoss

Synesthesia Gala

The Museum extends its deep appreciation to Gala Co-Hosts Kristen Huston and Caroline Scott Low, the Gala Committee, and all the supporters. We are so grateful for a beautiful, creative, and successful fundraising event!

Gala Co-Hosts Kristen CarolineHustonScottLow

Gala Committee Adriana RoseanneKarenJanaChristineKarenElizabethHaywardBarlowFolgnerJohnsonMagginettiPattonPierre

Gala Supporters

Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward

Family Foundation

Frank and Judith Marshall Foundation Caron and Alan Lacy Caroline and Scott Low Sally LauraLucasandJohn Gamble

Christine and Craig Johnson Ronda and Gordon Eubanks

Valera Lyles Pam and Russell Fadel Elizabeth Barlow and Stephen McClellan

Kristen and Joe Huston Lila and James Thorsen Adriana and Bill Hayward Susan and Bruce Herman Fran and Craig Chapman Katrina and Luca Maestri Arts Council for Monterey County Matthew Simis and Michael Gray Monika and Allan Campbell Rayne Technology Solutions Soraya and Michael Cayen Carol and Phillip Gianos Dana Bambace and Bryan Duarte Rosanne and Daniel Pierre Cynthia and Frederick Riebe Holly and Eric Smith Janice and Kenneth Shue Joanne and Richard Rees Jessica and Justin Braiker Kim and Mark O’Connor Georgia and Rakesh Kumar Judith and Thomas Archibald Jana and Steve Magginetti Amy McDougall and Rene Peinado Ann Ylvisaker and Dan Baldwin Jacalyn Horton Sarah and John Staples

Tia and Leland Rosenblum Linda and Richard Kunnath Ryan

Kate and Jeff Wood Jacquie Atchison

Jimmy Marley

Kevin Wasbauer

Susie and Stanley Brusa Albatross Ridge

Fall 2022

Exhibitions Calendar

Please visit montereyart.org for tickets and important updates.

The Fire of Heaven: Enrique Martínez Celaya and Robinson Jeffers Through October 9, 2022

Currents: Nancy Sevier Through October 2, 2022

In My Life: Portraits by Chris Johnson September 8 – December 11, 2022

Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press September 15 – November 27, 2022

Currents: Michelle Yi Martin October 7 – December 18, 2022

Artist Residency: Victor-Mario Zaballa October 20 – November 6, 2022

Miniatures 2022 November 17 – December 11, 2022

Winter 2023

Image above: Samuel Levi Jones (b. 1978), Sold Ya, 2017, flatbite and color aquatint, 51.25 x 73.75 inches, Edition of 25, courtesy of Paulson Fontaine Press, Berkeley, CA.

Flora Fauna Preview December 8, 2022, January 19 – April 16, 2023

Constructing the Photograph: Diane Pierce and Susan Hyde Greene January 12 – April 22, 2023

Jane Kim: Migrations January 13 – March 26, 2023

Monterey Collects California January 19 – April 30, 2023

Stay Connected

Send CA

 Sign-up for enews at montereyart.org/enews Visit us anytime online at montereyart.org General inquiries 831.372.5477 facebook.com/montereyart.org instagram.com/montereyart twitter.com/montereyart

To report a misprint or error, please contact pr@montereyart.org