Musings | Spring/Summer Member Newsletter

Monterey Museum of Art

Musings...

MEMBER NEWSLETTER SPRING/SUMMER 2021

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS WELCOME BACK MEMBERS BETWEEN TWO CHICANAS COLOR DUETS PROGRAMS RECENT ACQUISITION COLLECTION HIGHLIGHT

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 Adriana Hayward, Psy.D. President

Lila Thorsen, Ph.D. President Emerita

John A. Greenwald

Monika Campbell Tom Donnelly Kristen Huston John Mera Ashley Stepien

Treasurer

Judy Archibald Secretary

Chief Editor / Writer / Project Manager Stephanie Shepherd Art Director / Senior Designer Maureen Halligan Photography Michelle Magdalena Photography, Moss Media Carmel

William G. Hyland Trustee Emeritus

Craig L. Johnson Trustee Emeritus

Photo: Moss Media Carmel Photo: Moss Media Carmel

MMA is Reopening!

Beginning May 13, 2021, MMA Pacific Street will be open Thursdays through Saturdays (11 am – 5 pm) at 50% capacity through timed ticketing and enhanced safety protocols. Please check our website at montereyart.org for developing information on our reopening plans including when tickets will be available. We hope to see you all soon!

Cover Image Kaffe Fassett, Blue and White with Lemon, 2017, Acrylic on Canvas, 14 x 11 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

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Photo: Moss Media Carmel

Photo: Moss Media Carmel

From the Interim Executive Director Dear MMA Members and Friends, I’m writing you from the caretaker’s cottage at La Mirada where I’ve been living and leading MMA for the last 8 months. Through the winter, all of us endured isolation, uncertainty, and loss. At times, we worried whether the dark days would ever end. And then there was the daffodil: a welcome sign of hope—blooming right outside my back door. Creativity, like hope, springs eternal, and I am elated to share that the Museum will open its doors again on May 13, 2021.

As we look for signs of new growth, yesterday, I was overjoyed to read that 50 million dollars in relief for cultural organizations was appropriated by our Governor after months of advocacy by our sector. Our legislators recognized that arts and cultural institutions are fundamental to the health and well-being of our communities.

As “second responders” we use creativity to bring joy and renewal to others, and as we move beyond the pandemic, we will also help make meaning out of our loss.

Nature plays such a huge role in our lives along the Monterey Crescent; and artists have been foremost in creating indelible images of what we cannot afford to lose. Yesterday was Ansel Adam’s birthday, so I savored his photos of the Monterey coast. Adams, Weston, and so many artists in MMA’s collection created California in the imaginations of the world, as well as motivated us to protect this place from destruction.

Visit our website to view the stunning works that MMA is currently exhibiting (see them in person starting May 13), as well as portfolios of our online collections. Though exhibitions and works from our collections span 100+ years, the artists powerfully evoke environments that we, Americans, inhabit. Consider the dialogues between artists and what role as citizens we must play in the next 100 years to ensure our collective well-being.

I hope you will also take note of our exhibitions featuring a remarkable assembly of Chicanx and Latinx artists of several generations and genres—all dedicated to illuminating their California experience. As MMA moves forward, we are committed to more equitably representing the artists of our state. We believe our shared hope for the future depends on it.

Corey Madden Interim Executive Director

Welcoming Back Members

BY M E L A N I E Z A R A G O Z A

With the one-year mark of our COVID-19 closure past us, we at the Museum reflect once more on the strength and generosity of our members. As our collaborators, muses, and audience, MMA members are the driving force that keeps us productive and hopeful. We thank all of you for choosing to renew your membership and for supporting the Museum through the pandemic. As we look to opening our doors on May 13, 2021, and as we expand our digital wing, opportunities for members to engage, share, and learn with us will continue to grow.

We have some exciting upcoming programs for members and the community this summer. Our greatly anticipated exhibition, Color Duets: Kaffe Fassett and Erin Lee Gafill debuts on May13, after being postponed for one year. In conjunction with

the exhibition, MMA will be hosting an array of programs and events. Intended to deepen the Color Duets experience, activities will take place both virtually and in-person during the exhibition’s sixmonth run.

In July, the Museum will be hosting its second Virtual Annual Members’ Meeting. Leading up to the meeting, we will be sending out a membership survey via email that will give you the opportunity to shape the future of MMA membership by offering your insights and opinions. We will also be collecting your questions for MMA leading up to the live event.

We look forward to you joining us in the galleries and virtually, and please be sure to check our website for updates and details. Thank you for supporting the arts and spreading hope for the future!

Is your membership almost expired?

Renew today and don’t miss our exciting upcoming programs!

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Artist Stefani Esta seated on the pedestal of her sculpture Momentum (2002) in the Elkins Sculpture Park.

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Photo: MIchelle Magdalena Photography

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Between Two Chicanas

Reflecting on the Art of the State Symposium

BY I L A R Y R U I Z A N D M E L A N I E Z A R A G O Z A

This year’s Art of the State Symposium focused on generational activism in Chicanx and Latinx Art. The theme, “Change = Action / Time,” was inspired by our winter exhibition, The Califas Legacy Project: The Ancestral Journey / El Viaje Ancestral. Two of our staff members who worked behind the scenes during the Symposium, Ilary Ruiz and Melanie Zaragoza, talked about why the Symposium and The Califas Legacy Project were important to them and

how they see it resonating with the community.

They shared the same first impression: seeing themselves, their families, and their culture represented in the panel of artists. Melanie reflects, “I heard my family in their voices, in their regional accents. The interweaving of Spanish in their presentations felt familiar and yet something I have never experienced on this stage before.”

 Angelica Muro, Agricultural Workers in Gucci (from EPA: Guide for Agricultural Workers), 2007-2017, mixed media on archival pigment prints,

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triptych, (one of three panels), Courtesy of the artist (Cortesía de la artista).

For Ilary and Melanie, there was a sense of pride in seeing their shared culture represented by the panel and by MMA. The artists offered their stories of struggle and of success. Most importantly, they offered hope for a more inclusive future in the arts.

Ilary mentions, “It’s sad to say that hearing what the artists dealt with to get where they are now is not surprising. It feels like a burden to know that Chicanx and Latinx artists have to work twice has hard to reach our goals. But seeing these artists succeed and move the conversation forward is also something that relates to our culture. We get up and we keep going. That is how you win and that is what makes me proud.”

There are several reasons this event and exhibition are important to the community. They create dialogues about representation in the arts, make space for new stories to be told, and celebrate the cultural heritage of a large group of the population in California and beyond. As a museum that serves our community, it is our responsibility to ensure all can feel a sense of belonging and see themselves represented in our galleries and on our platforms. Thank you and gracias to all the artists and collaborators that made the Art of the State Symposium and The Califas Legacy Project possible.

 Amy Díaz-Infante, Apparition of Melissa (Aparición), 2008, wrinkles, ink on fabric, with some ironing (arrugas, tinta sobre tela, semi planchado).

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 Eduardo Carrillo (1937-1997), Couple in the Garden, 1985, oil on canvas, 48 x 34.25 inches. Museum purchase with funds from the Metropolitan Life Foundation, 1988.054.

 Kaffe Fassett, Yellow with Blue and White, 2018, Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 20 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

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The Full Spectrum Color Duets Programs

BY C H R I S C O H O O N

MMA’s summer exhibition, Color Duets: Kaffe Fassett and Erin Lee Gafill, is packed with incredible opportunities to learn from and collaborate with artists Kaffe Fassett, Erin Lee Gaffill, and guests.

Get a peek at process with a live virtual slideshow, artist talk, and Q + A on May 22. Then, witness the real thing as Erin and Kaffe paint in-situ with audience Q + A on May 27. For all aspiring fiber artists, starting in June, drop in for Make + Mend sessions with Erin and Jaki Canterbury of Slow Fiber in Monterey. Also, look for the

Collective Mending workshops in September with Erin and artist Catherine Reinhart. Families will want to tune in for Free Family Fun Weeks May 24-29 and August 2328. Grandparents, join us for Art Apart virtual craft sessions with your grandkids wherever they may be. These sessions start in June and are designed to give you fun, quality, creative time to connect.

Finally, for painters looking to learn from the best, join Erin for virtual Alla Prima Still Life Painting workshops in July.

Color Duets: Kaffe Fasset and Erin Lee Gafill on view May 13 – October 10, 2021. Keep an eye on our website, emails, and social media channels for program registration information and updates.

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 Deborah Butterfield (1949 – ), Untitled (from the Experimental Printmaking Workshop, San Francisco), 1982, wood, steel rebar, and paper pulp. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hobson.

Recent Acquisition Deborah Butterfield's Untitled

BY J O H N R E X I N E

In December, the Museum received an important gift from Sandra and Charles Hobson (San Francisco) of a signature work by the major American sculptor, Deborah Butterfield. Butterfield was born and raised in San Diego, California, and educated at University of California, Davis, before relocating to Montana in the late 1970s. She is widely known for her expressive and dynamic life-sized renditions of horses constructed using found 12

materials, earth and wood, in a process that has been referred to as “three-dimensional drawing.”

From these beginnings her work evolved to include scrap metals and steel, and is now frequently cast entirely in bronze.

Butterfield created Untitled in that transitional period while in residence at the former Institute for Experimental Printmaking in San Francisco in 1982, at a smaller scale and

mostly from paper pulp and tree branches, but constructed on a sturdy framework of steel “rebar.” Butterfield’s work is in numerous collections around the country and world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. She was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1980.

Collection Highlight Alex Gonzales' In the Shadow Under the Bridge

BY J O H N R E X I N E

The Monterey Peninsula community was saddened recently to learn that respected long-time Monterey Peninsula College art faculty member and Professor Emeritus, Alex Gonzales, had passed away at home in Carmel. Gonzales had, not too long ago, cheerfully visited the Museum with his beloved wife Gail to attend the opening reception for Wouldn’t You Know: The First Decade 1959-1969 (January 11 – April 7, 2019)—celebrating the Museum’s 60th anniversary. That exhibition included two paintings by Gonzales, one titled Wouldn’t You Know, which inspired the show’s title.

After serving honorably in the military following World War II, Alex attended the former California College of Arts and Crafts on the GI Bill, and later received his MA from San Francisco State University. Soon after arriving on the Peninsula in 1960 and joining the MPC faculty, Gonzales became closely involved with MMA (a fledgling Museum a the time) and taught art classes while the Museum was still operating as the Monterey Peninsula chapter of the American Federation of Arts.

In 1964, Leonard G. Heller donated Gonzales’ collage Black and White to the Museum’s permanent collection, and Gonzales’ watercolor California Coastline was purchased by the Museum in 1977. Following the 2019 Wouldn’t You Know exhibition, Gail and Alex Gonzales generously donated

his Expressionist painting In the Shadow under the Bridge, which had been featured in the show. We are truly grateful to Alex Gonzales for his lifelong commitment to the arts in Monterey, and while we mourn his loss, we are proud to preserve his creative legacy for future generations.

 Alex Gonzales (1927 – 2020), In the Shadow under the Bridge, 1961, oil on canvas. Gift of Gail and Alex Gonzales.

View works by Alex Gonzales and Deborah Butterfield in the Museum’s Online Collections.

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MMA Board Spotlight

Kristen Huston

MMA Volunteer Spotlight

Maria Rivas

With a desire to reconnect to her artistic side, Maria Rivas first began volunteering at MMA in April 2020.

As a volunteer, she utilizes her experience with translating documents from English to Spanish by helping translate exhibition and education communications and materials so that they are available in Spanish. These communications include text panels for exhibitions, credit lines for artworks, and more. Maria shares, “My family in Ecuador has always supported local artists, and from my dad’s side, my great grandfather was a cartoon artist, so it was inevitable for me to fall in love with art from the very beginning.” Over the past several months, she has worked on translations for exhibitions such as Francis McComas: Rediscovering California’s First Modernist and Marc Trujillo: Fast. A native Spanishspeaker, Maria says she “really appreciates when museums and educational centers provide resources in several languages,” and that “it is rewarding to be able to provide translations for the Spanish-speaking community in Monterey County so that they feel included in conversations about art at the Museum.”

Thank you so much Maria for all do you!

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Kristen Huston has been a valued member of the MMA Board of Trustees for the past three years.

She has been on the annual fundraising gala committee since 2015 and served as committee chair in 2020 and 2021. She shares, “I have loved art since I was a child, and I have continually been attracted to creative people and environments.”

This led to her previous career in advertising. Now as a mother of a 10 year old and 13 year old, she says her children continue to amaze her with their creativity every day. Kristen says that she feels all children should have the benefit of artistic experiences and “MMA's dedication to providing art education to Monterey County school children is one reason I was excited to join the MMA team.”

Kristen’s involvement with non-profits began with a college internship at the Walton Arts Center in Arkansas. Later, she continued to be involved in the art world as a docent at the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio. Thank you Kristen for sharing your time and expertise with us to put on beautiful events that raise important funds for the Museum—you are appreciated!

MMA Staff Spotlight

Chris Cohoon

MMA Staff Spotlight

Jennifer Wagner

Jennifer Wager, Finance Manager, has been on staff at the Museum for almost five years. Jennifer sees museums as places to experience artists’ interpretations of times, places, and people, and as places that help to open your mind to different perspectives. She loves art that is whimsical and works that have texture, and she appreciates being able to observe the whole process of presenting an exhibition to tell a story—from conception to closing.

Jennifer was deeply moved by MMA’s What We See: Photographs by Women Without Shelter exhibition (2017), and shares, “it was wonderful to see the Museum give space to such a worthy cause and allow their story to be told through art.” Jennifer’s most memorable creative experiences as a child include crafting at summer camp, and currently, jewelry making and knitting are her favorite creative outlets. About her creative time, Jennifer says “I can completely disconnect from everyday life challenges, narrow my focus on what I am doing, and calm my mind. I have really found it to be a wonderful outlet during COVID.” Outside of her time at the Museum, Jennifer’s favorite activities include walking, running, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing (just to name a few).

Three years ago, Chris Cohoon joined the MMA team as Manager of Education and Public Engagement. He loves that museums provide communities with access to a diverse range of art that they otherwise would not have, and he believes that art broadens our view of the world, of others, and of ourselves. Chris’ first art museum experience planted the seeds for his career in the arts— specifically a doodling class by a popular children's art show host on PBS. Later on, as an Artist-inResidence, Chris taught classes—including his old 6th grade art class, which he says, “was a very fun and special moment.” In sharing about some of his favorite MMA moments, he says, “I love seeing peoples’ lightbulbs turn on. There were moments when kids taught grandparents how to draw on iPads and then go downstairs to collaborate as a family on the flannel collage paintings. Then there is seeing young students on their first-ever museum visit with their class, and then seeing them during Free Family Fun Day pulling their parents by the arm around the Museum—excited to teach them what they learned.” Outside of his time at MMA, Chris enjoys making art, hiking, rock climbing, gardening, learning, and sunsets and long walks on the beach.

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Acknowledgements January 1 – March 31, 2021 Sponsorship and Grant Supporters A big thank you to our sponsorship and grant supporters. Your generous contributions allow us to carry out important capacity-building initiatives and implement exhibitions and programs that are integral to our mission.

HomeLight, Inc. John H. Marble Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County Louise M. Davies Foundation Monterey County Gives Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County Monterey Museum of Art Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County Maud Porter Work Rose Garden Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County Mary Anthony Joan Ashworth-Ward Alyson Bahr Judith Baker Montano Betsy Banks Kathy Bradley Lisabette Brinkman Janis Buckham Linda Calafiore Michele Carey Susann Cate Lynn Nadine Clark Jorie Clark Barbara Cohen Virginia Cooper Eleanor M. Cooper Christine Crow Suzanne Cushman Joy D`Ovidio Kelly Dawson Allison Dejohn Patricia Domingo Janet Dunn Bee Epstein-Shepherd

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Catherine Faber Holly Fassett Beth Fergon Ginny Fogg Laura Frank Elizabeth Fries Holly Gathright Shelly Glennon Diane Godwin Susan Greene Ardyce Grogan Eva Herndon Noelle Hetz Rosemarie Heyartz Melinda Hirsch Tina Hittenberger Karen Hoffman Rhodele Holzberg Adrian Hovard Sandra Hughes Debra Ingram Janet Jarrell Katherine Jenkins Stephanie Jennings Laura Jensen Tamara Johnson Lisa P Kaufmann Carol Keller Roderick Kiracofe Myra Klahr Georgianna Klein Linda Kohler-Trott Marikay Levalley Joan Little Joseph Longo Elaine Mathews Ellen Maupin Gail McCabe Thomas McCallie

Terri McCormick Marli Melton Bruce Merchant Christopher Michel Jane Miller Martie Moreno Cindy Morley Jennifer Morris Elizabeth Murray Catherine Norman Ruth Nye Judith Pierce Patrcia Priestley A V Quirk Gena Rankin Ray Caitlin Reclusado Pat Regan Anna Rheim Linda Riddle Laurie Roberts Lisa Ruminski Esther Sharp and Farlow Blakeslee Mark Shryock Manjit Sidhu Polly Stephenson Michaela Stuermer Rita Summers Lila Thorsen Rosemary Tintle Clare Twohig Herman van Gansen Katy Vandusen Elizabeth Weber Carleen Whittelsey Elizabeth Wilcox Maryellen Wilson Jacquelyn Woodward Anne Ylvisaker Sally Zeller

Tributes In Memory of Loran A. List, Jr.

by Jean Brenner

In Honor of MMA’s Amazing Staff

by Adriana and Bill Hayward

In Honor of the Temple Sisters

by Donna Feist

In Memory of Loran A. List, Jr.

by Christine and Mike Curry

In Memory of Nancy Nix

by Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Ann Pettit

In Honor of Melanie R. Zaragoza

by Rosemary Zaragoza

In Memory of Loran A. List, Jr.

by Russ and Monta Haisley In Memory of Loran A. List, Jr.

by Gilbert M. Neill

Photo: Moss Media Carmel

To learn more about how to support MMA or to make a gift, visit our website, email us at advancement@montereyart.org, or call us at 831.372.5477 x110.

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Exhibitions Calendar

The Museum plans to reopen for in-person viewing of exhibitions on May 13, 2021.

Please visit our website for tickets and important updates. Exhibitions will also be available virtually at montereyart.org.

April – June 2021

Marc Trujillo: Fast Through April 18, 2021 The Califas Legacy Project: The Ancestral Journey/El Viaje Ancestral Through April 22, 2021 Francis McComas: Rediscovering California's First Modernist Through April 22, 2021 Gil Family Art Shoes in Currents Through May 23, 2021 2021 Weston Scholarship Exhibition May 7 – August 22, 2021 Transformations: William Bernard Giles Photography May 13 – August 29, 2021 Color Duets: Kaffe Fassett and Erin Lee Gafill May 13 – October 10, 2021 Herlinde Spahr in Currents June 4 – August 1, 2021

Upcoming 2021

Shadows of the Past: Sansei Artists and the American Concentration Camps September 9, 2021 – January 9, 2022  Pictured above: Margaret Bruton (1894–1983), Barns on Cass Street, ca. 1925, oil on canvas, 38 x 44 x 1.75 in. (96.52 x 111.76 x 4.445 cm). Gift of the artist.

Stay Connected  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 559 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA 93940

To report a misprint or error, please

Send mail to: PO Box 1551, Monterey, CA 93942

contact pr@montereyart.org

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SPRING/SUMMER 2021