LACMA California Design Symposium Details

Schedule of events for the two day symposium on California Design at LACMA

Friday | February 24, 2012 

10 AM
Welcome
Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Opening Remarks
Wendy Kaplan and Bobbye Tigerman
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

10:30 AM
California Modernism North and South:
Two Regions, One Reality
Pierluigi Serraino, independent scholar

11:15 AM
Modernism at the Beaux-Arts Ball: The Architecture of the San Francisco World’s Fair of 1939
Andrew Shanken, UC Berkeley

12–12:15 PM Break

12:15 PM
The Arts of Daily Living: Modernism and  the Los Angeles County Fair, 1954
Monica Penick, University of Wisconsin-Madison

1 PM
Lunch and exhibition viewing

2: 30 PM
College Art Association (CAA)
Centennial Session: Connections: Architecture and Design in Los Angeles at Mid-century 

Changing Taste: LA Architects Promote Modernism
Wim de Wit, Getty Research Institute

Panel Discussion
Louis Danziger, graphic designer
Ray Kappe, architect
Gere Kavanaugh, designer
Ruth Weisberg, moderator
Bobbye Tigerman, discussant

5 PM
Reception and exhibition viewing followed by keynote panel discussion

7 PM
A Keynote Panel Discussion: Blurring the Boundaries: California Design and Contemporary Art
Jim Isermann, artist
Jorge Pardo, artist
Pae White, artist
Frances Anderton, moderator and host of DnA: Design and Architecture on KCRW

*Admission to the keynote panel is included in the symposium ticket. Attending the evening keynote only is free, but a ticket is required.

Saturday | February 25, 2012 

9:30 AM
Scandinavian Design Comes To California: Humanism, Art and Technology
Nina Stritzler-Levine, Bard Graduate Center

10:15 AM
Richard Neutra: Mystery and Realities of the Site
Marc Treib, UC Berkeley

11–11:30 AM
Break

11:30 AM
Warren McArthur in Los Angeles
Donald Albrecht, Museum of the City of New York

12:15 PM
Beyond (and Before) Eames: The Reinvention of Plywood
Christopher Wilk, Victoria & Albert Museum

1 PM
Lunch and exhibition viewing

2:30 PM
“We Live a Normal, Natural Life”: Aliso Village, Los Angeles and the Promise of Racially Integrated, Modern Living
Elizabeth St. George, Bard Graduate CenterCrossing Paths: African-American Designers and Craftspeople in Los Angeles
Staci Steinberger, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

3:45–4 PM Break

4 PM
Wake-up Call: California Design after 1965
Glenn Adamson, Victoria & Albert Museum

__________________________________________

Two-day pass: $25 general admission; $15 LACMA members; free for students with ID and College Art Association members. One-day pass: $15 general admission; $10 LACMA members; free for students with ID and College Art Association members. Symposium tickets include museum general admission. For tickets, call 323 857-6010 or go to lacma.org

To make a reservation for the free Friday evening keynote panel, call 323 857-6010 or go to lacma.org.

For more information, email educate@lacma.org.

__________________________________________

 

The Legacy of the California Design Exhibitions

Exhibition Discussion:

The Legacy of the California Design Exhibitions

November 12 | 9:30 am–4 pm

Organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the Craft in America Study Center, this all-day program explores the rich heritage of the California Design exhibitions held at the Pasadena Art Museum between 1954 and 1976. It includes panel discussions with curators and artists involved in the exhibitions, as well as screenings of period and recent documentaries.  Attendees may visit California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way” at LACMA and the related Golden State of Craft exhibition across the street at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

Bing Theater | Free, no reservations
For more information click here. 

Photograph caption:
Miller Yee Fong  for Tropi-Cal
Lotus chair, 1968
Rattan, wrought iron
LACMA, Gift of Fong Brothers Co., M.2010.171
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Kem Weber and John Kapel on Unframed

In the second edition of “For Your Eyes Only” an article featured on LACMA’s Blog, Unframed, Bobbye Tigerman,  Associate Curator, Decorative Arts and Design, “unlocks, turns over and opens two works that are normally hidden from view”.

This edition features two California Designs:
Kem Weber desk from 1938
John Kapel crystal cabinet

Unframed is a blog of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art intended to create a conversation about the art and artists of LACMA, Los Angeles, and Southern California.

LACMA at the Schindler Buck House Celebrating California Modern Design

Two nights ago some of LA’s most passionate and focused modernist enthusiasts got together at the Schindler Buck House to raise funds for the upcoming LACMA exhibition California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way” opening on October 1, 2011. Amongst the group was our very own Peter Loughrey, who also is on the board of LACMA’s Decorative Arts and Design Council. Peter gave his insight on the market and historical values of these pieces, and thoughts on why it is so important to have these pieces in LACMA’s permanent collection. Wendy Kaplan, Curator and Department Head of Decorative Arts and Design, and Museum Director Michael Govan, want this upcoming exhibit to be the best and most extensive resource of California Modern Design, and to have these influential pieces stay put in LA County to flourish as a destination collection for years to come.

If you are interested in contributing to making this exhibit part of LACMA’s permanent collection, please contact Peter Loughrey at peter@lamodern.com.

For more details on the LACMA event that ensued at the Schindler Buck House click here.

Lloyd Wright House Tour with LACMA Decorative Arts and Design Council

Yesterday afternoon, as members of the LACMA Decorative Arts and Design Council, we took exclusive tours of two Lloyd Wright houses and the legendary Castillo del Lago.  The first Lloyd Wright house we visited was the Lloyd Wright Studio on Doheny Drive in West Hollywood. The exterior cement surrounding the house has been recently restored, as well as the cactus detailing above the entrance. The interior was also repainted and restored with a kitchen to make the space more livable. The kitchen can be taken down very easily to maintain the purity of the original structure. The outdoor connecting patio also saw some minor adjustments with the help of Eric Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s grandson, who has authority over revisions to the house. The outdoor patio now features a sitting bench, designed by Eric Lloyd Wright in the style of his father Lloyd Wright. The second level has two bedrooms and one bathroom. The studio/home now acts as a production studio.

Exterior of Lloyd Wright Studio on Doheny Drive

Living Room and Patio of Lloyd Wright Studio

Next on the tour was the Lloyd Wright Taggart House, which was built for his wife’s mother in 1922. The house resides in Los Feliz and has also seen much restoration.  The cement surrounding the house has been repaved, most of the redwood detailing on the exterior had been replaced, and various succulents were specially added to enhance the landscape.  The interior has also been recently decorated with French 1950s furniture. We particularly enjoyed the living room space that flowed into the outdoor pool area. We also noticed that this house reminded us of the Frank Lloyd Wright Sturges House in Brentwood, CA.

Lloyd Wright Taggart House, Exterior of Living Room

Lloyd Wright Taggart House, Outdoor Pool

Detail of Lloyd Wright Built-In Bookshelf

The last house on the tour was the legendary Castillo del Lago famously tucked away in the Hollywood Hills. The house was originally built in 1926 for Patrick Longdon an oil explorer and then taken over by Bugsy Siegel, who reportedly turned the house into a speakeasy in the late 1930’s.  In the 1950’s the house fell into disrepair, and in 1993 Madonna bought the house and with the help of her brother turned it into what it is today, a house reminiscent of an Italian church. The new owner had some minor changes, but left the original structure in tact.  The views were breath-taking, especially from the top of the tower, it felt like we were in another world, definitely not Los Angeles. The furniture and interior decorating were also impressive. The most impressive furniture we saw was the outdoor furniture by Claude Lalanne. There were hidden chairs and benches, as well as a dining table set with chairs. At the end of the tour we had a small champagne toast and we could not be more thankful to the owner for letting us tour his beautiful home.

This tour is similar to many activities and group outings specially set up for members of  the Decorative Arts and Design Council. If you are interested, please sign up here on the LACMA website.