Local art exhibitions and film screenings

Soaring Voices at the Crocker

2009-08-10T06:30:06Z

"Sculpture doesn't have to answer to society or beauty," Japanese contemporary ceramic artist Takako Araki once said. Referred to by some as sacrilegious, her lifelike tattered Bible sculptures, one of which she made by silkscreening text from the Bible onto fired clay, are part of the Soaring Voices ceramic exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum in Downtown Sacramento.

The exhibition opened to the public Saturday and features a collection of more than 80 ceramic pieces by 25 female Japanese artists.

Until the 1950s, the world of ceramics in Japan has been a "man's world," exhibit organizer Maya Nishi told an audience at Sunday's gallery talk. She elaborated on how Japanese women had been disregarded and discouraged from making things. She specifically referred to female ceramic artist Kyo Tsuji, who was driven away from touching a ceramic wheel under the premise that women are impure.

It was not until after World War II, when clay and kilns became accessible and women were permitted to attend Japanese art schools, that Japanese women realized they could use the realm of ceramics to express themselves, Nishi explained. "The pioneer generation had to be strong to exhibit [their] work," Nishi said, adding that "some of the women had nothing more than a bathroom-sized studio next to their bed."

Several of the artists emerged as some of the first women to attend and graduate from Tokyo National University of Art and Music, and others have moved on to teach ceramics at various renowned universities in Japan. The collection holds the energetic, strong voice of the artists themselves, Nishi said, who vary in age from 36 to 80 years old.

Etsuko Tashima was one of the first artists to use both glass and clay in her work. Her displayed "Cornucopia" pieces earned the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2005. Other artists use everything from clay to porcelain, wood, bone china and metal as mediums for their creations. Many of their pieces are inspired by nature, Nishi said, as well as landscapes, architectural structures, dreams and poetry.

While some pieces are traditional pots and vessels or intricately-carved plates, others take absract shapes, characterizing chimneys or pumpkins. Kyoko Tokumaru's "Germination" and "Bloom" take the form of magnified aquatic plants made out of porcelain.

"I think Soaring Voices is groundbreaking because it is an all-female show," said Jeffrey Spahn, a ceramic dealer who drove from the Bay Area to view the exhibition and attend the lecture. He described the pieces as inspiring and revolutionary, adding that Soaring Voices is an internationally acclaimed show.

The Crocker Art Museum is the first venue in the United States to host the collection after its debut in Japan. The exhibition will continue until Oct. 18; afterward, it will be shown at various venues in Florida, Texas and Hawaii.

Soaring Voices was organized by the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga and hus-10, Inc., Tokyo. The tour was organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.

Photos Courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum

Image 1: Shoko Koike, Shell Vessel, 1997. Stoneware, 17 1/2 x 22 13/16 x 18 5/16 in. Courtesy of International Arts & Artists. Private collection.

Image 2: Etsuko Tashima, Cornucopia 03-III, 2003. Stoneware and glass, 26 3/8 x 26 3/4 x 23 5/8 in. Courtesy of International Arts & Artists. Private collection.

Image 3: Kyo Tsuji, Large Bowl, 1983. Stoneware, unglazed, 12 3/16 x 18 1/8 x 18 1/8 in. Courtesy of International Arts & Artists. Private collection.

Screen on the Green begins Saturday

2009-07-31T05:03:20Z

Babe the sheep-herding pig and his talking farm friends will revisit the big screen Saturday night at East Portal Park in East Sacramento.

The '90s classic Babe is the first film to be featured at Sacramento's fifth Screen on the Green free movie series, held in different local neighborhood parks for four consecutive Saturdays in August.

Founded by City Councilman Steve Cohn, Screen on the Green has grown immensely in attendance each year since it first began five years ago, said District Director Sue Brown. Although anyone is welcome to attend, the films are geared toward families. Last year's films included Charlotte's Web, Hairspray, Ratatouille and The Goonies.

Screen on the Green is simply "good, fun, free family entertainment," Brown said.

All screenings begin at sundown and are free and open to the public.

Families and friends are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and snacks.

East Portal Park is located at 1120 Rodeo Way, at 51st and M Streets. Babe is a G-rated film.

Other screenings scheduled in August include:

Aug. 8 – Grant Park at 205 21st St. – Bee Movie

Aug. 15 – Babcock Park at 2400 Cormorant Way – Beauty and the Beast

Aug. 22 – Glen Hall Park at Sandburg and Carlson Drives – The Parent Trap (1961 version)

For more information click on this link.

Image provided by Screen on the Green.

Merlove tells Sacramentans to drink more wine

2009-07-20T07:05:56Z

Pop culture has power - enough power to affect the wine industry.

In 2004, the feature film Sideways came out, and according to Sonoma filmmaker Rudolf N. McClain, merlot sales in the United States dropped.

Of those well-studied in wine statistics, McClain is among them, having just completed his first documentary on merlot in 2008. The dramatic effects of Sideways boil down to one pivotal scene, he explained at the Sacramento premiere screening of Merlove Saturday night.

It’s the scene where protagonist Miles Raymond, the oenologist in the film, says, “I’m not drinking any f***ing merlot.”

That one statement statistically curbed the sales of merlot, and pinot sales went up by 30 percent, McClain said. Seeing the results of the film as a resident of the wine country prompted him to play the devil’s advocate and make Merlove.

Attendees gathered around the bar to sample featured Route 3 and Black Hole merlots at the premiere, hosted by Revolution Wines urban winery and the Sacramento Institute of Fun. Sacramentan Carl Thomas arrived at Revolution Wines with Diane Smith from Calaveras County. A pinot fan himself, Thomas said he was nonetheless intrigued by the idea of Merlove as an objection to Sideways.

“There’s an awful lot of straitjacket [attitudes] about wine tasting and what wine should taste like,” Thomas said.

Merlove is everything but pretentious. McClain's quirky, low-budget documentary brings the world of wine back down to earth with modest discussions about winemaking and the industry between reputable merlot makers from Napa, the central coast, Washington and France.

“I think it’s a well-needed reaction to the movie Sideways,” said Kevin Fort, a former viticulture student of UC Davis.

As a friend once said, “The wine image is super-polished,” immediately associated with “windmills, fields of mustard and a sunset,” McClain explained.

It is the pompous mentality often found in the wine industry that McClain addresses in Merlove. McClain specifically noticed its intimidating effect on Americans who “don’t know about wine and they’re afraid to ask, [but] if [they] can fake it, it’s OK.”

He said it is also this mentality that led uninformed Americans to embrace a fictitious wine aficionado’s opinion in the film Sideways as superior wine knowledge.

Gina Genshlea, co-owner of Revolution Wines, remembers the impact of the film. Specifically, she remembers how it affected one of the winery’s business partners, a grower in Ukiah.

“His merlot was his favorite wine. After the movie Sideways, nobody was buying his merlot,” Genshlea said.

Rather than let them rot, the grower gave Genshlea two tons of his merlot grapes.

McClain wasn’t the only one compelled to respond to Sideways’ influence.

“The reason I made Black Hole is because of Sideways. Everyone is hating on merlot right now … [but it is] a serious wine that should be taken seriously,” said Chris Minnick, Black Hole winemaker and chief fun officer at Institute of Fun.

If the audience is to draw any conclusions from Merlove, the winemakers in the film urge people to broaden their wine horizons and try different wines, and lots of them – different varietals from different wineries — before passing judgments on any grape.

“I guess I should buy more wines,” said Sacramentan Mike Cutigni after the film.

Tribute to merlot in Merlove screening Saturday

2009-07-17T07:27:49Z

In the midst of Bordeauxs, chiantis, pinot noirs and chardonnays, merlot can be underappreciated in the world of wine, or at least that's what Napa Valley filmmaker Rudy McClain would argue.

On Saturday, the crimson underdog will have a shot at glory as the Revolution Wines winery and the Sacramento Institute of Fun hosts a Sacramento premiere event for the screening of McClain's new documentary, Merlove. McClain's film includes interviews with merlot makers from around the world.

A complimentary dinner will be provided at Revolution Wines, including pizza from Midtown's Luigi's Slice, and local merlot labels Black Hole and Route 3 prior to the film. The screening will be held at the nearby Eleanor McClatchy Center. Following the screening, participants will have the opportunity to meet with McClain over more wine and dessert.

McClain made the film in response to the bashing of merlot in the 2004 documentary Sideways, a film worshiping red wine.

Revolution Wines is located at 2116 P Street.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the screening begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $24.95 for general admission and $19.95 for wine club members or institute students. Tickets can be purchased here or at the door.

Image provided by Revolution Wines.

California Museum hosts only West Coast stop for Lincoln exhibit

2009-06-23T23:41:29Z

What did the nation's 16th beloved president have in his pockets the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in April 1865? Starting Wednesday, a visit to the California Museum will provide the public with a rare opportunity to see such artifacts with a naked eye.

After its premiere in Washington, DC beginning February 12, the Library of Congress art exhibit With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition was scheduled to show in five locations on its national tour, with the California Museum being the only stop on the West Coast.

The exhibition marks the bicentennial birth of the 16th president, its focus expanding beyond Lincoln’s presidency, capturing the years leading up to his presidency and the social unrest that occurred throughout his lifetime, covering the struggle for civil liberties and the Civil War. The exhibit also provides onlookers with a very humanizing perspective of Lincoln's character as an individual.

Sacramento media got the first glimpse of the exhibit at the California Museum Tuesday morning. The exhibition was opened a day early to the press for a guided tour with the museum's deputy director Amanda Meeker and William Jacobs, Chief of the Interpretive Programs Office at the Library of Congress.

The exhibit itself includes 200 artifacts reflecting Abraham Lincoln’s life, including the Bible used for Lincoln's 1861 inauguration -- which President Obama used for his own oath of office -- a rocking chair from Lincoln's days spent as a practicing attorney in Springfield, the Emancipation Proclamation and other documents written by his hand, as well as personal belongings, including his pocket contents from the night he was assassinated.

Two pairs of glasses, one of which he had repaired with thread, were among the items found in his pocket, along with a pocketknife.

Jacobs stopped in front of a map and chart display, showing the 13-day route between the president's burial in Springfield and Washington, DC.

"There was such an outpouring of grief following Lincoln's assassination," he explained. He pointed to a illustration of people mourning Lincoln's death and noted "the heart-rending expressions of grief expressed."

Jacobs pointed out another significant piece, the first bronze casting of plaster modeled for a life mask of Lincoln two months before his assassination. "It shows [the] drain on his physical well-being as a result of the Civil War."

Meeker told press one of the objects she finds most interesting is Lincoln's copy of Kirkham's grammar book. Meeker explained that with less than a year of formal education, the president used the book as a tool to educate himself and "became one of America's greatest orators."

On the other side of the room, Meeker and Jacobs identified Lincoln's collection of newspaper cutouts, namely from the Lincoln and Douglas debates, which he pasted onto pages of a small book. Jacobs said that the president used the collection as a quick reference guide to people's thoughts on issues, "much like a Blackberry or an iPhone." Careful viewing beneath the display glass shows Lincoln's handwriting in the margins of the clippings.

Media stations are located throughout the exhibition to provide observers more insight on the artifacts with audio-visual presentations.

An evening reception is scheduled for museum members at the museum’s Constitution Courtyard this evening with First Lady Maria Shriver, Congressman Dan Lungren and Dr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr., Harvard University professor and Lincoln scholar, in attendance.

With Malice Toward None will remain on display at the California Museum through August 22. After August 22 the exhibition will be shown in Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Georgia.

For information on the Museum’s hours, location and other exhibits, visit this link.

For more information on Malice Toward None, see this link.

Photo Credit: Images 1 through 5 courtesy of California Museum, photos 6 through 11 by Jenn Walker.

Rock poster artists in American Artifact at Crest

2009-06-23T06:55:12Z

Paul Imagine is about as DIY as they come in Sacramento. A self-taught screenprinter and longtime rock poster artist, Imagine can often be seen at Peets Coffee on J Street sketching poster ideas, each sketch taking anywhere from three to eight hours to draw. His posters and flyers that he distributes on foot around town can take up to 16 hours for him to produce between drawing, screening and printing, and selling his work pays for little beyond what it takes to produce it.

Imagine’s labor of love will gain recognition in Tuesday night's screening of American Artifact, a documentary tracing what it refers to as America's 21st century "rock poster art movement" from the '60s to the present.

The film is directed and produced by Merle Becker, who runs Freakfilms Inc. out of New York City. Becker, self-described as an “obsessive music fan,” began working on American Artifact in 2005, traveling across the country and interviewing over 30 rock poster artists from different eras, including Imagine.

"It is my hope that this film causes people to see this 'lowbrow' art in a different way: as beautiful pieces of art that are also valid statements about the cultural changes that America has seen through the years," Becker said.

Consisting of intricate lines shaping teeth-baring creatures, flames, skulls and heeled-ladies, Imagine’s posters are easy to recognize in local stores.

“I just draw crazy things," he said. "Like I always say, a skull will fit with every punk rock band pretty much.”

Born into a military family in France, Imagine's family moved between Okinawa and Georgia before finally settling down in Fair Oaks when Paul was in fifth grade. Paul's introduction to art began early on as he saw his mother painting regularly.

"I've drawn for as long as I could remember," Imagine said. "I drew as a kid. I drew all through high school instead of taking notes and studying."

After his “metalhead” phase in high school, Imagine got caught up in the punk rock scene and noticed, “Holy crap, everyone’s doing everything themselves!”

Around the age of 18 he began going to punk rock shows and developed a deep appreciation for the creativity of the underground DIY movement happening around him.

"Growing up in the '80s I always loved the flyers on the telephone poles and all the punk rock show flyers, which were all just photocopied," Imagine said.

Imagine began making local concert flyers of his own using his drawings in the mid-'90s. A naturally “handy” kind of guy, uninspired by the idea of a traditional career, he worked jobs building office furniture and later in construction to make ends meet.

Imagine eventually decided that he wanted to silkscreen his drawings onto T-shirts and walked into a local screenprint shop, asking, "What do I need to print on shirts?" Experimenting with the materials he bought, Imagine taught himself how to screenprint and created a screenprinting space in his basement.

Shortly thereafter, Imagine attended the Rock Poster Revival in San Francisco, where he met rock poster artists such as Chris Shaw, Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan and Lee Conklin.

Inspired to make rock art posters himself, he revisited the screenprint supply store in Sacramento and asked, "What do I need to print on paper?"

Imagine remembered making his first silkscreened poster for a show with the Supersuckers, Ding Dang and Angora Machine Gun around 1999 or 2000.

He participated in the first of the FLATSTOCK concert poster series in San Francisco in 2002, coordinated nationally by artists and supporters on the increasingly popular gigposters.com.

“I think we had 60 artists and it was crazy," he said. "All the different poster artists were kind of amazed that there’s that many people doing the same thing at the same time. Now there’s FLATSTOCKs all over the world.”

Among favorites Imagine has made rock art posters for the likes of new wave band DEVO and '80s hardcore band the Freeze.

Imagine continues to show his posters at the FLATSTOCKs at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas and in Seattle every year. Each August, Imagine organizes and hosts Rock Art Revulsion in Sacramento, featuring work of various rock poster artists as well as his own. Imagine also participated at a showing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

His art is shown in the 2004 book Art of Modern Rock by Paul Grushkin and Dennis King, featuring the work of over 300 rock poster artists, and Grushkin’s book Rockin’ Down the Highway, a homage to cars and rock 'n' roll.

Imagine and his wife Eve were at the world premiere of American Artifact Saturday in San Francisco. They will also be present at the Sacramento screening of American Artifact at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Crest Theatre. A Q&A session with the film's director and the poster artists will follow the film.

“I hope it sells out," Imagine said. "Hopefully Sacramento comes and represents."

The film is also scheduled to show in New York, Denver, Detroit and Milwaukee.

For more information on the film, screenings and the rock poster artists, visit this link.

Photo credit: Image 6 courtesy of Freakfilms Inc., all other photos by Jenn Walker.

California duck stamp exhibition opens Monday

2009-06-01T05:48:20Z

An exhibition of 37 California state duck stamps opens Monday at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento.

California has used original artwork for its duck stamp program since 1971—beginning with the artwork of Paul Johnson—when it developed the first state duck program in the nation, said deputy museum director Amanda Meeker.

Hunters are required to buy the stamps and put them on their licenses, and the resulting funds are used for conservation of wetlands and geese and duck habitats, explained Meeker. She said that the program has raised $22 million since its inception.

Between 1971 and 1977, and 1995 to 2008, the Department of Fish and Game commissioned artwork for the stamps, according to Meeker. However, between 1978 and 1994, she said artwork was chosen from the state duck stamp competition.

The renowned competition was held again for the first time in 15 years on Wednesday for the 2009-2010 California state duck stamp, won by Indiana artist Jeffrey Klinefelter.

The artwork from every year’s stamp—not including this year’s—will be on display at the museum.

The exhibition is in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Game; it will run through September 20.

The California Museum is located on 1020 O Street, and its hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7 for students and seniors with valid I.D., $6 for children ages 6 to 13, and free for children ages 5 and under.

You can visit the California Museum website here.

To read more about this year’s California duck stamp competition, visit this link.

*Author’s Note: Accompanying image is 1997 California duck stamp by artist Robert Steiner, courtesy of the CA Department of Fish & Game.