How to Make the Universe Right
Jan 17- May 1, 2015
Opening Reception: January 16; 5:30-7:30pm
How to Make the Universe Right presents an unprecedented group of scrolls and ceremonial objects of the Yao people and other groups from Vietnam and Southern China. This rich tradition of Shamanist practice brings together Daoist and Buddhist deities, Confucian ancestor worship, and Animism.
These scroll paintings, costumes, masks, instruments and the other ceremonial objects represent an unbroken link to the past of Asian mountain cultures whose roots go back 2000 years. Scrolls vary in number from sets of three to complete sets of seventeen or more depending on the shaman’s stature and the intended purpose of the work. The complete Daoist pantheon is usually represented, including the Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor, and Master of Saints. The spiritual stories represented in the scroll paintings also include celestial beings such as the Three Merciful Ones, the Four Heavenly Messengers, and the Ten Kings of Hell, and divine animals such as tigers, dragons, lion-dogs, and others.
With the help of scrolls and other spiritual objects, such as the ones exhibited in this show, the shamans guide their people’s vital spiritual life binding them together and helping them “make the universe right.”
Image: Courtesy of Jill and Barry Kitnick.
Artist-in-Residence: Eric Beltz, The Cave of Treasures
Ongoing through May 1, 2015
As the 2014 Artist-in-Residence, Eric Beltz will present an ambitious new project, The Cave of Treasures, a dramatic departure for the artist who is known for his intimately scaled, highly-detailed graphite drawings. The title refers to three recurring themes in Beltz’s work that are commonly understood as harmful- Medusa, poison oak, and the swastika- and is rooted in the artist’s academic research into legends, tragedies, misinterpretations, and evolutions of iconography surrounding mythological figures, plants, and symbols. These interests manifest in a large-scale wall drawing, in silver ink on black paper, and a wood and concrete sculpture containing live plants. Collectively, they serve as a meditative interpretation of nature, fear, seduction, and repulsion. The Cave of Treasures is Beltz’s first solo Museum exhibition and represents the ten-year anniversary of the artist’s graduation from UC Santa Barbara.
Click here for the official exhibition brochure.
Image: Eric Beltz, in-progress drawing of Medusa's Totem Pole, 2014, graphite on Bristol. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Tony Mastres.
Art for sale!
In conjunction with his exhibition The Cave of Treasures, artist Eric Beltz has designed a limited edition, do-it-yourself, counted cross-stitch pattern. Available in an edition of 50, the cross-stitch pattern will cost $15 and include: needle, thread, pattern, fabric and a letter of authenticity with the artist’s signature and edition number. Purchase yours at the Museum or contact Michaela Upp at mupp@museum.ucsb.edu; 805-893-2951 for more information.
Fletcher Benton: The Artist's Studio
January 17 - May 1, 2015
Image: Fletcher Benton in his studio, 2009. Photo courtesty of Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the artist.
Fletcher Benton: The Artist's Studio examines the artistic process of sculptor Fletcher Benton, known for his large-scale, geometric steel sculptures. The exhibition will reveal how Benton's practice relies on intuition to create grand, abstract gestures from modest, industrial materials. Works included in the exhibition are drawn directly from the artist's studio and demonstrate how he moves from initial conception and lively experimentation to finished form. This installation celebrates the recent donation to the Museum of Folded Circle and Arc, 2012, a monumental outdoor sculpture by the artist, Gift of Dr. Yoel Haller and Eva Haller.
Organized by the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, curated by E.B. Robertson, Acting Director and Rebecca Harlow, Curatorial Assistant, Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara in conjunction with Kate Eilertsen, Executive Director, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, and the artist.
This exhibition has been supported by Dr. Yoel Haller and Eva Haller.
This Was Tomorrow
London 1956 | Geoffrey Holroyd | Santa Barbara
January 17 - May 1, 2015
Image: Group 12 "This is Tomorrow" Panel with Geoffrey Holroyd, 2012. Photograph by Volker M. Welter.
After World War II, a generation of young, London-based architects, artists, and writers rethought the art and architecture of a culture fascinated with American consumerism, pop culture, mass communication, and visions of a better tomorrow. In 1956, several of these architects, painters, and sculptors collaborated on This is Tomorrow. This exhibition at London's Whitechapel Art Gallery presented twelve group exhibits drawn from the everyday, which questioned the tenets of traditional and modernist art.
Recently, Geoffrey Holroyd, formerly of London and now of Santa Barbara, donated to the Museum's Architecture and Design Collection the artwork that he, Lawrence Alloway, and Toni del Renzio created as Group 12 for the 1956 exhibition. This was Tomorrow explores Group 12's contribution to the This is Tomorrow exhibition, and the architecture and design works of Geoffrey and June Holroyd.