LACMA in NoHo II

LACMA in NoHo II
Out of the Box: Making Box Art!

On-Site: Neighborhood partnerships with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
LACMA (The Los Angeles County Museum of Art) began its partnership with North Hollywood in August 2016 with Summer Nights, free art workshops for the community at the NoHo Plaza in the Arts District.  This year in August 2017, we continue the tradition!

On August 12th…we had a blast “transforming  boxes into  textured dioramas and assemblage work of art.” Participants used tiny toys, fabric, ribbon, repurposed and found objects, a wild assortment of papers and more to elevate a simple cardboard “gift” box into the gift of art and creativity, fueled by their imaginations, and all the materials and supplies that were available to them right onsite.  Our project was inspired by artists who create box works from LACMA’s collection. such as assemblage artist Betye Saar, and the inimitable Joseph Cornell, as well as the boxes created by iconic artists featured in the amazing show, “Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959-1971“, a must-see, up through September 10th, at LACMA.

Working in community…

adults and children alike,

creating the work of our/their hands…

in “material heaven!

Friends,

and family

and sole practitioners, came together to celebrate their creative spirits.

is Fall in the air? orange was a big color theme…

adorning this box-work from beginning

to completion,

inside,

and out.

There was lots of laughter,

and contemplation,

smiles,

and complete immersion.

A glorious evening!

Artist Style: The Wild, The Weird, and the Wondrous

Artist Style: The Wild, The Weird, and the Wondrous

Frida Kahlo Color

Salvador Dali Moustaches

Betye Saar Detail

Diego Rivera…and Frida

Betye Saar: Still a Star

Betye Saar: Still a Star

Betye Saar is an American visual artist. She is  87 years old.

Betye Saar

Betye Irene Saar was born July 30, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, where she still lives.  Her ancestry is a mixture of African-American, Irish, and Native American.

“The Mystic Window #1”, 1965, (Assemblage with etchings, graphite, ink and watercolor on paper, with antique window frame)

“The Phrenologer’s Window”, 1966, (Assemblage of two panel wood frame with print and collage)

Betye Saar is known for creating visual art called “assemblages”. She is very interested in using memories as inspiration for her art. She uses family “memorabilia”: objects or materials that are collected because they relate to an event or person, and collected as souvenirs. Examples might be letters or notes, baby announcements, or photographs.

“The Loss”, 1977,  (mixed media on handkerchief)

When her great-aunt died, Saar became immersed in family memorabilia and began making very personal assemblages using mementos of her great aunt’s life. She arranged old photographs, letters, lockets, dried flowers, and handkerchiefs to express memory and the passage of time.

“Rainbow Friendship”, 1976,  (Collage)

Remember the surrealist artist Salvador Dali…and his famous painting “The Persistence of Memory”, with the melting clock…that expressed his feelings about the passage of time?

“The Persistence of Memory”, 1931, Salvador Dali (Painting)

Through her art, Saar expresses family nostalgia, or remembering the past, maybe even missing the past. She uses pieces of photographs, and other items that express memories.

“Brown Sugah”, 2001 (Mixed media collage with frame on paperboard)

Betye Saar is one of the leading artists of our time. Her use of photographs and the power of photography helps her put together the personal and historical into something universal, something we all might relate to.

Bittersweet (Bessie’s Song),  above, 1973, shows respect for jazz legend, Bessie Smith.  It incorporates photographs, handbills (fliers) about Smith’s performances, and other decorative elements.

Midnight Madonnas, 1996, (Mixed-media assemblage

Betye Saar