April 11 - September 7, 2008
Subversive. Funny. Sinister.
Adjectives not normally used when describing furniture. But these are exactly the words one could use to describe the works of Canadian furniture maker, Gord Peteran, whose works are on view at the Long Beach Museum of Art from April 11 through September 7, 2008. Gord Peteran: Furniture Meets Its Maker, is a thought-provoking exhibition of 34 psychologically compelling pieces of, you guessed it, furniture.
It is furniture unlike any other. A table that doesn't hold objects, chairs not made for sitting, objects that appear to function as torture devices or for the sexually experimental. Despite the dubious functionality of many of the pieces in the exhibition, one can recognize, using Peteran's word, the "furnitural" quality of the object. The accompanying award-winning exhibition catalog expresses it this way, "at Peteran's hands furniture dies a fascinating death, without ever quite going away."
Don't miss your chance to experience this truly unique exhibition.
Gord Peteran: Furniture Meets its Maker is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Chipstone Foundation with generous support from The Windgate Charitable Foundation.
Artwork above, from left: Fault Line (detail), 2003, Framed Wilson Art (graphic laminate), Lent by Diane and March Grainer; A Table Made of Wood, 1999, Various woods, Lent by the artist; Ark, 2001, Stained oak, metal, velvet, glass, electrical cord, Lent by the artist; Untitled So Far, 1996, Found wood turning, red leather, linen thread, Lent by the Wood Turning Center Collection, donated by Albert and Tina LeCoff; 100, 1996, Machined bronze, ebony, custom-built oak and leather case, Collection of Sylvia and Garry Knox Bennett
February 29 - June 8, 2008
As a part of a Museum initiative to promote Long Beach artists, the Long Beach Museum of Art presents Three: Fern Bowen, Carl Aldana and Lori LaMont. The collection explores three different Long Beach-based painters of different generations whose works are unique and yet display an amazing amount of intersections.
The energetic spirit of the city is effortlessly captured in Three. Well-known landmarks such as freeway overpasses, the cityscape, and suburban settings are seen throughout the exhibition, lending a distinct familiarity to these exceptional paintings. While local scenes dominate the majority of the collection, many pieces, such as Fern Bowen’s Shanghai Commune, Mustard Patch, or Lori LaMont’s Bird Masks transport the viewer out of the ordinary and into a far-off place or a fantasy world filled with color and vibrancy.
Three is made possible by Linda and Bill McCullough, Julian Feingold, Suzanne and Dennis Poulsen, Don and Madeline Heimark and Elaine Ridder.
Artwork, from left: Carl Aldana, Sunset on the Seal Beach Pier, 2004, Oil on linen, 42 x 54 inches, Collection of the Aldana Family; Lori LaMont, Monasha, 2001, Watercolor on paper, 40 ½ x 26 inches, Courtesy of the artist; Fern Bowen, Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 41 x 31 inches, Courtesy of the Bowen Family.
The Museum's prized permanent collection includes approximately 3,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, works on paper, and decorative arts objects (furnishings and accessories). Particular strengths lie in 300 years of ceramics, early 20th century European art, California Modernism and contemporary art of California.
If you're interested in supporting the Museum's exhibitions, contact Ed Fosmire, 562-439-2119 x336.
