LBMA Downtown
Carl Aldana
September 15 – October 22, 2023
Born in Guatemala City, Carl Aldana (b. 1938, d. 2019) spent his early childhood surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and volcanoes, and regarded the Guatemalan highland weavings as an influence in his painting. Aldana described his childhood memories of “that Technicolored Central American Country” and the abundance of multicolored regional and traditional costumes that have influenced his palette throughout his career.
Long Beach was Aldana’s home and muse for many years. His painting of the historic Villa Riviera on Ocean Boulevard was featured on the City of Long Beach’s Centennial Poster. His paintings of Long Beach were included in California Cityscapes organized by the San Diego Art Museum in 1991. Often, he painted the same subject from varying viewpoints over the course of many years capturing the history of a particular building or site. On nearly daily excursions, Aldana sketched and painted Long Beach’s neighborhoods and views capturing both the changes in the cityscape and particular moments in time: sunsets, sunrises, and even the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet.
Image: Carl Aldana, Breakers Hotel Sunset, 1988, Oil on canvas, 40 x 52 inches, Aldana Family Collection
Virginia Katz: Transitory Nature
April 15 – July 23, 2023
LBMA Juried Photography Exhibition
December 10, 2022 – March 5, 2023
Posed with the question, “How do you define an alternate reality within the medium of photography?”, artists from across Southern California were encouraged to examine the multitude of narratives apparent in any given photograph. The Museum extends a warm thank you to the jurors, Deanna Templeton and Robert von Sternberg, each dedicated to the medium of photography, and highly esteemed in their individual practices.
Artists:
Allison Anderson, Ricardo Asthenia, Matthew Brabant, Ray Bravo, Louise Buckley, Mykeko Carmona, Dillon Chang, Stephen Childs, Zachariah Corbin, Rachel Deruyter, Ailene deVries, Roland Escalona, Daniel Gonçalves, Noah Gottesman, Andrés Hernández, Louis Jacinto, DeAnn Jennings, Kovi Konowiecki, Volha Krayeva, Taylor Lacayo, Chris Lagares, Immanuel Leka, Toria Maldonado, Ashley Moore, David Palmer, Amit Pandey, Ashley M. Ratcliff, Joshua Rayburn, Zachary Ruddell, Kevin Saenz, Rana Salloom, Linnea Stephan, Jaymee Sumpter, Tasman Thorsness, Joseph Van Hooten, Drew Vaughn, Todd Weaver, and Michael Wells.
Points of Intersection
August 6 – November 5, 2022
Brimming to the rafters, Points of Intersection by Serbian-American artist Daniela Soberman references the architecture of her family’s first home in former Yugoslavia. Home in this context, is a place of impermanence; a temporary dwelling familiar only because of the people who share in its assemblage. Made of contoured interlocking panels that jut hard edges from the connecting axes, the site-specific installation bears a tremendous presence. Soberman has long been interested in the idea of façades; much of her work appears one way, but is inherently the opposite. This installation is no exception. Despite its monumental scale, the artist’s edifice is light as a feather. The scale, the fragility, and the nature of its construction determined by the hands who came together to build it, speak in equal parts to the constraints we place upon the ‘worlds’ we create. This cobbling together of disparate pieces, reveals an inextricable human spirit.
Out of Step / Out of Line
June 26 – July 3
In the tattoo studio, artists are called to perform; clients request their hand to illustrate a pre-conceived idea, approved and transferred from carbon paper to skin. In their studio practice comes the freedom to move out of line, to work without expectation, and explore different mediums and subject matters. Co-curated with San Pedro-based artist Nathan Kostechko, this exhibition examines the latter— artists who navigate a fine line between an external perception of their work via tattooing, and their own interests, backgrounds, and cultural heritage that inform a wider practice. Many of these artists have helped pave the way for others with multi-faceted creative work in today’s contemporary culture.
Participating artists: Daniel Albrigo, Emma Bagley, Shawn Barber, Shay Bredimus, Bryan Burk, Scott Campbell, Danie Cansino, Matt Carignan, Aron Dubois, Gianni Gigliotti, Don Ed Hardy, Mat Hurtado, Coulter Jacobs, Jesse Jaramillo, Nathan Kostechko, Chris Martin, Matt McCormick, Mister Cartoon, Shizu Saldamando, Tamara Santibañez, Cheyenne Sawyer, Zac Scheinbaum, Derrick Snodgrass, and Carlos Torres.
1962-1972: Southern California Exhibitions
Extended through March 20, 2022
In 1952, the Long Beach Museum of Art—then Municipal Art Center, introduced the Purchase Award. The annual juried exhibition invited California artists practicing between the Mexico border and Santa Barbara to submit a painting or sculpture of any size, depicting any subject—the only requirement being it was completed within the previous two years. Each year, at least one juried artwork was purchased by the Museum, and subsequently accessioned into the Permanent Collection.
1962-1972: Southern California Exhibitions, on view in the Josephine Molina Gallery focuses on the works exhibited and acquired during this decade, under the leadership of then Director Jason Wong. The Purchase Award tells a rich history of supporting, exhibiting, and collecting the artists of our time in every decade. Works by artists including Melvin Edwards, Tony Berlant, and Phyllis Davidson offer a distinct window into the social, cultural, and political ideas during this era.
Tristan Eaton: Permanent Collection
July 16 – October 31, 2021
Tristan Eaton showcases two exhibitions at LBMA Downtown in conjunction with All At Once at LBMA. A selection of the artist’s work from the LBMA Permanent Collection includes a floor to ceiling mural made with Nychos during Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape.
Space as Presence
Extended through June 27, 2021
Space as Presence at LBMA Downtown features large-scale installations from Southern California artists Christine Nguyen, Elyse Pignolet and Fran Siegel whose works mold to, and evolve with their surroundings. This malleability forms from a tiling process used by each artist; their “canvas” has no limitation, and the works as a result grow until they feel complete, changing to the shape of their environment. Nguyen, Pignolet and Siegel each navigate the intersections of material, narrative and space.
LOCATION
356 E 3rd St.
90802
HOURS
Thursday – Sunday: 11am – 4pm
FREE ADMISSION
No reservation required
Free parking is available in the parking lot behind the gallery on Elm Street. Additional metered parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood.
356 E 3rd Street
Long Beach, CA
90802
(562) 317-7300
Visitor Services
In 2019, the Long Beach Museum of Art and Art Exchange merged to form LBMA Downtown, a dynamic art campus in the heart of the East Village Arts District. “It’s the perfect marriage for the Museum…” – Executive Director, Ronald C. Nelson. Read more.
LBMA Downtown is home to five artist studios. Local artists are on-site daily working with mediums ranging woodworking to fine art painting and glass. Artists and respective contact information can be viewed here.
