Pieces from “Environmental Reflections” are on display inside the Weisman Museum. The exhibit opened Sept. 1, and will remain open until Dec. 5. Photo by Dane Bruhahn
In-person art exhibits are back at The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine’s on campus art museum, as it presents the first art exhibit of the 2021-2022 season, titled “Environmental Reflections.”
“Environmental Reflections” is a collection of contemporary art pieces celebrating the beauty and power of nature which Billie Milam Weisman, director of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in LA, organized and curated. The exhibit opened at the Weisman Museum in Malibu on Sept. 1.
“’Environmental Reflections: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation’ exemplifies how we continually explore the natural world, from the depths of the oceans to the farthest reaches of space, calling to mind how early humans would trek through the landscape yearning for knowledge of the unknown,” according to the exhibit’s webpage. “Nature has the ability to reflect our humanity—there is beauty, destruction, depth, and vast expanses yet to be discovered.”
The pieces in this exhibit reference many different aspects of nature, representing its depth and diversity. Kelly Berg’s painting “Ring of Fire,” showcases a volcano erupting amid stormy seas, highlighting nature’s power and ability to transform.
Art by Kelly Berg
“Nature is constantly shifting and changing, sometimes in minuscule ways that are often overlooked, such as how the sky shifts with sunrise and sunset, or the way flowers and plants sway in the wind and rotate in the direction of the sunlight,” according to a press release from the Weisman Museum. “Then there are the grand changes due to natural and man-made disasters of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, droughts or the depletion of natural resources. This exhibition brings a broad spectrum of approaches that reflect a reverence for nature and its complexities.”
Junior Psychology major Ava Avolio recently attended “Environmental Reflections,” and said she connected with the theme of the exhibit, and that the staging of the pieces helped illustrate the exhibit’s message.
“Each room is subtly color-coordinated in a way that all the pieces work together to catch your eye and tell a story, while also being their own pieces,” Avolio said.
“Environmental Reflections” is the first in-person art experience at the Weisman since campus closed March 2020, and it follows last summer’s exhibit at the Weisman, titled “On Location in Malibu 2021,” a series of paintings highlighting the many scenes of Malibu. While this exhibit also focused on natural scenery, it was only open to the public online.
“After a long time apart, we are excited to once again host an in-person exhibition at the Weisman Museum,” said Rebecca Carson, managing director of the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. “We are grateful to Billie Weisman and the Weisman Foundation for their many years of partnership and for their support of the many artists whose work is showcased in this stunning exhibition.”
The exhibit is free to attend and open to the public until Dec. 5 but requires an advance ticket reservation, which can be made online. While “Environmental Reflections” is already open, there will be an Opening Reception on Oct. 3 at the Weisman Museum from 2 to 4 p.m. This reception will be free to attend, and tickets can be reserved online.
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