CARISSA MARSH
A&E Editor
Not many college campuses can boast their very own cultural institutions, but Pepperdine students can because of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum. The museum’s intimate galleries present world-class artwork that rivals larger collections thanks to the Weisman Foundation.
“Photos and Phantasy: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation” is the new exhibit on display. The exhibit opened Sept. 16 and will be on view until Dec. 10.
Opened in September 1992, the museum is named after Frederick Weisman, who in the 1950s began collecting masterpieces of modern and contemporary American and European art. Long before Abstract Expressionism and Pop art became popular, Weisman added pieces from these movements to his impressive collection. In fact, his personal collection was so outstanding, that during Weisman’s lifetime, it was acclaimed as one of the most important private collections of modern art in the United States.
After Weisman’s death, the Foundation continued in his tradition of collecting work by both new and young artists.
Photography is the overarching theme of the new exhibit, though it is not always as simple as a single photograph. During the 20th century, photography became a more popular creative medium through which artists could alter and capture reality. Digital imagery added fuel to the fire and made photo-based art a dynamic way to manipulate the world around us, and photography was no longer seen as simply a documentary-style art.
Through a variety of techniques, artists have been able to inject their own attitudes and put their own spin on the world through photography, creating multiple meanings and interpretations that call for viewers to critically examine each piece.
According to Museum assistant Carol Kmiec, the variety of pieces in “Photos and Phantasy” highlights the diverse ways that fantasy and photographic technology influence contemporary art. The exhibit showcases more than 50 pieces featuring a range of media including photography, painting, sculpture and installations from the 1950s to the present.
“It’s very contemporary, very colorful,” said Kmiec, who is also the arts education coordinator for the Center for the Arts. “It really has appealed to the student population. We’ve had a great reaction.”
The exhibit showcases the works of many well-known artists, including John Baldessari, Richard Ehrlich, David Hockney, Joel Morrison, Robert Rauschenberg, Thomas Ruff, Annelies Strba, John Waters and others.
“Photos and Phantasy” was organized by the Foundation and curated by Billie Milam Weisman, director of the Foundation.
Though the artworks seem to differ greatly from one another, the common theme running in the exhibit is the use of photography and the artists’ perception of popular culture.
One of the first pieces that catches visitors’ eyes is Srdjan Loncar’s “Living Room,” which uses Styrofoam, photographs and pins to reconstruct the most used space in the American home. Loncar, who is known for sculpting everyday objects in a not-so-everyday way, created a life-size swivel chair, television set and puzzle-like abstract painting for his living room. Such detail as a cord hanging down to the ground from the back of the TV, as well as the type of photographic images used, makes Loncar’s work of everyday objects interesting to look at and analyze.
Melanie Pullen’s “Blue Water Series,” which happens to be the artwork featured on the exhibit’s outdoor banner, has an interesting quality that is described as “near death.” The dark blue image offers just enough light for the viewer to glimpse a woman submerged in water, who looks to be drowning and graceful at the same time.
Pullen’s “crime scene” theme is also featured in “Dorothy,” which draws on film culture by showing legs wearing ruby red slippers sticking out from beneath a barrel lying in a bright green meadow. Pullen’s work humorously combines the death of the Wicked Witch and Dorothy’s red shoes from the movie classic, “The Wizard of Oz.”
Many of the artists employ unlikely materials in their work. New Orleans artist Blake Boyd used automotive paint in “Super Girl 2” to create a shiny finish. His portraiture of the superwoman is in the neo-Pop style, which harkens back to the work of Andy Warhol.
Greg Miller used mixed media, including aged paper, oil and resin, photographic images and layers of paint to create his comic-book inspired “Spiderman” piece. Miller coated the entire surface of his work with a thick layer of surfboard resin, connecting the piece with pop culture.
Joe Goode’s work features a milk bottle motif. One piece called “Sky and Milk Bottle Diptych” compares a man-made glass milk bottle to an expansive upward view of the sky, the sun shining through the clouds.
Two of Jane Gottlieb’s hand-painted cibachrome prints are also on display. “Table” features a small circular table placed within a draped balcony overlooking the ocean. The romantic sunset hues fill the work and all the objects, including the table, take on a surreal glow. The same technique is applied in her accompanying work, “Chair Dreamscape.”
A photo-collage by British pop art painter David Hockney is also on display. Much like his “Pearblossom Highway,” Hockney’s “Metropolitan Opera House, New York, December 14, 1982” features dozens of separate photos of the venue taken from different angles and vantage points. Much as we see our own world, viewers see the separate images and can then piece together a whole composite image and experience.
Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “Hitchhiker” may be the most initially surprising work of all. The piece features a silkscreen representation of the back of a hitchhiking man overlaid on a mirrored slab of steel. When a person steps in front of the work to get a better look, the viewer is suddenly and literally made a part of the “Hitchhiker,” if only through reflection. The piece most obviously brings art and the audience together.
Located next to Smothers Theatre on main campus, the Weisman is a small museum allowing for an intimate setting that does not intimidate or overwhelm visitors. Though small, it is home to three galleries: Gregg G. Juarez Gallery, West Gallery and Ron Wilson-Designer Gallery.
In the past, the Weisman has been home to Chihuly’s world-famous glass art but it also features local and emerging artists. Each spring there is a senior presentation that features the varied work of a group of graduating art students.
A unique aspect of the Weisman is that art is sometimes displayed in the nooks and crannies of the building — the stairway, a niche in the wall, or, like Raissa Venables’ “Hole in the Wall,” above the fire extinguisher by the elevator. Every space is used, which adds an element of surprise as visitors browse the museum.
With the museum located near the main campus thoroughfare, the Weisman offers an accessible place for students to clear their minds or expand their perspectives even during a short break from class.
“Students are welcome to come in with their books to study,” Kmiec said. “Or just soak in the artwork and the atmosphere.”
With all the stress of school, students deserve a bit of “phantasy.”
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the Weisman is free. For more information, visit pepperdine.edu/arts.
09-28-2006
