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Renee Odoi < Back The Fern Plant By Renee Odoi I sat there day in and day out Looking and observing quietly The wind, my dear friend Oh, how you moved me The sun, my first love Oh, how you warmed me I sat there each day I sat there, and you all still came The blackness is near And yet I shall not fear I sat there day in and day out. Waiting for my time Oh, those shadowy creatures Once my true enemy Why must you wait Why must to stay I sat there each day Yet you still came Ripping out the vibrant one Cowardly waiting for my end Yet I do not fear I sat there day in and day out My memories stay flashing back The life I have lived The life I once lived My time has come The fire approaches Yet I do not fear Three Two One Done My life is now done Previous Next

Edward Lee < Back Desertion By Edward Lee Darkness. I don’t know how I got here. I don’t want to be here. The first few months of my life. Easily the worst part of my life. No not easily, my whole life was bad. Very bad. From what I can remember, I was dehydrating most of the time in the soil. Only getting a load of water from the soil that seems to snatch the water away until it finally lets me have its leftovers. Those times were hard, but at the same time, it was a very short time. I remember when I first saw the light, the light that has fed me, made me beg for something to end me, crush me, and take me back into the soil, but I yearned for it when it disappeared beyond the mountains. I remember I continued to grow, my roots swirling and twisting the soil that took so much from me. But, as I grew taller to my mother’s carcass, her leaves started falling around like me like she was weeping. I then realized the emptiness that surrounded me, brown stretching as far as I can see, wrinkled and dead plants, just like me, lay periodically between the endless brown. I realized then, that the soil I hated so much, was just like me, laying in a world we knew so little about. Endless days and nights. But, life wasn’t always so endless. As I grew taller, I saw the endless brown in front of me change. Creatures. There they were so happy and energetic. They were very different from the big and small furry creatures. They seemed to love life. Something that I yearned for. As more time passed I saw more of these creatures and while I continued to wrinkle, worried about the text time the water would come and feed me, I saw those creatures become happier and happier. I wonder what was missing from my life that prevented me from feeling what they seem to be feeling. It's no matter. I can already feel some of my leaves falling, shrinking into a carcass like my mothers. Why do I even care? I am not sentient. I shouldn’t even have these feelings to begin with. But, Happiness. What a joyous looking thing. Previous Next

For sale collaborative literary works between the museum and artists. MOAH Publications SPACE A Collection of Essays and Images Curated by Shana Mabari and Andi Campognone An intimate meditation on an almost infinite subject, Space aims to explode an ordinary everyday word into a dazzling prism via an exploration of some of the many interpretations of the term. Artist Shana Mabari asked more than a dozen individuals from dramatically different walks of life—from an astronaut and a filmmaker to an art critic and a musician—what they think about when they think about space. Their answers, which alternate with exceptional work from contemporary Southern California artists selected by curator Andi Campognone, invigorate and inspire, and in turn become fodder for reflection upon our relationship to ourselves, to others, and to the universe at large. BUY NOW Melanie Pullen With essay by Shana Nys Dambrot Photographer Melanie Pullen collects old police blotters and forensic crime scene photos, organized in starkly poetic black and white archives whose narratives she often mines for inspiration in her own more colorful tableaux. “At one point I started to notice,” she says, “that, whether they were suicides or electric chair executions, women would dress up in their finest clothes in preparation for death.” Slips and new shoes, hats and jewels, suits or twin sets, lipstick and plucked eyebrows. Bruises, blood pools, snapped necks, burned fingers, broken legs. This book is available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Laura Hipke and Shane Guffogg Circle of Truth Exhibition catalog for the Circle of Truth traveling art exhibition. Curated by Laura Hipke & Shane Guffogg Foreword by: Randy Hipke Preface by: Paul Ruscha The Circle of Truth project is a visual game of Telephone, sometimes called a Rumor Game. 49 artists, including Ed Ruscha, Shane Guffogg, Billy Al Bengston, Lita Albuquerque, Jim Morphesis, Charles Arnoldi, Robert Williams, and Ruth Weisberg, created works especially for the Circle of Truth exhibition, in absolute secrecy over a period of nine years. The catalog dedicates a full spread to each of the 49 artists with color images of the art they received and responded to, the art they created, as well as an essay they wrote about their experience. The catalog provides a rare look at the thought processes and studio practices of these unique and private people. This book is available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. David Allan Peters Catalog A catalogue of artwork by David Allan Peters Curated by Andi Campognone Essay by Shana Nys Dambrot A lot is happening in the Effusive Paintings of Favid Allan Peters -- and a lot more than that has happened in them already. In many of these chromatically activated compositions, it's been happening for years. Applying paint to wood panels using every tool but a brush, Peters buils up an incomprehensible number of skin-think layers of bright acrylic pigment in a geological accumulation akin to sedimentary drifts, stalagmite deposits, or the rings of a growing tree. BUY NOW Sant Khalsa Prana: Life with Trees The subject of trees has been a focus in Sant Khalsa’s creative work for nearly five decades. Prana: Life with Trees is the first in depth survey of Khalsa’s intimate connection with trees – her explorations, observations, perceptions and interpretations. Her unique perspective is expressed through a style that encompasses the documentary, subjective and conceptual. Her work evokes a meditative calm to what we often experience as a chaotic and conflicted world. BUY NOW Coleen Sterritt It showcases her work over a forty year period and includes an interview with artist Rochelle Botello and essays by Cooper Johnson, Carole Ann Klonarides, and Sue Spaid. Sterritt’s hybrid sculpture evokes the interplay between nature, culture, and lived experience. Her source materials are pulled from everyday objects and elements. Plaster, tar, pinecones, fishing line, found furniture, and studio refuse are just some of the components she uses to construct and express her richly evocative formal language. Questioning the diverse possibilities of sculpture in both scale and form, her eccentric, abstract structures present strong polarities possessing a resonance at once familiar and obscure. BUY NOW Dave Pressler Idea to Object Covering Emmy Nominated Artist Dave Pressler's four distinct areas of expression--drawing, painting, sculpture, animation--Idea to Object is the companion book to the comprehensive exhibition at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History. With a forward by Artist Anthony Ausgang and essay by Shana Nys Dambrot. Hardcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Greg Rose 77 Trees Greg Rose has been documenting individual trees and the changes they undergo for the past eight years. It began while taking regular hiking trips through the San Gabriel Mountains. He started noticing the trees of this region were made rugged from enduring extreme weather conditions. Over time, he began regarding the trees by their individual characteristics and started to document them. First he maps, illustrates and photographs the trees, then he paints them. Softcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Memory and Identity: The Marvelous Art of Betye, Lezley, and Alison Saar Betye, Lezley and Alison Saar have created some of the most powerful, important and deeply moving art in our contemporary world. Their compelling works forge idiosyncratic constructions of social memory and personal identity, as well as the cultural histories underlying them. All three Saars assemble two- and three-dimensional works based on unexpected juxtapositions of form and content. They deploy the flotsam of material culture, from discarded architectural components (old windows, ceiling tiles, wall paper) to domestic detritus (washboards, buckets, shelves) to historic photographs and printed fabrics. With essays by Betty Ann Brown and Sola Saar. Hardcover. BUY NOW Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment The roots of Dark Progressivism run deep in Southern California, grown from seeds planted over a century ago. Here the sunlight hides shadowy dreams, and the hot Santa Ana winds blow away all pretense. Nourished by cement and asphalt, nurtured by flashes of streetlights and spotlights, Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment reveals a bold and modern transmutation through our region's influence on its artists, and the other artists' impact on the world. With essays by Rodrigo Ribera d'Ebre and Lisa Derek. Softcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Estate Italiana Catalog For Estate Italiana (Italian Summer), guest curator Cynthia Penna showcases six contemporary Italian artists as part of a cultural exchange between the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California, and Naples, Italy-based ART1307. Southern California has always had an enduring love for all things Italian. From food and wine, to architecture and automobiles, furniture, product and clothing design, and the expert skill and fine materials of timelessly cosmopolitan, jauntily chic Italian style. Italy, for its part, is equally fascinated by California. The passion for Old Hollywood, new surf culture and futuristic materials, such as plastics and resins that originated here, have influenced Italian visual culture in myriad aspects of modern living. All of these cultural signifiers are represented in one way or another by the six Italian artists featured in Estate Italiana--Max Coppeta, Nicola Evangelisti, Carlo Marcucci, Antonella Masetti Lucarella, Alex Pinna, and Carla Viparelli. Softcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Samantha Fields Ten years This book, a collaboration between Griffith Moon and Lancaster Museum of Art and History, will showcases Fields’ painting work, along with an essay by Eve Wood. In her work, Fields explores the experiential nature of light through painting – immersing the viewer in the ever-shifting mood of a specific time and place. Her subject matter includes landscapes consumed by disaster both natural and manmade. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, ArtWeek, Art in America, Artillery, Art ltd., The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hardcover BUY NOW Charles Hollis Jones Mr. Lucite Throughout the art world, Charles Hollis Jones is known as the “King of Lucite”, and for good reason—he has continued to redefine the use of acrylic in furniture for over fifty years. Words such as innovative, craftsmanship, luxury and transformation populate descriptions of Jones’ work, beloved by classic Hollywood icons such as Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra, in addition to several prominent architects, designers and collectors. This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Rebecca Campbell The Potato Eaters The Potato Eaters celebrates Rebecca Campbell’s 2016 exhibition at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History. Campbell’s new work examines aspects of familiar and cultural history, memory, documentation and nostalgia. The title is taken from Vincent van Gogh’s 1885 masterpiece that portrays Dutch peasants gathered at a meager meal. With essay by Betty Ann Brown. Hardcover BUY NOW Chie Hitotsuyama To Hear Your Footsteps A collaboration between Lancaster Museum of Art and History and MOAH:CEDAR and Japanese artist Chie Hitotsuyama, Griffith Moon introduces Chie Hitotsuyama: To Hear Your Footsteps is comprised of an introduction by Shana Nys Dambrot and Hitotsuyama’s animal sculptures and is made entirely from recycled newspaper. Hardcover BUY NOW Justin Bower Thresholds Born in San Francisco in 1975, Bower earned a degree in Studio Art and Philosophy from the University of Arizona in 1998 and a Master of Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University in 2010. The artist has won and been nominated for several grants and awards, among them The Feitelson Fellowship Grant (2010) and The Joan Mitchell award (2010). With essays by G. James Daichendt, Shana Nys Dambrot, Cooper Johnson and David Pagel. Hardcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250. Eric Johnson Legacy A 126 page monograph celebrating 30+ years of the acclaimed California artist Eric Johnson. Published in conjunction with Johnson's retrospective, Legacy, at the Lancaster Museum of Art & History (MOAH), in Lancaster, California. With essays by Jay Belloli and Jan Butterfield. Appreciations by Tony Delap, DeWain Valentine and Tom Jenkins. Hardcover BUY NOW Being Here and There Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at Lancaster Museum of Art & History (MOAH), Being Here and There features the work of 26 photographic artists exploring issues of "place" in Southern California. Curated by artist, educator and activist Sant Khalsa, the book and exhibition features works by Laurie Brown, Stephen Callis, Cristopher Cichocki, scott b davis, Lewis deSoto, John Divola, J. Bennett Fitts, Robbert Flick, Corina Gamma, Alexander Heilner, Steve King, Meg Madison, Tony Maher, Douglas McCulloh, Thomas McGovern, Catherine Opie, Naida Osline, Christopher Russell, Mark Ruwedel, Julie Shafer, Nicolas Shake, Kim Stringfellow, David Taylor, Andrew K. Thompson, Tom Turner, and Amir Zaki. With essay by Sant Khalsa. Softcover BUY NOW Gary Lang Circles and Words A retrospective catalog, published in conjunction with Gary Lang's exhibition Whim Wham at Lancaster Museum of Art & History (MOAH). Introduction by Andi Campognone, with essays by Donald Kuspit, Janet Koplos, and David Pagel, and appreciations by Eric Fischl and James Turrell. Hardcover. BUY NOW Ruth Pastine Attraction Ruth Pastine Attraction is published on occasion of her first survey exhibition: Attraction 1993-2013 at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH), in Lancaster, California. The 84-page color monograph comprehensively documents the work of renowned painter and internationally exhibiting artist Ruth Pastine, and catalogs Pastine’s paintings and pastel works on paper spanning the last two decades. With essays by Donald Kuspit and Peter Frank. Softcover BUY NOW Hats Off Sally Egan and Amy Bystedt In this series, Bystedt and Egan give reverence to icons of photography that have influenced and inspired them throughout the years, playing the role of both photographer and subject in these emulations. The attention to detail in these recognizable photos was just as significant as choosing which photographer and image to replicate. Hats Off is a salute in the highest form to those who have come before them, whose trail blazing in the arts have paved the way for some of the most progressive images in photography. Bystedt and Egan literally tip their hats to artists such as Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, John Baldasarri, Nan Goldin and more. Softcover This book is only available at MOAH, for more information and for purchasing please call (661) 723-6250.

Virtual Tours Structure On display at MOAH October 2 -December 26, 2021 Exhibitions include solo exhibitions from HK Zamani , Cinta Vidal , Jim Richard , Kimberly Brooks , Chelsea Dean , Mela M , Matjames Metson , Stevie Love , and a MOAH Collections highlight of Coleen Sterritt . Take the Tour Summer 2021 Exhibitions On display at MOAH June 5 - September 5, 2021 Exhibitions include solo exhibitions from Cudra Clover and David Koeth , The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center 75th Anniversary Exhibition , and a collaborative piece by Shelley Heffler Take the Tour Golden Hour: California Photography from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art On display at MOAH February 7 - May 9, 2021 In Golden Hour, over 70 artists and three photography collectives offer an aesthetic approach to understanding the complexities and histories of California. Take the Tour 35th Annual Juried Art Exhibition On display at MOAH:CEDAR May 23 - June 28, 2020 In this annual exhibition, artists of all ages and experience levels from around the Antelope Valley and the 5th Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County are welcomed to participate. Watch the Video Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center @ Prime Desert Woodland Preserve Tour created 2020 Visit the Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center and learn about the flora and fauna of the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve! Learn More about the Interpretive Center. Take the Tour

Valeria Munoz < Back The Alien By Valeria Munoz I watch the surrounding seeds Destined to blow away in the unsheltered wind Until their own flowers grow are called weeds Later a witness to upheaval, my senses became dimmed While roots my own grew the environment impedes Yet still I continue, repaying to my parent a debt The journey along the wind lead only to where most others concede The soil is dry, as my lip nearly bleeds Yet merely feet away, there is another, not a weed But the ice plant, tough, flowerless, and low. Although just as alien as I, they thrive all the same Maintaining healthy soil, survival, and happiness the aim. I learn from my surroundings, that nothing is permanent Changes are made whether of my volition or not, ignoring as she pleads The past is washed away only by choice, likewise to torment Some issues solve as naturally as time, so to cleanse the sky wept With a renewal of mind, I felt the first leaf spreads And flowers formerly of nutrients bereft Thus the cycle continues, the habitat succeeds But not all is allowed, of happiness there is theft And the seeds, bulbs of hope, benefit from my petals fatigues There is beauty in their death, old memories away kept As the new proceeds Although still alien, at adapting I am adept My roots are set, even as weeds Previously on my own worth I slept But with time the life I make is all the mind needs Previous Next

We’re excited to announce MOAH on the Move, a new program that continues to offer arts and community engagement to the Antelope Valley during the museum’s temporary closure. MOAH will be closed for renovations from August 21, 2022, through May 12, 2023. MOAH on the Move will host artist and community engagement events at different public parks once a month during the closure. View the event schedule below. Saturday, October 15, 2022 10AM - 2PM El Dorado Park 44501 North 5th Street East with artist Vojislav Radovanović Saturday, November 19, 2022 10AM - 2PM Tierra Bonita Park 44910 27th Street East with artist Dani Dodge Saturday, December 17, 2022 10AM - 2PM Deputy Pierre Bain Park 45045 North 5th Street East with artist Dani Dodge Sunday, January 15, 2023 12 - 4 PM Justice Sunday - The BLVD Lancaster Blvd with artists Lori Antoinette and Dani Dodge Saturday, February 18, 2023 10AM - 2PM Whit Carter Park 45635 Sierra Hwy with artist Nicelle Davis Saturday, March 18, 2023 10AM - 2PM Mariposa Park 45755 North Fig Avenue with artist Nicelle Davis Saturday, April 15, 2023 10AM - 2PM Forrest E. Hull Park 2850 West Avenue L-12 with artist Nicelle Davis

Spirit of Summer < Return to Exhibitions June 21 - August 31, 2014 Herbie Fletcher Path of a Wave Warrior: Selections From the Fletcher Collection Main Gallery & Lobby Atriums Art of Coop East Gallery Douglas McCulloh & Jacques Garnier: On the Beach Wells Fargo Gallery The Artists of the Film Mana South Gallery Allison Renshaw Education Gallery Vintage Pinball Machines: Selections from the Thumperdome Collection Vault Gallery John Van Hamersveld: Graphic Posters Vault Gallery Herbie Fletcher Wrecktangles COOP Challenger Douglas McCulloh & Jacques Garnier On the Beach The Artists of the Film MANA Allison Renshaw Untitled Thumperdome John Van Hamersveld The Endless Summer Path of A Wave Warrior: Selections from the Fletcher Collection MOAH is proud to present selected works from the Herbie and Dibi Fletcher Collection. Selections include Herbie Fletcher’s signature art work, vintage surfboards, photographs, and historic film footage. Herbie Fletcher is globally recognized as a surfing legend and a pioneering inventor who helped shape—literally and figuratively— the way surfing is practiced today. Herbie and Dibi’s story embodies the passion and determination of America’s trailblazing, entrepreneurial spirit: Herbie and Dibi Fletcher first met in Waianae, on Oahu’s west side during Dibi’s family’s annual trip to the Makaha Surf Contest in 1964. Her dad, Walter Hoffman, was a contest judge and her sister, Joyce, was competing on her road to the women's surfing world title. Herb was looking for his board which someone had given to Dibi’s sister to hang on to, as they were in the same surf club. It was a brief encounter that would change both of their lives. They saw each other frequently on the surf contest circuit that was filled with the colorful characters of the time and by the Makaha contest in '66, Herb was competing and filming with Greg MacGillivray who was making Free and Easy with his partner Jim Freeman. By 1969, Herb and Dibi called the house at Pupakea home. It was idyllic, no footprints on the beach, no TV, phones, radio, or newspapers, a tropical paradise. The first thing Herb did was build a shaping room in the back yard where he continued working on the downrail and mini gun that he and Mike Hynson had been perfecting in the winter of '67/'68 when they were first exploring the waves at Pipeline Rights, now known as Backdoor and Off The Wall. Herb could shape and glass a board in the afternoon and have it in the line-up by morning, allowing him almost instant feedback on his design ideas. Soon thereafter the Fletchers started the Islands first Clark Foam franchise and began to take part in a fantastic time of innovation in surfboard design and construction. Boards were getting lighter, and faster allowing the surfer to get farther back in the tube and still make it out alive. Gone were the days of the surf style from their father’s generation where the surfer took off and trimmed: standing in one place on the board out in front of the break. Now the goal was to get deep in the barrel, so the shapers were creating a new vocabulary in board design to keep up with the needs of the surfers who were pushing themselves and their equipment like never before. With the need to support a growing family the Fletchers decided to head back to the mainland. They opened the Herbie Surfboard Shop on Coast Hwy in Dana Point to reintroduce the longboard that had gone out of popularity with the advent of the new modern short board. Herb realized that the high performance boards that he had help popularize were keeping people on the mainland from enjoying the surfing that's available on the California coast. They started a campaign "The Thrill is Back" with his square nose, turned down rail, fast moving, nose riding flying machine, built for hot dogging, nose riding and drop knee turns. Having grown up in the generation of long boards and personally being part of the short board revolution Herb took the best from both and created light weight, highly manoeuvrable boards that the guy who worked behind a desk during the week could still go out on the weekends and have a blast instead of sitting on a short board in the line up like a buoy, unable to catch anything. Although successful, retail was something Herb found extremely difficult. He had a much more entrepreneurial/ inventor type mindset and the day to day was far better suited to someone else. He started experimenting with an elastomere that he was positive when applied to the tail of the surfboard would eliminate the use of wax and give more fin and rail control, something completely extraordinary. He thought it would not only revolutionize surfing, but boating, bath and shower bottoms and pool decks. He called it Astrodeck. Like all inventors, he was so passionate about the advantages, he was sure he had a Hit. He never thought that the surfers wouldn’t jump at the chance to experience a new, light weight, technically advanced way to have more control over the board. It was an interesting lesson in human nature to see how reluctant individuals are to change, but our sons Christian and Nathan became perfect test pilots for Herb’s fertile imagination. Herb had been experimenting with video as a promotion for Astrodeck and with film left over, the idea of capturing the most awesome surf with the greatest contemporary surfers all riding his product was irresistible. He was back to Oahu’s north shore with secure access to the Pipeline and the most select group of fearless tube riders that the Pipeline was becoming known for. Over the course of the next eight years Herb made 5 videos in the Wave Warrior series that took the viewer deep into the tube at Pipeline, screaming down the face at gigantic Sunset, blasting into the air on a Jet Ski over mountains of water out a Second Reef Pipe and speeding down the line at Maaleaa, sailboarders doing aerial 360’s on Maui, surfers, watermen, pushing the boundaries like never before. These videos showcased the who’s who of Rad, and documented the progress of modern surfing, that started with their father’s generation trimming, to the generation of surfers who got so deep in the barrel and at the last moment spit out with amazing speed, to the abstract expressionists who took surfing into the air. Dibi and Herb’s son, Christian Fletcher lead the aerial assault and caused quite a stir in the mainstream surfing establishment that Herb documented with relish. With more than 60 video titles capturing forever the history of surf that today has finally seen the coming of age of a style that seemed blasphemous a few decades earlier. Surfing has come a long way and seen the awe inspiring big wave adventures of a few complete madmen, our son Nathan included riding 60’ tubes over razor sharp reefs in a couple of feet of water with photographers in tow capturing every breath taking moment, it all has a feeling of déjà vu as the dreams we had a youngsters in the early years in Hawaii are now a reality. During the years Herb was most actively filming, he was also shooting stills of the greatest surfers and has hundreds of thousands of images that he’s used in a variety of ways to tell his story of a surf life, from huge blow ups in his collaboration with Julian Schnabel to photo collages that seem like a short movie themselves in their ability to capture the imagination and allow the viewer a glimpse into a rarefied behind the scene atmosphere of life lived on the edge. As a surfboard shaper/glasser that depended on design to be able to manoeuvre in the most critical circumstances it seemed perfectly natural to use the board itself to create art as an extension of his life and passion. It’s been a honour to have the young surf greats of today saving boards they broke at the Pipeline to be part of the Wrecktangle series. It’s been a fantastic journey and the show “Path of a Wave Warrior” pays tribute to Herb’s love affair with a lifestyle that has given them so much. The Art of COOP: Surfers Cross I and II Los Angeles Based artist COOP (Christopher Cooper) is among a group of second generation pop surrealists working at the intersection of illustration and fine art with a focus on the hot rod, rock and roll, punk rock and the comic books associated with a “delinquent youth” counter-culture. Working continuously since age 16, COOP started creating band posters, concert fliers and 45 record sleeves. COOP was influenced by the renowned first generation Lowbrow artist “Big Daddy Roth”, the California hot-rod builder and the work of pioneering painter/illustrator Robert Williams, co-creator of Juxtapoz magazine; Williams impressed upon COOP the need to bridge the gap between commercial art, highly skilled representational painting and fine art. Moving to Los Angeles from Oklahoma in 1988, COOP put these influences into action creating graphics for the record industry. He subsequently held a studio at the Brewery in downtown LA which allowed him the space to move from small scale music industry posters and cover art to large scale paintings. His 2003 large format 6’ paintings earned him a reputation and he continues to work large format today, as shown here with Surfers Cross (I & II) 2014. This 144” x 72” acrylic & enamel on canvas diptych represents the cooption of war symbols and imagery by the surf culture. COOP notes his alliance to 1960s youth culture and the underlying thrust of Surfers Cross (I & II): “I’m not a surfer. My experience of surf culture comes at a slight remove. I’ve long been obsessed with all the aspects of 60s youth culture (mind you, I’m not talking about hippies, but the real 60s youth culture - hot rods, rock & roll and surfing).” The surfer’s cross is a commercialized version of an Iron Cross, the Prussian military decoration first designed by Karl Freidrich Schinkel for King Frederick William III, after the defeat of Napoleon in Russia in 1813. The symbol was used by the Prussian, and later German armed forces through World War II, and to the present day. In the USA, post-WWII, the Iron Cross became popular as a symbol of nonconformity, worn by surfers, bikers, and hot rodders. In the beginning, these Iron Crosses were the real thing, war trophies brought home by American G.I.s after the war, but soon enough, smart operators like Ed “Big Daddy” Roth began to market newly-made medallions, decals, t-shirts and other items featuring the military decoration. The surfer’s cross depicted is one of these, a cheap knockoff made to cash in on the surfing “craze”. –COOP, 2014 Doug McCulloh & Jacques Garnier: Photographs from On the Beach The real life characters photographed for On The Beach reveal the rich diversity and color of the beach as a social and cultural pageant. California’s beaches are a magnet, not only for the local population, but for the millions who visit California each year. This exhibition features images made over 2 years on California’s beaches, combined with a companion series made on the beaches of Florida. The show rises from a powerfully straightforward idea - go to the beach and capture a chance sample of beachgoers. "The ocean's edge is a place of freedom and desire, a place to stare and to strut, to see and to be seen. Beaches are half display, half voyeurism. This is the precise terrain of photography- one side posing, the other looking. Cameras belong on the beach." —Jacques Garnier and Douglas McCulloh Curator's Statement: The Artists of the Film Mana In 2012, while working on another project with Eric Minh Swenson, artist Alex Couwenberg proposed a documentary film idea on process and passion, specifically the passion associated with surfing and its relationship with creativity. As a curator focused on Southern California, I found this intriguing. Surfing’s connection with the history of materials in Los Angeles had been well-established, but the process had not really been discussed. A call to the art-making community went out and the response was overwhelming. I had no idea that so many serious artists were surfers. After speaking with dozens of artists, the direction became apparent: all revered the power, beauty and complexity of the ocean, and the physical nature of their interaction with it, both in the water and out. Based on their contributions as modern day pioneers of the Southern California art world and their availability to travel as a group to Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing, 10 artists were chosen to represent a section of the Southern California contingent. Several of the artists were born and/or raised in Hawaii and have family histories there. The film comprises artist interviews in their Los Angeles studios, as well as footage of them working, surfing and living on location in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. While in Kailua-Kona, the artists participated in a panel lecture at Holualoa Art Foundation’s Donkey Mill Art Center and an exhibition of their work at MELD Gallery. The documentary was shaped by the directorial vision of Los Angeles-based filmmaker Eric Minh Swenson, who has produced over 500 films featuring major LA artists, curators and collectors. Footage by celebrated cinematographers Marcel Morin and Sarah Mueller of Vitae Sessions coupled with beautiful water images from MANA artist Ken Pagliaro compliment Swenson’s aesthetic sensibility. Our team crafted a feature length film focusing on the brotherhood of a group of artists selected for their artistic contributions in the Southern California art world, each working on their own terms within the Light and Space, Finish Fetish, Design and Assemblage movements that have come to shape and define the Los Angeles art scene. As divergent as each artist’s work is in comparison, they all share a common thread in their process and vision and are constantly driven by the influences and forces of family, friendships, “stoke,” aloha and the common bond of the unseen mana (power) of the land and sea. Their interactions and conversations with each other and the environment are the focus of the visual narrative. The film MANA, which debuted in Hawaii at the Kona Surf Film Festival to a standing-room-only crowd in 2014, became the impetus for the Museum of Art & History’s exhibition, The Artists of the Film MANA, which opened to record museum visitors in the summer of 2014. I am extremely proud to present this incarnation of the original Museum exhibition here in Naples, Italy. I would like to thank Cinthia and Renato Penna for their support and facilitation, all of the artists for their willingness to participate, and especially Eric Minh Swenson for telling the story. Allison Renshaw Encinitas-based artist Allison Renshaw employs fragmentation as a means to offer multiple perspectives, discordant vocabularies and malleable visual boundaries spanning both her large scale and more intimate sized paintings. Renshaw’s explosive imagery is informed by particles of our urban landscape and culture found in everyday life. Fashion, modern architecture, surf culture, and the natural environment combine and collide. Through her active, frenzied surfaces, Renshaw creates a textured universe that is seemingly random and difficult to decipher. This chaotic quality becomes an apt visualization of today’s open-source culture of sampling and recycling. Lines between the organic and human-made become blurred and a larger narrative is evoked through a banal fragment. Renshaw notes she is “interested in how memories occur and connect a life of partial meanings…fragments acknowledge interpretive ambiguities and open the work to sequences of spatial and temporal lapses. Memory and fantasy synthesize and unravel like a half-remembered dream.” This distinctive approach to the painted surface situates Renshaw’s work at the crossroads of multiple art historical periods including Pop Art, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Collage. An avid surfer, Renshaw was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and a Master of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2013, she was included in the Cannon Art Gallery’s Invitational and Biennial exhibitions. Other recent exhibitions include Helmuth Projects in San Diego; The Mirus Gallery in San Francisco; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Oceanside Museum of Art. She is Associate Faculty at Mira Costa College, Oceanside, California. Vintage Pinball: Selections from the Thumperdome Collection The goal of Thumperdome is to preserve the history, technology, artwork and culture of pinball in America and promote pinball to future generations. Thumperdome houses one of the largest, and most diverse private collections of pinball machines in the nation. The ever-rotating collection traverses the development of pinball machines from the early bagatelle-like games of the 1930s, to the introduction of pinball flippers in the 1940s, through the captivating and vibrant artwork from the 1950s, and 1960s pinball game themes which reflect the change in youth culture and current events. The 1970s solid-state games progressed alongside the computer age, culminating with the 1980s and 90s when the threat of video games finally toppled pinball from the hearts of American fun-seekers. This collection shares the beauty of the machines and the challenge of the games to entertain, educate and captivate a new generation. These vintage machines take people back to a time when a pocketfull of quarters meant hours of summer fun spent on one’s favorite games with best friends. The games here in the Vault Gallery represent each of the 3 major pinball manufacturers of the era: Gottlieb, Williams and Bally. These were chosen for their connection to surfing, summer and pop culture. Thumperdome is the name given to the historic pinball collection of Amanda Cole and Art Perez in Pasadena, CA. Both grew up in awe of the silver ball, saving up their quarters to drop in to the nearest pinball machine. A chance find of a decaying Evel Knievel pinball machine gave Art the opportunity to restore his favorite childhood machine and start the collection that would grow into Thumperdome. Amanda works in technology and Art and is an artist/photographer with a background in engineering. Together, their combined interests and expertise are utilized to restore and rejuvenate machines which they have collected throughout the Country. John Van Hamersveld: Graphic Posters Renowned graphic designer and illustrator, John Van Hamersveld’s quest for connecting image or symbol through an abstraction of reality reinforces the emotional connection we make with his images and captures his metaphor of modern life. He uses the language of graphic design to communicate through visual representations of type, space, symbol, and image. The essence of graphic design is to give order to information, form to ideas, and expression and feeling to artifacts that document our human experience from as far back as the middle-ages. John Van Hamersveld combines these graphic design tools with bold color choices, often psychedelic images, and culturally significant events to create his iconic one of kind poster art. This 50 year celebration of John Van Hamersveld’s Iconic poster The Endless Summer will be bringing a pop of culture and color to the Museum’s main gallery. John Van Hamersveld’s work is known for its brightly colored hues, bold lines and commentary on the culturally dominant ideas of the sixties all the way up to current times. Looking at his posters we can see his relationship with color and the different styles and influences that impacted him and his work, from his education at Art Center College of Design and Chouinard Art Institute, to his work with Surfer magazine, and the influence of peers such as Aubrey Beardsley, Alphonse Mucha, and Rick Griffin. His posters are part of the defining moments of Pop Culture which is seen as a reaction to and an expansion of Abstract Expressionism. MOAH will be displaying John Van Hamersveld’s art, which range from the iconic 1964 The Endless Summer movie poster to the 2005 Cream Reunion poster in the Main Gallery. The display will consist of his eighty five posters of Pop Art from the last fifty years. At the center of the room is the core of his work, created as a student and as a professional, each poster representing an experiment with technique, color, and culture. The Endless Summe r movie and poster gave birth to the Southern California surf culture which promised un-crowded beaches, new friends, and the perfect wave. It introduced a new “sport” and defined the style for the surf culture leaving behind a legacy of fashion, music, literature, and popular terms including surf’s up, hang ten, dude, gnarly, and stoked. John Van Hamersveld’s created image being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant, having been created in Dana Point, a pioneering surf spot, it impacted the local coastal communities of Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu. The composition of his Endless Summer poster, the placement of the surfers and the single color tone and hard edge of each image, explore the psychedelic and spiritual side of the surfing culture as well as bridging the gap between locals and visitors. Fletcher Collection Mana Renshaw Thumperdome Collection On the Beach Coop Hamersveld View or Download the Spirit of Summer Exhibition Catalog by clicking on the cover image or here.

< Back to ACTIVATION 1/18 Mark Steven Greenfield A Survey, 2001-2021 January 22 - April 17, 2022 Mark Steven Greenfield is a native Angeleno. Born into a military family, he spent his early years in Taiwan and Germany, returning to Los Angeles at the age of 10. Entering into an American adolescence after being abroad gave Greenfield a unique look at the negative stereotyping of African Americans like himself, sparking his interest in the complexities of the Black experience both historically and in contemporary society. Greenfield’s creative process is based on research that delves into topics of Black genealogy, heritage, and cultural representation. His artwork is anchored in aspects of Black history that have been buried, forgotten, or omitted. Mark Steven Greenfield studied at what is now the Otis College of Art and Design and went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Education from California State University, Long Beach in 1973. To support his artistic practice, he held various positions as a visual display artist, park director, graphic design instructor, and police sketch artist before returning to school to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from California State University, Los Angeles in 1987. Since then, Greenfield has been a significant figure in the Los Angeles arts scene, serving as arts administrator for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, director of the Watts Towers Arts Center and the Towers of Simon Rodia, director of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, and as a board member for the Downtown Arts Development Association, the Korean Museum, and The Armory Center for the Arts — to name a few. Greenfield has been teaching painting and design courses at Los Angeles City College since 1997. Previous Next

< Back to ACTIVATION 1/4 Sergio Hernandez Chicano Time Capsule, Nelli Quitoani January 22 - April 17, 2022 For forty years, the late Chicano artist and cartoonist Sergio Hernandez has echoed important cultural topics and socio-political issues of the Chicano community. Early on, Hernandez began working for “Con Safos Magazine”, the first Chicano literary magazine. Upon being recruited by “Con Safos” member and artist Tony Gomez, Hernandez began to align his practice with themes related to the emerging Chicano Movement or “El Movimiento”. The Chicano Movement was and still is geared toward advocating for “social and political empowerment through “chicanismo”, the idea of taking pride in one’s Mexican-American heritage, or cultural nationalism.” Across painting, cartoons, and murals, Hernandez satires socio-political happenings and provides an intimate perspective of the Chicano community. Influenced by Chicano culture, iconography, and artists alike, Hernandez’s work became a beacon calling for action and attention to the harsh realities faced by the Chicano community. The artworks in this exhibition are a small yet compelling collection of Hernandez’s contribution to the Chicano art and power movements. The panel of comic strips on display belong to the “Arnie and Porfi” comic series. Struggling with the duality of his identity as a Mexican- American, Hernandez often battled with his internal desire to adhere to conservative family-views and his newly found chicanismo. Hernandez expressed this conflict through satire and comedic relief through the Arnie and Porfi comics, visualizing the dystopian world. In other words, through art and humor Hernandez exposes the political oddities and disproportionate disparity experienced by Mexican- Americans. Sergio Hernandez (1948-2021) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California in the South Central area known as the Florence/Firestone District. He received his Bachelor Degree in Chicano Studies from San Fernando Valley State College, which is now known as the California State University, Northridge. Previous Next

Experiences Hotels & Restaurants N ear MOAH Marriott Residence Inn Settle in at Residence Inn Lancaster, our extended-stay hotel located two miles from downtown. Built on a mixed-use space, the brand-new hotel places you near upscale apartments, trendy restaurants and bars, and of course, MOAH. (Click the link below to book, at a discounted rate.) Learn More Best Western PLUS Desert Poppy Inn Settle in at Best Western Desert Poppy Inn Lancaster, our hotel located two miles from downtown. The hotel offers c omplimentary daily breakfast buffet, an open b ar in evenings (Mon-Fr i, 5 PM-9 PM), h igh speed internet access, m ini refrigerators and microwaves in each room, an o nsite business center, a f itness center, a Sundry shop, and an o utdoor pool and spa. (Click the link below to book, at a discounted rate.) Learn More Destination Lancaster Destination Lancaster is the official tourism bureau and destination marketing organization for the Antelope Valley. They help promote local attractions, special events and unique experiences found throughout the AV. Visit their site to help plan your night out in Lancaster. Learn more Don Sal's Delicious Mexican food prepared with love. This restaurant is a family and community favorite and we believe one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Antelope Valley (Yelp agrees). Learn More > Things To Do Near MOAH Sassy Bird Specializing in Nashville-Style hot chicken, Sassy Bird is a Lancaster staple. Enjoy a Sassy Sando or one of their delicious sides. Learn More > Modern Tea Room "A modern take on an ancient beverage." Modern Tea Room offers a wonderful assortment of hand-crafted and artisanal teas and cafe-style sandwiches. Something for everybody. Learn More > Lucky Luke Brewery Lucky Luke's focuses on the art of quality craft beer and the great people brought together by it. They brew their beers with a passion for every element and process that brings these hand-crafted beers to your palette. Learn More > Bravery Brewing Founded in 2011, Bravery Brewing is a micro-brewery that crafts adventurous, memorable, and delicious beers for their community. Learn More > Complexity Wine Complexity Wine has let their love of wine and quality ingredients lead them down a ten year journey into learning and enjoying everything wine has to offer. Learn More > Olive's Cafe Olives Mediterranean Café makes customers’ satisfaction a priority in our daily cooking, serving, and catering needs. Dine in, take out, or have it catered straight to your home or office. Learn More > FloraDonna's Cakery In 2018, FloraDonna's opened up their very own shop on Lancaster Blvd. They provide wonderful baked goods for their customers. Learn More > Caramel Pastries Establishes in 2006, Caramel Pastries provides a wonderful selection of hand-made baked goods and sweets. Learn More >

The goal of Wasteland is to teach—through hands-on art making—as many students and community members as possible about the environmental, social, aesthetic and economic impacts of illegal dumping on our High Desert ecosystem. To date the Wasteland collaboration has yielded a series of more than 70 large and small-scale flower sculptures made entirely from trash collected by Eastside High School students at illegal dump sites in the Antelope Valley. The project has involved more than 600 visual and performing arts students, many who came to the project with little or no sculpture making experience. The students have gained a great sense of achievement by honing creative problem solving skills throughout the project. This project meets and exceeds state core curriculum standards in Performing Arts, Health, Mathematics, Science and Government, as well as national museum accreditation standards. Wasteland is the first project of the Green MOAH Initiative. The Initiative is the Museum’s public engagement program that utilizes art and environmental education as a creative catalyst for living greener, more sustainable lives. Museum staff developed the initiative to expand the Museum’s hands-on arts education programming and to fill the need for multidisciplinary arts education in the Antelope Valley. Green MOAH was inspired by the City of Lancaster’s Net-Zero Power policy which has the goal of converting to 100% renewable energy sources by the year 2020. With the success of Wasteland, future Green MOAH projects will include wind energy, solar energy, water resources and sustainable design. The Wasteland project was selected for funding by a panel from the Antelope Valley Illegal Dumping Task Force (AVIDTF), and made possible by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. In the spirit of building community partnerships, AVIDTF brought together many people from numerous institutions to fund the project. Many thanks to Christine Borzaga, Assistant Deputy to Supervisor Antonovich and AVIDTF co-chair, Doug Burgis, AVIDTF co-chair and all respective members for their commitment to the project and for working to eliminate illegal dumping in the Valley. In 2014 support staff, volunteers along with 55 high school students were honored in Council Chambers by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for raising the bar in arts and environmental education. They were awarded special commendations from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for their Dedicated Service to the Affairs of the Community. “The Wasteland team designed and implemented a model for success that has set the precedent for future projects by actively and creatively combating illegal dumping in our neighborhoods,” said Supervisor Antonovich. “They definitely earned this recognition." Show More Project Photo Documentation Provided By : Edwin R. Vasquez

Om Baboolall < Back Taking It All In By Om Baboolall From the day I can first sprout, I knew it was gonna be an interesting one. I can still see the remains of my ancestors all around me. Well, the ones they forgot to pick up. These new guys were always the lazy type. When the little one used the pool as a beach, her little plastic shovel remains to be found in her secret spot behind the slide. She used to barely step over the rock to get to her secret place, but now it's just like any other rock, nothing special. The boy was always big enough to step over the rocks, but now he's climbing to the top like it was never an issue. Sometimes I see him in the backyard late at night huffing and puffing when the rest of the house is asleep. I was there when the little girl snuck in some boy, laid down, and watched the stars till the sun came up. I hope she realizes he's texting "zoe" and not just scrolling Instagram. He sprinted out of there when he realized someone was awake in the house. I was in anguish when the little girl almost got caught; she doesn't deserve it. I hardly ever see the people who paid for the house. I overheard their conversations and that they're too busy to go in the pool or go in the backyard, or go on the swing and sit around the fire, or reminisce about the old apartment while sipping their drinks. I know these people won't be here for long. You always get that feeling about the owners when they first move in. Are they here for a long time or just because the brochure looked nice? These guys are just like the rest of them. I can't complain. I get watered every now and then. I mean, I'm next to the peppy rose bushes. I get whatever they don't drink. I wonder what the subsequent owners are going to be like. Are they gonna spend their nights hard at work or get drunk and throw up over by daffodils? Even better, maybe these new owners will fight back if the next-door neighbors try to bully them. The last time that happened, the cops were called. I hope that we can have an owner who cares about the house more than the rest of these mediocre families one day. Word gets out quick around here. Someone heard the front yard talking about getting a new pond. That's one thing nice these guys have decided to do. Who knows, maybe they can fix up the one back here too. Perhaps by then, my time will come. Maybe by then, I can have an owner that waters me first instead of just getting runoff. Until that time comes, I'll just be waiting here with nothing to do but take it all in. Previous Next