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Tours Arts for Youth Tours Tailored especially for school-aged audiences, the Arts for Youth tour is a guided overview of the current exhibition(s) at MOAH or MOAH:CEDAR. A free art activity is available upon request. $3/student, group leaders and chaperones are free. Please book at least 3 weeks in advance. REGISTER NOW Visual Language Tours Lancaster Museum of Art & History offers a Visual Language Tour for each exhibition at MOAH’s main location. Visual Language Tours are led by a MOAH guide, who is accompanied by a certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Please register in advance on Eventbrite. Space is limited to 20 participants. For more information, contact Heber Rodriguez (Coordinator) at hrodriguez@cityoflancasterca.gov or call (661) 723-5961. Alzheimer's Association Virtual Tours Lancaster Museum of Art & History partners with the Alzheimer's Association Southern California Chapter to create a two-part virtual tour for each exhibition on view at MOAH's main location. Each tour is one hour and touches on a variety of exhibited artworks, artistic processes, and artist perspectives for participants experiencing the early stages of dementia. Please visit https://www.alz.org/socal to register for this two-part program. Adult Tours Designed for participants ages 18+, the adult tour gives guests an in-depth look at the exhibition(s) currently on view at MOAH's main location, MOAH:CEDAR, and the Western Hotel Museum. Tours are $3 per person, groups of more than 18 people will be broken into smaller tour groups. Please book tours 3 weeks in advance. REGISTER NOW Giras en Español El Museo de Arte e Historia de Lancaster ofrece recorridos en español cada segundo viernes del mes durante las fechas de exhibición en la ubicación principal de MOAH. Los recorridos comienzan a las 5:00 y duran entre 30 y 40 minutos. Regístrese con anticipación: el espacio está limitado a 20 participantes. Para más información, comuníquese con Heber Rodríguez (Coordinador) al correo electrónico hrodriguez@cityoflancasterca.gov o llame al (661) 723-5961.

Upcoming Events & Engagement PST ART COMMUNITY HUB About Desert Forest Three organizations—LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, LA Commons, and the Lancaster Museum of Art and History—have joined Getty as Community Hubs for Art & Science Collide . Helping to bring the initiative to people where they live, the Hubs engage nearby grassroots organizations, public agencies, STEAM educators, and young creatives to develop and present their own programs on the Art & Science Collide themes. Offerings will range from art workshops to habitat restoration projects. RSVP links will be updated regularly. Please click here for our Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees Community Hub Eventbrite Collection. Header image credit: Jennifer Gunlock, Joshua Tree Series VII (Detail), 2023, Digital collage, 10 x 6 1/2 inches. Courtesy of the artist. September October A DAY IN THE DESERT November December SEPTEMBER 2024 Up SEPT 21 7 PM-9 PM VIDEO SCREENING FEATURING VIDEO WORKS BY CASEY KIERNAN, DIANE BEST, AND MONROE ISENBERG MOAH:CEDAR Hall A screening of Casey Kiernan’s “I Thought They Were Protected” a powerful video that documents the impact of climate change, development, and fires on Joshua trees. Also, featuring Diane Best’s “Tree Moves,” and Monroe Isenberg’s “Harbinger” performance video. RSVP SEPT 22 9 AM-11 AM WALK-AND-TALK: FIRE RECOVERY & RESTORATION POST 2020 BOBCAT FIRE Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area Walk-and-talk (with canyon hike option) at Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area with County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation superintendents and naturalists Jonathan Numer and Olivia Miseroy, sharing stories about fire recovery and the major restoration effort Jonathan is part of at the Punchbowl. Please note: This event is subject to postponement due to local fire activity or changing environmental conditions. Updates will be provided if postponement becomes necessary. RSVP OCTOBER 2024 Up OCT 03 3 PM-7 PM MOJAVE DESERT TRADING CARDS WORKSHOP Museum of Art and History This engagement invites participants to create their own Mojave Desert-inspired trading card. The workshops are part of Lancaster MOAH's Monthly Young Artist Workshops and will be led by organization partner Art in Residence and supported by MOAH staff. RSVP OCT 12 2 PM-4 PM REGIONAL FLORA AND FAUNA ART WORKSHOP Prime Desert Woodland Preserve This workshop explores the relationship between residents of the Antelope Valley and its flora and fauna. The art workshops are centered around increasing knowledge, exposure, and awareness of wildlife that exists in-between and around existing areas of development/urban sprawl through artistic representations of data and STEAM-based education. RSVP OCT 20 12 PM-4 PM MOJAVE DESERT TRADING CARDS WORKSHOP Prime Desert Woodland Preserve This engagement invites participants to create their own Mojave Desert-inspired trading card. The workshops are part of MOAH Lancaster’s Monthly Young Artist Workshops and will led by organization partner Art in Residence and supported by MOAH staff. RSVP OCT 06 11 AM-1 PM HEY JTREE FALLING IN LOVE, ONE TREE AT A TIME Prime Desert Woodland Preserve Hey JTree (https://www.heyjtree.com ) is an ongoing participatory art research project and mock on-line dating site for meeting Joshua trees. RSVP OCT 13 2 PM-4 PM REGIONAL FLORA AND FAUNA ART WORKSHOP Prime Desert Woodland Preserve This workshop explores the relationship between residents of the Antelope Valley and its flora and fauna. The art workshops are centered around increasing knowledge, exposure, and awareness of wildlife that exists in-between and around existing areas of development/urban sprawl through artistic representations of data and STEAM-based education. RSVP OCT 06 4 PM-6 PM DESERT FOREST: PANEL DISCUSSION & BOOK SIGNING WITH SANT KHALSA, KELLY HERBINSON, JANE ROGERS, AND GEARY HUND Mojave Desert Land Trust Art, science, and conservation come together as we celebrate the release of Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, a comprehensive collection of essays and artworks on the Mojave Desert’s most iconic plant. RSVP OCT 13 10 AM-12 PM WALK-AND-TALK: FIRE RECOVERY & RESTORATION POST 2020 FIRE George Bones Wildlife Sanctuary Walk-and-talk at George Bones Wildlife Sanctuary (99-acre reserve at West Avenue G and 205th Street West) with County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation superintendents and naturalists Jonathan Numer and Olivia Miseroy. Large stands of Joshua trees were burned by a fire that occurred one month before the Bobcat Fire and still remain upright. RSVP A DAY IN THE DESERT October 26, 2024 EVENTBRITE COLLECTION Up OCT 26 11 AM-12 PM GUIDED JOSHUA TREE MEDIATION AND PERFORMANCE BY EDGAR FABIÁN FRÍAS Prime Desert Woodland Preserve Edgar Fabián Frías will present a performance and lead a guided group meditation focused on the healing energy of the unique and iconic Joshua tree. Frias’ works are transformative, profound, and playful, often inviting audience participation. Their art explores historical legacies, resistance, resilience, and radical imagination, framed within Indigenous Futurism, spirituality, play, pedagogy, animism, and queer aesthetics. RSVP OCT 26 3 PM-4 PM CURATOR-LED EXHIBITION WALKTHROUGH WITH SANT KHALSA Museum of Art and History Gain insight into the Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees exhibition led by curator Sant Khalsa. RSVP OCT 26 12 PM-2 PM PUBLIC CLIMATE FUTURE READINGS BY ADRIENE JENIK Museum of Art and History Artist and ASU professor Adriene Jenik has created a tarot deck for the environmentally minded. Adriene Jenik blends climate sceince and tarot readings. Stop by for a personal reading of your climate future. RSVP OCT 26 2 PM-3 PM CO-CREATING NEW FUTURES FOR JOSHUA TREES PANEL DISCUSSION Museum of Art and History Multidisciplinary panel discussion with Sant Khalsa, Dr. Juniper Harrower, Brendan Cummings, Fred Brashear Jr, Matthew Brandt, and Chelsea Mosher, focused on the intersections of art, science, natural and cultural history, and public policy. RSVP NOVEMBER 2024 Up NOV 09 2 PM-4 PM HEY JTREE FALLING IN LOVE, ONE TREE AT A TIME Museum of Art and History Hey JTree (https://www.heyjtree.com) is an ongoing participatory art research project and mock on-line dating site for meeting Joshua trees. RSVP NOV 09 1:30 PM-3 PM DESERT FOREST: PANEL DISCUSSION & BOOK SIGNING WITH SANT KHALSA, BRENDAN CUMMINGS, J.D., LYNN C. SWEET, PHD, AND SEAN MILANOVICH, PHD Twentynine Palms Book Festival, Old Schoolhouse Museum Discover how the multidisciplinary project Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees sheds light on Joshua tree preservation efforts and the intersection of art, science, Indigenous knowledge and public policy. More info at https://www.29pbf.com . This discussion is part of the Twentynine Palms Book Festival. To RSVP for the festival, click here . To RSVP for the panel discussion, click the button below. RSVP NOV 10 10 AM-12 PM WALK-AND-TALK: FIRE RECOVERY & RESTORATION POST 2020 BOBCAT FIRE Near the Juniper Hills Community Center Walk-and-talk in Juniper Hills burn scar with Bryant Baker, Director of Conservation & Research at Los Padres Forest Watch. A chaparral scrublands expert, Baker has done tremendous research on fire recovery in desert-to-mountain transition zones like Juniper Hills, an area where many Joshua trees were destroyed during the Bobcat Fire. RSVP DECEMBER 2024 Up DEC 05 6 PM-7 PM DESERT FOREST: SCIENTISTS SHARE JOSHUA TREE RESEARCH VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSION Online via Zoom Scientists Juniper Harrower, Jeremy B. Yoder, Christopher Irwin Smith, Lynn C. Sweet and Daniel Oren Hastings discuss their fascination with Joshua trees and the Mojave Desert, and share their current research on the impacts of climate change RSVP DEC 07 11 AM-1 PM HEY JTREE FALL IN LOVE, ONE TREE AT A TIME Museum of Art and History Hey JTree (https://www.heyjtree.com) is an ongoing participatory art research project and mock on-line dating site for meeting Joshua trees. RSVP DEC 07 5 PM-6:30 PM THERE'S NOTHING HERE EXCEPT EVERYTHING MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE BY ROB GRAD Museum of Art and History “There’s Nothing Here Except Everything,” addresses our relationship with the desert, with an emphasis on Joshua trees, not only as a complex and crucial environmental ecosystem, but as a spiritual center with influence that reaches much further than its physical presence. RSVP DEC 29 11 AM-1 PM DESERT FOREST: LIFE WITH JOSHUA TREES BOOK SIGNING WITH SANT KHALSA Museum of Art and History Join us for the closing day of Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History. Sant Khalsa, the exhibition's curator and co-editor of the accompanying book, will be present for a special book signing. The event will take place on Sunday, December 29, 2024, from 11 AM to 1 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the curator and celebrate the exhibition’s impactful themes. RSVP Life with Joshua Trees Desert Forest: About Desert Forest

< Back Kimberly Brooks Featured Structure Artist Contemporary American artist Kimberly Brooks examines identity, history, and memory by utilizing a combination of landscape, abstraction, and figuration in her work. Stemming from a long tradition of American painting, her scenes depict subject matter that meets the edges of realism and abstraction. Examination of feminine identity is also present in a majority of her work. Projects such as The Stylist Project (2010), Fever Dreams (2019), I Have a King Who Does Not Speak (2015), as well as many others include the depiction of women in relation to their surroundings. Their identities and histories are depicted in loose brushstrokes, hinting to ambiguity and fleeting memories.The hand of the artist is apparent; the painterly quality of her work stands out in her varying compositions. Painting Architecture (2021) showcases the use of the built environment as landscape and subject matter. Both interior and exterior scenes are depicted: Rococo walls adorned with paintings hung salon style, arches and tilework of a mosque, an outdoor gate and pathway flanked by foliage. While these spaces may seem innocuous and arbitrary, these environments carry strong associations that are informed by their architectural styles. Brooks calls forth the provenance and significance of these spaces. The line between contemporary and antiquity is blurred. Instead of deviation, similarities are shown. A quiet, more meditated atmosphere is harmonious between the works. The play of light provides a still and almost objective showcase of these environments. There is a formal rigidity that is present between all of the works that is made apparent by the strong perspective lines that indicate the boundaries of these spaces. Juxtaposed to this is again, the use of loose brushstrokes and painterly techniques that are a mainstay of her practice. Kimberly Brooks was born in New York City, New York and raised in Mill Valley, California. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of California, Berkeley and studied painting at the University of California, Los Angeles and Otis College of Art & Design. Brooks hosts monthly artists talks on her discourse platform First Person Artist and is also the author of The New Oil Painting. Her works have been showcased internationally. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Previous Next

Arts for Youth Tours The Arts for Youth (AFY) program, designed for participants between the ages of five and eighteen, offers students the opportunity to learn about contemporary Southern California artwork through group outings to the Lancaster Museum of Art & History. The Arts for Youth program centers around a 30-minute guided tour that introduces students to the current exhibition(s) on view at MOAH. Tours are interactive, with multi-sensory items and open-ended questions that promote engaging group discussions. Included in the AFY program is an optional (free) art activity that relates to the artwork on view. Tours of the Western Hotel Museum and Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center are also available. AFY Tours are $3 per student; group leaders and chaperones are free. One chaperone per 15 students is required. Groups of more than 18 students will be broken into smaller tour rotations. Please book at least 3 weeks in advance. Payments are taken upon arrival. If you have any questions or need additional information about the Arts for Youth Program, please contact the Education Department at (661) 723-6085 or MOAHeducation@cityoflancasterca.gov . Use the form below to request a youth tour. Interested in adult tours? Click Here Apply for transportation grant MOAH Arts for Youth MOAH Arts for Youth MOAH Arts for Youth MOAH Arts for Youth 1/8 Request a youth tour! Primary Contact First Name Primary Contact Last Name Organization Phone Email Which location(s) would your group like to tour? Number of students Number of Adults (group leader + chaperones) Student age(s) Would you like to add a free art activity (~30 minutes) to your booking? (Not applicable for Western Hotel Museum tours) Choose an option Select a preferred date * required Select a preferred time Please note any accessibility accommodations that your group may need. Please share any details about your group that can help us tailor your museum visit to fit your group's needs. By checking this box, I acknowledge that this exhibition contains: nudity and other mature content. I want to subscribe to the newsletter. **Your tour appointment is not set until you receive confirmation from one of our team members. Apply

Camille Murray < Back From an Oleanders View By Camille Murray The preschool kids have just now returned to school, disrupting my year of quietness given to me by the pandemic. The sound of basketballs bouncing and chains swinging and crashing into backboards. The clicking of skateboards and scooters going in and out of the cracks of the sidewalks. Women walk their babies, and families walk their new puppies. The sun is shining on everyone, giving the kids at the public pool sunburns. I can hear screams of happiness and see a handful of children sliding down slides and swinging on swings until the sight of the park gets blocked. I see a large figure sprinting towards me; the happiness in its face warns me that the figure is interested in me. I start shaking as the heavy footsteps approach me; leaves slowly fall from my branches, letting me know it was their time to go. The figure gets close enough to where I can see that it is one of the preschoolers who found a way to get out of the gated playground and past the supervision. The child collapses on her knees and examines my petals like a scientist. Her golden hair shines in the sun, and I can see each highlight of yellows and blonds flowing in the wind. The annoyance fills me up because I know she will pick my pink petals, and she does not know that I am poisonous to her. The sharp pain I experienced as a piece of my stem is pulled off, and the shocked look the girl had on her face after she felt the itchiness of the petals. She takes off running towards the gated playground and explains to her teachers that her fingers were red and puffy. A warning is spread around the preschool children about my dangerous presence, but it is not spread far enough throughout the park; someone new always finds me attractive and gets too comfortable with my looks. Previous Next

Up Peace On Earth Various Artists EXHIBITING ARTISTS: David Adey Tami Bahat Clayton Campbell Catherine Coan Emily Ding Nancy Evans Jane Fisher Matthew Floriani Simone Gad James Griffith Laurie Hassold Chie Hitotsuyama Kim Kimbro Debbie Korbel Laura Larson Emily Maddigan Luke Matjas Zachary Mendoza Jen Meyer Lori Michelon Cynthia Minet Bobbie Moline-Kramer Stephen O’Donnell Lori Pond Robb Putnam Margo Ray Samuelle Richardson Laurie Sumiye Devin Thor Scott Yoell Tami Bahat A deep love for imperfect beauty and the belief that art is in everyone fuel my portraiture. As a conduit to other lifetimes, Bahat constructs stories of the past through the people of her present-day life. This series, Dramatis Personae, has given her a unique opportunity to exhibit her personal connection to history, and to share her deep longing for times that no longer exist. Bahat's father introduced her to the Old Masters when she was very young, which had an indelible impact on her. These artists spoke directly to her heart from hundreds of years away, never needing to utter a single word to explain themselves. This showed that it was possible to convey all kinds of emotion through window light, a quiet moment of reflection or even a simple object. Thus began her transition into painting through the use of a camera. The animals exhibited in this series are real. These beautiful creatures have a mind of their own which she admire and fully embrace. She respect their curiosity about the world, and that they bring immense wonder and unexpected moments to these scenes. She acquired a diverse collection of antique furniture, props and frames that carry their own stories and maintain an authenticity throughout the work. Through these items, a piece of history becomes entwined within a contemporary piece of art. It lifts her soul that their existence continues indefinitely. Clayton Campbell The two pieces in the show Peace On Earth are from a larger series called Wild Kingdom, created in 2014-15, and first exhibited at Coagula Curatorial. The show received a favorable critical response from writers Christopher Knight of the LA Times, Peter Frank in Artillery Magazine, and Lisa Derrick from the Huffington Post. He thinks these writers had interesting observations. Derrick said of his work, "In Wild Kingdom Campbell shows us that as individuals, our dependency on technology blind us to precipices and predators, to each other. We are living vicariously when we look at a diorama, we live vicariously-and allow each other to live vicariously- through social media." Christopher Knight hits the right note when he says "The signal being sent is sardonic-an elaborate engagement with the self absorbed condition of worldly disengagement. Perhaps they're as oblivious to one another as to the predators around them-or to the theatricality of the animals' representation. Who is tracking whom? And what's the difference between the insentient animals, wild or human?" And Peter Frank observes, "Keeping his production values modest-not tacky but not slick, either-Campbell piles the ludicrous on the poignant, pathos on bathos, in a hall of mirrors satire that keeps unfolding long after you've looked at his art works- and maybe taken a selfie with them." Catherine Coan Coan's hybrid taxidermy, installations, collages, Canary Suicides, and dioramas explore the psychological, sexual, and cultural intersections between wilderness, domesticity, and humanity. Imaginary creatures perch on human furniture in domestic spaces; Victorian prints become reflections on the relationship between child, adult, and pet; and jewel boxes translate as modern reliquaries for the saints’ bones of mice, insects, and HO-scale miniatures, all asking the viewer to engage with his or her own animal inside. Her looking glass reveals surprising details and a sense of humor at once dark and life-affirming, inviting the viewer to linger and become part of each tableau and installation. Coan's background in English literature and poetry (I am an English professor and published poet) imbues her work with literary reference and even some of her own writing. Nancy Evans The sculptures grow out of the bodily suggestions of plants. The figurative characteristics distorted by a construction process which pieces together various organic textures to form a whole. The stitched together appearance of the sculptures make sense; like the husks left behind by the transient body, they are both solid and illusionary. These sculptures anticipated a movement in contemporary sculpture that is totemic, crude, violent, and timeless. Archaic concepts, such as animism, infuse these works, suggesting that natural forms are the common thread that link the world to the collective unconscious. So the question that she ponders is where do images come from? How do es she track her influences? What does she understand and what does she misrepresent? James Griffith The ambition of the large painting, CORPUS COLLOSUS, is to imply that all living creatures are a part of one whole fluid process. The composition is held together by a gesture that suggests the double helix of a DNA molecule. The painting is populated by a range of animals that includes a fox/rabbit push-me-pull-you to represent process of Natural Selection, the primary force in evolution of species. The conceptual framework of the piece is further aided by the medium with which it is painted: tar. The tar is collected from the La Brea Tar Pits. To make his own asphalt um paint from this tar, he added thinners and stabilizers. His interest in tar is not only its unusual appearances, but also in the ideas associated with it. Tar is a primordial residue of extinct organisms concentrated by geological process over millions of years. Using tar as a substitute for traditional paint, places my images in the context of deep time so that his subjects can be considered in relation to the long cycles of evolution and extinction. Tar is also a type of the petrochemicals used to fuel our economies, a process at the heart of our contemporary ecological crisis. This fact tars the subjects of these works with the potential of their own extinction. Debbie Korbel Everyone knows what it is like to lie on their back and “see” images in the clouds. When she was a child, she would see images not only in the clouds but in many circumstances. The random patterns of linoleum flooring, plaster ceilings or even the way shadows fell across a wall would suggest figures or landscapes to me. As an adult, she approaches her sculpture materials the same way by standing back and looking for what she “see” emerge. She creates her assemblage sculptures by using the original sculpted elements combined with an assortment of objects she has collected. Often the initial impetus for the sculpture occurs when she finds some interesting fragment of metal or wood. Then an idea takes root and evolves from that “catalyst” piece. Every sculpture is like a puzzle for which she finds and fit each seemingly unrelated piece together in its most expressive form in order to create something new. Luke Matjas Over the past several years Matjas has developed a body of work that seeks to uncover the relationship between natural and unnatural histories. These explorations are largely representational, but far from traditional. Quite often his work looks like a cross between a natural history museum and the local Home Depot. More recently, these explorations have taken shape in a project called “Trail Work,” a series of vividly colored and crisply drawn trail signs inspired by time spent outside in open spaces. In many ways, these rambling little pieces are the result of literal rambles—in nearby mountains, through the scars of recent wildfires, and amidst fierce deserts. As a trail ultrarunner, he sometimes travel quite far on foot, and many of the visual cues found in this series are the result of direct encounters with regional flora, fauna, and geology. “Trail Work” combines a longtime interest in the aesthetics of scientific illustration, signage, and the irreverent renderings of skateboard graphics. These clean, sharply stylized pieces seem to stand in contrast to the gritty surroundings they portray, but there is a sense of immediacy in the graphic, hard-edged language. Although these trail signs are unconventional, they are still functional and directional. They seem ideally suited for the intersection of the expanding wildland-urban interface—they hint at the ecological fragility of our environment, and the not-so subtle ways we continue to impact our surroundings. Jen Meyer This triptych stems from a melding of two complimentary, yet individual, bodies of ongoing work from the artist. In one series, Meyer explores our traditional understanding of and relationship with animals. For this exhibition, her focus is on animals native to the Antelope Valley area: the coyote, the hare and the disappearing antelope. In the other series, Meyer explores the ways roses have been used to communicate to each other, both the living and those long since passed. Roses have since ancient times been left on gravestones as a symbol of regeneration. Merging these two bodies of work together for the first time for this exhibition, the viewer is left with a testament to the depiction of the natural impact of the human condition on ourselves, our planet, and our cohabitants in the plant and animal kingdoms. Laurie Michelon Pippa is from a series (Galaxial Gamines) where I sought to engage the viewer in a conversation about the clothing choices we all make everyday before going out to face the world. Pippa is an alien/human hybrid in haute couture and she represents us as well as our hidden selves - do we use clothing to hide? Provoke? Be admired? To belong? I believe it's all that and more. Cynthia Minet Migrations is an immersive installation of six illuminated sculptures of the Roseate Spoonbill. Carefully constructed of brightly colored plastics, LED lights and sound, the installation combines whimsy, serious social and political commentary, and a deep commitment to the preservation of our natural environment. First presented at the IMAS in McAllen, Texas, Minet's interpretations of the aquatic bird are intended as artistic surrogates for human experiences in the region. Native to the Southeast coastal regions, the Roseate Spoonbill migrates all the way to South America, and the Audubon Society considers this bird an indicator of the environmental health of the Gulf Coast. Minet’s sculptures are based on close study of the bird’s anatomical structure with a result that is highly realistic yet painfully fantastical. Additionally, artifacts found along the border with Mexico such as ear buds and Homeland Security bags are imbedded into the sculptures of Migrations. Motion-activated sounds of bird calls and footsteps enhance the viewer's experience. The use of found materials, whether migrant dropped or sourced from recycled household objects, expresses the underlying meanings of the installation. Through these discarded objects, Minet explores both the risks migrants take to escape intolerable situations and the specter of plastic which slowly erodes in our landfills but never disappears. Given the worldwide migrant crisis, Migrations is strikingly timely in its exploration of the complex social and political issues of borderlands, whether in the United States or worldwide. It is a conceptually and politically astute body of work that exudes a wry hope for our future: that we will commit to the care of our natural and human worlds. Stephen O' Donnell Throughout my career, animals - squirrels, dogs, monkeys, birds, mice - have played a frequent supporting role in his work; always an enlivening - humorous, tender - addition. In recent years, though, they've often begun to take center stage. This body of work explores the confrontation between the simplicity of Nature and the extreme artificiality of the most precious of our human craft: wild or mostly wild animals juxtaposed with fine jewelry, Nature versus the highest level of civilization. In most of these paintings my opposing "objects" - the animal and the jewel - are placed on a sort of stage: a simple wooden platform and a plain, flat background. An animal's imperatives are food, sex, and safety; only very rarely do animals display any impulse for adornment. An emerald necklace has utterly no use to a bird. So it's the unexpected proximity, the tension inherent in these meetings that tells the story; together on stage, in relationship but mutually purposeless. Humans have the striving intelligence and creativity to take shiny rocks, lumps of metal, grains from a seashell, and craft objects so desirable that people have killed one another to possess them. But it's ironic then that we could never assemble anything the equal of a mouse or a bird, never craft the muscle or claw, feather or fur. With all man's greed for beauty, for rarity, how is it so easy for us to overlook the infinitely more precious creation that is any of the seemingly insignificant creatures we share the planet with? Lori Pond When danger flares, what do you do? Since humans first experienced the fight or flight reflex, the subconscious brain has told us what, when, and whom to fear. This remains so. When faced with peril, our bodies respond with intensified adrenaline and racing heart beats. Survival depends on our instantaneous emotional response instructing us to run or stay, a millisecond before our rational self can decide. While our brains have not changed, what we fear has. It is rarely a carnivorous beast that triggers our instinct to run. It is pictures of burning skyscrapers, reports of schoolchildren crouching behind desks to hide from bullets, or a gathering of teens in hoodies that make us tremble: Our 21st Century litany of what to fear. But are these threats real? Pond's series “Menace” challenges us to question what we “know.” “Menace” confronts us with frightening, darkened, wild animals that trigger the ancient instinct, while our rational mind knows we are in a safe, civilized space, viewing images. We look longer, closer, and realize the threat was never there: these are taxidermied animals, their images captured in bright sunlit shops, manipulated later by the artist to ferocity. They frighten, but are impotent. Menace asks us to consider if our modern fears are justified, or if our contemporary bogeymen are figments of our imagination, mere empty threats manipulated by an unseen hand. Margo Ray ‘The Rat and the Octopus’ is a myth told throughout Polynesia that tells the story of an Octopus that was tricked into helping a deceptive Rat. The Rat was adrift at sea and made a deal with an Octopus to be carried safely to shore and in return it would give the Octopus a reward. Instead, it left a pile of dung on its head and ran away, the Octopus felt tricked and angry. Fishermen to this day still play on this anger, making rat-like lures to entice Octopus who still want to avenge the Rat This visual interpretation of the myth deals with contemporary local and global issues of broken agreements and kept promises through the personification of the Rat and Octopus characters; such as climate change, water rights, homelessness and humanities relationship to animals, spirituality and each other. The animals are set on a Polynesian navigation pattern, locating them adrift at sea trying to find their way to shore as well as in Polynesia, where the myth originated. The 10 Handshakes placed on a map key each represent the kept promise and broken agreement in each pair of characters. Samuelle Richardson Richardson sees our attraction to predators as a manifestation of human longing for things that are dangerous and beautiful. She believes that passion is evoked by the things that can annihilate us and shares a fascination for untamed realms, remembering close encounters with disquieting vulnerability. In Ghost Dogs, Richardson depicts wild dogs in the African Bush, isolated from human intervention. This group of sculpture conveys a dichotomy between savage and benign as the structures come together with opposing qualities. The gnarled and rough wood is paired with the crush and pull of fabric as it relates to skin over bone and attention is given to craft while embracing flaws in the material. Stitching the fabric over the finished structure secures it in place and unto itself, the stitching becomes a form of mark making. Most of the materials are found or discarded, such as tree branches and recycled clothing. Richardson’s process involves researching scores of pictures to find those that highlight the animal’s expression and movement. Each structure begins with attention to the skeleton and muscle groups emphasizing the asymmetry of the form. As she works with the pictures in front of her, she strives to create a sense of believability rather than realism, knowing that new information will lead to discovery. Educated in New York, Richardson’s art training ran for more than a decade in a self-directed curriculum. She studied at FIT, Parsons, School of Visual Art and the New York Academy of Art. She entered the industry as a commercial artist and was in charge of developing original artwork for the fashion industry. As for having an impact on her vision, she gives credit to years of travel, seeking venues that upend our everyday sense of normal. Laurie Sumiye - Ohana o Ka Manu Video Sumiye is a Hawai‘i-based artist, animator and documentary filmmaker who investigates environmental tensions between humans and nature. Her background in digital media informs her cross-disciplinary practice in drawing, painting, animation, video, sculpture and installation. She has exhibited her art in New York, Los Angeles, Hawai‘i and internationally, in the UK, South Africa and Brazil and screened her award-winning films at DOC NYC, BAM cinemaFest and PS1MoMA. She has an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College, BA & BS in Art and Communications from Bradley University, and studied art at Lorenzo De Medici in Florence and Pratt Institute in New York. She spent 16 years working as an art director and designer in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. She returned to Hawaiʻi to work on her first long-form documentary, A PARADISE LOST, about a Hawaiian bird that sued to save itself from extinction. Laurie serves as Assistant Professor of Creative Media/Transmedia at the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu. She lives and works in Mililani, Hawai‘i. Devin Thor Thor's newest series of sculptures, Paleolithic Creatures, is an homage to our prehistoric ancestors and the animals they painted on cave walls. Those paintings provide powerful depictions of man's inherent drive to express himself through art. Hidden for millennia, but many looking as fresh as the day they were made, this ancient art shows representational animals that inhabited their world and sustained them with food and clothing. However, at the end of the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, the climate warmed dramatically and many Paleolithic animals became extinct. The only history of their ghostly existence are fossils and cave paintings. “With my art, I am inspired…to challenge the viewer to feel the natural spirit of inclusion. There is no corner of this planet that man does not live in, and no corner of which man has not caused change. We must be good stewards of this planet Earth, and remember that extinction is forever.” Scott Yoell Sometimes it came by road, other times it came by sea II This sculpture is composed of a flesh tone replica of Columbus’s mother ship, the Santa Maria. The ship is floating on the backs of bio-morphed rodents with human noses in place of their heads. The work explore the sociological and political weight of ideology, similes of plague and invasive dogmas coexisting in a utopia that has gone wildly wrong. January 26 - April 21, 2019 Back to list

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

Young Artist Workshops Free Drop-in Craft Workshops for Kids Follow MOAH on Instragram and watch Reels of our upcoming YAW Workshops How it works Young Artist Workshops are free art activities for children ages 3+ (must be accompanied by an adult). The YAWs at MOAH are inspired by artworks that are currently on view, and the YAWs at Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center (ECIC) are inspired by the local, natural environment. Drop In Participants can come to a YAW anytime between 3 and 7 pm. Workshops at MOAH are every first Thursday of the month, and workshop dates for ECIC can be found here . Art activities take about 10-30 minutes to make; seating and supplies are first-come, first-serve. Create Participants create an artwork from start to finish, with all the supplies and guidance provided by MOAH staff. Each YAW is unique and introduces children to a variety of art techniques, materials, and processes. Share Tag any pictures of your finished piece with #MOAHYAW on Facebook or Instagram! YAW at MOAH 665 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, CA 93534 Every 1st Thursd ay 3 PM - 7 PM Event dates can be found on our event calendar (661) 723-6250 YAW at Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center 43201 35th St. W Lancaster, CA, 93536 Every Third Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM Event dates can be found on our event calendar (661) 723-6250

Activist Graphics from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Up What Would You Say? Various Artists Activist Graphics from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Featuring: Emory Douglas • Sheila Levrant de Bretteville • Shepard Fairey & more Since the mid-20th century, California has been a beacon of both inventive design and political activism. Exploring the intersection of these two realms, this exhibition uses case studies from LACMA’s collection to demonstrate how designers and artists championed civil rights, opposed wars and injustice, and pressed for change. Skilled communicators by profession, they distilled complex issues into eye-catching images, often appropriating commercial art techniques—from newspaper broadsheets to screen prints to digital downloads—to distribute powerful imagery despite limited resources. Others led workshops and formed printing collectives, providing movements with new methods for disseminating their messages. Their works express both outrage and optimism, going beyond protest to envision alternative ways of living. Key figures and organizations including Emory Douglas of the Black Panther Party, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville of the Woman’s Building, Self Help Graphics & Art, and street artist Shepard Fairey achieved widespread acclaim and notoriety, galvanizing political movements and empowering marginalized communities. This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in collaboration with the Lancaster Museum of Art and History; Riverside Art Museum; California State University, Northridge, Art Galleries; an Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles Collage. Local Access is a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by LACMA as part of the Art Bridges Initiative. January 22 - April 16, 2022 Back to list

Up CountMeIn - 2020 Census Project Various Artists Featuring artwork by: Robin Rosenthal Jane Szabo Nuri Amanatullah Clovis Blackwell Video installations by: Edwin Vasquez Art in Residence A.I.R Special exhibition: Collaborate and Create First People, First Communities The Lancaster Museum of Art & History (MOAH) and the Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation (LMPAF) invite the public to its newest exhibition #CountMeIn , a celebration of the community recognizing their value in civic life through engagement and education on the topic of the 2020 United States Census. Every decade, the U.S. Census counts every resident in the nation and uses the data to allocate billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities and determines the number of seats each state receives in the House of Representatives. The neighborhoods surrounding the museum have historically have been undercounted, and therefore underrepresented and underfunded, due to various barriers such as education, languages spoken, poverty level, houselessness, race, immigration status and levels of trust. #CountMeIn began in summer of 2019 and is an ongoing project that builds on community trust by embedding local Artists-in-Residence to lead various art workshops, community gatherings, artist interactions, candid portrait photography sessions and creative place-making activities with the overall goal of encouraging the community to participate in the 2020 Census. The selected Artists-in-Residence directly reflect the communities in which they live and work and provide opportunities for other community members to be seen and heard through public exhibition. Artists-in-Residence for #CountMeIn include creative-placekeeper and Lead Artist for the project, Robin Rosenthal; fine art photographer, Jane Szabo; artist and blogger, Edwin Vazquez; muralist and illustrator, Nuri Amantullah; and the artist collective, Art In Residence. Artworks in the #CountMeIn exhibition at Lancaster MOAH stem from collaborative efforts between the Artists-in-Residence and members of the community, featuring crocheted portrait-embedded wall-hangings created in partnership with needle-crafters living at the Antelope Valley Senior Center and three Housing Corporation of America locations, interviews with #CountMeIn participants, and As a Day, a Decade -- an immersive aural/visual installation created by Art In Residence members Nathanial Ancheta, Dave Martin and Janice Ngan. In addition, the exhibition boasts a mural by local artist Nuri Amanatullah, screen-printed works by Clovis Blackwell, and a historic look at the Native Americans as the first communities of the Antelope Valley presented by anthropologist Dr. Bruce Love. Collaborate and Create, a collection of collaborative artworks by Kipaipai Fellows emphasizing the benefit of networking and community, will also be on display. The Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation (LMPAF), the Museum of Art and History and the City of Lancaster believe that organizations and community leaders must be proactive in educating, encouraging and empowering residents to participate in the Census! The Artists of #CountMeIn , A 2020 Census Project Discussion Saturday, June 6, 2020 | 1 PM Join the artists of #CountMeIn , A 2020 Census Project, for a lively discussion on the importance of trust, the census, and the power of the art to activate a community! Moderated by Shana Nys Dambrot. Panelists include: Robin Rosenthal, Lead Artist-in-Residence Jane Szabo, Artist-in-Residence Edwin Vasquez, Artist-in-Residence Nuri Amanatullah, Artist-in-Residence Nathaniel Ancheta, Artist-in-Residence David Edward Martin, Artist-in-Residence Janice Ngan, Artist-in-Residence Robert Benitez, Art Program Coordinator Cassandra Morga, Antelope Valley Partners for Health #CountMeIn , A 2020 Census Project, is supported by the California Arts Council and the California Community Foundation. The Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation is a member of the #WeCountLA coalition of non-profit and community-based organizations which seeks to increase participation in the census. May 9 - December 27, 2020 Back to list

Sophia Rocha < Back The Periwinkle By Sophia Rocha Oh, periwinkle Taken from your home, But brought into mine. Look how you bloom, At the brightest of times. Oh, periwinkle Your soft lilac petals, Bright in the spring. But when the snow settles, In your roots, deferring. Oh, periwinkle Spread about the ground, For everyone to see. As you gaze upon the sidewalk, Are you ever really free? Oh, periwinkle Is this all you desire? To stay in one place, In your vivid attire. I am the Periwinkle, Involuntarily planted. Leaves that are bitter in taste, But it is the inability to leave that makes me bitter. Previous Next

< Back Among Quiet Peaks Moore Family Trust Gallery Mark Jeffrey Santos Artist Mark Jeffrey Santos creates works that transport viewers into surreal and whimsical landscapes, far away from the stresses of reality. His muted, earth-toned fantastical scenes are marked by dreamlike instances, such as larger-than-life creatures, a cast of peculiar characters, and fantastical natural landscapes. Among Quiet Peaks demonstrates Santos’ ability to draw from his own experiences and influences in order to create whimsical and placid environments. Along with warm backdrops bathed in serenity, objects such as Japanese Kabuki masks and kimonos are some of the many motifs that call to cultural imagery important to the artist. Each painting is an individual instance, a unique tableau, in the world that Santos has built out. IMAGE CREDIT: Mark Jeffrey Santos, Flock of Fish (detail), Oil on canvas, 2025 Courtesy of Thinkspace Projects Previous Next