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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.

An exhibition highlights the many achievements and accomplishments of the Armstrong Flight Research Center Up NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center 75th Anniversary NASA An exhibition highlights the many achievements and accomplishments of the Armstrong Flight Research Center The Armstrong Flight Research Center is approximately twenty-two miles northeast of Lancaster. The Armstrong Flight Research Center dates back to 1946, when thirteen engineers and technicians came from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia to the Muroc Army Air Base presently known as the Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, California. The migration to Edwards Air Force Base served to prepare for the first supersonic research flights by the X-1 rocket plane. From this project, Edwards Airforce Base established the Armstrong Flight Research Center. This year, 2021, marks the Armstrong Flight Research Center's seventy-fifth anniversary. This exhibition highlights the many achievements and accomplishments the Armstrong Flight Research Center has made possible for the aviation and aerospace field. Strategically and uniquely, the Armstrong Flight Research Center resides in the Antelope Valley area taking advantage of the year-round flying weather and over 300,000 acres of remote land with varied topography. The Armstrong Flight Research Center’s mission is to advance science and technology through flight research towards revolutionizing aviation and aerospace technology. This exhibition shines a light on the research and technological progression the Armstrong Flight Research Center has made in aerospace and aviation. The center has the amenities and expertise to analyze, maintain, and conduct flight research and tests on modified or unique research vehicles and systems. The Armstrong Flight Research Center facility is NASA's primary center for high-risk, atmospheric flight research and test projects. The objects on display are remnants of past programs and projects the Armstrong Flight Research Center conducted. June 5 – September 5, 2021 Back to list

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

Alayna Boyd < Back The Fiddleneck in Me By Alayna Boyd Stand up tall and stay thin, or you'll be just another weed. Little do they know, I am lacking nutrients. Bend over backwards to make everyone happy, or you'll be just another weed. But they don't see that this depletes my joy. Dust off your long, thin leaves to always look your best or you'll be just another weed. I yearn for a day that my natural beauty is considered beautiful. Always make sure your flowers are blooming and vibrant or God forbid, I'm just another weed. I waste hours of my life looking my best to satisfy the unsatisfiable. Stay in your pretty little group with your pretty little friends or God forbid, I'm just another weed. Can't I pick my own friends? What if I want them to look different than me? Be popular, be an influence, make sure others want to be just like you or God forbid, I'm just another weed. I hate that I spread the seed of the societal norms because in my little sister's shiny leaves, I see a reflection of who everyone wants me to be. Just because it's winter, doesn't mean you should let yourself go I know, I know, I’ll be just another weed. Sometimes, I just need a break. Don't let anybody get too close, always wear your armor I know, I know, I’ll be just another weed. Would it really be so bad that I have one true friend that was always there for me? Do not be fooled into thinking that you would be accepted if you looked different I know, I know, I’ll be just another weed. Why can't what's on the inside be worth more than my wilting outer appearance? All of these expectations are weighing down on me. I stand with my group of beautiful flowers, and while everyone is jealous of us, I envy being weed. Previous Next

Founded in Hawaii, POW!WOW! is a series of global events that celebrates culture, music and art. Antelope Valley has joined in with its set of murals. Official 2018 Map Here 2018 MEET THE ARTISTS aaron De La Cruz Amir Fallah Amy Sol Andrew Hem Carly Ealey Christopher Konecki dan witz Darcy Yates Ekundayo Emily Ding Hot tea Hueman Isaac cordal Jeff Soto julius eastman laurence Vallieres Lauren YS Mikey Kelly MOUF Nuri Amanatullah Scott listfield slinkachu Spencer little Super A Tina Dille Tran Nguyen Jaune

Camilla TaylorThe KnotCamilla Taylor’s monochromatic sculptures often cite figurative and architectural forms through references of the human body and home. Her work features a subtle and limited palette of blacks, greys, and graphite. For Taylor, certain colors feel too “loud,” opting for a color palette that feels more intimate and introspective. < Back Camilla Taylor, The Eye of God, Detail Camilla Taylor, The Eye of God, Detail Camilla Taylor, The Eye of God, Detail Camilla Taylor, The Eye of God, Detail 1/4 Camilla Taylor The Knot Camilla Taylor’s monochromatic sculptures often cite figurative and architectural forms through references of the human body and home. Her work features a subtle and limited palette of blacks, greys, and graphite. For Taylor, certain colors feel too “loud,” opting for a color palette that feels more intimate and introspective. Through darkness, Taylor builds imaginative worlds, beings, works on paper, and sculpture that visually pull from human emotions like isolation, loss, and fragility. Taylor’s work often shares a consistent thread focusing on the interior experience of the individual. Her haunting creations play between the space of the perceived self and the physical body calling into the question the idea of identity. Previous Next

Kiel JohnsonNotes on a Morning WalkThe idea of “work as play” is central to Kiel Johnson’s art practice bringing a sense of curiosity and exploration through his whimsical creations. His primary focus is on drawings and sculpture that speak to the travels and adventures of his everyday life. Johnson’s sculptures and drawings serve as a visual diary that captures his animated and vast stream of consciousness. < Back Kiel Johnson, Notes on a Morning Walk Kiel Johnson, Notes on a Morning Walk 1/1 Kiel Johnson Notes on a Morning Walk The idea of “work as play” is central to Kiel Johnson’s art practice bringing a sense of curiosity and exploration through his whimsical creations. His primary focus is on drawings and sculpture that speak to the travels and adventures of his everyday life. Johnson’s sculptures and drawings serve as a visual diary that captures his animated and vast stream of consciousness. Inspired by odd discoveries, coincidence and chance, Johnson seeks to personify inanimate subjects. Johnson brings a sense of curiosity and exploration to the viewer, utilizing the world and its curiosities as his palette and canvas. His creations are inspired by robots, Greek sculpture, Egyptian gods, boats, and spaceships, among others, are a visual language that is an embodiment of Johnson’s humorous and energetic mind and eye. Through his heightened level of inquisitiveness and playfulness, Johnson continues to explore places, objects, and spaces that exist within his imagination. Previous Next

Tanisha Alam < Back Spring Festival By Tanisha Alam It is always a certain time of the year that you return to us. With your beauty and personality, your color and vibrance, you bring everyone prosperity and good fortune. For one month you are regarded with happiness. Like a symbol of hope, the troubles we faced in the last year will disappear at the sight of you. For one month you are displayed to showcase your beauty and your charm. Invited into the homes of all, you give us luck with your presence. For one month, you are the most regarded of any. In such festive times, there would be no tradition without you. You are essential and you are easy. The activities associated with you bring joy to the community, but you do not require much maintenance. Most importantly you are familiar. Since the beginning you have been there. Every year this time approaches, you are the most anticipated guest. When we have to venture from home, we look for you as a sense of belonging and as a sense of family. When we see you, we are reminded of all the good moments in our lives. A joyous time, that one month. But what happens after? What happens when the weather changes and new flowers bloom? All of a sudden your face drops and your color fades and you emit a certain stench. But why? Are you jealous that others arrive after you? But, you had your grand entrance. You were praised till you were worn out. People toss you aside, some even holding on till the last petal. Because, now that your time has passed, you are out of luck and out of style. The festivities that happen before you bless us for the following year, but they must come to an end eventually. Now we have to get on with our lives. Time does not stop, so we cannot allow you to linger, and that you know. So, you accept it. You make your departure, taking your festivities with you. You understand. That time of year is over, your regard is over. Oh well. This happens every season. No hard feelings. It is rather bittersweet. You know when you will come and you know when you will leave. Mourning you like the dead seems pointless. You will be back, so, instead of crying, let us continue to celebrate. Celebrate our new found luck, prosperity, and joy. Let it resonate for the next year, and once the weather turns cold and that luck seems to run out again, no worries, only a couple more months before you return. You come bearing gifts when we need you most, and once that joy is fulfilled, you depart till your time returns. You have a motive and as long as time continues to move forward, you will continue to fulfill it. That is the beauty of you. Previous Next

< Back HK Zamani Featured Structure Artist HK Zamani is an Iranian-American multidisciplinary artist and founder of PØST, an alternative exhibition space in Los Angeles. Teetering between the obscure and the objective, his work examines the synthesis of artistic medium, conception, and interaction. Interplay between structural materiality and metaphysical interpretation are prominent in Zamani’s work. He uses this exchange of the indefinite to comment on the current social structures and expectations of society. The physical use of artistic media is put into conversation with the representation of cultural overlap. Body and Immaterial: A Conversation of Sculpture and Painting, A 20 year Survey of Works by HK Zamani comments on the relationship between two prominent art mediums. The exhibition includes works such as Fashion of the Veil (2008), Prague Dome (2004), the Inadvertent Protagonists series, and many more. Works vary in medium. Sculptural and material elements showcase the skeletal and structural aspect of the work. Rigid frameworks such as the metal geodesic support on Prague Dome (2004) are juxtaposed with softer, more gentle textiles that make up the walls of the same work, calling to ideas of duality. Paintings provide preliminary and complimentary concepts that coincide with the sculptural work. Abstracted forms presented in his paintings also mimic the figures that can be seen in works such as Inadvertent Protagonists and Fashion Erasure I-18 (2021), noting the multiplicity of possibility and interpretation discussed in the work. HK Zamani received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from California State University, Dominguez Hills and his Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Claremont Graduate University. He is the recipient of City of Los Angeles Getty Trust and California Community Foundation grants. In 1995, Zamani founded POST, in 2009 it became PØST. His work is included in the collections at Berkeley Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He currently works and resides in Los Angeles. Previous Next

Launched in 2013, the Green MOAH Initiative utilizes art and environmental education as a creative catalyst for leading greener, more sustainable lives. Project topics include recycled art, urban farming and gardening, sustainable design, water harvesting, and renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. To date, the Green MOAH Initiative has reached more than 15,000 underserved youth in the Antelope Valley. The Initiative showcases how art functions as a stimulant in communities for living cleaner lives in the Antelope Valley. This is MOAH’s first annual public outreach and community engagement initiative to welcome the schools, community groups, families and individuals in our unique community to join us in co-creating a greener, brighter future. MOAH will develop and launch this exciting program on a quarterly basis with community based “green art” workshops and corresponding exhibitions that are formulated to increase environmental awareness through creativity and art making. Wasteland: Turning Illegally Dumped Waste Into Art The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) and the Eastside High School Art Department teamed up to launch a month-long project called Wasteland: Turning Illegally Dumped Waste into Art, the first project of the Green MOAH Initiative. Learn More CrossWINDS: The Intersection of Art and Sustainability Creatively teaching through hands-on art and environmental education—as many students and community members as possible about the benefit of wind and its impact on a number of aspects of our lives and our beautiful desert ecosystem. Learn More Green Revolution Trunk Lancaster’s Museum of Art & History (MOAH) Trunk Program is now offering a brand new discovery trunk entitled Green Revolution, as part of the award-winning Green MOAH Initiative. Learn More

< Back Relic Bozigian Gallery Stephanie Buer Combining the clarity of realism with the delicate qualities of oil painting and charcoal, artist Stephanie Buer creates instances of documentation and expression that create quiet and contemplative landscapes. Her practice is tedious and labor-intensive, a testament to the photorealistic accuracy of her scenes. Relic showcases Buer’s interest in these dilapidated spaces. Her immersive mark-making brings viewers closer to these environments and allows for an intimate view. The deterioration of infrastructure and its adornment with overgrowth and graffiti are on full display, demonstrating the clash of human-made processes and the natural world. Buer shows that these structures are products of the passage of time yet are frozen in their current ephemeral state. IMAGE CREDIT: Stephanie Buer, Relic , Oil on Canvas, 2025 Courtesy of Thinkspace Projects Previous Next

Up LA Painting Various Artists Five Year Survey curated by Cooper Johnson In MOAH’s Main Gallery, Five Year Survey , curated by Cooper Johnson features significant Los Angeles painters over the last five years. Its paintings range from socially-conscious figurative works to “pure” abstraction and everything in between. The exhibition exudes pure joy in paint as a material, with thick impasto brushwork, energetic mark-making, and bright, fresh color palettes. But paint isn’t the only material these artists utilize; photography, digital rendering, and printmaking all make their way into the work to break the mold of tradition and subvert expectations of what painting is and means. Five Year Survey is a cross-section of Los Angeles painting of the last five years, as exemplified by 15 artists who are moving the medium in new directions. Whether the artists of the survey pull from socio-political fray, bend the logic of composition, reinvigorate the mark, or push painting into the digital, all have a command of material and concept that enables multifaceted work. More importantly, their work reflects salient aspects of living in the present moment: an increased awareness of identity, hyper-connectedness and information abundance, and a heightened sensitivity to what is fake and what is real. And in this context, three themes emerge throughout the survey. First, many of the paintings in the survey address ideas surrounding identity. Taken together, these works suggest how identity can be viewed merely as a construct, but at the same time, the cause of serious issues concerning one’s experience. Something fabricated but nevertheless real. In Five Year Survey , identity is not about our physical features or inherent qualities, but is instead about the meanings we create for them, and store through object, symbol, and mark. And how those meanings, usually with historical and cultural momentum, are imposed, inflicted, or bestowed on each of us. Five Year Survey prompts us to consider not only how these attached meanings affect our day-to-day lives, but the inverse: whether there is something we truly are without our fabrications. A second theme throughout the survey is the use of paint to confuse how we define and experience what is “real.” Whether approaching the issue from painting’s tradition of illusion or its drift into the digital, these artists manipulate the mind’s natural functions, ranging from base-level sense-making to the desire to treat illusion as real. Artists handle this in a variety of ways in the survey. Objects in a landscape might be simultaneously revealed as staged—mere props in a diorama—but remain cloaked in the illusion of representation. Forms can be ambivalently representative and abstract, trigging the mind’s need to recognize patterns, but denying it certainty. The “space” in a painting may be structured to contain incompatible objects, forcing the mind to reconcile what shouldn’t exist in the same space. Even light itself, painted as textureless and pure as the sublime, lets slight deviations of the hand creep in. These works leave the viewer in seemingly contradictory states: experiencing the painting as “real,” but at the same time, hearing its confessions to the contrary. Third is the theme of plurality and purity in painting—paintings that do not zero in on any single concept, logic, or style, but are more interested in how different sets of rules can coexist in a single image. As seen over painting’s historical cycles of “purification” (and subsequent complication), narrowing down an image or process to its essence simultaneously constructs rules about the logic of its creation and interpretation. Although this isn’t new, the current trend away from “pure” painting seems to fit in the context of how technologically connected we are—not only do we have increasing access to a broader variety of work, but the role of the traditional gatekeepers is not as critical. In Five Year Survey , for example, this could include: charging geometric abstractions with agency or narrative; imbuing marks with more than the immediate movement or gesture, sometimes even elements of the painter’s identity; distorting the logic of the painting’s creation; nesting disparate styles within each other; or ironically adopting the rules of previous styles but conceptually contributing to them nonetheless. While Five Year Survey has no unifying concept, these three themes have similar analytical structures that inflect on, resonate with, and map onto the others. Whether it is our identity, our reality, or our rules of constructing images, the survey asks the viewer to explore the relationships we have with our own fabrications—the extent to which they only exist because we created them, and the extent to which we are nevertheless bound to them. Solo show DAVID ALLAN PETERS David Allan Peters creates work that explodes with countless layers of color and intricate texture, combining painting with sculptural hand-carved qualities. Diamonds, grids and circles create kaleidoscopic compositions that vibrantly explore geometry, intuition and chance. He has become known for his innovative process of building up material which is then peeled and cut away exposing what is below the initial surface, unveiling various colors at different depths. Peters sometimes works for 15 years on a single painting, painstakingly applying layer upon layer of acrylic paint and then cutting, scraping, sanding and carving into the layers to show the passage of time similar to the rings of a tree trunk. From the by-products of his paintings, Peters recycles the carved-out remnants into bricks forming minimalist installations. He pushes the limits of acrylic paint and the traditional painting processes, while dissolving the boundary between the second and third dimension. Rooted in the history of early West Coast abstraction, the genesis of Peters’ career was inspired by the dense layers found in other abstract artists such as Jay DeFeo. Continuously experimenting with pattern and diverse techniques, David Allan Peters’ latest body of work explores both the bold designs of Native American textiles and post-painterly, geometric abstractions. Peters received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University following his undergraduate at the Art Institute in San Francisco.The artist has been featured in WhiteWall magazine’s profile on the Anderson Collection as well as the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, the New York Times and an artist profile in Elle Decor. Site Specific Installation ERIKA LIZÉE Site-specific installation Infinite Love/Flesh and Blood by Erika Lizée spans three floors in the MOAH atrium. Erika Lizée uses trompe l’oeil and sculptural acrylic painting to create images that seem to “react” to the actual light and shadows of the space in which they reside. Her magically biomorphic installations are strange yet familiar, and seem to recede behind the gallery wall and reach out toward the viewer simultaneously. Lizée imagines the wall surface as a symbolic threshold between different realms or states of existence. She is also inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a tale of human perception and how our perceptions and experiences shape our personal reality. “The visionary function, which fulfills the soul’s need for placing itself in the vast scheme of things, has been suppressed, with the result that as a culture, we have lost the gift of vision,” states Lizée. She believes there is a “universal and ever-present urge for transcendence, for going beyond the mundane to experience the sublime. I hope to provide such an otherworldly experience.” Lizée’s recent body of work is based on her studies of the numbers 1 through 10 as well as sacred geometry. Infinite Love/Flesh and Blood at MOAH is inspired by the number 8, with visual references to the shape of the clematis flower, oxygen (the 8th element on the periodic table), musical octaves (there are eight notes in an octave) and the infinity symbol (which looks like a number “8”). Raised in a family of four and now having her own family of four, the number eight holds great symbolic power for Lizée as she reflects on love and life. Erika Lizée earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of North Carolina Asheville and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from California State University Northridge. She is currently a tenured professor at Moorpark College and the Director of the Moorpark College Art Gallery. A Visual Game of “Telephone” 49 works of art created by 49 contemporary artists in absolute secrecy over a period of nine years. Laura Hipke and painter Shane Guffogg’s curatorial project Circle of Truth in the South Gallery is comprised of works by Ed Ruscha, Shane Guffogg, Billy Al Bengston, Lita Albuquerque, Jim Morphesis, Charles Arnoldi, Robert Williams, Ruth Weisberg and 41 other artists in a modern, visual take on a common childhood game “Telephone”. The Circle of Truth project opens a dialog regarding the nature of what is considered “truth”, and the inherent flaws of receiving and re-transmitting information from one person to the next. The process for the Circle of Truth project was simple: the first painting, created by Shane Guffogg, was delivered to a second artist in the Circle along with a blank canvas. The second artist was instructed to find the “truth” in the first painting and respond with their own creation. That painting was then passed on to the next artist. As a rule, each artist was asked to keep their participation a secret until the project was completed. Circle of Truth, launched in 2009, was completed in 2016 and includes paintings by 49 different participating artists, all of which come from a variety of backgrounds and utilize painting styles ranging from hyper-realism to pure abstraction. The paintings will be hung in chronological order so visitors can see the progression of the “truth” over time. Each artist was also asked to write an essay about their experience. Excerpts of the essays will be available in the exhibition catalogue titled Circle of Truth (available for purchase at MOAH) and can be autographed during the book-signing on September 7 at 1 p.m. Kaye Freeman in collaboration with Amy Kaps The Anatomy of a Painting Kaye Freeman in Collaboration with Amy Kaps: The Anatomy of a Painting , examines the performative act of applying paint while expanding the painting plane to include the Museum’s entire East Gallery. Kaps’ role as curator quickly morphed into that of cohort, catalyst and collaborator when she asked artist Kaye Freeman to participate in creating the immersive painting installation. Together, they explore the body in relation to the process and product of painting. The curatorial vision for The Anatomy of a Painting is to tell the story of “creation” from the artist’s point of view using Freeman’s bright color palette and intuitive brush marks. Inspired by Yves Klein’s Anthropometries, Freeman paints directly on Kaps’ nude body, using the human form as a mark-making tool. The installation is made complete with a performance by Amy Kaps in which she walks around the gallery as viewers tear pieces of artwork off her dress, gradually revealing a satin under-dress embellished with body prints, black and white photographs and gestural brush-strokes by Freeman. Kaye Freeman uses painting and drawing to “fold and unfold the myths that surround us like a cosmic origami”. Memories and shared emotions weave through her paintings, abstracted and reshaped again and again until an ineffable common humanity and truth is revealed. Kaye Freeman was born in Hong Kong, raised in downtown Tokyo and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She has shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia and southern California. Amy Kaps is an interdisciplinary artist in constant dialogue with her surroundings and those who inhabit it. Possessing a predilection for the abstract and surreal while emphasizing the human form and condition, she presents a psychological puzzle hoping to entice the viewer to question what they see. Kaps is a past Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Art and History and completed a major installation at MOAH:CEDAR in 2018. She has worked in the realms of performance, installation, video, photography, music and words in the United States, Germany, Cuba and Spain. She currently lives in Venice, California. Selections from the Permanent Collection Selected highlights from Lancaster Museum of Art and History’s (MOAH) permanent collection are on display throughout LA Painting. The mission of the permanent collection is to celebrate the rich creative culture and history of southern California. As the Lancaster Museum of Art and History, we place great importance on being good stewards of the art of its collection by preserving and displaying artworks for the enjoyment and education of the public. MOAH emphasizes the support of emerging and established local artists that are significant to our region’s unique cultural perspective. Highlights from the permanent collection include works by: Craig “Skibs” Barker Billy Al Bengston Gary Brewer The Clayton Brothers Rebecca Campbell Alex Couwenberg Julius Eastman Renee Fox Dion Johnson Michael Jones Christine Kline Gary Lang Scott Listfield Stevie Love Bradford Salamon Andrew Schoultz Roni Stretch Tim Youd Eric Zammitt August 10 - October 20, 2019 Back to list