September/October 2006 Volume 1 Issue 4
Folio
The publication of the Pasadena Arts Council
Campus As Canvas
N
ame a local academic institution which has
been honored as one of the best of its kind
in the state, home to world-class faculty,
where art and design students emerge highly prepared and motivated, where the math students are
defending champions in a specialized mathematics
competition and where public discourse and special
programs are available to the community year-round.
Sounds almost like a hybrid of Art Center College of
Design, Caltech and Occidental—but Pasadena City
College is just as much of
an educational and cultural
resource as its sister institutions in town. And PCC is
on the rise, with a master
plan calling for campus renovations, the creation of
additional parking and infrastructure upgrades. Central, literally and otherwise, to PCC’s Masterplan
2010 is a new arts building, and Alex Kritselis, Dean
of the Visual Arts and Media Studies Division, is just
the person to talk about it.
sculptor whose office is dominated by two large paintings of his own, in addition to the requisite stacks of
books and papers. When asked about the new arts
building, he starts with the context. “Los Angeles,” he
notes, “is the second-largest art market in the nation,
and Pasadena is attached to Los Angeles. Fifteen minutes from here you find yourself in the middle of one of
the most dynamic art locations in the country, if not the
world, so we are able to attract the top people to teach
here. When you have 90 to 100 full- and part-time
faculty who practice art not only in L.A. but across the
country—in some cases Europe and Asia—then you
have a rather exceptional group of people who bring
this creativity to the classroom situation, teaching on a
■
■
■
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
5
Innovation in
Arts Leadership
Pasadena Art Weekend
8
Source Notes:
Quieter Territory
Each year Pasadena City College serves approximately 30,000 students in both credit (25,000) and
non credit (5,000) courses.
professional level, at the same level as they would
teach anywhere else.”
The college catalog lists 140 courses pertaining to all
areas of the division: Studio Arts (drawing, painting,
sculpture, printmaking, ceramics), Design (graphic
design, illustration, product design, digital media),
Photography, Film, Art History, Film History, History
of Communication and Journalism.
In addition to outstanding faculty, Kritselis is very proud
of three important programs which have grown significantly during his two decades with the college.
One, the Artists-in-Residence Program, recently
celebrated its own 20-year anniversary with the publication of a beautiful commemorative catalogue—a
These courses are taught by 90 full-time and parttime faculty who practice their discipline both nationally and internationally.
Campus As Canvas
6
Kritselis, who has been on the PCC faculty since 1987
and dean of his division since 2002, is a painter and
■
1
continued on page 4
Above left: Alex Kritselis,
Dean of Visual Arts and Media
Studies; photo: Sophia Bicos.
Lower left: perpectual perceptual (speculative spectrum),
2006, Artist: Jessica Bronson;
Photo: Fredrik Nilsen.
The Pasadena Arts Council is grateful to these Arts Advocates for
their generous support of our 2005-06 Annual Appeal. Thank you!
Sustaining ($1,000+)
Janitta Keck
Patron ($500-$999)
Bill & Claire Bogaard
Dianne M. Magee
Diane and Craig Martin
Alexandra B. Reeves
Lyla White
Member (Under $100)
Member (continued)
Member (continued)
Bill and Rosemary Barbus
John and Kathy Berchild
John Clayton
Carolyn Cutler
Bettyann Kevles
Stan Kong
Phyllis Manley
Buff Megaw
Mei Lee Ney
Clifford Present
Wendy Roach
Norm Schmidt
William F. Schubert, M.D.
Mervyn Seldon
Amiel Shulsinger
Mark and Margaret Shumate
Robin and Ben Stafford
Don and Mary Thomas
John and Mary Van Amringe
John Van de Kamp
Westridge School
Martha Williams
Agnes Willis
Robert Winter
Dabney Zorthian
Sponsoring ($250-$499)
Debbie and Bernie Babcock
Carol Bradley
Charles and Kathryn Hofgaarden
2
Arts Advocates
Stephen A. Kanter, M.D.
Annamarie Mitchell
E. David and Jennifer Murphy
Peggy Phelps
Scott and Julie Ward
Sally and C. Davis Warner
Contributing ($100-$249)
Lisa Gallaway and Geoffrey Baum
Judy and Fred Brandt
Janice Carr
Catherine Cheney
Alice and Joe Coulombe
Joanne Eccleston
Sheldon Epps
Lauren Frankel
Hana Lauterkranc
Ed Low
Randell L. Makinson
Inez Pickering
Anne Pursel
Deborah Reed
Cheryl Bascom and
Christopher Reiner
Margaret Richards
Edith Roberts
Fran Scoble
Jane Stott
Deborah and D Paul Thomas
Carol and Bill Thomason
Charles Tilghman
2006 GOLD CROWN PATRONS
Patron Donations
Partners (continued)
Ann and Olin Barrett
Harvey and Ellen Knell
Charles and Nancy Munger
Elizabeth Samson
Lyla White
Tom and Joyce Leddy
Frank and Claude Logan
Kerry and Vicki McCluggage
Mary Lois Nevins
Debby and Bill Richards
Margaret and Charles Sedenquist
Kathy Soulek
Barbara Steinwedell
Jane Stott
Roy and Martha Tolles
Paul Vandeventer
Marge and Joe Wyatt
Patrons ($500)
Friends ($100)
Angels ($2,500)
Evelyn English
Dianne M. Magee
Washington Mutual
Benefactors ($1,000)
John and Louise Bryson
Charter Communications
Barbara Harvey
Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch
Assemblymember Carol J. Liu
Steve Madison and
Connie Holguin
Wendy Munger and
Leonard Gumport
Everett and Margaret Palmer
Joan and Jeff Palmer
Peggy Phelps
Jim and Anne Rothenberg
Tom and Laney Techentin
Sid and Betsey Tyler
Partners ($250)
Susan and John Caldwell
Dianne and Michael Cornwell
Alice and Joe Coulombe
Fred and Fritzie Culick
Joan and John Fauvre
Sue and Jim Femino
Lynn Caffrey Gabriel, O.D., and
John F. La Barbera
Kimberly and Julio Gonzalez
Adelaide Hixon
Stephen A. Kanter, M.D.
Carole and Mike Babcock
Catherine Babcock
Bill and Rosemary Barbus
Yvonne Benson/AIDS
Service Center
Suzanne Boswell
James Boyle
Judy and Fred Brandt
Betye Burton
Dr. and Mrs. James C. Caillouette
Jane Caughey
Phyllis Chambers-Emmons
John Clayton
Lynn and Carl Cooper
Wendy Currier
David and Holly Davis
Kitty Dillavou
Kathy Duba
Jakie and Ted Engs
Georgianna Erskine/Pacific Asia
Museum Associates
Jetty and Miller Fong
Lauren Frankel
James and Priscilla Gamb
Katherine Gillespie
Annie Haaggstrom
Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall
Ann Hassett and Bob Niemack
Friends (continued)
Betty and Oliver Ho
Marguerite Hougasian
Monica Hubbard
Dr. Alice J. Key
Dr. and Mrs. John Lusche
Melba Macneil
JC and Pamela Massar
Gordon and Priscilla McClure
Judy and Steve McDonald
Kenton Nelson
Mei-Lee Ney
Robert and Arlene Oltman
Verne and Sarah Smith Orr
Tina Petra and Ken Wong
Gloria and Donald Pitzer
Jack Plimpton
Anne Pursel
Lonette Rappoport
Margaret Richards
Edith and John Roberts
David K. Robinson
Mary and Edwin Schander
Fran Scoble
Dorothy Scully
Elba Smith
David Spiro
Takako Suzuki
Charles Tilghman
Barton and Pamela Wald
Robert and Anna Marie Warren
Jim Watterson
Supporters (Under $100)
Carrie Adrian
Vern and Marsha Bohr
Fred Schoellkopf
Amiel Shulsinger
Irene Welch
Ruth Winter
Dabney Zorthian
Additional generous support from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Gifts received December 1, 2005, through July 31, 2006
From the
editor
Fall in Southern California...
absolutely my favorite season, that
numbing August lassitude finally
dissolving altogether and a quickened tempo setting in. You can
breathe again. The fall planting
guides appear in magazines. Santa
Ana’s blow-dry the foothills and,
where my family and I live on the
westernmost edge of Pasadena,
Canada geese actually honk by
overhead. The mail brings a torrent
of concert and exhibition brochures,
announcements of lecture series and
dance performances, theatre subscription packages, and flyers on
gallery programs and film series.
Of course, we wouldn’t have all
those extraordinary cultural offerings if the creative people in front
of and behind the scenes—artists,
curators and administrators—had
not been supported on their educational paths, and been allowed
to make choices that one way or
another led to careers in the arts.
Be it a book recommended by a
favorite faculty member, a ceramics class taken on a whim, a fragment of music drifting down the
hall in the music building...at some
moment, for many of us, there is
the knowing that this is the milieu
we most want to explore.
So, with fall in the air, this is our
“back-to-school” issue of FOLIO.
There are new people in arts education, new programs in arts management and a new arts building
in the works. Mayor Bill Bogaard
calls this the “city of learning”—
really, Pasadena is in many ways
about a culture of learning, which
is the foundation for identifying
and gathering your resources for
life. Next time you take in a show
or admire an artwork, consider
the academic underpinnings that
brought it all together.
3
You know what else I like about
fall? You can actually get people
on the phone. Enjoy the season!
-Terry LeMoncheck
From the Editor
New Arts Education Coordinator
for Pasadena Unified School District
Last February, the Pasadena
Unified School District hired
Marshall Ayers as its District
Arts Education Coordinator.
This is a brand-new position for
PUSD and was created as part of the
District’s participation in “Arts For
All”—a “regional blueprint for arts
education” developed by the L.A.
County Arts Commission. Marshall
brings an important skill set to the
job; as Founding Director of Ryman
Arts, she helped create a program
which teaches classical drawing
and painting skills to talented high
school students, 80% of whom come
from public schools, and her background in theater as an actor, producer and stage manager equip her
for this coordinator position as well.
A significant portion of Marshall’s
job is to implement PUSD’s 10-year
arts plan, and over the next two
years she will be looking at defining
partnerships with existing arts organizations in the Pasadena community, developing standards-based curriculum and working on professional
development programs for teachers.
There is a tie-in with the City’s cultural masterplan (“Cultural Nexus”)
as well. “I see arts in PUSD schools
as a three-dimensional program—a
collaboration between the District,
the arts organization partners, and
the City,” she says. “Arts don’t happen in isolation.” Marshall has already implemented several valuable
components to the program, including an integrated arts calendar on
the District website (www.pusdarts.
org, coming soon) and her office is
a vital communications hub between
the schools, arts providers, city offices and the public. She can be
reached at mayers06@pusd.us or
626-795-6981 x 353.
continued from page 1
retrospective of the 20 visual artists who
have spent time on campus
teaching and making art. It’s
an impressive list which
includes Nathan Oliveira,
Alexis
Smith,
William
Wegman, Masami Teraoka,
Wayne Thiebaud, Michael
McMillan and Alison Saar,
and represents artists of diverse cultural backgrounds
and media (painting,
drawing, sculpture,
ceramics, collage,
photography
and
video). For a week,
sometimes two, an
artist will become
part of the communiCampus as Canvas
ty at PCC and create
(continued)
a work in the academic setting.
4
During this time, students have access to
the artist, to observe and ask questions, get
feedback on their own work and just spend
time in the company of a professional,
successful artist engaged in the creative
process. For the faculty, it’s an opportunity
to pull back, as Kritselis says, “to slow
down a little, to observe how somebody
else might be thinking about art.” The
work created during the residency
becomes part of the college’s permanent collection, currently on display in
Shatford Library, at the northeast corner
of the campus, building an important
collection of contemporary artists.
Also open to the public is the PCC Art
Gallery, overseen by gallery director
Brian Tucker. The 900-square-foot space
serves the dual purposes of a visual art
location—much needed in east Pasadena—and the location for a special summer program supported by the Pasadena
Art Alliance. This program enables
sophomore art students to have their first
solo exhibition, doing all the work themselves. Kritselis observes that “no other
institution that [he knows] provides a
sophomore with the opportunity to put a
body of work up. The student has to
learn everything—how to curate the
show, how to hang the show, to do the
publicity, write a press release, organize a reception—everything.”
A third significant artistic asset on the
PCC Campus is the Boone Sculpture
Garden. The Garden, completed in
1999, is a green oasis in the heart of the
campus, designed by environmental artist
Jody Pinto and featuring a plaza, a water
channel coursing throughout the garden,
pathways, art spaces and an amphitheater. Alex Kritselis pays homage to two
very special friends of the PCC visual art
division and the Sculpture Garden in particular: Dr. George Boone and Adelaide
Hixon. Boone, a PCC alumnus and, along
with wife Mary Lou, an avid sculpture collector and arts patron, made the Sculpture
Garden possible; Adelaide Hixon and her
late husband Alexander were donors of
two significant artworks for the Garden.
And the new arts building? Alex Kritselis’
enthusiasm for the new space is infectious. “We’re the last building in the
Masterplan—the capstone, the crown
jewel,” he says. “Visual art and music
will be together under one roof, with an
80% increase in space. We’re bursting
at the seams now, but with the increase
in space we won’t be increasing the
number of students.” Both art and music divisions will have to rethink how to
use the space, and Kritselis notes that
the new building will be a unique design for collaboration. “We want to
have common spaces inside and out,
where communal events can occur naturally,” he says. The 76,000-square-foot,
three-level building—planned to open
in spring of 2010 at a cost of $45 million—will also have outdoor spaces
which can be used throughout the year,
and Kritselis believes that the proposed
design “will change the perception of
what art buildings should be like.”
Kritselis continues, “When students and
visitors enter the new Arts Building, they
will know they are in a creative arts environment and not an institutional setting.
One of the architects spoke of creating not
just a building, but a marketplace. As you
walk through that complex, all sorts of interesting things will be happening.”
PCC faculty member and Pasadena Arts &
Culture Commissioner Stan Kong agrees.
“The Division has really outgrown its current facility, although the faculty has been
doing a great job with what it has,” he
says. “We’re really looking forward to a
new building that will accommodate some
of the things we want to happen here—but
more importantly, the character of the architecture will reflect who we are as an
arts division. That way, we can remind
people what we are proudest of—that
we are a truly public program.”
Middle: Remembrance Armanda, Multimedia
and Video installation, Spring 2005. Above: Red Pine,
Artist: Deborrah Butterfield. Below: Faces of Our
Community, Video installation, Fall 2003.
Innovation in Arts Leadership
Claremont, California, is very
much like Pasadena—Craftsman
bungalows nestled along quiet
streets, large trees and pretty
gardens—a settled, contemplative ambience. Claremont is, of
course, home to the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate
colleges and two graduate institutions,
including Claremont Graduate University (CGU), founded in 1925, which is
announcing an important new program
in the arts.
In 2004, the CGU School of Arts and
Humanities was awarded a Council
of Graduate Schools/Ford Foundation
planning grant to develop a Masters
Degree program in Arts & Cultural
Management. The grant was the brainchild of Constance DeVereaux, Associate Professor of Arts Management
(currently at Shenandoah University in
Virginia), who perceived the need for
this niche degree first-hand. During a
stint as director of an arts council in
Nevada, she found very few programs
(and none in this area) which combined
management training with arts and cultural studies. She did what most arts
administrators have done historically—
found her own mentors—but ultimately
suggested the program to CGU Arts &
Humanities Dean Patricia Easton, who
was an early supporter.
The purpose of the Master of Arts in
Arts & Cultural Management (MAACM)
program at CGU is to combine management, policy and decision-making
training with advanced study in the
humanities. Because arts administrators
function as community leaders, planners,
educators, facilitators and fund-raisers,
the profession is nuanced and requires
many skill sets. They must know how to
interpret, influence and formulate art
and cultural policies, and how to advocate for their organizations and for
the arts overall. They must work with
diverse constituencies, including artists,
members of corporate and government
sectors, patrons and members of local
communities.
Stephen Rountree, President of the Music Center and a CGU Trustee, served
on the advisory board which guided
the program’s development. “Cultural
organizations have become increasingly
vital to our society; providing enrichment to our lives, educational services,
entertainment, new knowledge, new art,
cultural preservation and places for individuals and families to take a breather
from hectic urban life,” Rountree states.
“As such, cultural organizations require
more sophisticated management. The
new Master of Arts in Arts & Cultural
Management at CGU
is a unique program
whose goal is to give
professionals within the
cultural sector the tools
needed to play leadership roles in directing
and managing these vital organizations.”
The MAACM program
will include 15-20 graduate students at a time, and
they will receive training in the techniques of
humanities research and
writing, management, policy and decision-making
skills. First-hand experience is gained through
a field internship, and
a final thesis research
paper requires students
to synthesize their expertise and knowledge on
a cultural policy or management-related
problem. “Transdisciplinary”—a word
heard increasingly in the academic community—is how Gabriella TempestosoBednar, program coordinator, describes
the program’s approach. “MAACM
is based in two schools at CGU—the
School of Arts & Humanities, and the
Drucker School of Management—a very
good partnership.”
Combining the techniques of research,
management and policy analysis with
a concentration in arts and humanities
studies, and with the dynamic environment of Los Angeles as a “cultural laboratory,” the new Master of Arts in Arts
& Cultural Management degree will
produce a new and diverse generation
of leaders who will formulate thoughtful cultural policy, advocate skillfully for
the arts and guide their communities in
reaping the rewards
of a vibrant arts climate. Learn more
at www.cgu.edu.
5
Innovation in
Arts Leadership
Photo courtesy of Claremont Graduate University.
Armory Center for the Arts:
FOCA Fellowships: Vincent Fecteau, Evan Holloway,
Monica Majoli: The Fellows of Contemporary Art has
awarded fellowships to three artists in recognition of their
significant contributions to California art. The intimacy of
Vincent Fecteau’s modestly scaled sculptures evokes architectural models and the imperfections of handmade objects.
Evan Holloway’s sculptural work conveys the playful and intellectually rigorous aspects of art. Monica
Majoli examines the relationship between
physicality and the intangible aspects of
consciousness and identity.
6
Pasadena
Arts Weekend
Armory Northwest:
At Home in the World: Exhibition featur-
ing new video-based work exploring ideas
of place and attempts to navigate through
explorations of memory, fantasy, language,
abstraction and landscape. Many of these
works express individual and isolated experience while reflecting a shared state of being.
Art Center College of Design
Williamson/Student Galleries:
Inventing Kindergarten: In the Williamson Gallery, Invent-
ing Kindergarten surveys rare objects and artifacts based upon
educator Friderich Froebel’s visionary 19th-century teaching
system. Using the Froebel method, young children were led
to decompose and reconstruct the world around them via exercises in art, design, mathematics and nature. In the Student
Gallery, experience the future of automobile design, furniture,
fine art, illustration, film, photography, graphic design, advertising, and digital media.
Art Center College of Design South Campus
Wind Tunnel:
Thinking~Making~Learning: Increasingly innovative K-12
teachers are turning to design strategies to engage students
in standards-based curriculum. Thinking~Marking~Learning
features artifacts and projects from real K-12 classrooms that
show how learning can be applied to students’ everyday
lives. Additionally, a fascinating peek into the minds of sixyear-old boys will be on display—a research project led by
the Graduate Media Design Program.
Norton Simon Museum of Art:
The Collectible Moment: Photographs in the Norton
Simon Museum: The Norton Simon Museum presents a first-
ever survey of its photography collection featuring works by
historical and modern photographers with special emphasis
on the contemporary artists involved with the development of
the Museum’s photography program in the early 1970s. Also
see the exhibition Ooo: Early Prints by Ed Ruscha.
One Colorado:
Armory Public View: Carlos Mollura: The first of an ex-
perimental series of installations that challenge conventional
notions about art in urban spaces. The inflated Polyurethane
sculptures by Carlos Mollura, scaled to echo architectural
details in One Colorado buildings, boldly occupy spaces
throughout the site. DigitalForum: Martin Kersels: Pink Constellation: Video featuring Kersels’ mechanized sculpture,
Tumble Room, captures a young woman gracefully dancing
on the walls and ceiling juxtaposed with footage of the artist
navigating the same room in which objects tumble and fall
around him.
Pacific Asia Museum
Experience Asia Close to Home: Pacific Asia Museum
presents the new Gallery of Japanese Art featuring a rare
15th-century Buddhist temple ceiling; “From Heart to Hand:
Modern Japanese Prints from the George and Marcia Good
Collection”; a preview of the November “BANQUET: A Feast
for the Senses” contemporary art exhibition; Opera Pasadena
performs snippets from Asian-themed operas including Turandot, Madame Butterfly and The Mikado.
Pasadena Central Library:
Do You Believe in the Ghosts of Pasadena’s Haunted
Houses? Join Michael J. Kouri, world famous psychic-medium
and author of HAUNTED HOUSES OF PASADENA on Friday
the 13th as he presents two slide lectures at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.,
of his encounters with the ghosts who inhabit our historic city.
Meet some of our city’s past historical figures, enjoy the talents of local musicians, discover Centennial Room treasures
and listen to haunted stories.
Art Night
Art Walk
Friday, October 13, 2006
6 pm to 10pm
Saturday, October 14, 2006
11 am to 7pm
Pasadena’s cultural institutions
open their doors for FREE
during ArtNight Pasadena,
offering the public a rich
sampling of quality art, artifacts and music within the
city. Free shuttles take visitors
to all ArtNight locations.
Stroll in the center of Culture,
Commerce and Community in
the heart of Pasadena, as your
day in the Playhouse District
will include viewing hundreds
of artworks, great food, entertainment and more! Pasadena
ArtWalk takes place along
Colorado Boulevard and Green
Street, between Oakland and
Oak Knoll Avenues.
Pasadena City College:
In Delight We Grow: Art from India from the collection
of Tom Knechtel: PCC Art Gallery presents the first public
exhibition of Indian drawings and folk art collected over 25
years by the well-known contemporary artist Tom Knechtel. This
show embraces diverse aspects of the visual culture of India,
including artists’ preparatory studies, fantastical notebook
drawings, and hand-drawn instructional charts for meditation. The collection ranges from a court painting of the Mewar
School dated 1680 to small paintings created for religious
pilgrims in the year 2000.
Pasadena Conservatory of Music:
Pasadena Conservatory of Music Hosts Theatre @ Boston
Court: A staged reading of scenes from “GULLS,” a new
musical loosely inspired by Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” Filled
with yearning, longing, familial misadventure, love affairs,
and broken hearts, “GULLS” is set in 1959 New York and Los
Angeles. Preview this thought-provoking new musical as it is
developed for the stage of Theatre @ Boston Court. Also tour
the Conservatory and view contemporary art on the walls.
Pasadena Museum of California Art:
Advancing the Moment: Recent Work by California
Photographers: Organized in conjunction with the Norton
Simon Museum’s exhibition, The Collectible Moment, Advancing
the Moment reveals the eventual trajectory of the groundbreaking Californian photographers of the 1960s and 1970s by
showcasing their work from the last five years. Also on view are
California Style Watercolors: Collector’s Choice, Hanson Puthuff,
and a new installation by Ian Treasure. New for ArtNight!˜DJ
set on the terrace by Soup Kitchen Collective.
Pasadena Art +
Design Open Market
Sunday, October 15, 2006
10 am to 5 pm
Old Pasadena’s most popular fine arts
market focuses exclusively on work by
students, faculty and alumni from Art
Center College of Design, Pasadena City
College and Armory Center for the Arts.
It’s a great opportunity to find innovative
productions by emerging artists, illustrators, ceramicists, and environmental and
industrial designers experimenting with
different media. The Art Market occurs
in the alleys and Courtyard at One Colorado.
Pasadena Museum of History:
House Beautiful: Celebrating the
Centennial of the Fenyes Mansion:
7
Pasadena
Arts Weekend
Step into the parlor and learn what life
was like in Pasadena 100 years ago. A
look at antique furniture, art, decorative
objects, textiles, books, vintage photos, and Fenyes family
treasures that offer an intimate study of the Edwardian-era.
Pasadena Playhouse:
Sneak Peeks: Catch a sneak peek of the world premier pro-
duction of Sister Act the Musical. Nuns will come and go and
the patio may be disco rocking! Also preview what will be
coming to the Carrie Hamilton Theatre after the upcoming renovations: Cabaret, Poetry Slams, new plays through Hothouse at
the Playhouse, comedy/improv and a whole lot more.
Pasadena Symphony:
Strauss, Shostakovich and Lalo: A unique opportunity
to ‘listen in’ as Maestro Jorge Mester conducts The Pasadena Symphony during an open rehearsal. Hear Strauss’ Till
Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Shostakovich’s grand and exuberant Symphony No. 6 and renowned Russian violinist Ilya
Kaler—the only musician to win Gold Medals at the Tchaikovsky,
Sibelius and Paganini competitions—as he displays his peerless
mastery while rehearsing Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.
Source Notes
QUIETER TERRITORY
VIEWS FROM A TUFT OF GRASS
By Harry Martinson
Translated from the Swedish by
Lars Nordstrom and Erland Anderson
152 pp. Green Integer. $10.95.
By Steve Roden
“In a sky reflected downward on
a lake, the clouds whirl around
like summer spirits, and as you
row across this
sky of water your
oar drips quietly
towards evening
like a dark wooden spoon into the
cloud-milk.” This
Source Notes
first sentence of Harry
Martinson’s Views
From a Tuft of Grass
sets the tone for a
very different kind of nature writing.
Martinson continues with some beautiful
hallucinatory descriptions of what he
calls a “core summer”—“that timeless
summer which, when everything is said
and done, is that vision which for you
symbolizes life itself elevated to transcendent reality or paradise.”
8
He is describing an experience with nature that is a combination of reality and
inspiration; thus begins an essay called
“On Nature Writing.” In it, Martinson
suggests that reality and imagination must
become intertwined in order to describe
nature through words. Here, the nature
writer’s project is a combination of science and poetry; Martinson begrudges
the fact that when confronted with nature,
one is generally speaking with an overly
familiar vocabulary. He suggests that we
are constantly pulling descriptions from
a predetermined set of clichés and basic scientific knowledge, even though we
are confronted with a unique landscape
in a unique moment. It reminds me of a
life drawing teacher I once had, who
admonished us to “draw what you see
not what you know.” At the end of the
essay, Martinson, like Rainer Maria Rilke
in Letters to a Young Poet, suggests that
nature is found not only in exotic locations, but is everywhere for those who
are sensitive to its inspirations—clearly
trying to get people to open their eyes
(and minds). The essay is such a beautiful
summation of Martinson’s view of the nature writer’s approach that I have given
copies of the essay to some of my grad
students. One could easily equate the nature writer’s discipline, inspiration, and
constant questioning of the limits of the
medium to the approach of the artist.
Harry Martinson was born in Sweden in
1904. He was formally educated until he
was 13, and spent much of his early life
on the sea as a sailor and vagabond. By
1935, he had published three books of
poetry; the first two to much acclaim, and
the third leading to a crisis, after which
he left poetry to develop “the philosophical nature essay.” From 1937 to 1947,
he published several volumes of dense
philosophical nature writings and then
left the genre for 15 years. In 1963,
he returned, with Views From a Tuft of
Grass. He was awarded the Nobel Prize
for literature in 1974.
Martinson also uses nature to explore
other territory. In “The Map as a Work of
Art”, he begins, “The map is a graphical
Cinderella, which, as soon as possible,
ought to be given a place among the others at the ball, where the fine arts are
praised.” He then traces a short personal
history of the map and its relationship to
reality, concluding that the world atlas is
“the greatest illustrative monument ever
created by man.” If “On Nature Writing”
feels almost macroscopic in its expansive
drift, “Maps...” begins to feel less like Rilke
and more like Robert Walser, with Martinson obsessing over the history of maps
with an incredibly tiny micro-view. In one
instance he contrasts Ptolemy’s genius
with a map by Kosmas Idikopleustas,
condemning it as “a board game someone has dropped his breakfast on.” For
anyone interested in literature along the
lines of Rilke, Walser, Knut Hamsun,
Francis Ponge, or Vilhelm Ekelund, or
anyone simply interested in exploring the
quieter territory between science, poetry
and nature, this book is highly recommended. It was recently published by
Green Integer, a wonderful press based
in Los Angeles, whose self-described mission is to publish “Essays, Manifestos,
Statements, Speeches, Maxims, Epistles,
Diaristic Jottings, Narratives, Natural histories, Poems, Plays, Performances, Ramblings, Revelations, and all such ephemera as may appear necessary to bring
society into a slight tremolo of confusion
and fright at least.”
Steve Roden is a visual and sound artist
whose work includes painting, drawing,
sculpture, film/video, sound installation
and performance, and is a Trustee of the
Pasadena Arts Council.
Summer Internships Open Up a WORLD
Pasadena has plenty of cultural institutions to be proud of. The Theatre
@ Boston Court, Armory Center for the Arts, and Southwest Chamber
Music name just a few. Did you know that they, like many other local
arts organizations, provide undergraduate summer internships? The
Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the J. Paul Getty Foundation both have internship programs that help students gain insight into
the world of arts administration. With a bit of research on the L.A.
County Arts Commission or Getty website, a college student can find
a list of arts organizations in need of an intern.
o
ossibilities
fP
By Joanna Sese, Pasadena Arts Council Intern
Why have these internships? What does an intern do? How do students get
involved? I spoke with Andrew Campbell, Director of Organizational Development with the L.A. County Arts Commission, who was happy to provide answers.
Why is it important that L.A. County provide these internships? Campbell replies that the internship program is important “because the arts are important.” He notes that sparking interests
in different institutions and disciplines is essential. The intern program not only offers organizations a helping hand, it also plants the seed for new leadership and ideas. Campbell says
the program provides options for art lovers who aren’t exactly modern day Monets. A person
does not need to be an artist to be involved in the arts.
Interns work on at least one specific project for the duration of their internship. Campbell comments that interns have a certain “new energy” that can revive abandoned projects. Another
perk is that interns receive stipends, a luxury hard to come by.
9
Summer Internships
Campbell also hopes that interns “accomplish a sense of ownership” of their institution. Fortunately, the general consensus among interns is that they feel they contribute to the well-being of
the organization regardless of its size. There are also plenty of opportunities for interns to interact.
The Pasadena Arts Council hosts two networking events for interns in this area, and the L.A.
County Arts Commission and the Getty hold numerous events as well. Intern Day at the Getty,
ArtBus, Arts Congress, and Career Day are a few examples of intern-specific activities.
All of this dedication to a burgeoning generation of arts leaders pays off. Campbell happily
reports that many interns stay in contact with their organizations. The trend shows that they enjoy their work and are eager to get involved again. Some former interns even find themselves
For more information, please visit the
working with the same organization for which they interned years ago. These former interns
following websites:
provide a fresh perspective from their generation. Interns do not simply disappear after their
internship is over.
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
www.lacountyarts.org/internship.html
If there is anything to gain from these internships, it is a broader horizon and a sense of involvement. What is Campbell’s recommendation to undergraduates considering a career in the The J. Paul Getty Foundation
arts? Simply “Go and See.” There’s plenty out there. Now, that’s advice we could all use.
www.getty.edu/grants/education/
On Tuesday, August 8, the Pasadena Arts Council hosted 26 visual and
performing arts interns from the Pasadena area for a luncheon and
panel discussion with executives from local arts organizations—Sarah
Lyding (Pasadena Playhouse), Stephen Nowlin (Art Center College of Design), Janine
Perron (L.A. County Arts Commission), David Spiro (Pacific Asia Museum), Susan Turner-Lowe (Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens), and Scott Ward
(Armory Center for the Arts). Panelists fielded questions from interns on subjects ranging from “tell us everything you did between college and your present job” to “how
important is an internship on my resumé?” Photos: Alexander Davis
The following cultural organizations are current members
of the Pasadena Arts Council
Thanks for your support!
Board of Trustees
Dianne Magee, President
10
Members
Anglican Chorale
Armory Center for the Arts
Art Center College of Design
Autry National Center
Baldwin Park Unified School District
Beauty & the Beads
Blair IB Magnet High School
Brehm Center for Worship, Theology & the Arts
Bunny Museum
Calico Winds
California Art Club
California Philharmonic Orchestra
Caltech Folk Dancers
Caltech Jazz & Concert Bands
Caltech-Occidental Symphony
Caltech Public Events
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
Chouinard Fdn. School of Art
Conservatory of Puppetry Arts
Crown City Chamber Players
Danielak Art
Descanso Gardens
Fine Art Digitography
Fine Artists Factory
Fine Arts Club of Pasadena
Foothill Creative Arts Group
Fremont Centre Theatre
Friends of Music at Pasadena
Presbyterian Church
Friends of South Pasadena Public Library
Furious Theatre Company
Gamble House
John Muir High School
Judson Gallery
Kidspace Childrens Museum
Lanterman Historical Museum
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
Los Angeles Children’s Chorus
Marshall Fundamental School
Metropolitan Associates
Monrovia Arts Festival Association
Music Circle
Nancy Hytone Leb Arts
Management Consulting
Norton Simon Museum
Old Mill Foundation
Opera Pasadena
Pacific Asia Museum
Pacific Serenades
Parsons Nose Productions
Pasadena Art Alliance
Pasadena Arts League
Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association
Pasadena Center Operating Company
Pasadena City College
Pasadena Community Orchestra
Pasadena Conservatory of Music
Pasadena Heritage
Pasadena Junior Theatre
Pasadena Living Magazine
Pasadena Museum of History
Pasadena Opera Guild
Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena POPS Orchestra
Pasadena Pro Musica
Pasadena Senior Center
Pasadena Shakespeare Company
Pasadena Society of Artists
Pasadena Suzuki Music Program
Pasadena Symphony
Pasadena Unified School District
Remember When Vocal Group
Sacatar Foundation
San Gabriel Fine Arts Association
San Marino League
SAPPA
Shakespeare League
Shumei Arts Council of America
Side Street Projects
Southwest Chamber Music Society
Ronald E. Steen Art Study
Shumei Arts Council
Sue B Dance Company
Theatre @ Boston Court
Tuesday Musicale
Verdugo Hills Showtime Chorus
Waverly School
Westridge School
Xiem Gallery
Gillian Bagwell
Kimberly Gonzalez
Suzanna Guzmán
Barbara Harvey
Lena L. Kennedy
Stephen Nowlin
Steve Roden
Kathy Soulek
David Spiro
Advisory Board
Elizabeth Loucks Samson,
President
Rosemary Barbus
Richard L. Barr
Roman Andrew Borek
JoAnne Brosi
John C. Crowley
Evelyn English
Peg Palmer
Brett Perkins
C. Anthony Phillips
Anne Pursel
Edith Roberts
John D. F. Tarr
Mildred Menefee Wardlow
Robert W.Winter
Executive Director
Terry LeMoncheck
Pasadena Arts Council
Non-profit Org.
U.S. Postage
65 So. Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105
phone: 626.793.8171 • fax: 626.793.5521
web: www.pasadenaartscouncil.org
PAID
Pasadena, CA
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Address Service Requested
Mission Statement
The mission of the Pasadena Arts Council shall
be achieved by:
• Encouraging the appreciation of and participation in the arts among community members
and organizations.
• Facilitating and coordinating communication
among arts organizations and the community
at large.
• Recognizing community members who show
outstanding promise or make significant
contributions to the arts.
• Advocating for financial support for the arts
from public and private funding sources.
FOLIO
Editor: Terry LeMoncheck
Designer: Jenny K. Somerville
Intern: Joanna Sese
Pasadena Arts Council
Facilitating, Empowering and
Advocating for the Arts
Vroman’s Gives Back
Vroman’s Bookstore generously supports many agencies
in Pasadena, including the Pasadena Arts Council.
Next time you’re in Vroman’s, fill out a Vroman’s Gives
Back card and circle #21—the Pasadena Arts Council.
Then, everytime you make a purchase at Vroman’s,
one percent of the total will help support the Council’s
programs and activities.
Remember to visit us online
and check out the
Arts & Culture Calendar at
www.pasadenaartscouncil.org
click on “arts and culture calendar” on the left-side navigation bar