There’s still time to catch the captivating exhibit, “Novel Constructions – Artists Create Monumental Books” at the charming Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. The exhibit closes August 16 and I’m sorry I didn’t see it earlier.
When I first walked into the exhibit I was, by turns, puzzled, confounded, but ultimately delighted, by the novel approach crafted by the six artists who created the works in the exhibit.
I was taken by surprise by the circular wordy disks artist Cheryl Sorg created. At first glance it is not apparent there is text in the graceful shapes on what appears to be huge plastic panels. Upon closer inspection the monumental scope of her creation comes into view and one is charmed by the originality and celebration of the printed word. It is a monstrous task to cut and paste, all in a circular format, the printed pages used in the display. How she achieved the precise design is a wonderment. The museum brochure tells us “…she cuts the books apart line by line, sometimes word by word, and reassembles the text with acid-free clear tape on to the Mylar.” I was delighted by the works featuring printed texts. Anyone who loves books may feel the same.
The installation, 280, by Edith Abeyta, refers, according to the artist, to the number of ill-fated French Queen Marie Antoinette’s prison cell. The entire room display is framed, according to museum information, by pages from Marie Antoinette’s diary. There is a cot and other pieces of furniture in the enclosure, creating a fanciful setting for the queen’s final days. The actual cell in which the queen spent her final days was eventually turned into a chapel.
The entire Novel exhibit features not only the printed texts, but books of leaves, tarpaper and other unique altered books. It is a fascinating exhibit.
The museum’s “Dark Forest” exhibit features a gallery full of sculptures by David Simon, based upon the contemporary play The Black Rider: The Casting of the MagicBullets. The Faustian storyline gives birth to strangely realistic figures shown to advantage in the eerie low-lighted gallery.
The Long Beach Museum of Art, situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a gem of a venue with always interesting exhibits. The Museum’s “Family Artmaking Workshops ”encourage children to “come get your hands dirty and your brains engaged!” These FREE drop-in workshops for adults and children, take place Fridays from 1:00 -3:00 p.m. in the Ralston Family Learning Center on August 7, 14, 21 and 28.
Long Beach Museum of Art
2300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA90803
562-439-2119
www.ibma.org
Museum hours: Tues. –Sun. 11 a.m. -5 p.m.
Fridays are free.
Admission-$7 adults, $6 students & seniors
Angela Rocco DeCarlo, copyright, 2009
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