California Center for the Arts, Museum Store

Our Museum Store merchandise gets changed and added to ever time a new exhibition comes around.  Sometimes it has to do with the exhibition’s content and sometimes not.  This round Beth (our Store Manager among many other things) is doing a great job at bringing you – and me – lots of fun things to buy!  I already have a little Tara stack of things that I have purchased, sorry I know you had no chance because we are closed but hey that’s a perk I will take.  Above you can check out some Tara treasures and other things that will be available in the store as soon as we open on the night of February 12^th !

An interesting note about shopping, specifically impulse buying [thanks to 94.1 FM this morning] is that people with last names near the end of the alphabet are more likely to be impulse buyers.  “They” did a study and found that end of the alphabet last namers make up the dominant amount of impulse buyers.  You can thank your elementary and middle school teachers for this as you were the last one called when waiting to: pick partners for a project, leave for a field trip, get up to get supplies etc… Supposedly this gave all of us with last names starting with Q – Z a compulsion to buy things right away so we don’t have to wait.  

Notes from the Front Desk: Alex, David and Beth

Working hard at the front desk. David making leaves, me blogging. 

So, one great thing about turn-around is the chance to get to know your fellow co-workers. Thing’s around here right now are a little more relaxed. Since we don’t have patrons wandering in and out of the museum, we’re all able to hang out and chat while focusing on various projects to get done before the next exhibition. While we already spend a lot of time up here at the front desk together, it’s always nice to be able to know your fellow desk-mate even better especially during an odd time like this. Lucky for you I’ll give you a peek at what’s going on. Here’s a little insight on a few of the people who are up here handling the front of the house!

Name: Alex (The Great)

Age:  22

How long @ Center Museum:  1yr 8mo

Favorite thing about turn around: Seeing all the new art come in”  

Favorite Lunch Break Eats: Subway

Favorite thing to wear during turn around: “Umm. . . clothes? An apron.”

Project currently working on: Staining chair legs for the new learning center furniture.

Worst part of turn around: The noise

Book currently reading: Morals and Dogma, by Albert Pike

What are you doing on your 3 day weekend: Disneyland!

Favorite Color: White.

David and Alex, hanging tough at the desk.

Name: David

Age: 19 y/o

How long @ Center Museum: 2 ½ years

Favorite thing about turn around: “Looking around and seeing how everything’s changing, and what people are doing to change the exhibit, and see it progress throughout the weeks.”

Favorite lunch break eats: Subway!!

Favorite thing to wear during turn around: “Skinny Jeans”

Project currently working on: “Cutting out paper leaves.”

Worst part of turn around: “Having nothing to do. . .sometimes. I guess? Or doing repetitive tasks over and over again.. . . like cutting out leaves. ”

Book currently reading: The Black Prism, by Brent Weeks

What are you doing on your 3 day weekend? “Probably yard work. Because I need money.”

Favorite Color: Purple.

David, Alex, and Beth working on various projects.

Name: Beth

Age: 28

How long @ Center Museum: Almost a year

Favorite thing about turn around: “Getting new, unique, unexpected merchandise in the store from consignment artists.”

Favorite lunch break eats: “I’m boring… I like the bagel guy’s Lentil soup.”

Favorite thing to wear during turn around: “Chuck Taylors.”  

Project currently working on: “Re-doing museum store, and scouting for couches around San Diego to use for the new learning center”

Worst part of turn around: “Stressful, last minute preparation for exhibit.”

Book currently reading: “Essays on How to Avoid Dying. I got it from a friend. . .”

What are you doing on your 3 day weekend? “Like, nothing. My husband’s overseas. . .Carissa, do you want to get some pad-thai on Saturday?”

Favorite Color: Black

David, taking a "Man Break".

Thoroughly Modern Mickalene

THE MODERN WINDOW AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
LE DeJEUNER SUR L’HERBE: LES TROIS FEMMES NOIRES"Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires" is a project commissioned by the MoMA for The Modern restaurant window on 53rd Street. The project was executed in two stages: initially, a large format printing of Thomas' "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires" photograph occupied the window November 2009 through February 2010. In February, it was replaced by the painting on three panels that is currently on view. 

Not sure if you noticed or not, but as Tara mentioned I took a small holiday to the BIG Apple. That’s right, I left 75 degree weather here in sunny San Diego and headed to the blustering east coast—NYC. Aside from it feeling a lot like Gotham City, I had an amazing time! In between catching up with friends out there, I was pleased to have some alone time to do “arty” things, so I headed to the MoMA. What’s funny, is that one of my favorite parts of the museum was the outside! Upon arrival, was a window on 53rd Street, outside of the restaurant, and in it was a HUGE Mickalene Thomas piece: “LE DeJEUNER SUR L’HERBE: LES TROIS FEMMES NOIRES”. I was so excited because a few days earlier we received our monthly copy of ARTnews Magazine and one of my favorite articles in it was “Rhinestone Odalisques” by Barbara Pollack. I’d never heard of Mickalene Thomas before, but I instantly fell in love with her work. Her images are so strong, empowering, feminine, and modern! I’m such a sucker for mixed media, bright colors, and shiny things, so I was beside myself when I saw that article. You can imagine my surprise coming across one in person so quickly. The thing was giant and so, so beautiful! I wanted to take it home with me.(But instead of becoming a criminal, I guess I'll just settle on making something like it of my own.) My best friend who I was with took a picture of me with her camera looking very excited in front of the piece, but I don’t have it yet so enjoy a few of the photos I do have. Please look up Mickalene Thomas’ work and/or pick up the current ARTnews, you won’t be sorry!

Talk soon. Carissa x

Outside of MoMA. . . Looks cold, doesn’t it?

 

Personal photo of “LE DeJEUNER SUR L’HERBE: LES TROIS FEMMES NOIRES”. . . Sorry about the glare. :-/



This is me standing inside MoMA, with a view of the outside. So if you use your imagination you can mind-photoshop me into the front of the Thomas window!

 

 

 

Center Museum, Patricia Patterson Exhibition

Currently we are in installation mode here at the Museum. All Leveled remnants have been taken away and the new exhibition, Patricia Patterson: Here and There Back and Forth is going up.  I would love to know how to build walls from a pile of wood, drywall and shiny parts, but alas I do not. So the crew comes in and makes all this magic happen. And they have it cut out for them big time. There will be three brand new walls to build for this exhibition, two extensions added to existing walls and a height rise on an existing wall.  In addition they are joining many of our pre-existing walls together to make longer walls.  Above is an image of the beginning of this process in gallery 2.  Thank you to the crew! You guys are wonderful.

Tara
Art Ninja

Doing NY

So our favorite blogger Carissa will be adding some extra sparkle to NY this weekend.  I am incredibly jealous that she is jetting off to one of my favorite places.  With that said she asked for some tips on things to do so I thought I would share joy and pass the list on to you all too.  Here is a list of my dear friend Mia's and my favorite things to do in NY.  Carissa, we all expect pictures when you get back! 

Brunch:

Ino:  Cheap, delicious brunch - home of the truffled egg toast and paninis.  The walnut sundried tomato bruschetta is also delish!

Cafe Habana: This place has grilled corn on the cob to die for.  It is topped with paprika and something white [don’t know don’t care] and crumbly white cheese!  Eat your corn with coffee and you will be a happy camper.  Very yummy cuban breakfast foods and drinks. 

Dinner:

Hecho en Dumbo - tacos and Micheladas - YUM!  This place has the best micheladas I have ever had [they put soy sauce in them, I know sounds disgusting but don’t knock it till you try it]

Ippudo - This is a ramen noodle place but shi shi.  Very good and they have the best pork buns I have ever had! They put mustard in them.

La Esquina cafe - also kind of mexicany and delicious 

Bars:

White Star - mixologist cocktails - really good, cash only

Dove - cute, underground 

Shopping:

Soho - but stay off broadway and on West Broadway, as well as the cross streets (Spring, Prince).  There is a store on Elizabeth called Girl Cat that is also really cute

Union Square

(

5th Ave

between 16th and 23rd)  - Anthrologie, Seven Store

Nolita - Funky little boutiques - sometimes can be great, other times nothing

Book Marc – Mark Jacob’s book store, it has great odd artsy books and knick knacks.

 

If you like comedy shows:

Upright Citizens Brigade is awesome - you register on their website and get on the list and tickets are between 10 and 20 dollares depending on the show

And last but not least: THE ART

Ok MOMA has an amazing show up on the Ab Ex painters!

So so good.  The other big one to see is Behind the Camera an exhibition on Norman Rockwell at the Brooklyn Museum.  This blew me away and I learned so much.  The catalogue that goes with the show is great too.  The curator focused on all the photographs that he took in preparation for his paintings as the concept for the exhibition.  There are so many wonderful photos and photo collages and they are pressed smartly against his original works so that you get a peek into this great artists mind.  Brilliant. 

One of my favorite galleries is Andrea Rosen Gallery.  She shows Nigel Cooke who is one of my top ten painter faves. 

Enjoy!

Tara

Student Loans

I have figured out this great trick to get me through all the automated crud when calling The Student Loan people, because no one loves that monotone voice that reads off your list of choices; press one to hear your balance [no thank you!], press two for Spanish, press three if you are awaiting processing…. So when you call your loan people [this works with Citibank not sure who else, as I am trying to not collect more of these things] press the zero button three times fast! 000 and it will forward you to a customer representative, of course he/she will not necessarily be on this continent but hey you got a live one.  I figured this out because I hate hearing my balance and it’s the only way to avoid it. 

So why am I going on about student loans?  Well because we all have them.  And not just us non-proffit artsy people who went to really expensive schools with a high weighted name only to graduate and move back in with our parents.  With this said I would still stubbornly do it again.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t complain a bit here and there to blow off some financial steam. 

Yesterday in the New York Times a great article ran about student debt specifically for law students.  It was socking and sad and I highly recommend you read it. 

So for all of you out there that are in the forbearance boat with me feel free to write in and tell me your loan sob stories because everyone needs to have someone to vent to.

Tara

Art Ninja

Buy Someone Flowers

Flowers were delivered to me at work today, this is a first for me.  You would think a young suitor maybe [no, on the contrary I have an excellent man in my life who I think does not believe in giving flowers].  They were from my very sweet friend in NY, Mia.  They are miniature roses, I love things in miniature, and they feel like her.  It’s like a little mini Mia is sitting on my desk making me happier every day.  So thank you Mia.

To the readers,

Send someone you love flowers, they will love you for it and it will make their week.

Tara

Art Ninja