SERVING STUDENTS OF OUR CAL STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTON COMMUNITY

Grand Central Art Center takes great pride in being a unit of the Cal State University Fullerton College of the Arts. This relationship allows us to engage our students in meaningful ways. GCAC works to enhance the educational experience through visiting artists in residence and programs that place our students into direct conversation and experience outside the classroom and studio.

This past week was packed with such opportunities.

Artist in Residence Brent Green traveled to CSUF main campus two days last week to visit with students in both the Advance Character Animation and Short Filmmaking classes taught by Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Entertainment Art/Animation, Chuck Grieb. Brent screened past works for the students, shared his background and a few of his past experiences, including: presenting his work six times at the Sundance Film Festival; installation projects at such venues as the UCLA Hammer, SITE Santa Fe and Berkeley Art Museum; and performances at venues including MOMA, Walker Art Center and EMPAC in Troy, NY. It was a lively presentation, with Brent sharing his passion, drive and creative energy. Brent is scheduled to speak to a few more classes in the coming weeks and will be working on the installation of his upcoming exhibition, To Many Men Strange Fates Art Given, which will open on Saturday, December 1st in the main gallery at Grand Central Art Center. We thank Chuck for allowing us to take over two days of classes and thank Brent for his continued inspiration!

Julie Orser, Assistant Professor in Creative Photograph at CSUF, brought her class over for a sneak preview and conversation with artist Sean C. Flaherty. Sean’s video installation, An Overture in Parts, installed in the GCAC Project Space, opened to the public with a reception this past Saturday. The previous week, our Director/Chief Curator  John Spiak, spoke to Orser’s class on the topic of video art and the practice of showing work in this medium. The visit with Sean provided the opportunity to have a more direct conversation with a young artist working in video and installation. He was able to provide quality insight; on his own practice and desires, as well as knowledge he has obtained while working as a studio assist for artist Julian Hoeber. Sean talked about the three works in the current exhibition, how they were first developed, the actual creation process and his family’s reaction to their involvement, and the installation decisions and process. The exchange was energized and conversation quality. Thank you Sean for taking the time and sharing your knowledge with our Students, and Julie, we are so happy you are now part of the CSUF family!

Our First Saturday Art Walk evening began with CONVERSATIONS #2: PUBLIC ART, the second in our series of panels that place current CSUF MFA students working on degrees in specific practice, in conversation with individuals currently successful in that medium, in conversation with individuals who play a role in decision-making within that field. The panel, focused on Public Art, was lead by Kevin Stewart-Magee, current CSUF MFA Student, Painting and Drawing, with panelists Kent Twitchell, Artist/Muralist, and€ ¨ Margaret Bruning, Director of Civic Art, LA County Arts Commission. We had a great turnout and Kevin led an informative conversation. The focus was on current policies in public art, structure and best approaches for pursuing projects, and upcoming projects each individual was working towards. Our sincere gratitude to Kevin, Kent and Margaret, you started the evening off right, sharing your knowledge and expertise, it was extremely appreciated.

The next in our series, CONVERSATION #3: SOCIAL PRACTICE is set to occur on the evening of Thursday, November 15 beginning at 7pm. The panel will include artist Sarah Luther, Artist/Educator/Director of MKE<–>LAX Sara Daleiden, current CSUF MFA Student in Exhibition and Design Cassandra Erb, and current CSUF student in Exhibition and Design Kimberly McKinnis. The panel will be in association with the exhibition INTERSTICE: NEW ECONOMIES for CREATIVE COMMUNITIES, curated by Cassandra and Kimberly at the CSUF Begovich Gallery on main campus (800 N. State College Blvd, Fullerton), set to open November 10 from 5-8pm.

We invite you to join us immediately following the panel for a GCAC Dutch Treat Dinner at Izalco Salvadorian Cuisine. There is no pressure – you eat and drink what you order and can afford. And as a special bonus, our artists in residence Brent Green will also be joining us.

Following the panel Saturday evening, artist Tony de los Reyes presented a gallery talk for his current main gallery exhibition Border Theory. The exhibition has received excellent critical review, with outstanding writing by Gustavo Arellano in the OC Weekly, an article by Liz Goldner in ArtScene, and an ArtForum Critics’ Pick by Micol Hebron. Tony provided very in-depth insight into his current body of works, shared his process of the development of the series, and the route his work took to get to where he is today in his thinking. A personal, brilliant and generous talk, as the artist allowed the audience to engage throughout with direct questions and exchange. We are truly honored to have the privilege of premiering this new body of work and give our sincere thanks to Tony for allowing us this opportunity. We have extended the exhibition through November 18th, so you still have time to see the exhibition in person.

Saturday also marked the opening reception of two new exhibitions, the previously mentioned An Overture in Parts by artist Sean C. Flaherty, and the CSUF Student Glass and Ceramics Exhibition and Sale. Organized through the collaborative efforts of CSUF School of Art Associate Professor Nobuhito (Nobu) Nishigawara and Professor and Glass Program Coordinator John Leighton, the exhibition included outstanding quality works in both medium and was extremely well received by our audience. Thank you to the student artists for their hard work and amazing pieces, and thanks to Nobu and John for making this exhibition a reality.

A visit from Skirball Cultural Center, Marketing and Social Media Manager, Lisa Delgin kicked off this week’s activity. Lisa visited Grand Central Art Center to speak with students enrolled in the CSUF Exhibition and Design program with Mike McGee, Professor and Museum Studies Coordinator, Exhibition Design and Museum Studies. She shared her incredible knowledge of current marketing practices within cultural institutions, including the use of print materials (both internal and external), social media approaches, audience survey gathering, event based outreach, and partnering with media outlets. Lisa provided amazing insight and the students were engaged in the conversation, a true benefit for all who attended. Thank you Lisa for taking time out of your busy schedule, making the drive down from LA, and most of all for the energy and inspiration you provided to our CSUF students.

Sometimes support of our community neighbors leads to surprising student engagement. Last week we hosted a team meeting for the regional managers of Starbucks Coffee. The team arrived for an early meeting and as we had informal conversations, we discovered that many of the individuals attending the meeting were current CSUF students and alumni. It allowed us to share our current series of exhibitions and talk about opportunities for collaborative efforts and mutually beneficial exchange. A quality group of folks to share our morning.

It is always wonderful to have the opportunity to connect with members of our CSUF Titan family!