INTERNal Affairs: Too Much Good Stuff

INTERNal Affairs is a series by GCAC Curatorial Intern and CSUF Art History major Shauna Hultgrien.

Happy autumn my Internet friends! The winds of the season are blowing and bringing with them exciting changes! I’m not talking about the turning of the leaves or the coming of the clouds; no, I’m afraid those wonders are dimmed by the new exhibitions here at Grand Central Art Center. As I’m sure you’ve learned through various experiences with tantalizing El Pollo Loco commercials that lead to excessive salivating and a broken nose from an attempt to smell your television screen– nothing compares to the real thing. Yet there are still those of you who choose to experience Santa Ana’s Saturday Art Walks through me! While I am indeed flattered, you have no idea what you’re missing. The liveliness is not something that can be efficaciously communicated through a brief recreation of the evening. As GCAC’s dutiful intern and your faithful reporter, I will once again do my best to bring the evening to you. For those of you that did attend (yes, over 2,200 of you), let’s take this opportunity to relive that wonderful evening together, shall we?

Alright, so there was Matthew Moore and Braden King’s Cumulus, Aili Schmeltz: Cross Cut, Rage Bear: Juggling Awesome organized by Marvin Chow, the Ceramics and Glass exhibition, Tim Youd’s performance of A Scanner Darkly, A Ryman Arts The Big Draw, the Dia De Los Muertos show by the CSUF MFA students hosted by Memphis at the Santora, Artist in Residence Vincent Goudreau roaming the halls, guest appearances by the mayor and city council members of both Santa Ana and Encinitas, and a VIP visit from friends at Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) with their Senior Curator Dan Cameron. Got it all? Was it as if you were standing next to me greeting our illustrious patrons? I hope so, because that’s all I have for you today art lovers.

Just kidding. All of those were indeed components of last Saturday’s delightful event, but allow me to elaborate on my experience with each.

We had a full house of new activity here at GCAC! The foyer was bustling with activity as the two front gallery spaces each boasted new pieces. The masses began to flood the typewriter-laden hallways (I’ll explain that in a moment), headed by a group from the wonderful OCMA and collectors group. Dan Cameron and Genny Boccardo-Dubey were amongst the group who popped in to see what all the buzz was about. While our Director John Spiak gave the group the â“behind the scenesâ” tour, I remained at the front to greet and guide.

Cumulus continues, and with the arrival of the centennial commemoration of the aqueduct, interest in this exhibition was noticeably heightened. The continuation of this show nicely complimented the three openings that occurred on Saturday. The first room people tended to make their way into was the space housing Aili Schmeltz’s Cross-Cut. Like many good works, this piece is better experienced than explained so nip that anticipation in the bud and come see it for yourself! Across from Schmeltz’s space is the fun and eclectic show Rage Bear: Juggling Awesome. Cal State University Fullerton MFA student Marvin Chow employed his curatorial talents and corralled his creative peers to create this visually stimulating show. Imagine a reality with bears instead of people and you have a glimpse into the world that Chow has created. There is something to Chow’s show that appeals to the young and old and everyone in between; it’s fun, energetic, and sometimes just plain weird. But I love it, and you can love it too, until February 9th. And of course, fall wouldn’t be complete without our Ceramics and Glass Exhibition and Sale, which includes incredible works by CSUF students, alumni and members of our community. It’s a great place to do a little holiday shopping.

This month GCAC was bursting at the seams with creative energy (I’m guessing it has something to do with that creative bug going around- see last month’s blog for details), so much so that it spilled into our hallways. Ryman Arts graced us with their presence and allowed our spacious abode to serve as one of the sites for their Big Draw L.A. event. The Big Draw allowed people of all ages to flex their creative muscle and see what the right side of their brain has to offer the world. At the other end of the hall artist Tim Youd parked his typewriter and went to work on Phillip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly. Youd takes novels and retypes them in the same location they were originally written, on the same make and model typewriter on which they were originally composed. Unfamiliar with his work? You’re in luck! He will be here at GCAC all month finishing his current project and recreations of his past projects will be hanging on our walls during this time.

As the night was winding down and the excitement beginning to subside (or so I thought) the Mayor of Santa Ana Miguel Pulido, City Council Member Michele Martinez, new City Manager David Cavazos and other City Official casually waltz in the corridor! We here at GCAC are ecstatic that there is continued interest in our creative operations. This was further evident as I continuously caught our Artist in Residence, Vincent Goudreau nonchalantly hanging around the galleries. Goudreau is using his time with us to work on his heart-wrenching biographical account of a man whose father was murdered in front of him, on his fourteenth birthday. If you have a minute (and a tissue) listen to this firsthand account, HERE IS THE AUDIO LINK. Since our structure could barely stand anymore creative genius, it once again poured into the promenade and over to the Memphis at Santora. Some of CSUF’s MFA students such as Caesar Alzate and Salvador De La Torre livened up the space with their Day of the Dead themed art. It will be up all month if you missed it on Saturday and there will be a new show from the students up every month.

So how was that? Are you still enjoying living vicariously through me or are you itching to get down here and experience it in person? I encourage the latter, especially since we just welcomed Susan Robb as Artist in Residence for her upcoming project/journey Wild Times. Plus, Goudreau is here through December, Cog-nate Collective (Amy Sanchez and Misael Diaz) are here in residence through next summer, and Tim continues to type in the lobby. Well Internet community, I do enjoy our little chats, it is an exciting thing for me to re-experience these events with you. If you happen to miss the Art Walk next month (which I hope you don’t), log on for December’s trip down memory lane. This is the GCAC intern, over and out.