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ILLUMINATIONS:
The Neon Sculpture of Brian Coleman and David Svenson
For most of us the word neon brings to mind the glaring signage of Times Square or the bright lights of Las Vegas. While it’s true that neon got its start in the commercial field of advertising, a few creative artists have manipulated the technique of glass-bending with the noble gases into a dynamic and vibrant sculptural medium worthy of museums and private collections. ILLUMINATIONS: The Neon Sculpture of Brian Coleman and David Svenson is a wondrous contemporary exhibition that showcases the work of two such neon artists that have taken the art form to new dimensions. ILLUMINATIONS will be on view July 3 - August 21, 2005.
| | | | Neon
Brian Coleman | Neon
David Svenson | Brian Coleman and David Svenson first met in 1985 when Coleman’s work was at the Museum of Neon Art in Los Angeles. Although Svenson grew up in the rural citrus country of Southern California and Coleman spent his high school years in New York City, the two discovered they had chosen similar lifestyles in the quiet nature of California. They have exhibited together countless times since their first meeting twenty years ago.
Neither artist began their career planning to work in neon. Coleman was a high profile designer in New York with years of lucrative commission work in lighting and interior design after graduating from the Pratt Institute. Svenson’s sculpture was rooted in woodcarving and other sculptural materials when he began incorporating neon into his work in the 1980s.
A preview reception will be held at the museum on Saturday, July 2nd from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The museum has developed a reputation for the lively party atmosphere of its receptions, complete with fabulous hors d’oeuvres prepared by OMA’s own Culinary Arts Council. The public is invited to attend the reception. Admission is $8, with complimentary admission for members of Oceanside Museum of Art.
| Coming Events | | June 12
| CONVERGENCE
last day
| | July 2
5-7 PM | ILLUMINATIONS:
The Neon Sculpture of
Brian Coleman and David Svenson
Preview Reception
| July 3 - August 21
| ILLUMINATIONS:
The Neon Sculpture of
Brian Coleman and David Svenson | July 9
10 AM | New Member Welcome
Docent Tour
| July 23
5:30 PM
| The Museum Ball
Dancing Beneath the Stars
| August 11
| FREE DAY with extended hours
10 AM - 8 PM
Meet Me at the Museum
Breakfast and Docent Tour
10 AM
| September 10
5-7 PM | Borderless Dreams
Preview Reception
| September 11 -
October 30
| Borderless Dreams |
EACH ONE TEACH ONE
The OMA membership committee has a goal to increase OMA membership in 2005 by recruiting new members, retaining current members, and encouraging higher levels of membership. Carolyn Mickelson is the new Membership Chair.
Recruiting new members is a vital volunteer activity that extends far beyond the Membership Committee. Currently, there are 50 members of the “Find Five” campaign designed to award a free gift membership to each member who recruits five new members. Gift memberships can be given to friends or family, to an employee or service person or organization to show appreciation. Those who recruit more than five new members can “bank” their gift memberships if they wish them to be used by another member.
In the “Each One Teach One” program current team members will be asked to select a museum member to be their partner so that OMA can double the number of recruiters. A kick-off event is being planned for new recruiters to receive training and to recognize the excellent job now underway with the committee.
Letters were mailed in April to those currently on the recruiting list. If you are not part of the campaign but would like to volunteer, we welcome your help! Call the museum to become involved, 760-721-2787.
OMA Travel
 An increasing number of museum members have chosen to travel with us recently. One reason may be the variety of destinations offered that appeal to the requests of our travelers. Did you know that in the United States we have visited New Orleans, Charleston, Jekyll Island, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and the Kentucky Derby. Our international trips have taken us to Spain, Cuba, and Oaxaca, Mexico. Each program has custom features that include all transportation, with roundtrip transfers by private motor coach from North County to point of departure and return, deluxe twin rooms and specific meals including daily breakfasts. The cruise on board the ms. “Ryndam” includes ALL meals and entertainment. Each fully escorted tour includes the price of admission for all listed excursions and a tax-deductible fundraising donation to the museum. Call STS International Tours for reservations, 1-800-620-9995. Call Oceanside Museum of Art for membership information, 760-721-2787.
CHICAGO - September 22, 2005
Chicago native and OMA travel committee member Ellen Stotmeister will escort OMA travelers beginning with a welcome dinner at the elegant Wildfire Jazz Supper Club. Among the highlights of the tour are a visit to the Sears Tower, the tallest building in North America; an architectural cruise with a professional docent who will describe more than 40 famous buildings along the scenic Chicago River route; guided visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio, Ernest Hemingway’s Museum and Birthplace, and the Chicago Cultural Center.
This comprehensive cultural tour includes roundtrip non-stop airfare, four nights at the first-class OMNI Ambassador East Hotel, welcome and farewell dinners, transportation in Chicago on deluxe air-conditioned motor coaches, baggage handling at airports, hotel and local taxes, and service charges. U.S. airport taxes and government fees of approximately $44 are not included. Cost is $1398 per person - 5 days.
MEXICAN RIVIERA & SEA OF CORTEZ CRUISE - November 7, 2005
Immerse yourself in the beauty and romance of Mexico during this leisurely cruise aboard Holland America’s luxurious ms. “Ryndam,” a graceful ship with outstanding service and amenities. This scenic excursion stops at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Loreto, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. The “Ryndam” features spacious, elegant staterooms and five-course evening meals. Cost begins at $1099 per person - 10 days.
Thirty-four travelers enjoyed our trip to Oaxaca in February. We saw ancient pyramids and prehistoric artifacts, walked on cobblestone streets dating from the 1500s, and visited villages to watch rug weaving, woodcarving, and black pottery being made by local artists like the one in the photo. We ate delicious food prepared the Oaxacan way, from string cheese to sauteed grasshoppers. It was a memorable trip.
KID’S ART & NATURE CAMP
Oceanside Museum of Art and the Buena Vista Lagoon Audubon Society are collaborating once again for the 2005 Kid’s Art & Nature Camp beginning July 5th. Camp sessions are held at the Buena Vista Lagoon Nature Center at 2202 South Coast Highway at the edge of the Buena Vista Lagoon. The Kid’s Art & Nature Camp blends art instruction, lagoon exploration walks, and docent-led nature talks directed by experienced teachers and Nature Center guides. You can register your child for one of the following camps by calling the museum at 760-721-2787.
Camp Ruddy Duck, ages 5-6, July 5-9, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
This camp will include papier-mache owls, sand paper art, large fabric painting, and drawing. $60 including materials.
Camp Crawdad, ages 7-8, July 11-15, 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Activities will include crow masks, collage, rain sticks, papier-mache birds, animal sculptures, drawing and painting. $75 including materials.
Camp Blackbird, ages 9-12, July 5-9, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Activities will include mini art card boxes, nature fabric banners, Matisse style paper collages, plein air painting, and drawing. Student work will be featured in a gallery setting the last day of camp.
ARTISTS: CALL FOR ENTRIES, OMA REGIONAL 4
OMA is pleased to announce its fourth juried exhibition of regional artists, OMA Regional 4, opening with a preview reception November, 19, 2005. The exhibition continues through January 8, 2006. The OMA Regional 4 is open to all San Diego County residents and to members of the Oceanside Museum of Art. The jury includes three esteemed members of the San Diego arts community: Mary Livingstone Beebe, Director, The Stuart Collection, UCSD; Derrick R. Cartwright, Director, San Diego Museum of Art; and Arthur Ollman, Director, Museum of Photographic Arts.
Artists who wish to enter should call the museum for a prospectus. All artwork must be original and completed within the past two years. Acceptable media include: oil, watercolor, acrylic, drawing, mixed media, prints, graphics, and sculpture. Please, no photography, performance art, craft, or functional art. No more than four artworks may be entered by each artist.
Slide entry deadline is September 8, 2005. Jury decisions will be mailed to entrants by October 12, 2005. OMA membership is required for entrants who are not San Diego County residents. Membership information is on page 2 of this newsletter.
TREASURES OF TUTANKHAMUN
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE PHARAOHS
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
August 25, 2005, Thursday
depart 10:00 AM, return 6:00 PM approx.
$50 OMA members, $60 nonmembers
This extensive exhibition includes more than 130 treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other Valley of the Kings tombs. More than 70 objects from other royal graves are also showcased, including those of pharaohs Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV, (1555 B.C.-1305 B.C.).
Also on view, LA-based artist Tim Hawkinson, one of today’s most original sculptors. His constructions vary from miniature sculptures of birds to sprawling mechanical percussion instruments constructed of cardboard tubes.
Meet the bus and depart from the southwest corner of the parking lot at Plaza Camino Real, Westfield Shoppingtown, located adjacent to the Olive Garden Restaurant on the corner of Monroe and Marron roads, Carlsbad. Cancellations will only receive a refund if the trip is fully booked at the time of departure.
MEDALS OF DISTINCTION TO BE AWARDED AT THE MUSEUM BALL
 Rusty and Bebe Grosse
Rusty and Bebe Grosse have lived in the area for over 45 years and have contributed to the area’s growth in many ways. As business leaders they have developed retail and residential centers that serve the community, and as civic leaders they have been active in the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the Tri-City Hospital Foundation, the North County Concert Association, and the Women’s Resource Center lending their home for the WRC “Magical Evening” for 25 years.
Their commitment to the community prompted a major gift to OMA’s expansion plans, supporting the auditorium that will carry their name and serve the children and adults of North County. Inspired by the generosity of Bob and Estelle Gleason and the Gleason’s desire to give back to the community, the Grosses believe that OMA provides much needed cultural arts programming to the region.
Rusty and Bebe share a passion for travel and have sailed their boat “Morgana” as far as New Zealand, sailing twice to Hawaii and back, as well as numerous sails along the California coast. They also trek into the wilderness of Minnesota each summer to camp and canoe on the clear waters of the inland lakes.
Ginny Tompkins
OMA’s first Exhibition Director and founder of the important Docent Program, Ginny Tompkins has been the anchor of the museum’s educational efforts since the museum began. As Docent Director she researches artist and exhibition information for docent training and schedules all of OMA’s tours. She also conducts the tour for the front desk volunteer training and for the “Meet Me at the Museum” events, as well as classroom tours for all ages.
A prolific painter, Ginny is a former Oceanside Arts Commission Chair and is currently on the City’s Redevelopment Advisory Committee and Design Review Committee. She is a member of the Sister Cities Foundation Board of Directors and in 1992 was invited to exhibit 36 of her paintings in Oceanside’s Sister City of Fuji, Japan.
Before becoming involved with the arts in Oceanside, Ginny and her late husband Lee built and operated 2 swim schools in San Diego County that they ran for 18 years, officiating at the Olympic Swim trials during that time.
Today, when Ginny isn’t painting or training docents at OMA, she can be found in her garden nurturing her 40 rose bushes.
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