April Art Picks
Posted on April 18, 2009 – 6:55 PM | by OldManFoster
Sheng High
Trimpin
Nelson Gallery
Through May 17
UC Davis Art Building, Room 124, Davis
Hours: M – F 11AM – 5PM, Su 2 – 5PM
The Nelson is on a roll these days. Dave Lane’s fascinating Out in Space installation from January was a must-see show, and the follow up, the about-to-open installation by internationally acclaimed sound sculptor, composer, inventor and, well, genius, Trimpin promises to be astonishing as well. Trimpin (born Gerhard Trimpin, but now legally just Trimpin) doesn’t have a website, use email, or talk on the telephone. He doesn’t care much for electronically amplified sound (he objects to loudspeaker design) and though he has created complex sound installations for decades there are few audio recordings of his work. There is, however, a full length documentary film, Trimpin: The Sound of Invention that previewed to raves at this year’s SXSW festival. I’m guessing that it takes an 80 minute film to even scratch the surface of what Trimpin does.
Winner of a MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant, Trimpin was an experienced cross-platform multi-media artist before those terms had even been invented. One early installation was a six story high xylophone running through a spiral staircase in an Amsterdam theater, with computer-driven melodies playing the giant instrument; another was a water fountain installation in which drops of water, timed in complex rhythms, dripped into glass receptacles with a stunning percussive effect. Trimpin transforms the experience of listening, adding visual, cultural and kinetic aspects, and in so doing converts the passive act of hearing into an experience.
Sheng High, the installation on display here, was originally created in the artist’s adopted hometown of Seattle as part of the Trimpin Project, a two year presentation of Trimpin’s work in the northwest. The work is comprised of a forest of bamboo tripods, each suspending a cylinder containing a musical reed over a pot of water, and a wall mural of shiny discs. The cylinders, controlled by sensors in the mural, plunge into the water, forcing air from the reeds and producing a musical ‘score’. One reviewer for the Seattle Times called Sheng High “hard to categorize but easy to love.” I don’t doubt it. -TF
Feats of Clay
Lincoln Arts Gallery
April 25 – May 31
Reception: April 25
580 Sixth Street, Lincoln
Tour hours: Tu – Sun, 9AM -12:30PM
Bookended by the legendary TB9 ceramics studio at UC Davis and the Gladding, McBean terra cotta factory in Lincoln, The Sacramento region has an extremely rich history of clay work. Those two influences collide in Feats of Clay, Lincoln Arts’ annual show of ceramic art that is held at the historic Gladding, McBean factory. The event, now in its 22nd year, has become one of the most prestigious ceramics shows in the country, drawing over 1000 entries this year. Curator Dick Ketelle selected 78 works from nearly as many zip codes for the show. Big fans of ceramic art won’t want to miss the Gala Benefit Reception on Saturday, April 25. The event offers participants a first look at the exhibition (and first chance to purchase a piece or two), while enjoying fine wines, locally brewed beers, and a sumptuous assortment of snacks. The reception is a benefit for Lincoln Arts, and usually sells out, so book your tickets early!
Regular tours of the exhibit begin on April 28 with each tour guided by a docent steeped in Gladding, McBean’s history. Reservations are required and tours are $12 per person. Reserve a tour, hop aboard the antique fire truck waiting at the plant gate, and begin a journey back to 1875 when the plant was built. Once inside the bustling factory the roar of 2000-degree fires confined in the 22 towering 35-foot ‘beehive’ kilns is pervasive, and the massive scale of the structures is amazing. The kilns’ walls are encrusted with ancient residue from salt firings in pink, gold, rust and mauve. The art, softly lit, is posed throughout the factory as though waiting for archaeological discovery. For additional information, Reception tickets or tour reservations, contact Lincoln Arts at (916) 645-9713. Lincoln Arts Gallery hours are: Tuesday – Friday, 10AM – 3PM. -TF
Short List
Personal Lives
Through April 18
Verge Gallery
Lecture: Jessamyn Lovell
April 2, 6PM
1900 V Street
Personal Lives explores notions of place, family, privacy, identity, gender, and innocence through a wide variety of photographic means. Jessamyn Lovell’s compelling images documenting her family’s life in rural NY just may be the standout of this five-person show, and she will speak about her work on April 2. -TF
Divergent Timing
Terry Berlier
Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento
Through April 12
Lecture: Chris Daubert
April 9, 7PM
1519 19th St, Sacramento
Terry Berlier was Sacramento artist Chris Daubert’s studio assistant in the lean years before she got her current gig as a professor of sculpture at Stanford. Daubert coaxed Berlier to show at CCAS and will undoubtedly have keen insights into this fascinating artist and her work when he presents a lecture on April 9. -TF
The Art of John Stuart Berger
John Stuart Berger
April 11 – May 31
Upper Playground
John Stuart Berger has been a presence in Sac’s art scene since the late eighties, showing regularly at a wide variety of venues including the Toy Room, Solomon Dubnick, and the Horse Cow. His brand of cartoonish pop surrealism is instantly recognizable, and he is almost certainly the only artist who has work in the collection of the Crocker and on the side of an SNR distro box. -TF
Mass Meditation on Peace
April 19, 3PM
Crocker Art Museum
216 O Street
The Crocker will host a Mass Meditation on Peace in the Museum’s Courtyard on Sunday, April 19, to mark the closing of the Buddha show. The Mass Meditation ceremony is free and open to all ages. Some seating will be provided, and guests can bring cushions or blankets. Buddha brings together works from 11 Asian countries to explore the variety of Buddhist belief as revealed through 40 representations of the many buddhas. The show has been extremely well-received since opening in January, offering a bit of nirvana in these troubling times- even for hard-nosed old atheists like me. -TF