Art Picks, May 2011

Posted on May 12, 2011 – 5:46 AM | by OldManFoster
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Across the Great Divide
Roberta Price
Nelson Gallery
Through May 22

It’s killing me that I missed Roberta Price’s talk about this show on opening day. The author of two books on her experiences as part of the ‘60s/’70s commune counterculture in the southwest (Across the Great Divide was just published by the University of New Mexico Press), Price was at the epicenter of a movement that scared the living bejeesus out of the ‘norms’ of the day. Just imagine your college kid saying, ‘Mom, Dad, I’m dropping out of school and building a house out of garbage. In the middle of nowhere. With hippies.’ Chilling! But, most of them survived – or like Price, thrived. In 1969, Price, then a Ph.D. student, got a grant to document the communes that were springing up in the west. Not long after her arrival, Price ‘went native,’ joining a Colorado artists’ and writers’ commune called Libre, where she lived for the next seven years. Price shot over 3000 images of Libre and other communes, documenting an experimental way of life that in many ways epitomized the spirit of sixties counterculture.

Nelson Hall (former University Club), University of California, Davis
Hours: Sat – Thurs 11AM – 5PM

Cactus Pete’s Cardboard Caravan
Peter Stegall

Double Safari
Ellen Van Fleet
Sacramento Temporary Contemporary
May 12 – June 4
Reception, May 12, 6 – 8PM
Reception, May 14, 6 – 8PM

Two stalwarts of Jayjay’s stable are showing on Del Paso this month. Stegall’s small colorful abstract paintings are pure, vivid and simple – icons of high modernism. He’s a master of color and form; in fact, it was Stegall who first enticed Jayjay’s Beth Jones away from narrative art. It’s ironic then, that Stegall has lately been dabbling with cardboard constructions that seem to come straight out of the comics. The tiny toy-like scenes – think Dr Seuss meets Krazy Kat – seem like pieces for a very old (and odd) board game. Van Fleet, a longtime CSUS professor, will be showing work inspired by her travels in the US and abroad. Like Stegall, she is best known for her abstract work, but these watercolor and collage landscapes lean toward expressionism.

1616 Del Paso Boulevard
Hours: Thurs – Sat, 11AM – 4PM

The Color of Rhythm
Mark Emerson
JayJay
May 11 through June 25
Reception: May 12, 6 to 8PM
Reception: May 14, 6 to 9PM

CSUS professor Mark Emerson has been painting colorful geometric abstractions for years, but this latest series is the loosest work I’ve seen from him. Bright and chaotic, there is an appealing, almost futurist feel to the interplay of colors and shapes. The show (named for Emerson’s love of jazz) will feature three large canvases along with several works on paper. JayJay’s Jones is an unabashed fan: “In years to come, Mark Emerson will be thought of Sacramento’s own Modern Master.”

5520 Elvas Avenue
Hours: Weds through Sat 11AM to 4PM and by appt

Short list:

Big Names, Small Art
Crocker Art Museum
May 26, 6 – 9PM

It’s that time of year again: your fave local arts institutions are starting up auction season. Kick off with one of the best art parties of the season: Big Names, Small Art features the work of more than 100 “Big Name” regional artists. Each “Small Art” work measures in at 12-by-12 inches or less. Guests will be able to bid on original paintings, drawings, ceramics, and mixed-media works starting at only $25! It’s always a good time, and free for Crocker members ($15 for non-members.)

216 O Street

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