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Founded | May 1941 by Walter W. Austin in San Diego |
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Type | Non-profit NGO |
Location |
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Services | exhibition, youth art education, professional development, artist residency |
Fields | Contemporary art |
Key people | See list (Lissa Corona, Interim Executive Director; Ginger Shulick Porcella, previous Executive Director; Bruce Tall, Chair, Board of Directors) |
Website | http://www.sandiego-art.org |
The San Diego Art Institute was a contemporary art museum with a focus on artists from the Southern California and Baja Norte region. [1] It was founded in 1941 as the San Diego Business Men's Art Club. Its name was changed in 1950 to the San Diego Art Institute. In 1953, women were admitted for membership. It officially became a nonprofit in 1963. [2] The San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park and Lux Art Institute in Encinitas merged in September 2021 to become the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, with each museum continuing to operate at its respective site. [3]
In 1941, [4] a group of San Diego businessmen met in the office of then director of the Fine Arts Gallery in Balboa Park, Reginald Poland. They formed a group, with the chief objective the painting of local characteristic and historical scenes of San Diego and vicinity. Invitations were issued to painters interested in preserving the memories of the fast disappearing early landmarks of San Diego County. In May, a re-organizational meeting was held, at which time the name "San Diego Business Men’s Art Club" was adopted. The first president was Walter W. Austin, former mayor of San Diego. The first instructor was Maurice Braun, known for his mellow California landscapes as well as for his unusual teaching ability. Otto Schneider, Alfred R. Mitchell and many others also acted as instructors of this enthusiastic outdoor painting group. Exhibitions of the work of club members were held at various places; the first one-man show to be held by a member of the original group was by Charles Small in Bohnens Studio at Fifth and Laurel Streets.
In 1942, the San Diego Business Men's Art Club negotiated with the city for studio quarters in the Spanish Village in Balboa Park. Before this arrangement could be consummated, World War II intervened; Balboa Park was requisitioned for use in the war effort. During the war the club was relatively inactive, except for a member exhibition in the La Jolla Art Center in June 1944. After the end of the war, interest in the project was revived and the club was reorganized at a meeting held on April 4, 1947. In 1947, there was an increase in activity resulting in many outdoor painting sessions, including one at the Pine Hills ranch of Fred Heilbron, one of the original members. Several painting exhibitions were held by members, including one at the San Diego Club with an attendance of more than 140 people. In 1947, E. H. Pohl and Ben Vaganoff were added to the list of club instructors.
During 1948, increased interest and enthusiasm was manifested by alternate Saturday painting trips by the membership to various sites in San Diego County. The all-county Art Mart held in November of that year at 6th and Laurel Streets was under the chairmanship of one of their instructors, Alfred R. Mitchell. Most of the members of the San Diego Business Men's Art Club participated in this activity, which greatly increased the public interest in the organization. For a number of years following the 1948 Art Mart, this activity was under the chairmanship of a member of the San Diego Business Men's Art Club. [5]
In 1949, the efforts of the club were increased and expanded. Exhibitions were held in numerous business establishments, hotels and schools. In 1950, these exhibitions were extended to outlying locations such as the Hoberg Hotel in Borrego Springs and the Carlsbad Hotel in Carlsbad.
The San Diego Business Men's Art Club had grown in activities and public relations to such an extent that a headquarters and gallery were sorely needed. During World War II, the Fine Arts Society of San Diego was forced to evacuate its galleries in Balboa Park and move, originally to 2324 Pine Street, [6] and then to 2030 Sunset Boulevard, a home which was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Marcy to the Fine Arts Society to use as its wartime temporary headquarters. Following the return of the Fine Arts Society to its galleries in Balboa Park after the war, the Sunset Galleries were left vacant. E. T. Price, at that time president of the Fine Arts Society, offered the use of the gallery at 2030 Sunset Boulevard for its headquarters and gallery, and many exhibitions, social affairs, classes, lectures, and educational and cultural meetings were held there. Exhibitions of the club's work were held continuously, with the show changed at monthly intervals. Visiting exhibitions were held, not only of paintings, but of photography and other arts and crafts. Field painting excursions continued under the supervision and instruction of one of the faculty members. During this time, Alfred E. R. Van de Veide, Carlos Verharen, J. Milford Ellison, J. Roland McNary, and Earl Schrack were added to the faculty, while Elsey Taft became curator.
In 1951, the membership voted to incorporate under the name of “The San Diego Men’s Art Institute" and to accept women as associate members. The membership promptly rose to more than fifty regular members and more than one hundred associate members. With the advent of women as associate members, activities increased markedly, and, with the Sunset galleries becoming available, increased quality of the work submitted for exhibitions was noted. [ citation needed ]
San Diego Art Institute is a contemporary art center, focusing on the artists and audiences of Southern California/Baja Norte. Its core programs include rotating, curated exhibitions of regional contemporary art, as well as a premier artist and curator residency program. SDAI has a main exhibition space in Balboa Park, 8,000 square feet dedicated to contemporary exhibitions. As of November 2015, SDAI also has a secondary 3,000 square foot project space in Westfield Horton Plaza Mall, dedicated to hands-on art-making workshops, experimental performances, rotating exhibitions, and artist studios.
SDAI exhibits artwork by artists mainly living and working in the Southern California/Baja Norte region (Los Angeles to Tijuana). While past programs have focused solely on monthly regional juried exhibitions, SDAI has shifted their focus towards themed and curated exhibitions. Opportunities for artists are frequently posted on their website.
Past notable exhibitions include: "Millennial Pink" curated by Lissa Corona and Marina Grize, “Beyond Limits: Postglobal Mediations”, “Women’s Work: Masculinity and Gender in Contemporary Fiber Art” curated by Ginger Shulick Porcella, “Sweet Gongs Vibrating” curated by Amanda Cachia, “Universal Dissolvent”, and “Ephemeral Objects”.
Notable artists that have participated in exhibitions include: Angela Washko, Andrea Chung, Blane de St. Croix, Mary Mattingly, Pablo Helguera, Einar & Jamex de la Torre, Debby and Larry Kline, etc.
In 2014, SDAI instituted an artist-in-residence program. Past artists-in-residence include: Andrea Chung, Matthew Mahoney, Nina Preisendorfer, Cindy Santos Bravo, Vabianna Santos, Robert Andrade, Omar Lopex, Brian & Ryan, and Michelada Think Tank.
Past curators-in-residence include: Alex Young, Andy Horwitz, and Amanda Cachia. [ citation needed ]
The House of Charm was called the Indian Arts Building when it was originally created for the Panama–California Exposition in 1916. The lath and plaster structure was renamed the Russia and Brazil Building in 1917, the Exposition's second year. It acquired its current name, the House of Charm, during the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935. Like many other Exposition buildings within the Park, the House of Charm was taken over by the military during World War II. In 1996, because of deterioration, the building was torn down and rebuilt to its original appearance. Represented on the National Register of Historic Places, the House of Charm is now home to the San Diego Art Institutes's Museum of the Living Artist as well as the Mingei International Museum and three full-scale rehearsal spaces belonging to the Old Globe Theatre. [5]
SDAI promotes multimedia art education through school art programs, summer camps, and individualized youth art education initiatives. They hire practicing artists making important contributions to their fields who have also demonstrated a vested interest in the capacity of art to empower young people. In 2015, SDAI started a Teen Summer Intensive, now housed at Coronado School of the Arts. SDAI also provides frequent opportunities for youth to exhibit their artwork in Balboa Park.[ citation needed ]
Hard-edge painting is painting in which abrupt transitions are found between color areas. Color areas often consist of one unvarying color. The Hard-edge painting style is related to Geometric abstraction, Op Art, Post-painterly Abstraction, and Color Field painting.
The California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California, during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936. The exposition was held in Balboa Park, San Diego's large central urban park, which had also been the site of the earlier Panama–California Exposition in 1915.
TheSan Diego Museum of Art is a fine art museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, California, that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. It opened as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed to its current name in 1978. The official Balboa Park website calls it "the region's oldest and largest art museum". Nearly half a million people visit the museum each year.
Anne Wardrope Brigman was an American photographer and one of the original members of the Photo-Secession movement in America.
Keith Anthony Morrison, Commander of Distinction (C.D.), born May 20, 1942), is a Jamaican-born painter, printmaker, educator, critic, curator and administrator.
The California Art Club (CAC) is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. Founded in December 1909, it celebrated its centennial in 2009 and into the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved out of The Painters Club of Los Angeles, a short-lived group that lasted from 1906–09. The new organization was more inclusive, as it accepted women, sculptors and out-of-state artists.
Theodore Nikolai Lukits was a Romanian American portrait and landscape painter. His initial fame came from his portraits of glamorous actresses of the silent film era, but since his death, his Asian-inspired works, figures drawn from Hispanic California and pastel landscapes have received greater attention.
Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. was an American impressionist painter of architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural landscapes, portraits, florals, and interiors. In addition to being a painter, he was also a teacher and writer. His first wife, Emma Lampert Cooper, was also a highly regarded painter.
The House of Charm is a historic museum building in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It was built for the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition, and like most buildings from the exposition, it features Mission Revival architecture. It acquired its current name during the California Pacific International Exposition. It now houses the Mingei International Museum as well as rehearsal space for the Old Globe Theatre. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Elena Lomakin is a contemporary Russian-American artist. Her main body of work and paintings is influenced by nature and is considered abstract expressionism.
The Mingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution in Balboa Park in San Diego, California, that collects, conserves and exhibits folk art, craft and design. The museum was founded in 1974, and its building opened in 1978. The word mingei, meaning 'art of the people,' was coined by the Japanese scholar Dr. Sōetsu Yanagi by combining the Japanese words for all people and art.
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The terms California Impressionism and California Plein-Air Painting describe the large movement of 20th century artists who worked out of doors, directly from nature in California, United States. Their work became popular in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California in the first three decades after the turn of the 20th century. Considered to be a regional variation on American Impressionism, the California Impressionists are a subset of the California Plein-Air School.
Arthur Putnam was an American sculptor and animalier who was recognized for his bronze sculptures of wild animals. Some of his artworks are public monuments. He was a well-known figure, both statewide and nationally, during the time he lived in California. Putnam was regarded as an artistic genius in San Francisco and his life was chronicled in the San Francisco and East Bay newspapers. He won a gold medal at the 1915 San Francisco world's fair, officially known as the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, and was responsible for large sculptural works that stand in San Francisco and San Diego. Putnam exhibited at the Armory Show in 1913, and his works were also exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Paris, and Rome.
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.
James Hayward is a contemporary abstract painter who lives and works in Moorpark, California. Hayward's paintings are usually divided in two bodies of work: flat paintings (1975-1984) and thick paintings. He works in series, some of which are ongoing, and include The Annunciations, The Stations of the Cross, the Red Maps, Fire Paintings, Smoke Paintings, Sacred and Profane and Nothing's Perfect series.
Alfred R. Mitchell (1888-1972) was an American landscape painter. He was an early California Impressionist painter. Educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, he was the president of the San Diego Art Guild and the La Jolla Art Association. He became known as the "Dean of San Diego County artists".
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Randy David Riccoboni is a painter known for his colorful architectural paintings, landscapes, and portrait work. He has used his work to bring attention to important issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, especially the AIDS epidemic and the legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. He also uses his work to emphasize the beauty he finds in the architecture and landscapes around him and has compiled many of his works into books.