HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-10-2016 - City Arts Commission - 02 Staff Report Cultural Arts Activities for January-February 2016TO: Newport Beach City Arts Commission
FROM: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director
(949) 717-3810, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov
PREPARED BY: Tim Hetherton
TITLE: Cultural Arts Activities for January/February 2016
Judit Laufer: On exhibit during January in the Central Library is the work of Canadian-born sculptor Judit
Laufer.
A resident of Newport Beach, art has always been Laufer’s true passion, and all her creative energy is
spent sculpting. She has attended numerous sculpting workshops, and studied under the tutelage of
Paul Lucchesi, Eugene Daub, Philippe Farault, and other accomplished artists.
Judit’s sculptures have been exhibited in Orange County and in the juried art show, Best of the Best, in
Scottsdale, Arizona. She has twice received awards at the Newport Beach Art Exhibition. Private
collectors proudly display her in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Washington, D.C. and Toronto, Canada.
Joan Irving Brandt: The City of Newport is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Joan Irving Brandt’s
birth. Born in Riverside on March 12, 1916, Joan began painting while a student at the Katharine
Branson School in Ross, and after graduation, she attended Riverside College and studied at the Los
Angeles Art Center School under Edward Kaminski and Barse Miller. She and her husband, artist, Rex
Brandt, began teaching at their home and studio in 1948, and in 1973 she became co-director of the
Blue Sky school, located by the footbridge on Marigold Avenue in Corona del Mar. Her teaching
experience also included Orange Coast College, Coronado School of Fine Arts, and Chouinard Art School.
Joan Irving Brandt was elected to the California Watercolor Society in 1948 and was a signature member
of the American Watercolor Society. She was very active in the Newport Beach community. She was
appointed chairman of the City Arts Committee in 1961 and was a founding member and chairman of
the Newport Harbor Art Museum. Brandt’s art is in the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as
well as other museums of note.
The art on display in the Central Library lobby was borrowed from collectors Gene Crain, Mark Hilbert,
Gordon McClelland, and Jeff Olsen.
The Newport Beach City Arts Commission invites you to view an extraordinary collection of watercolors
at the Central Library in celebration of the 100th birthday of celebrated Corona del Mar artist, Joan
Irving Brandt. The Centennial Celebration will include a special presentation on March 5, at 2 p.m., in
the Central Library Friends Room.
The program, lecture and panel will be hosted by the exhibition curator Gordon T. McClelland, an author
and art curator specializing in California Scene Paintings. E. Gene Crain, a lifelong friend of the Brandt’s
and collector of their art, will offer a personal perspective on the artist and her work. The art exhibition
will feature an overview of nationally renowned artist Joan Irving Brandt’s watercolors from the
collections of Gene and Diane Crain and others.
On Wednesday, March 17, the City Arts Commission will present Perceptive Luminance: The Life and Art
of Joan Irving Brandt at the Central Library Friends Room. Jennifer Martinez Wormser, Library Director
for the Laguna College of Art + Design, will offer a lecture on the life and work of local artist Joan Irving
Brandt as part of the Centennial Celebration.
Upcoming exhibitions at Central Library include:
February/March 2016: Joan Irving Brandt
April 2016: Eva Malhotra
May 2016: Bea Riley
June 2016/July 2016: Salli Hosseini
August 2016/September 2016: Fernando Del Rosario
Cultural Arts Manager: On January 21 and 22, City staff and members of the City Arts Commission and
Board of Library Trustees conducted interviews for the Arts Manager position. The panel is evaluating
proposals and should make a final decision once the scope of work is determined.
Cultural Arts Grants: The application forms for the 2016/17 Cultural Arts Grants have been posted to
the Cultural Website at http://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/library-
services/cultural-arts/cultural-arts-grants.
Sunflower: The recently installed piece, Sunflower, was damaged by high winds on Sunday, January 31.
Dave Aeppli, of display, assisted in de-assembling portions of the artwork and shipping them back to
sculptor Patricia Vader for repairs.