August Issue 1999
California Dreamin' at the Bank of America Gallery
The visual diversity of the Golden State is the focus of California Dreamin': Contemporary Art from the Bank of America Collection featured at the Bank of America Gallery, located within Charlotte's Mint Museum of Craft + Design, located in Uptown Charlotte, NC. The exhibition of 14 works by 13 prominent artists opens Aug. 3, and continues through Oct. 24.
While many think of the Statue of Liberty as symbolizing the American melting pot, it is in fact the state of California which truly showcases the diversity in American culture. And in no arena is this more emphatically stated than in the visual arts. The artists working in the state over the last thirty years represent the range of aesthetic styles, ethnic backgrounds and approaches to subject matter found throughout the country. California Dreamin': Contemporary California Art from the Bank of America Collection brings together some of the most important names in the area of contemporary art from the Golden State.
Regarded as "the quintessential LA artist," Edward Ruscha has long been a recorder of the images and icons of Southern California's popular culture. Ruscha's drawing, I Forgot to Remember to Forget, represents the importance of the written word to conceptual art.
While LA-based art of the recent past often takes its inspiration from popular culture, the art of the Bay Area is less easily defined and highly individualistic. For Joan Brown, a longtime Bay Area resident, her art is personal. The Swimmers #l (Diving) reflects the artist's interest in swimming. Brown often swam the bracing waters of the San Francisco Bay.
For Santa Barbara artist Rick Stich, the beauty of his surroundings provided the basis for his art. Alice Deck Park Leaning Figure is one of a series of works the artist created based on plein-air sketches from the Alice Keck Park in Santa Barbara. Stich's use of tempera as his medium is notable for the unforgiving nature of the medium but also for the historical associations the medium has.
Artists in the exhibition include Peter Alexander, Billy Al Bengston, Joan Brown, Laddie John Dill, Roberto Gil de Montes, Wade Hoefer, Deborah Oropallo, Eric Orr, Edward Ruscha, Raymond Saunders, Rick Stich, Paul Wonner and Takako Yamaguchi.
The Bank of America art collection is comprised of works representing many media and regional, national and international artists. It reflects the diversity and creativity found within the Bank of America franchise.
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