Art and Science and Taping Shape at Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park

By Patricia Frischer

Rubin H. Fleet Science Center collaborates with local artist and engineer Dave Ghilarducci, Ashanti Davis and the San Diego State University (SDSU) Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) to create Taping Shape, an installation of cellophane tape that takes over two of the Fleet's upstairs galleries from January 30 to June 12, 2016. The final show for the Art and Science Learning Center's Innovation Incubators made its debut on the same night. 

There are two other exhibits, in Zoo in You: The Human Microbiome, visitors will learn all about the complex ecosystem and trillions of different microbes that inhabit the human body. Super Cells: The Power of Stem Cells teaches us all about stem cells, how they work in our body and the benefits of stem cells for science.
 

What are we looking for when we go to an art opening at a Science Museum?  We want something fun and interactive and exciting and educational. Look no further than Dave Ghilarducci's Taping Shape. He created with research assistance from Ashanti Davis an entire packing tape environment complete with slide and bounce and changing colors. The tape in some places is 12 layers deep and goes from 75 pounds a square inches to 350 pounds a square inch. A great deal of planning when in to making sure the structure is strong and safe for all that romping and the kids and adults alike were running, jumping and slip sliding. 

Taping Shape is a great STEAM project as it combines the art work element of design, color, the spacial relationships of a sculpture and the WOW effect factor, but can teach lessons about tensile strength, membranes and mathematics. When I think Art and Science, this is exactly what I imagine. 

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Taping Shape explores a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts, including:
•           Tensile strength
•           Materials science
•           Topology
•           Geometry
•           Spatial relations
•           Membranes
•           Mathematics
•           Structures
•           Architecture
•           Sound
- See more at: http://www.rhfleet.org/exhibitions/taping-shape#sthash.tvuh6TJy.dpuf

Dave Ghilarducci

Ashanti Davis who is also part of the Tinkering Space project at the Fleet

 In comparison to Taping Shape, is the written, video and photographic display of the results of the Innovation Incubator project does include a few artifacts in plastic cases. The three cities are represented, Chicago, Wooster and San Diego in the didactic. This was a well funded project that challenged teams to come together with artist and scientist, which I have written about before at the start Picked RAW Peeled: Innovation Incubator by Patricia Frischer
in Oct 2013 and Picked RAW Peeled: Innovation Incubators are proved great success in Dec of 2015

But the only real art you see in the display are three works in photo only by artists in residence for the three cities. The science over whelms the art in the display and this is a great pity because artists contributed hugely to the project.  What was forgotten was how the arts can create a huge excitement. The only interactive part of the display was a chance to make your own 3-d brainstorming experiment. The Art of Science Learning company will continue to spread the word and hopefully arrange for whole new generations of scientist to collaborate with artist, but they missed the boat in creating excitement to  explain this to the public. 
 

HB Punto Experimental Exhibits Artist Beth King's "Invisible Geometry"

Invisible Geometry   Beth King

HB Punto Experimental, San Diego

2151 Logan Ave. , Sec B

*by appointment only 760-443-9067

article by Cathy Breslaw

cathy breslaw's art

Locating HB Punto Experimental Gallery is an adventure in itself.  Knowing the street address is only half the journey – but the trip is worth it.  Around the corner and halfway down an alley off Evans St/Logan Avenue, you enter a gate and into a world created by gallery owner Hugo Heredia. Once inside there is a unique space Heredia has designed as a living space where art is also displayed and as Heredia explained, art can be experienced in a “ real living space’.  Alongside this large room and kitchen area, is the main exhibition space.  Long and narrow and emptying into an “L” shaped room is where the current show “Invisible Geometry” is displayed. Artist Beth King is a San Diego artist who has been working for many years to develop and hone her well crafted clear glass sculptures.  Working with a reductive simplicity of form and content, King’s sculptures remind us of the mid-twentieth century Minimalist art movement.  Her materials include clear and sandblasted glass – some flat and some bent, custom aluminum hardware, steel cable, and chrome hinges.  While her materials are narrowly defined and basic, her intent is more complex.  The mostly wall based works along one entire wall have ‘moving parts’ that can be arranged flat against the wall or in a 3-D manner as hinges move the parts back and forth. The one large floor sculpture in the main room is made of many clear curvy yet flat glass pieces that form a rectangle with aluminum connectors.  There are two cone-shaped works – one juts out perpendicular to the wall and one much larger sculpture rests on a white painted wood stand adjacent to the floor.  In her works, King gives us a view of all parts. Nothing is hidden and the hinges and hardware for the works are both artfully and functionally connected to each piece.  King’s sculptures clearly interact and at points dissolve into the ‘environment’.  Artificial and natural light play a key role in viewing the works. Wall works especially react to light with sharp shadows on the walls giving an added dimension that is unique to its location in space.  With thoroughly planned precision and attention to every detail, King offers us a vision and perception of space, light and form not routinely seen in our daily lives.

State of the Arts

by Patricia Frischer

Two of the seven ways of learning are inter personal and inner personal*. This blog is my inner personal musing made public. I was pondering that the other day when I read a very interesting article in the New Yorker by Adam Gopnik. He was the magazine’s art critic from 1987-1995 but has written fiction, humor, book reviews, profiles, and reported pieces from abroad. At the end of this last article, I found myself saying (internally), “Well done, Adam.”  I realized that I felt like I had had a conversation with this man and I almost felt I knew him and I certainly would like to consider him a friend. How is that possible with someone you have never met? 

I don’t often look at statistics because I am not sure I trust them off the web. Could it be robots that are looking at the site, or maybe people who are clicking on SDVAN thinking they will learn something about South Dakota?  And it seems like half of my readers are from Russia so what is up with that? But I have been writing this blog for 10 years now, with over 90 posts and 30,500 page views so that can’t all be me reading my own blog, can it? So are there occasional dialogues going on inter personally with someone out there that I know nothing about. I do hope that someone out there considers me a friend even though I have never met them.

As artists, we are constantly having that internal conversation with ourselves. I ask and answer questions about shape, color, content. Or I can bliss out with into subconscious nirvana when I feel that someone else is guiding my hand and producing the work. But lately, people have become my medium as I get excited about putting together collaborations  that I hope enhance our community.  

Over the last 20 years, I have seen the visual arts community become stronger and stronger and now the performing arts which seemed to be lagging the last few years is catching up as well. How do we measure this? We do so with the strength of the umbrella organizations that serve entire sections of the arts. I am forecasting that the culmination of those collaborations will be the return of the San Diego County Arts Council. This won’t be because of the administration of that organization, but because individual organizations come together and see the worth of uniting.

*The others are kinesthetic, audio, verbal, mathematical and of course, visual.

NCAN Quarterly Meeting: Strengthening Support for North County Arts Community at Poway Center for the Arts

by Patricia Frischer

NCAN Quarterly Meeting
Thursday, January 21, 5 to 7:30 pm

Poway Center for the Arts
15498 Espola Rd, Poway 92064
More info Daniel Foster 951-334-5677

 

This was the first meeting of 2016 for the North County Arts Network (NCAN).  The stage of the spectacular Poway Art Center was the setting for a fine spread of food supplied by Carvers Steaks and Chops with beer by Stones Brewery and a variety of wines as well. It was beautiful presented and much appreciated by the guest who were mainly art professional from North County but also a PR specialist from downtown and some representatives from Chula Vista, Lynette Tessitore-Lopez (City Cultural Arts Manager) and Karen Ann Daniels (Arts Engagement Programs Manager for The Old Globe) with the director of that program Freedome Bradley-Ballentine. It was especially nice to see the new OMA director,James Peck in the audience.We were treated to a Special Performance arranged by Poway Center for the Performing Arts by Berkley Hart. 

NCAN is developing a strong presence in the area with this series of networking gathering and the educational forum that make up the programs. On this occasion, we heard from three speakers that gives grants to art organizations. 

Trudy Armstrong, Director-Regional Affiliates, North County, San Diego Foundation

MS. Armstrong spoke about distinct areas where the art is or could find support. Although the SD Foundation distributes $50 million a year only a tiny fraction of that goes to the arts.

We all cheer to continuation of the Creative Catalyst grants which will continue for the next three years with $100,000 a year dedicated by a private donor at the SD Foundation for this purpose.

2016 Creative Catalyst: Individual Artist Fellowships

Deadline Fri, Feb 19, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Application and Guidelines.
Artist Application Workshop

Thurs, Jan 28,  5-6 pm

The San Diego Foundation,

2508 Historic Decatur Road, Ste. 100, SD, 92106.

Please RSVP Today or by January 26 by 5p.m. 

The arts are normally part of the Gathering Place grants which award place making endeavors as part of a community enhancement initiative. The Community Affiliatess have their own pool of $3 with discretion of how they will be granted. This is part of the Pooled  Philanthropic program.

But the most exciting new opportunity might come eventually from a project starting in February for Collective Giving which is a special Arts and Culture Workshop put on for the donor advised funders who might want to know more about giving in our arts arena. Although non-profits will not be directly involved with this workshop it is worth filling out a Case for Support document which you can get from Amanda Lasik

An interesting question posed by Daniel Foster who was the moderator for this panel, was about the grant library that used to be house at the foundation. All those resource are now available onllne from Non-profit Management Solutions.  (Minimum membership fee is $100)

 

Sharon Omahen, Executive Director, Coastal Community Foundation

With a much small spending budget of $3 million in total, the Coastal Community Foundation does help start up non-profits by acting as their fiscal agents until they receive their own non-profit status. They work with a number of non-profits who have school programs for the arts to help fund their efforts but no longer initiate these programs. So they fund for example, OMA and the Lux with their existing outreach.  They are very careful, as is the SD Foundation, to be lead by the donor advised funds directions on our they want to see their money distributed. A funder might be asked if they are interested in expanding their interested once, but never pushed to do so. So a donor who likes music might want to support community concerts but not garage bands.

Roberta Walker, Grants Administrator, Supervisor Dave Roberts, County of San Diego (District 3)
The county budgets $10 million a year for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program. For this program, Supervisors are apportioned $2 million each to allocate to groups within their districts. A separate grant program, called Community Enhancement , uses the county’s transient occupancy tax receipts to strengthen organization s that promote tourism and economic development and improve our quality of life. Last year, Supervisors allocated $4,165,000 in Community Enhancement grants to nearly 600 groups.

For more transparency and more input , Supervisor Roberts now places the applications before members of the Third District Community Enhancement Review Committee. Only District 3 has such a panel which  includes representatives from Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, Solana B each and the four San Diego City Council districts overlaid by the Third District. To find the panelists, recommendations come  each year from mayors and city council members from these jurisdictions.

More information about the Community Enhancement Grants and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program read this document by Dave Roberts. For grants questions, or to register for a grants workshop contact Roberta Walker: (619) 531.5178  

All three of these granting bodies use Guidestar to offically or unofficially validate non-profit applying for grants.  

The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without a Comb at California Center for the Art, Escondido

The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without a Comb. The show runs Jan 16 to March 6 at California Center for the Arts  (340 N. Escondido Blvd, Escondido 92025) More info: Julie Riggert 760.839.4125Hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $8

The black hair story: ‘400 Years Without a Comb’ Report by Pam Kragen
First published in the Union Tribune, Jan 15, 2016

The Escondido exhibit celebrates the history of ‘afro’ culture and famed local barber.

Escondido — Be it straight or curly, braided or shaved, woven or wigged, the hair of black Americans has been a flashpoint for their cultural pride and their critics’ ignorance and scorn. 

The centuries-in-the-making follicle tale will be unveiled today with the opening of “The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without a Comb.” The two-part exhibit at the Museum at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, features more than 250 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, historic artifacts, styling implements and documents that trace America’s black hair culture to its roots in Africa four centuries ago.

Exhibit curator Starla Lewis, who chairs the Black Studies department at San Diego Mesa College, said she hopes visitors will walk away with a deeper understanding of how important hair has been to black culture and public perception.

“When you get right down to it, there are only three kinds of hair in this world: straight, wavy and curly. All the language of hair beyond those three things reflects our cultural values about hair,” she said.

One part of the exhibit is a 50-piece art show highlighting black hair from many different eras and of every conceivable style. The other, much-larger part is an exhibit dedicated to the history of black hair care and style in America. It includes a wall display of hair picks, cases filled with early 20th century hair pomades and creams, and a display of hair irons, pressing combs, tongs, dryers and other devices from the 1800s to mid-1900s. 

Much of the latter exhibit was drawn from the private collection of self-made multimillionaire Willie Morrow, the South Bay barber/chemist/businessman who created both the Afro pick and the Jheri Curl. Many of his combs, brushes, chemical-free relaxers and other products reshaped the way black Americans have styled and felt about their hair since the 1960s, Lewis said.

Now 76 and still maintaining a full workweek at his Lemon Grove offices, Morrow said that haircare trends have come and gone, but he hopes the exhibit reminds visitors of his contributions to the industry.

“If nothing else, I hope it establishes me as an authority on the subject,” said Morrow, who wears his graying hair in a shoulder-length ponytail. “Some people call themselves experts today, but they’re just novices. I learned the chemistry, I did the engineering and developing, I did the tool-making and I did the style-designing.”

Museum director Leah Goodwin has been planning the exhibition for the past 18 months, with the goal of mining Lewis’ deep roots in San Diego’s black artist community and showcasing pieces from Morrow’s vast historical collection (just 30 percent of his items made it into the Escondido show).

“I wanted to tell a story that doesn’t get told very often and I wanted to celebrate a living legend while he’s still with us,” Goodwin said.

....continuing reading and see photos at this link.

Additional events associated with the exhibit include:
A lecture and book signing by Morrow at 2 p.m. Jan 15
“Hairalogues,” a theatrical presentation by Cal State San Marcos students at 2 p.m. Feb. 20; “Power: The Politics of Hair,” a lecture by JoAnne Cornwell, creator of the hair-looping technique Sisterlocks, at 4 p.m. Feb. 20; 
“Hairitage: I Love Me Naturally,” a lecture by Lewis on loving your natural hair, at 2 p.m. March 5. Extra fees may apply for special events.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com 760-529-4906 Twitter: @pamkragen