By Betti Halsell, Feb. 13, 2024
Art galleries and museums are primed for critical thought, provoking vivid emotions to peak through different disciplines of art. Cal Poly Pomona has answered the call for art, alongside four other museums in the L.A. County area, with ethereal assortments throughout their spaces. A standard to uphold across the board: plan ahead and reserve tickets before heading to different museums and galleries.
Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery
On their way to pressing academic engagements, CPP students lunge up a hill to get to the University Quad. Passing the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery — across from the Starbucks and University Library — a building with scandent vines calls to the artistic heart.
Located in building 35A, on the north end of the Bronco Student Center, the Kellogg gallery pulsates aquatic waves through its current collection on display, “Above & Below: Views from AltaSea’s Blue Hour,” an homage to the depths of marine life. This series leads gallery visitors through the horizon that touches the surface and the submissive plane under the sea.
Sera Yun, an architecture student, gallery assistant and architecture specialist, dived into her encounter with art spaces.
“Before I go to a certain exhibition or art gallery, I first search for the full theme of the gallery. Especially for this show (Above & Below), it’s about the ocean and pollution and if you look at all the art pieces and see the detail and the meaning of the art,” Yun said.
The gallery is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Wednesdays, Thursdays and the weekend from noon to 4 p.m., and closed on Fridays.
The Benton 120 W. Bonita Ave
Art seekers are welcome to attend all free exhibitions and programs held at Pomona College’s Benton Museum of Art. Located at 120 W. Bonita Ave., the Benton captures elements of light and air through its Skyspace in the Draper Courtyard. The sunrise illumination program features a Skyspace canopy, and it’s lit up between sunset and sunrise. There is a short three-minute light chime every hour.
From noon to 6 p.m., people have the option to connect with over 18,783 different pieces. Future showings include Alice-Marie Archer’s Agritextiles, between Feb. 14 to June 9, visitors can observe knitted sheep’s wool working as a base with other substitutes to natural plants for manufactured crops, providing an alternative to the plastic-filled warehouses of plants associated with hydroponic systems.
Free parking is available on College Avenue, near the courtyard.
Claremont Lewis Museum 200 W. First St.
All exhibitions and events at Claremont Lewis Museum are open to the public, free of charge. Between noon and 4 p.m., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, viewers can experience paintings, sculptures and other works by local artists, located at 200 W. First St.
Every first Saturday of the month the museum hosts an art walk, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“This is not a Chair,” is being shown until April 21, exhibiting a diverse array of artists and methods about the concept of a chair. This collection draws inspiration from a previous phrase, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (this is not a pipe) that appears in René Magritte’s picture “The Treachery of Images.”
The Getty 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles
The Getty Center is an intentional migration to an elevated environment. After reserving a ticket online, cars park at the base of the $1.3 billion center that’s located at 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles. After paying $25 for parking, or $15 after 3 p.m., the creative mind inclines up a hill with a trolley to the main foundation of The Getty Center.
The museum is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Tuesdays. The Getty Center tantalizes different senses with the garden, café and museum spaces.
For those looking to gaze upon legendary finds, the “Drawing on Blue” series is available for observation until April 28. Although the art is the focal point, this collective string of works emphasizes the medium. Made from blue rags cut into sheets, these modest textiles had a significant influence on early modern European creations while requiring particular expertise to make.
The Broad 221 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles
After reserving a free ticket online, The Broad navigates the public to new heights of introspection, embracing the curious mind that seeks the portal of education and contemporary art.
As one arrives at 221 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, the building speaks first. The architecture of the museum defines an alternative reality, communicating a shift in space.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, exhibits are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If one is seeking more time to ponder the collections, The Broad is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and for the weekend warriors, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There are two stories to explore, adorned with visual delicacies such as Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, showcasing visual success in breaking into a new tangible dimension of reflection.
Alexandra Williams, The Broad’s director of visitor engagement emphasized the passion that goes into creating a safe space to let the mind wander at The Broad, describing the museum as a “one-of-a-kind visitor experience,” said Williams.
“I noticed the guests that have the best time surrender themselves to the building and the experience. The actual building is a work of art,” Williams said. “Sometimes these connections are not going to be with the artwork made on the walls.”
Feature image courtesy of Ashley Byrd
