Participating artist Christopher Evans – Cobalt Blue (Paint)
Don't miss Petaluma Arts Center's terrific 10th Anniversary Exhibit — Power of Ten: Scaling Up open now through March 24th, 2018 Tuesdays – Saturdays, 11am – 5pm, closed Sundays, Mondays & holidays.
Inspired by curator Llisa Demetrios' re-interpretation of the 1978 iconic film Powers of Ten, produced by two of the most influential American designers in U.S. history, her grandparents Ray and Charles Eames, the ten artists featured in this world-class exhibit delve further and more in depth at issues of scale.
The Sonoma County based archivist and registrar of the Eames Office collections and board member of the Eames Foundation is an accomplished bronze sculptor and recently appointed PAC board member, serving on the exhibits committee. Llisa travels around the world furthering the legacy of her celebrated grandparents and is an expert in presenting workshops on the Powers of Ten concept that illustrates the idea of how the smallest to the largest known things in the universe are connected, by exploring forty powers of ten.
"Today, nothing operates in a void," explains Llisa. "Everything may look the same size on a computer screen and may seem like separate parts, but, as Charles Eames said, 'Eventually, everything connects.' Seeing these invisible and hidden spaces helps one to understand how everything is connected from a micro to a macro level as well as tipping points. The works in this show bring out the artistic side of the scientist and the scientific side of the artist."
I stopped in at the Petaluma Arts Center during the installation process for Power of Ten: Scaling Up and later, its successful and bustling Saturday evening opening. Llisa and the arts center exhibition team were impressively calm considering they had only three days until opening of a world-class show, appropriately scaled to fit the relatively close confines of a community arts center housed in a renovated, historic freight building a stride or two from the newly risen concrete downtown Petaluma platform of the SMART train.
If anyone who stops in at the show is fortunate enough to catch Llisa in the building for a personal tour, take it from me, it is a revelatory experience. Seeing as this super down-to-earth, in-demand curator, artist, archivist and frequent international presenter is also the hands-on mother-of-two active school aged children, catching Llisa on site is a major bonus for anyone keen to understand this multi-layered, deeply thought-provoking, educational and enlightening collection of work.
My advice when wandering into PAC for a visit to Power of Ten: Scaling Up is do a little homework first. Prepare yourself for what you're going to be looking at to more fully appreciate the work that has been put into this exhibit by so many talented people.
Start by clicking here to re-watch the Eames' original iconic movie or, if viewing it for the first time, prepare to be transported for the duration of this powerful nine minute short film.
Participating Artist Warren Bellows – Quantum Worlds #2
Explore the diverse work of the ten Sonoma County artists featured in this new exhibit as they explore issues of scale through painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, design and film. Issues of scale shape how we source materials, select our food, conserve resources, build homes and protect the environment.
By looking at nature and the man-made world, these remarkable artists help us to focus on connections that are initially hard to see in order to show how somethings fits into the larger or smaller context of our world around us.
“We are thrilled to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Petaluma Arts Center with Power of Ten: Scaling Up,” says Delfin Vigil, the Center’s new Executive Director. “It will certainly underscore the powerful role art has had in our Petaluma community for the past ten years.”
Open the drawers to the Eames Office collections
A brief run through the artists featured in Power of Ten:Scaling Up
- Through his information artworks, Doug Gayeton of Lexicon of Sustainability makes us aware of the impact of our choices and relationships to make a more sustainable life.
- David Best builds the sorts of large structures (via the Temple Crew) that bring diverse groups together to heal both individual and community.
- Architects Mary Dooley and Chris Lynch of MAD Architecture are the design duo and husband-and-wife team who transformed the 1923 train storage building into home of the Arts Center, ten years ago.
- Ned Kahn finds ways in his art to capture beautiful moments that articulate larger patterns in nature.
- Tiny Houses For Humanity are not just temporary shelters but also more permanent solutions in communities.
- Christopher Evans' large Supply Chain Portraits (pictured at the top of this post) take everyday objects and put them in a compelling global context.
- David Alan Boyd explores the many complex facets of everyday life in his Windowpane Series and the impact on the landscape from man's need for energy sources such as coal extraction through satellite imagery.
- Patricia McShane and Erik Asgard of M-A-D amass groups of similar images — Simages, turning them into large digital collages and sometimes animations.
- Warren Bellows questions scale by using multiple images and asking "Am I big, or am I small?" in his Quantum Worlds Series, inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- Amy Critchett, executive producer of Leo Villareal Studios, leads an illuminating workshop for children about the Bay Lights Project. Amy Critchett, Patrica McShane and Erik Asgard have teamed up to create a special community project that took place at Della Fattoria in downtown Petaluma in January. Petalumagic will be reinstalled in PAC in February.
Since many of the challenges today are matters of scale, these ten artists reveal how when we make choices there is a ripple effect. One person is able to make a difference. Our actions have a collective impact.
photo of Ray and Charles Eames — Vitra.com
Charles and Ray Eames are best known for their mid-century modern furniture designs. They believed in the honest use of materials in their furniture, films, toys and architecture and were dedicated to making the best for the most for the least. A tireless and meticulous, hands-on, learning-by-doing process explored the possibilities, new and old, such as fiberglass, aluminum, wire, plastic and molded plywood.
The Eames' never delegated the task of understanding what they were designing and producing, creating iteration after iteration of scale models to hone an idea.
Their grandchildren were encouraged to explore in equal detail, whatever concept was of interest. Llisa talked with me about how this time with her grandparents shaped her ideas of simple and complex problem solving and sustainability. She, as with all of the Eames' offspring, were and are still, in more recent generations, encouraged to find their own creative voice in the communicating and telling of stories.
As for bringing the legacy closer to home with this exhibit: "It feels fantastic to curate a show with people we know locally," she says. "It is such a pleasure to work in the town that I have called home for the past 25 years." She speaks of the importance of the Arts Center extending its positive impacts beyond the four walls of the physical building, with programs such as Art Bus, Idea Lounge, school tours and Llisa sees this second decade of PAC as "a tipping point in itself" — an opportunity to listen and see what the needs are for the arts in our community.
Yale educated Llisa Demetrios began her archiving career at the German/American modern architect Mies van der Rohe Archive at MoMA in New York. She is Registrar of The Eames Collection as well as serving as a board member of the Eames Foundation. Llisa, who was raised in the Bay Area, has recently prepared exhibits in London, Lisbon, Sacramento, Pasadena and Singapore. She leads Powers of 10 workshops for all ages.
Her late mother, Lucia Eames, was the only child of Charles Eames and stepdaughter of Ray, Charles' second wife, whom he married in 1941. Lucia, a photographer, sculptor and designer of indoor and outdoor furniture, founded the Eames Foundation to preserve her family legacy. She generously donated her parents' 1949 Pacific Palisades Case Study home to the foundation. It is considered one of the most important post-war residences anywhere in the world, a mecca for architects and designers in its design and use of materials. Lucia lived and worked in the Petaluma area for the last two decades of her life. Lucia's five children (including Llisa) form the Eames Foundation today.
Eames chairs, lean, modern, playful and functional are featured in this exhibit, though in no way, dominate. A dresser filled with curated collections of Ray and Charles draws us into their more private world of textile and design inspiration.
Explore the prolific output of Ray and Charles Eames and the continuation of this American legacy with a timely perusal of the Eames Office user-friendly website.
Charles was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1907, Ray was born in Sacramento, California, in 1912. Ray studied painting in New York before moving to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she met and assisted Charles in preparing designs for the Museum of Modern Art's organic furniture competition. After winning two first prizes, they were married in 1941 and moved to California soon after. Charles died in 1978 and Ray a decade later, to the day. Eames Office works closely with only two manufacturers today, Herman Miller, Inc in the U.S.A and Vitra International in Europe.
Look for additional programming, with special events and workshops for kids, panel discussions and a film night coming up.
Petaluma Arts Center is located in the historic train depot on Lakeville between East D and East Washington Streets. Entrance to our parking lot is from East Washington across from CVS.
Admission to the Petaluma Arts Center is $5 general; $4 senior, student, teacher, military. PAC members are free.
