TEL-ART-PHONE

After its latest successful exhibition (Arataland! by Michael Arata) in the Critics-as-Curators series, Beacon Arts presents to the public another one of its master exhibitions of the series, this time curated by Mat Gleason. Featuring over 80 artists, TEL-ART-PHONE is based on the classic children’s game of “Telephone.” Until July 3, indulge in the joy of playing “Telephone” with art at the Beacon Arts Building in Inglewood.

Curated by the founder of the Coagula Art Journal (a freely distributed contemporary art magazine), Mat Gleason, the exhibit gathers a myriad of artists including Ray Beldner, Tim Biskup, Coop, Sean Duffy, and many more to galvanize our desire for creativity.

The point of the exhibition is to play a game of “Telephone” – a game that has many names such as “Chinese Whispers” (which may seem more familiar to others). The one-of-a-kind exhibit was assembled by handing a work of one artist to another to inspire a new artwork, and the resulting piece was then again passed onto another artist who did the same, except the artist had no idea of what the first artwork looked like. This process was repeated and the results were put together in order of production in the exhibit. The excitement of the show? You will see a trail of the workings of the creative process through a long line of works that are so individual yet exploring what seems to be a similar subject.

Even more tantalizing to the viewer as well as the artists is the fact that the artists all had different mediums they specialized in. Eccentric in his selection of artists, Gleason brought together abstract painters, realism and mid-century masters, artists who work in the form of sculptures and many more. Discover for yourself what happens when artists try to play “Telephone” with their art. The result is truly amazing-reminding you of how creativity can never be boxed into a limited sector.

Beacon Arts Building is located at 808 N. La Brea Ave., North Inglewood. For more information, visit beaconartsbuilding.com.



The Art of Legacy Effects

This past Saturday on May 28 at Gnomon Gallery, the official opening of The Art of Legacy Effects took place providing the public with an opportunity to take a look inside the creative workflow behind blockbuster films such as Avatar, Iron Man and Thor.

Founded in the summer of 2008 by Alex Alvarez (the founder and CEO of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects), Gnomon Gallery is one of Hollywood’s most celebrated and revered premier art galleries for the entertainment industry. Works from the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, in conjunction with the renowned artists of Legacy Effects, the gallery exhibits film art such as maquettes from movies like Ironman 2, Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar.

It is truly sensational and fresh to see the artworks of some of the movies you may have really enjoyed recently, or further back in the past. It sheds new light onto the way you will enjoy movies, by helping you understand how and why such popular and well-known movie characters are iconic.  

Legacy Effects is an award winning full service character design, prop design, make-up, and animatronics studio. The works that are produced in this studio provide us with the insight into how much work and time is spent on developing some of the most iconic characters today. Perhaps if you were able to make it to the opening event on the 28th, it may be worth it to go re-watch a few of the movies after you see the artworks. I swear you cannot watch the movie in the same way you did as before – you will begin to focus more on the artwork than on the plot. The 100-plus combined years of experience, Alan Scot, John Rosengrant, Shane Mahan, and Lindsay MacGowan, the masterminds of Legacy Effects, continue to feed the film industry’s craving for live-action effects.

Gnomon Gallery is located at 1015 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. For more information, visit gnomongallery.com.