Below the Surface

Jane L. Stern Gallery

Below the Surface showcases pieces that can help teach about the principles and elements of art and design to a larger audience. In recognition of the 10th Anniversary of the Plains Art Museum Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity, the Museum’s Education department and our teaching artists selected pieces from both our permanent collection and from a collection on loan from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for this exhibition. The works encompass specific elements of art materials and imagery that communicate in relatable ways. In our institution, a significant percentage of the community visits our galleries within our school-related programs, so our teaching artists are a major liaison to our visitors. We are recognizing that artistic knowledge is not only sequestered in the realm of collections and curatorial, and the curatorial but also we uplift the knowledge, experiences, and voices of the artists who teach and dedicate their time to connecting our institution to the region. This exhibition teaches art to viewers and helps inspire them to create themselves.

Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges.

1: Bruce Davidson, Los Angeles, 1964, 12 5⁄8 x 18 1⁄4 in. Gelatin silver print, Los Angeles County Museum of Art permanent collection 2: Frank Gehry, Cardboard Chair Ottoman Stool, n.d., 6 1⁄4 x 6 1⁄2 x 8 in., Plains Art Museum permanent collection

Teaching Artist Panel: Thursday, March 9, 6 PM
Join Plains Art Museum Teaching Artists in an insightful tour and review of Below the Surface. This exhibition was curated by our team of teaching artists in order to make accessible artistic knowledge and reading practices common to the principles and elements of art and design. This Panel discussion also complements Read Between the Lines book discussion of Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art?

The Museum Uncrated: Wednesdays, 6-8 PM
January 18 • What’s up with art theft? / February 15 • What’s in the basement?
March 15 • How do we talk about art? / April 19 • What’s up with art collecting?
Do you wish to feel more comfortable in a museum or desire more from your museum experience? Plains Art Museum curatorial team invites you to join them on the third Wednesday of each month starting in January to learn about the inner workings of a museum. In this monthly talk series, our team will break down different points of entry into museums, museums practices, and the museum world—from focusing on Plains Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, its galleries and exhibition strategies, to focusing on missing artistic works. The framing of art, to the labels that accompany artistic works in an exhibition. Each session promises an insightful and significant takeaway for participants.

Read Between the Lines Book Club: Tuesdays, February 7, March 7, & April 4, 6-8 PM 
Are you interested in reading more about art, art theory, and the sociological context of art? Are you also interested in a participatory, investigative, and collective reading experience with other community members? If these questions resonate with you, please consider joining us for Read Between the Lines. The book we will be reading and discussing will be Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art? by Kyung An and Jessica Cerasi, this book will be available for purchase in the Museum’s gift store. There will also be complimentary copies available for temporary loan. Contact Amanda Heidt at aheidt@plainsart.org for free registration and more information.