From the Industrial Age to the Computer Age…Three Centuries of Artistic Innovation
The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at Fairplex presents our 2010 Fair Time exhibit which will start with the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s and end with the first punched card computers of the 1900s. We will demonstrate how mechanization of art and industry and changed the world forever. You will journey with us as we re-visit the machines that sprang to life, and the advancements in technology which joined together to create life-changing products such as stainless steel, titanium, plastics, synthetic fibers and acrylics. Art and ingenuity worked hand in hand with these new technologies sending artists on new and exciting adventures. In this period of time, motorized equipment, simplified travel and advancements in communication became the norm. Artists have not only benefited from these developments of the past 300 plus years, they have also been among the leaders in discovery and utilization of materials and methods which changed industry. You will see firsthand how the art of the past three centuries has evolved into the artist’s palette of today. In contrast to last year’s exhibit of early art which came from the earth, this exhibit will be a look at contemporary times. We will capitalize on the juxtaposition of scale and energy output from enormous steam engines to tiny computer punched cards. Each, in their own ways, led to the creation of new methods and materials and the creation of new art forms. Hands-on workshops and demonstrating artists will continue to be an integral part of our exhibits. Join us as art through the ages comes alive this year at the L.A. County Fair! |
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2009 From the beginning of time, the need for artistic expression has driven human beings to find ways to portray creative thoughts in art. Cave man carved and painted the stone of cave walls to create images of the animals he hunted to eat. To do this he created carving tools and found color pigments from the earth. These first known artistic statements have endured the elements for 35,000 years. The earth has provided pigments for paint and clay for pottery. The discovery of the element of fire allowed man to heat and even melt metals to create functional tools and weapons for hunting. It also allowed him to harden clay for making pottery and artworks. The purpose of the 2009 exhibition is to explore the inventiveness and creativity of mankind through history. It will include examples of art from around the world and throughout time. With the use of displays and demonstrations, visitors will learn about how art is created and how artists’ knowledge and ability to invent has led to the formation of methods which have resulted in innovative creative expression. Demonstrations will include: Ceramics, glassblowing, metalworking, painting/drawing, weaving, printing, and more. Demonstrators may allow visitors to attempt the processes. |
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The Horse in Art, Legend, and Action A horse is worth more than riches. Lesson Plans Portrayals of the horse in art and history emphasize the admirable qualities of this majestic animal – strong, capable, magical. From early cave drawings to Remington’s Old West sculptures, no other animal has so evoked the spirit of adventure and independence. In societies around the world, horses stand as symbols of freedom, of strength, power and success. In a tribute to this awesome creature, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts presents HOOFPRINTS: The Horse in Art, Legend and Action, an exhibition of the horse’s portrayal in art, the evolution of the horse in history, and how the horse has been utilized in action. The dynamic exhibit is directed by Tony Sheets. The visitor’s experience will begin with the re-creation of the caves of Lascaux, France where, 30,000 years ago, primitive man made the first known drawings of the horse. Once visitors pass through the caves, they will embark on a chronological journey around the world from the earliest examples of man’s relationship with the horse, beginning 6,000 years ago in Kazakhstan to contemporary examples of sculpture, paintings and artifacts that document the horse’s place in art and history. The visitor will encounter the horse in mythology and see horses at work, from knights, Calvary and cowboys to stage coaches, farming and racing.
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2007 |
This year’s fine art exhibition at the L.A. County Fair, A Tapestry of Life: The World of Millard Sheets, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Center’s namesake. This art experience will be a unique and educational retrospective of his life as seen through the world of art and the national and international events that have taken place in the last century. List of Selected Works and Comments
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Contemporary Landscapes The works in this exhibition retain the element of fascination with the landscape, but this initial form of attraction is challenged and calls for penetrating reading of each. The works playfully shift between mindscapes and landscapes. More> |
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Beyond Heritage |
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Fair Exchange This exhibition ran from September 1 – November 11, 2006 at the Millard Sheets Gallery. It featured Los Angeles-based artists whose contemporary work critically engages the L.A. County Fair and its traditions . . .More> |
2005 |
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Latino Artists of Los Angeles: Defining Self & Inspiration We are in the midst of an exciting boom in Latino art with emerging Latino artists creating important works, galleries and museums exhibiting their art, and publishers producing books about their work. The art in this exhibition allows the viewer to see the influences, motivation, inspiration, and intentions of the contemporary, emerging Los Angeles Latino artist: historical influences that come from the great Mexican artists of the past; motivations that develop from the artist’s immediate history: civil rights and political autonomy; inspiration that emerges from their families, spirituality, and personal heroes; and finally, their intentions to better the lives of themselves, their families, and their people. From traditional cultural icons to expressionistic images to realistic portraits and documentary video, the Latino artist is creating across a broad spectrum of contemporary art. More>> |
2004 |
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Master Woodworker, Sam Maloof: One Half Century of Woodworking and Design The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts presented this exhibition from April 3 – May 2, 2004. The spring exhibition featured an assortment of 25-30 pieces of furniture, mostly from the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation collection. The selections chosen documented the progression and evolution of Maloof’s designs from 1950 through present. Early pieces with seats formed of economically practical clothesline or leather laces, examples of upholstered pieces and ones entirely of beautifully grained wood, early and late rocking chairs, swinging cradles, music stands and liturgical furnishings – this exhibit covered the vast span of Maloof’s twenty-five-hundred-piece career. For those interested in technique, there were examples of Maloof’s skilled joinery, his all-wood hinges and unique latches. The range included a wide variety of wood choices, all finished to a lustrous sheen. Whenever available, anecdotal tales, as told by Maloof himself, accompanied the furniture pieces to give contextual content to the experience. More>> |
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Love: Whimsy and Wonder - Art from the Heart. Presented by Ameriquest The 2004 presentation promises a playful look at love. From love lost to love found, from love's allegory to love across time, enjoy love's whimsy and wonder through the eyes and hands of world renowned artists. |
| 2003 | |
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The "Living" Room: Art as an Accessory In 1954, Millard Sheets organized an exhibition entitled The Arts of Daily Living, dedicated to and attended by Frank Lloyd Wright. The exhibition was sponsored by House Beautiful, and covered extensively in their October 1954 issue.... More>> |
2002
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Carved, Chiseled, Cast: Figurative Sculpture
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