This is the third in the series of exhibitions that feature the works of the Rydell Visual Art Fellowship recipients. After Roy Rydell’s death — two years after his wife Frances died — their estate was bequeathed to the Community Foundation to establish a fund that would be used to give financial support to help artists pursue their interests.

The fellows were chosen by a panel of three national arts professionals from a slate of 46 applicants who live and work in Santa Cruz County. The fellowships are awarded strictly on the quality of work and not tied to any completed project.

The 2010 Rydell fellows are:

• Andrea Borsuk, a Cabrillo College instructor whose paintings deal with images of feminine beauty and feminism in often humorous contexts
• Andy Ruble, an instructor at Foothill College and a ceramicist whose sculptures embrace both natural and architectural forms.
• Tim Craighead, an abstract artist who is also a lecturer at UC Santa Cruz
• Victoria May, whose provocative work includes handmade pieces such as garments and headgear often with psychological or socio-political themes

This exhibition is in the Solari Gallery of the MAH on the second floor.

The exhibition is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County.

This exhibition is in the 3rd floor lobby at the MAH.

Artist Futzie Nutzle, aka Bruce Kleinsmith, is an arts activist who helped make Santa Cruz the rich artist-oriented city it is today. This exhibition highlights his drawings and assemblages, some of which have been collected by and featured in the Museum of Modern Art, Rolling Stone Magazine and The Japan Times. Nutzle’s work was shown in Café Pergolesi, the first generation of modern coffee shops in Santa Cruz. His visual puns are spare, clear, amusing, and go right to the center of the issue at hand.

This exhibition is in the Art Forum gallery on the third floor of the MAH.

This exhibition is funded in part by Chris Winfield Gallery.

Can the flutter of a butterfly’s wings set off atmospheric changes that alter events? Graham’s photographic installation allows you to step into a world of light drawings, hanging scrolls, magnifying glasses and specimens for close observation. Artist and curator Shelby Graham creates a delicate installation of fragile wings that can melt when held too close to the light that created them.

This exhibition is in the Lezin Gallery on the first floor of the MAH.

July 30 – November 13, 2011;
Solari Gallery.

Come explore the process and intricacy of contemporary woodworking. This exhibition showcases Santa Cruz professionals who are dedicated to fostering appreciation for locally-produced, one-of-a-kind handmade woodwork. Participants include Om Anand, Ron Cook, Ron Day, Roger Heitzman, Joshua Salesin, Jefferson Shallenberger, Michael Singer, Pat Stafford, Gary Stevens, and Matthew Werner.

July 30 – November 13, 2011;
Art Forum.

When is a chair more than a chair? This exhibition shares innovative, locally-designed furniture projects that range from beautifully traditional to elegantly eccentric.

Survivor meets Bobby Flay in Bryce Vinokurov’s whimsical portraits of foodies in exile. These oil paintings, collages, linocuts, and intaglio etchings were inspired by Northern California obsessions with fine dining.

July 30 – November 13, 2011;
3rd Floor.

Collage artist Lisa Hochstein’s work will be displayed in the new third floor creativity lounge.

An exhibition created by UCSC students;
May 28 – July 17, 2011.

The Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz celebrates the contributions of Santa Cruz citizens to the WWII relief effort through this exhibition in the Lezin Gallery showcasing historical objects. Our Threads of Allegiance: World War II in Santa Cruz & Abroad, on view from May 28 through July 17, weaves together textiles and personal stories to examine the relationship between local Santa Cruz citizens and those abroad during WWII. Rationing and the creation of care packages became unifying forces for people stateside linking them to loved ones overseas.

Local stories of the four Franks brothers who served as lieutenants, and Dora Cecilia Anderson, a member of the Women’s Army Corps will connect the war to Santa Cruz on a personal level. Our Threads of Allegiance has many objects detailing how people at home offered material backing for people abroad. A quilt, which Santa Cruz military mothers crafted and signed for their sons overseas, epitomizes this communal support and strength.

Several interactive components are also included in this exhibition, such as audio stations containing interviews and personal stories of veterans and locals who experienced WWII. The Facebook page (facebook.com/OurThreads) offers visitors a place to see behind-the scenes photos and videos, post feedback or personal stories, and read interesting WWII facts.

This exhibition honors those veterans who served in World War II but extends gratitude to all veterans who have served or are currently serving the United States of America by offering free admission every weekend to these individuals and their families. Students, local residents, and tourists will leave the exhibition with a better understanding of how World War II affected the people of Santa Cruz.

Our Threads of Allegiance is a collaborative effort by UC Santa Cruz students, the History of Art and Visual Culture faculty, and the Museum staff. This exhibition is the concluding project of a three-class series, generously funded by Patricia and Rowland Rebele, where students gained knowledge of museum cultures and practices.

March 26-July 17 2011;
in the Solari Gallery.

Forty-three years ago, students “found and pursued their own thing.” They traveled West to meet their hosts, Al Johnsen and Bruce & Marcia McDougal. The McDougals took over the Big Creek Pottery school in 1970 and created an international destination. Workshops for novice and experienced artist were led by illustrious potters: John Glick, Paulus Berenson, Michael Cardew, Warren McKenzie, Toshiko Takaezu, John Reeve, Jim and Nan McKinnel, Paul Volkening, Harry Davis, Karen Karnes, Ruth Duckworth, Michael Casson, Cynthia Bringle, and Bruce McDougal.

For several weeks, they threw, glazed, built and fired kilns, and cooked, ate and made music together on a restored late 19th century, central California coast dairy ranch near Davenport, California. Big Creek Pottery School opened in 1968, perhaps the first residential school for pottery making in America’s Western states, and by 1984, its last year, over eleven hundred students and teachers had shared fifty workshops.

Guest Curator Karen Thuesen Massaro shapes this multi-media exhibition to celebrate the accomplishments of the school and to share the captivating Big Creek Pottery experience.

A limited edition DVD of the oral history interview with Bruce and Marcia McDougal by Karen Thuesen Massaro is available through the Museum Store.

Read the Ceramics Monthly article by Karen Thuesen Massaro. (Originally published in Ceramics Monthly, March 2011, pp 48-52. Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission.)