A Good Day For Looking--Part 1: Cardboard and Insects at CAFAM

I hadn't treated myself to a museum visit day recently, so today was the perfect "calm before the storm" opportunity before a busy summer begins.  So I saddled up my trusty steed (my hybrid-cruiser Schwinn bike, Ceci) and hopped on the Gold and Purple Line trains, then rode from the Wilshire/Western Metro Station about 3 miles west.  I rarely do two museums in one day, but I was feeling particularly ambitious today, planning to visit both of the museums where I hold memberships, The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) and the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA).  I saw a lot, too much for one post, so I'm breaking it into two.

ALMOST

2005
cardboard, staples, shellac, steel bases
97 x 42 x 18 inches and 88 x 46 x 35 inches
Photo: Lee Fatherree

I love CAFAM.  It's small, it's friendly, and constantly amazing.  The two current shows, which run through mid-September, use quotidian materials--cardboard and insects--as the basis for creating magical, unexpectedly delightful sensory experiences.

THE WEDDING PARTY

2009
found cardboard, staples, polyurethane
seven pieces ranging in size from

10 x 10 x 10 inches to 96 x 52 x 46 inches
Photo: Lee Fatherree

 

I was particularly interested in seeing the work of Ann Weber, because, like this sculptor, I REALLY love cardboard as an artistic medium.  I am intrigued by the way she layers and weaves with cardboard, using only staples to hold things together.  I often get irritated when there is printing on the boxes I find--Ann makes the colors and patterns on the cardboard a part of her pieces. 

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER

(installation view, Triton Museum of Art)

2008
cardboard, staples, shellac
seven pieces ranging in size from 

28 x 16 x 16 inches to 96 x 48 x 44 inches

Ann is giving a workshop at CAFAM in August.  You can bet I'll be there.


(All photos (c) 2010 by Ann Weber.  More photos are at her website:
annwebersculpture.com)





I've volunteered on installations at CAFAM, and this time I helped during the first week of painting and prepping the galleries.  I was aware of what was to be installed, but I was not prepared for the sheer wonder and fantasy of "All Creatures Great and Small" by Jennifer Angus. 


Thousands of real insects, dead and dehydrated, yet surprisingly beautiful, are pinned to the wall in intricate patterns, interspersed with floral shapes molded with beeswax.  Get close enough to smell, and it's unmistakable.  This show truly impossible to describe--you simply must experience it. 

In addition to the wall installation, Angus has included diorama-type scenes, using doll-sized buildings surrounded by and filled with insects, interacting in various ways, and more beeswax sculptures.  I laughed and marveled at the energy and often dark humor of the various
insects and found objects that populate these scenes.  It's so unlike anything I've ever seen, and yet has echoes of what is familiar and even dear.  (I am quite sure that the molds for the reclining cows, donkeys, and sheep that I saw in several of the cases were cast from a nativity scene, because they look just like the ones in the creche we inherited from our grandmother.)

Angus has recently made a couple short stop-motion animation films using her insects and molded set pieces, and these are also on display at CAFAM.  Alas, they are not available online at this time.

If this work is at all intriguing to you, check out the videos on YouTube that show Angus at work, such as Touch of Weevil.

All of the photos here are from Jennifer Angus' website.  The CAFAM show has its own surprising look and color scheme not shown here.

CAFAM is one of the hidden gems of the LA art and culture scene.  In addition to unique shows, they offer a wonderful array of workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and film screenings.  Next time you're in the neighborhood (5814 Wilshire Bl., directly across the street from the mammoths sinking into the tar pits), make a point to stop in. Also see www.cafam.org for a list of programs and offerings.