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TWO by Two- Stories Beneath the Surface
Amelia Amell and Jesús Chaidez
Painting, Drawings, and Prints

Exhibition Dates: February 22nd to April 14th
Opening Reception: Friday, February 22nd • 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM • Tea Served 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Opening reception Special Guest: DJ Carlos Montoya will provide an evening of tunes and video
Closing Reception: Sunday, April 14, 2019 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Artist talk 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Closing Reception Live Music: Voz Bohemia

Join us for the closing reception of TWO by Two- Stories Beneath the Surface with artists Amelia Amell and Jesús Chaidez. Enjoy the exhibition one last time with an artist talk from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, live music by Voz Bohemia, refreshments and more.

The Manhattan Beach Art Center (MBAC) presents TWO by Two- Stories Beneath the Surface; Amelia Amell and Jesús Chaidez, Painting, Drawings, and Prints.

The Manhattan Beach Art Center is proud to feature the works of Los Angeles artist Jesús Chaidez and introduce the work of Manhattan Beach artist Amelia Amell. Both artists have been informed by their rich cultural backgrounds, one from the island of Hispaniola and the other from Culiacán, Mexico. As a whole, the exhibit examines artists living in two worlds, and the impact of global politics, personal histories, and cultural symbolism. Curated by Singletree Arts, the exhibition highlights two important contemporary artists and their art making practice.

Jesús Chaidez was born in Culiacán, Mexico and immigrated to the United States when he was five years old. In this comprehensive survey, he investigates the juxtaposition of the pastoral and contemplative beauty of the landscape and a darker underlying narrative. His own near-death experience led him to research burial mound traditions found throughout the ancient world. Using the burial mound as an iconic image, Chaidez builds multiple layers of color to form intensely detailed hills covered in very carefully rendered grasses, which also take on a meditative quality. Running parallel to his extensive knowledge of art history and art practice is his expertise in the art of brewing tea. While living in San Francisco, he studied for six years under tea master Roy Fong. Chaidez will be hosting tea events throughout the exhibition.

Amelia Amell was born on the Island of Hispaniola, and is currently a resident of Manhattan Beach. She has always been haunted by a sense of separation, a feeling of not belonging to a family, a society, or even a body. Eventually understanding that this feeling is common to the human experience, she is searching for security in a constantly changing world, forever longing for belonging. Her art emerges from this universal desire to make things whole again, especially to bridge the mundane and the divine.

MYM Organics
Fashion with a conscious. Style with a meaning. Art with a message.
Eco-friendly and ethically made in Los Angeles/Hueyapan. Shop the curated art wear by MYM Organics at the Manhattan Beach Art Center. The pop-up shop will be open during the opening reception for TWO by Two- Stories Beneath the Surface, A Tea Gathering and during the Indigo Dye and Tea Workshop.

Special Exhibition Events at MBAC:

• A Tea Gathering, February 24th, 4:00 PM to 6:00 (limited seating and pre-registration required)
• Special Spring Equinox Concert with folk rockers, Winter Grain, Sunday, March 24th, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• Indigo Dye and Tea Workshop with Jesús Chaidez and MYM Organics, Saturday, April 13th, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Morphologizing

Exhibition Dates: May 3rd through June 16th
Opening Reception: May 3, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Morphologizing Press Release (PDF).

Manhattan Beach, CA - The Manhattan Beach Art Center (MBAC) presents Morphologizing, an exhibition of work by Jonathan Keep, Dino Capaldi, Alec Lindsey, Karen Koblitz and more. The word “morphology” comes from the Greek word for “form.” The term now refers to a common mode of scientific analysis utilized to understand objects in terms of their parts, shapes, and structures. Morphology also explores how these parts come together to create a unified whole. This exhibition is dedicated to a morphological understanding of pottery.

The artists and work featured in the exhibition encourage observers to consider each and every part, feature, and aspect of ceramic objects. They push our understanding of pottery and its relationship to art, culture, and society. Comprised of pieces from a variety of locations, time periods, and cultural perspectives, Morphologizing offers a dynamic view of pottery-making and its innumerable intersections with our daily lives.

Jonathan Keep is an independent practicing artist and a leading expert of studio based ceramic 3D printing. His Curve Series is a body of pottery based on the deceptively complex concept of the curve. Generated by computer code, his pottery explores the structures, proportions, ratios and relationships that define curves and how digital code mimics patterns and growth structures in the natural world. Through his process, Jonathan builds animation of objects that offers a sense of time, from one period to another, like an evolving morphology.

Dino Capaldi is an emerging artist whose work challenges our understanding of traditional pottery. Utilizing local beach sand in his sculptures, Dino creates molten surfaces that obscure traditional practices while commenting on the material nature of clay.

Alec Lindsey
Serving as both a backdrop for the show and an object of inquiry, Alec Lindsey’s body of work expounds upon the conceptual idea of morphologizing. As an artist who draws from digital design to create paintings, murals, and digital prints, Lindsey’s images focus on morphologies of the natural world. His segmented depictions of water and eroding rock formations emphasize the many parts, shapes, and materials that configure elements in nature. The pieces featured in the exhibition utilize paint mixed with iron oxide, a chemical element found in clay.

Karen Koblitz pays homage to the functional roots of ceramics while elaborating on historical and decorative elements. In her work titled Globalization #4, Koblitz features images of popular culture presented within the context of historical pottery shapes and surface designs.

MBAC is a City of Manhattan Beach owned and operated Cultural Arts Facility. It presents 4 to 5 exhibitions per year and offers classes, workshops and activities for children and adults. All MBAC exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Discover Manhattan Beach
Local Art + Insta-Photo Contest Exhibition
Exhibition Dates: July 12 through September 29, 2019
Opening Celebration: Friday, July 12, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Gallery: Manhattan Beach Art Center, 1560 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, CA

Celebrate national Parks and Rec Month and discover everything Manhattan Beach has to offer! Revel with leisure, hidden gems and hot spots through the eyes and lenses of local artists. Enjoy original artwork, by the community in a variety of mediums, that shows what makes the City a desirable place to live and visit. This exhibition is a portrait of Manhattan Beach and its progressive, laid back lifestyle familiar to all!

Opening Celebration

• Live Music
• Food
• Drinks

Thank you to our sponsors

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Homeira Goldstein and TIME4ART present
Claudia Meyer, IMMERSIO
Exhibition Dates: November 1, 2019 to December 29, 2019
Opening Reception: Friday, November 1, 2019; 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Program begins at 7:15 PM

Manhattan Beach, CA – Homeira Goldstein and TIME4ART with support of the Manhattan Beach Art Center are thrilled to present “IMMERSIO”, an exhibition featuring a collection of mixed media, immersive and sculptural works, from internationally renowned painter, sculptor, installation artist, Claudia Meyer.

Born in Switzerland, Meyer’s work is an ongoing dialog between night and day light. While the artist skillfully plays with shapes, materials, volumes and textures, her work also conveys a visionary and exclusive senses of strength and serenity. Notably though her upcoming new “Cube” experience examines the emotional process between virtuality and reality, while transporting the audience into the artist’s deep and rich self-created environment.

Envisioned by Homeira Goldstein, IMMERSIO features the artist’s latest abstract and sculptural “writing” inspired by her perpetual fascination of handwriting. The exhibition invites you to view her world through the lenses and perspective of your own experience.

Meyer emerged on the art scene in the 2000s and earned acclaim and recognition for her unique and uncompromising artistic approaches. She is one of the rare artists who is able to skillfully master and explore numerous technical and artistic expressions while strongly remaining connected to organic elements. Her work is an ever expanding and seemingly limitless exploration and expression of her unique and undeniable talent and artistic vision.

With studios in Luzern and Paris, Meyer travels the world and spends time in Los Angeles and the Desert. She has been exhibited at international art fairs including Art Miami, Context Miami, LA Art Show, Art Palm Springs, Seattle Art Fair to name a few. Meyer will be featured at Art Miami 2019 and at Hohmann Fine Art early 2020 for a new solo show.

This exhibition is presented by TIME4ART, a non-profit art educational organization in Manhattan Beach, California with the mission of enhancing cultural art awareness in the South Bay and Greater Los Angeles.

“Our heartfelt thanks to Manhattan Beach Art Center for their spirit of comradery and community.” - Homeira Goldstein