I Need Some Art

Claremont McKenna College doesn’t have an art gallery.  We don’t even have art classes.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have great opportunities all around us to experience and appreciate art.  We have art-savvy professors, the Athenaeum, trips to the Getty Museum and – probably the most overlooked opportunity – the many (free) art galleries on other 5C campuses. The galleries at the Claremont Colleges provide impressive collections, as well as prestigious and dramatic temporary exhibitions, lectures, events, and receptions. There are so many ways to get your art fix at the 5Cs.

The Ruth Chandler Williamson Art Gallery

Hours: 1-5PM Wednesday-Sunday (during exhibitions).

Located at Scripps College on Eleventh Street, this facility is a hidden gem.  With funding that allows the gallery to bring in a host of historic and fascinating exhibits throughout the year, the Williamson Gallery also boasts permanent collections like the C. Jane Hurley Wilson ’64 and Michael G. Wilson Photograph and Print Study Room.  Current exhibitions include the Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. from 1945-1980 and Asian Textiles displays, beginning in October and running through April.  The Williamson Gallery has plenty of future exhibits already planned, as well as grand opening receptions.  If that’s not your cup of tea, check out the many prestigious speakers that come to the gallery to speak on art history, specific art forms, and a large range of other topics.  Too busy to make it over?  Check out the gallery’s online catalogue or digital art collection.

The Pitzer Art Galleries

Hours: 12-5PM Tuesday-Friday.

If you’re looking for something thought-provoking and different, Pitzer is the place to be.  Hosting The Lenzner Family Art Gallery and The Nichols Gallery (located in Broad Center), Pitzer College has created great art exposure opportunities for the Colleges.  While the Lenzner Family Art Gallery focuses on “a space for risk and experimentation dedicated to emerging artists working in all media”, the Nichols Gallery is “committed to solo and group exhibitions by national and international artists both emerging and established.”  Together, the galleries display an impressive number of exhibitions throughout the year, varying from video installations, participatory and performance art, to textiles and photography.  Many of the exhibitions and events allow for audience participation, such as a tree planting event that graced the campus with “living art.”  Pitzer College also includes resident artist events and periodic lectures by upcoming artists.  Their current series, Synthetic Ritual, features fifteen artists over three months on display until December 9th.

The Pomona College Museum of Art

Hours: Part I of the It Happened at Pomona exhibit open 24 hours a day.

The Pomona College Museum of Art located on the northeast corner of Bonita and College houses permanent fine art exhibits and temporary collections, as well as student displays.  The permanent collections house an impressive display of American Indian art and artifacts from the pre-Columbian period to the present, as well as their Kress Collection, featuring 15th- and 16th-century Italian panel paintings.  Currently, Pomona is hosting the exciting and historical exhibit It Happened at Pomona: Art at the Edge of Los Angeles 1969-1973, a three-part series continuing through May 2012 that includes a performance art exposition.  Check out the Museum at its after-hours events: the opening gala with KSPC was on September 15th. It kicked off the year with live music and video games.  The next event is a talk by Carlos Motta, titled "We Who Feel Differently", which discusses the politics of sexual difference.  If you can’t make it, many of Pomona’s museum resources are available online for viewing.