Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery

44801 N. Sierra Highway
(661) 723-6250
LMAGReceptionist@cityoflancasterca.org

Construction update:Construction on Lancaster Boulevard continues from Fig Ave. to Genoa Ave.  Construction around the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery and Western Hotel Museum has been completed.

 
Elements of Nature
Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation
June 5-August 29, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 5, 6-9 pm
Please RSVP for the opening at 661-723-6250
Centered around the classical conception that the universe consisted of four basic elements—fire, water, earth, and air—this exhibition explores how contemporary artists have drawn inspiration from these essential, natural states to interpret, replicate, and re-imagine the natural world. This exhibition of international contemporary artists from the collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles, explores diverse aspects of the natural environment inspired by personal experiences, as well as universal concepts. Viewing the world through the unique perspective of the artist, the power and beauty of the environment and the complex human relationship with it, begin to emerge.

The artists featured in the exhibition include: Lita Albuquerque, Peter Alexander, Charles Arnoldi, Lesley Dill, Joe Goode, and Edward Ruscha. Many of these artists are represented in major museum collections, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MOMA), and The Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Funding for this exhibition has been provided by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles

Image Credit: Gegam Kacherian, Above, 2006, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles

EXHIBITION RELATED EVENTS:

EVENT-A Night Out- Caribbean
Saturday, August 28 from 6-9 pm at LMAG.
Socialize at LMAG’s A Night Out-Caribbean, an after hours museum party celebrating the last weekend of the exhibition Elements of Nature: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. Immerse yourself in all things Caribbean with live Reggae music from Lancaster Posse Band, hors d'oeuvres with Jamaican flair, sangria, and Sagebrush Café’s non-alcoholic mystery drink. With inspiration drawn from the thought-provoking work of Elements of Nature artist Lesley Dill, the collective art activity, I Heard a Voice, will combine your individual voice and words with the voices of other participants in celebration of the rhythm between cultures, histories, and identities. A Night Out events at LMAG present exciting social and cultural entertainment and offer participants an opportunity to enjoy an after hours evening at the museum. General admission: $10; LMAGA: $8; Student (with valid ID) $8.

The New Museum
The Museum’s metamorphosis continues as construction has officially started on the new museum building with an historic groundbreaking on February 23, 2010. Located on the corner of Lancaster Boulevard and Elm Street, the new Lancaster Museum/ Art Gallery will provide additional space for expanded programs and exhibitions, updated architecture, and a central location on The BLVD, which is currently the epicenter of massive downtown revitalization efforts. Construction on the museum is scheduled to be completed in early 2011.  

Founded in 1986, the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery is dedicated to advancing an appreciation of art and history in the Antelope Valley. Operating two sites—the Museum/Art Gallery and the Western Hotel Museum—LMAG is not only a repository for historical artifacts important to preserving the unique character of the Antelope Valley, but also a place where audiences—residents and visitors alike—may experience exhibitions of fine art and participate in a variety of art and history-based programs.

Learning is at the core of LMAG’s mission. Collecting, exhibitions and programs are all undertaken in an effort to provide to the residents of the Antelope Valley a way of integrating art and history into their lives and taking away the lessons that these disciplines have to offer. By presenting quality exhibitions and programs as well as through the proper care and preservation of works of art and artifacts relating the history and culture of the Antelope Valley, the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery is a center for art and historical engagement in the Antelope Valley.

The museum’s exhibition program is diverse, offering a range of displays for all age groups. Exhibitions of dinosaur fossils and ancient Egyptian mummies have delighted children, while the presentation of artworks by artists such as Picasso, Renoir, Rembrandt and Chagall have appealed to adults. Exhibitions that are especially relevant to the Antelope Valley have included shows on aircraft and space travel as well as displays on the industries and natural resources that built the area. For artists, the museum hosts an Annual Juried All-Media Art Exhibition and Annual High School Student Exhibition. Increasingly, the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery is presenting exhibitions to the residents of the Antelope Valley that feature works by regional, national and internationally renowned artists.

Permanent Collection
In its early collecting, LMAG focused primarily on artifacts, documents and photographs that related to the cultural and development history of the Antelope Valley, local historical figures and prominent Lancaster residents. Over time, the collection developed strengths in artifacts and documents pertaining to important industries to the Antelope Valley. Some of the most important and valuable collections in terms of information remain the historical newspapers, documents, photographs and glass plate negatives. Represented in the art collection are a number of paintings and works on paper by Antelope Valley artists as well as many works by Southern California artists. Significant holdings include works by Hans Burkhardt, Charles La Monk and Doug Oliver. LMAG is focused on further developing its collection of artwork as well as continuing to collect representative objects and documents pertinent to the history of the Antelope Valley.

The Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery was officially dedicated on January 18, 1986. However, the site’s historical importance reaches back into the very beginning of Lancaster’s history.

 A railway siding at Lancaster was created after the Southern Pacific Railroad came through the desert floor during August of 1876. A town was laid out at the beginning of 1884. The area where the Museum/Art Gallery is located was at first empty land behind the general stores, a blacksmith shop, various businesses, and private residences clustered on Sierra Highway (old Antelope Avenue) and Lancaster Boulevard (old Tenth Street). A house located on the southeastern corner of the Museum/Art Gallery’s parking lot served as the first school (c. 1885/86).

When the Western Hotel (located ½ block northwest of the Museum/Art Gallery on Lancaster Boulevard) opened (c. 1888/89), the Museum/Art Gallery land was used as corrals for the animals of the hotel’s guests and later the crews working on the Los Angeles Aqueduct (c. 1908-1912).

Different businesses were established on this site through the years but one of the most important was the old Valley Theatre. It was built by the Carter family in 1926. The facility could seat 500 people. Carter later rented it to Frank Gumm, the father of actress Judy Garland (Frances Gumm). It was at this location that Judy and her sisters entertained local audiences.

Later a Shopping Bag market was here. Afterwards the building would house a commercial enterprise. The old Shopping Bag building then stood vacant for several years. It symbolized a major challenge for City of Lancaster planners. At first it was proposed that this structure become the new City Hall. However, it was then decided to work with the Antelope Valley Union High School District and renovate this building into a modern structure serving as the District’s headquarters and a Museum/Art Gallery.