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On Saturday, Art Division students joined alumni Alex “OTISWOODS” Gonzalez and Roberto Ortiz for an afternoon studio visit at their shared space near LaFayette Park. The visit began with a striking introduction about the importance of community spaces and collaborative peer building, values that continue to guide both artists in their creative practices. Born and raised in the MacArthur Park/Koreatown neighborhood, Alex and Roberto shared how their lived experiences as first-generation Angelenos inform their work in music, painting, and beyond. They reflected on their time at Art Division, crediting mentors Dan McCleary and Luis Serrano for providing guidance and opportunities that helped propel their artistic careers. Students explored sketchbooks, paintings, musical instruments, and works in progress—gaining insight into how experiential learning, mentorship, and community shape artistic growth. The afternoon was both inspiring and grounding, reminding us that building an oasis for creative expression depends on shared experiences and a commitment to community involvement.
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On Friday, August 29, Art Division students visited Noah Davis at the Hammer Museum—the first institutional survey of the late artist’s groundbreaking work (on view June 8 – August 31, 2025). The exhibition brought together over 50 works created between 2007 and 2015, charting the breadth and depth of Davis’s extraordinary practice. His paintings draw on influences as wide-ranging as family histories, ancient Egyptian cosmologies, current affairs, flea market photographs, and American media. With a style that feels at once realistic and dreamlike, joyful and melancholic, Davis captured the contradictory sensations of lived experience in ways that deeply resonated with our students. Students shared that they found the artwork relatable to their own lived experience. Afterward, the group continued the conversation over lunch, reflecting on the themes and techniques that struck them most. We also added the exhibition book to the Art Division Library Collection—ensuring Davis’s legacy and vision can continue to inspire our community. At The Broad, students explored The Space in Which to Place Me, a landmark exhibition by Jeffrey Gibson, the first solo show by an Indigenous artist in the museum’s history. The exhibition made its debut last year at the 60th International Biennale d'Arte in Venice, where he represented the United States. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, Gibson combines Native American traditions with pop culture and queer theory, creating vibrant, multimedia works that speak to identity, community, and resilience. His work combines political activism with startling beauty. The result is a visual and aural kaleidoscope spanning sculpture, two-dimensional works, and video installations. After the visit our group met for lunch across the street at MOCA to discuss the exhibition. After a lively conversation and meal the day concluded with a tour of the Disney Concert Hall exterior, with insights from our Artist in Residence, Danny Zambrano. At David Zwirner, Elsa Longhauser, founding executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, led students through Marcel Dzama’s latest body of work titled Empress of Night. Known for his surreal, dreamlike imagery, Dzama’s paintings, sculptures, and costumes invite viewers into a whimsical yet politically charged world. Here’s what Art Division Librarian Melissa Soriano had to say: “Marcel Dzama’s works in this show gave me a fresh insight on energy, hope, and resilience through a surrealist lens. His pieces inspired me to further explore with outside textures of art and traditions of theatrical creativity. Speaking about the show with my peers over a delicious lunch not only gave me a deeper perception of the exhibition but built a stronger artistic connection of viewership and friendship.” On Friday April 25, students and staff set out for a full day of architecture and contemporary art exploration: First stop: A private tour of Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s visionary architectural masterpiece. Our docent guided us through Wright's innovative approach to blending indoor and outdoor spaces, his use of Japanese aesthetics, and Mayan-inspired forms. Students were especially struck by Wright’s intentional design of small, narrow entryways that lead dramatically into expansive, open spaces. Built between 1918 and 1921, Hollyhock House was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Los Angeles commission and an ode to California—its freedom and natural beauty. Designed for Aline Barnsdall, this house was intended to be the centerpiece of a 36-acre arts complex, which was only partially realized. Hollyhock House is a harbinger of California Modernism, inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with seven other Wright sites, and today is owned by the City of Los Angeles and operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs. Second stop: Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG), where Art Division students Jennifer Payan and Samantha Alexis Manuel gave an incredible tour of the exhibitions they curated:
We wrapped up the afternoon with a picnic outside Hollyhock House. Students reflected on the architecture, exhibitions, and the power of creative community. On Friday, April 4, a group of Art Division students and staff visited LACMA for a private tour of We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art—an extraordinary exhibition that explores the power and poetry of color in the Indigenous Americas. Led by Assistant Curator Alyce de Carteret, who co-curated the show with Jackie Lopez, the tour offered a vivid and intimate look into how Mesoamerican artists used color to map time, space, and the cosmos itself. Alyce's passion and depth of knowledge brought the exhibition to life, guiding us through rooms bathed in five symbolic colors—white, black, red, blue, and yellow—each with shifting meanings shaped by context, materials, and ancestral knowledge. Throughout the tour, students asked thoughtful questions about the pigments, iconography, and ceramic forms on display. Many were struck by how color in Mesoamerican art was not simply decorative, but cosmological—a generative force with the power to shape the universe. It was a day of deep connection, reflection, and curiosity—an opportunity to engage with art not just as image, but as worldview. We are grateful to LACMA and to Alyce de Carteret for welcoming us into this beautiful and transformative space. Last week, Art Division students had the incredible opportunity to visit the Getty Museum for a private tour of Ultra-Violet: New Light on Van Gogh’s Irises, part of the PST ART: Art & Science Collide series. Led by Devi Ormond, Associate Conservator of Paintings, and Catherine Patterson, Scientist at the Getty, this intimate tour revealed the fascinating ways science and conservation intersect with art history. Art, Science & The Power of Reflection One of the key takeaways from the visit was the reminder of how journaling and letter writing are essential for artists. Without Van Gogh’s meticulous notes, much of the research behind this exhibition wouldn’t have been possible. Devi encouraged our students to document their own artistic journeys, materials, and processes—not just for themselves, but for future historians who might one day study their work. The Mystery of Van Gogh’s Irises The exhibition highlighted how time has altered the painting itself—the once-vibrant violet irises have faded to blue due to the instability of the pigment Geranium Lake. Through cutting-edge conservation techniques, researchers are uncovering the original hues and preserving the legacy of Van Gogh’s work. Devi even pointed out a tiny spot in the corner of the painting where pollen had fallen from a tree outside Van Gogh’s hospital window, a small but powerful reminder of how closely nature and art were intertwined in his life. Thanks to Van Gogh's doctor, the hospital Saint-Rémy became the first of its kind to practice art therapy, which continues to be offered today. Exploring Careers in the ArtsBeyond the artwork itself, Devi and Catherine shared insight into their own careers, showing our students that there are many fulfilling pathways in the arts outside of being a practicing artist. From conservation to scientific research, their work is a testament to how art can be studied, preserved, and understood in new ways. A Day of Inspiration & Connection After the tour, students had time to explore other exhibitions at the Getty, including Gustave Caillebotte: Painting Men and María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold. These moments of quiet reflection and conversation reinforced how transformative these experiences can be. When we go on field trips, our staff carpools with students, creating opportunities for deeper conversation and connection. These moments, whether on the road or in front of a painting, are at the heart of what we do at Art Division--fostering curiosity, community, and a lifelong love of art. Thank you to Devi, Catherine, and the Getty for this incredible experience, and to our Advisory Board member Beanie Kaman for her support. Head Curator, Hanneke Skerath and Cyndi Choi, Director of Communications and Education gave in depth private tour of the Marciano's collection. Students also viewed Lightscape a multimedia artwork created by artist Doug Aitken in collaboration with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Students visited the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles for a special tour of the 35 x 35 exhibit that features a few Art Division students work. On Tuesday, October 24th, Art Division students, along with Field Trips volunteer Elsa Longhauser, visited the Hammer Museum for a tour of the current show, Made in LA 2023: Acts of Living. The show’s co-curator Pablo José Ramírez led the tour, which included students Gerardo Navarro, Nova Mejia, Melissa Soriano, Nicole Sierra, Nicole Jimenez, Sheily Aguilar, Jane Trejo-Ramirez, Tsaná Perez Espinosa and Jailene Sanchez, as well as Art Division staff members Dan McCleary, Luis Motta, Cindy Ojeda and Alina Kawai. Many of the students had never been to the Hammer Museum before, so the trip “was an eye opener,” Art Division Program Coordinator Alina Kawai said. “The background of Made in LA was really amazing.” Ramírez walked the group through the main galleries, explaining the groupings of works in the show, which features 39 LA-based artists and collectives, a highly diverse group whose common theme, according to Hyperallergic magazine, is “diaspora.” Ramírez’s own background reflects this theme. He grew up in a Maya K´iche´ village in Guatemala, explaining in Curtain magazine that Guatemala’s “messy, turbulent history, colonial pain, and inspiring ancestral culture” has inspired his curatorial practice. “Pablo was great,” Art Division Director of Finance Cindy Ojeda said. “He really brought a new perspective. Elsa pointed out that Ramírez, who had been working in Berlin, had originally been hired by the Hammer to curate the Made in LA show only, but his work impressed them so much that they have since hired him as a permanent member of their curatorial staff. Afterwards, Art Division students and staff had lunch at a nearby Pain Quotidien, where they occupied an entire long table and held a lively discussion about the works that made an especially strong impression. Many students were especially struck by Jackie Amézquita’s “El suelo que nos alimenta,” a wall-sized grid of brown tiles made of dirt and masa taken from 144 Los Angeles neighborhoods, etched with classic LA imagery. Students were also inspired by the richness and diversity of the work, which represented so many Los Angeles artists of color from different cultures and communities. The Art Division group left with a catalog of the show–now in the Art Division library–and a great desire to return and see the exhibit again. Made in LA: Acts of Living will run through December 23, 2023. |
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September 2025
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