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NEWPORT BEACH blog

An Unmatched Experience

Third Thursday at the OCMA in Newport Beach

Orange County Museum of Art

Art is an interesting thing. Some of it can move you to tears and some of it can leave you scratching your head. But the best thing about art is that it makes you think and evokes emotion, so whatever your opinion ends up being — it has made an impact.

I recently visited the Orange County Museum of Art. The building is tucked in off of San Clemente Drive near Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Did I mention that there’s a huge statue of a dog in front of the building? Not just any old dog statue. The dog is peeing on the building (yep there’s yellow paint too!) Artist Richard Jackson calls the sculpture “Bad Dog”. It’s the first thing you notice when you walk up to the museum. My kids would get a tremendous kick out of Mr. Jackson’s work.

Inside, is the 2013 California-Pacific Triennial exhibit, the only exhibition in the Western Hemisphere devoted to contemporary art from the Pacific Rim. 32 artists make up this collection hailing from Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Japan, Korea, China and more. Some of the artists are from right here in Southern California.

A little bit on the Triennial:

With national boundaries becoming more porous and artistic connections happening between artists and viewers from a broad range of cultural backgrounds, the flow of ideas and images crisscrossing the planet becomes a crucial component of any contemporary art survey.

The California-Pacific Triennial will place artists working in California within this broader global network, one that is particularly relevant to our region, and that will offer visitors their only opportunity to engage in a more cosmopolitan conversation about contemporary art.

Normal business hours are Wednesday through Sunday 11am to 5pm. But Thursday night is unique. That’s when the museum celebrates Third Thursdays.

Third Thursdays is different because you can get up close and personal with the artists and curator. They share their insights into the works, and discuss how the art transformed from a vision to reality.

On September 19th, A Trans-Pacific Perspective will be moderated by curator Yukie Kamiya, with artists Tiffany Chung, Koki Tanaka, and Kimsooja.

The unique thing about this event is that it takes place at night.

The Gallery tour starts at 6pm and the featured program begins at 7p.

There are some great creations of the culinary kind as well at Third Thursdays, as a food truck brings meal option. This show features the Soho Taco truck.

I might have to bring my kids to this next event. But they might have a whole different idea when I tell them we’re going to spend a night at the museum.

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