|
Lux Art Institute Welcomes New Resident Artist Alison Moritsugu
Situated alongside one of Southern California's remaining coastal wetlands, Lux Art Institute welcomes the next artist-in-residence, Alison Moritsugu. Through thought-provoking paintings of endangered native plants, environmental artist Moritsugu, highlights the difference between ornamental and natural beauty.
 Print View
September 8, 2008 (FPRC) -- ENCINITAS, CA - Lux Art Institute, San Diego’s interactive art destination, will welcome Hawaiian-born painter Alison Moritsugu as the next artist-in-residence of the 08/09 season.
Visitors can 'see art happen' when Moritsugu, known for her exquisite paintings that examine our relationship with the land, moves into the Artist’s Residence from Nov. 8 – Dec. 6. During her residency, she will be researching the native plants on the Lux site as well as the more ornamental and commercial invasive plants in the region. These plant forms will become design motifs for the work Moritsugu creates at Lux.
In the studio, she will paint five or six small vignettes, 30 x 40 inches each, featuring non-native plants. Hidden within each vignette will be ghost-like natives, a threatened or endangered plant species or its bird pollinator. Moritsugu will then cut and paste the vignette patterns together, scan them for color corrections, and lay them out to create a repeat pattern. Once the repeat is planned, it will be printed on wallpaper and serve as a large-scale installation.
'While there is a lushness and beauty to Alison Moritsugu’s work, there is also a precision to her process, an aura of environmental awareness, and an exploration of ideas about commerce, ecology, and history,' said Lux Director Reesey Shaw. 'In an era of global warming, urban sprawl, and the destruction of ecosystems, Alison creates her pieces with an undercurrent of nostalgia for the forgotten landscape, and we welcome her visit.'
Moritsugu’s completed work will be on view at Lux through January 3, 2009.
###
About Lux Art Institute
Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, Calif., opened its doors to the public in November 2007 and is redefining the modern museum experience with its artist-in-residence program. Artists live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art.
Throughout the year, Lux invites significant regional, national, and international artists to participate in the Lux residency and encourages visitors from across the country to observe and engage with them. This one-of-a-kind institution invites visitors to not only 'see art,' but also to 'see art happen.'
Slated to be the first 'green' (LEED certified) art museum in California and located alongside one of Southern California’s remaining coastal wetlands, Lux’s four-acre site overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In an effort to seamlessly meld the conservation and restoration of art beyond the museum walls, an array of rare native plants blends naturally into the nearby preserve.
Santa Monica, California-based Renzo Zecchetto, AIA – whose other significant architectural projects include the award-winning Church of the Nativity in Fairbanks Ranch, Calif. and the Alusa Printing Company in Santiago, Chile – designed the two-story building to utilize energy-saving strategies such as the use of natural light and recycled materials to preserve resources for future generations.
Lux Hours: Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10 for two visits.
For more information about Lux Art Institute, please visit www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760.436.6611
XXX
Send an email to Maya Ellman of JWalcher Communications
619-295-7140
Keywords:
environment, art, endangered
|
