DAVID QUICK BECOMES MUSUEM ADVISOR FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

Pullus Gallaxticus - Kentic Sculpture by David Quick - Museum of Neon Art - 1996

David Quick, one of the founders of the kenetic art movement in Sourthern California, has joined your Museum as an advisor on contemporary art. In this slide of David's work, he challenges the American political establishment to put art into space. He asks why is there no joy or whimsy in our space program. If art is the ultimate expression of what it means to be a human being, then should it, at least, exist in our space statements with weapons and t.v. ads.

1944-1945 Holiday Greeting Card from the great Los Angeles impresario Lynden E. Behymer - image provided to the Museum of the San Fernando Valley by California historian Phyllis Hansen

In only a year after his arrival in Los Angeles, Lynden Behymer arranged for performances of the National Grand Opera Company. In 1888, he brought the world famous Sara Berhhardt to sing "La Tosca" to Southern California. Soon he was to be manager, treasurer and chief press agent for the Grand Opera House. In 1914, Behymer with Harley Hamilton founded and brought into existence the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra.
During his active years, Behymer brought the Metropolitan Opera Company Los Angeles and secured regular performances of the Chicago Opera Company as well. He brought world famous artists such as Enrico Caruso, Edwin Booth, Paderewski, and Isadora Duncan to the west coast. Less known today were other greats including Rabindranath Tagore, Jacob Riis, Feodor Chaliapin, Lawrence Tibbet, Ruth St. Denis and Maud Allan.
Behymer was instrumental in the location of today's Hollywood Bowl.
With Paul Eilser of the Metropolitan Opera, he was instrumental in the opening of the Greek Theatre in Hollywood in 1930.

WHIMSICAL BUILDING BECOMES A VALLEY LANDMARK

Pink Cadillac Building in the Rain - 1996 -
photo by Jerry Fecht for The Museum of the San Fernando Valley ©

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. From 1985 to 2000, your blog person, Jerry Fecht, took slides off and on of buildings and signs in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Southern California. Today, I figured out how to scan the slides for inclusion in the historical archives of the Musuem. This image of the Pink Cadillac building on Ventura Boulevard is the first of these slides.

WHY A MUSEUM COLLECTS AND PRESERVES ARTIFACTS

Land of the Free - Patriotic Button - Collection of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - gift to the Musuem from James Fecht

Often artifacts, even small ones like this patriotic button in your Museum's collection, demonstrate important issues of their time. Here an American eagle soars in red, white and blue. The button is about four years old.
Now, take a closer look! See where the button was made.
Today, to support the war in Iraq, without an increase in taxes or the sale of war bonds, trillions of dollars are being spent. The dollars are being raised by the sale of US Treasury notes, and one of the major buyers is the People's Republic of China. This in effect puts present and future generations of Americans into debt to a foreign nation to fund a war - the first time in the history of the Republic.
Future generations will ask questions about today's political policies. Your Museum collects contemporary artifacts to help them answer their studies.

JOHN HERGERT'S SCULPTURE GETS SOME DESERVED ATTENTION!

Billboard in Chicago - Fall 2007 - American Artist John Hergert

For those of us who worked with and enjoyed the company of John Hergert, when he lived in the San Fernando Valley, it comes as little surprise that his art is getting well deserved attention. Few young artists have the all around creative genius to challenge the crossover response to the arts that Hergert has.
Bravo John! and Bravo Red Bull for discovering what we in California have known for a long time!