'From Two Arises Three," Korea Day and more at the Asian Art Museum

 The Tao gives birth to one
one gives birth to two
two gives birth to three
three gives birth to ten thousand things
—Laozi, Daode jing

 Sunday is KoreaDay at the Asian Art Museum and it's F R E E. Daylong extravaganza for all ages.

The 2nd floor galleries have two exhibits worth going out of the way to see. "From Two Arises Three" focuses on the work of two American contemporary artists working in uniquely Chinese styles: painter Arnold Chang and photographer Michael Cherney.

http://www.examiner.com/article/from-two-arises-three-korea-day-and-more-at-the-asian-art-museum

Oakland Museum

BARTed to Oakland for dinner on a recent Thursday, and decided to go early and tie in a stop at the 12^th St BART Station, to see the Oakland Museum and the June Steingart Gallery at Laney College.      
        
After hearing so much about Oakland revival, I was surprised to find not much going on in the whole neighborhood except a sidewalk garage sale with many unique items.    Few people were in the Oakland museum.

Sculptors and stained glass artists speak highly of the Laney art program.   I was disappointed to find the open til 5PM Steingart Gallery at Laney was already closed at 3PM.  The Laney web site does say hours are subject to change.   After making a call to the number listed on the gallery page of the web site, I was informed that is not the number to call nor is the correct one available.   My thoughts drifted to all the welcoming Academy of Art galleries in SF, their MFA shows, etc.    

Future art trips to Oakland:  First Friday Art Walk of Oakland Art Murmur.  

Looking at map of Oakland Art Murmur made my head hurt, and also begged the question, is it called Art Mumu in Honolulu? 

From the murmurmap, it looks like the art movement is moving away from Oakland museum and nearby Laney College.  

I had not been to the Oakland Museum in a long time.  It is much larger than I remembered, with extensive grounds.   As the Museum’s primary focus is education and California history, I sped through those sections, having temporarily reached my limit recently through books, documentaries and other sources.      I stopped at one room with kids flopped on beanbags on the floor. They seemed to be enjoying a full wall video of what it is like to see the ocean from a slowly rocking boat, known in the interactive education arena as a seasick-o-tron.   Woozy from standing on the deck of the boat, I staggered from the room, holding the wall along the way to the coastal tide pool and beach found plastics collection, before heading to my favorite exhibits at the museum:

• Paintings by David Park and others with similar style 

• Inspiration Points: Masterpieces of California Landscape   now through Sunday, January 4, 2015

 

• The Smallest of Worlds    through August 31, 2014   dioramas from the collection of San Francisco artist Rex May, with figures created by the Aguilar family, artisans from Oaxaca, Mexico 

2013 SF Gate article about Rex May collection at SF Mexican Museum  

The upcoming SFMOMA collaborative Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California  opens September 20, 2014, runs through April 12, 2015 at Oakland Museum, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607

Posted by Phil Gravitt

The Mexican Museum announces a partnership with the University of Mexico

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (National Autonomous University of Mexico) (UNAM)

The Mexican Museum keeps on working to upgrade its status and visibility - last week's Family Day was a big success and now, the possibility of visiting artists from Mexico? Viva Mexico! Viva Arte!

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-mexican-museum-announces-a-partnership-with-the-university-of-mexico