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Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Art Museum exhibit centers on ‘Wuthering Heights' character Heathcliff
There's vibrant color, engaging imagery and a strong sense of subversiveness. And at the center of Carole Caroompas' posthumous exhibit at Laguna Art Museum is Heathcliff. But this is no 'Wuthering Heights.' 'The show has this Heathcliff series and there's 10 works in the series and all 10 of them are included in the show,' said Rochelle Steiner, guest curator at Laguna Art Museum who curated 'Carole Caroompas: Heathcliff and the Femme Fatale Go on Tour,' which runs through July 13. 'It's the first time that the series has been shown completely, which is very exciting,' Steiner said. 'She made them between 1997 and 2001. This work was inspired [in part] by her interest in 'Wuthering Heights,' that's the Heathcliff reference.' Caroompas, who spent her early life in Newport Beach and attended Cal State Fullerton before moving to Los Angeles, died at age 76 in 2022. With the help of her estate, the museum is showing the exhibit fully, with all 10 pieces. She was an artist inspired by pop culture and literature, feminism, gender and relationships. 'She got her MFA at USC and then after she graduated, she kind of found her way into the artist community of L.A.,' Steiner said. 'She was a painter. Her paintings are quite interesting in terms of the way she mixes materials and sources and references. One of the things that she was very inspired by was music. So in this particular series, you see a lot of references to musicians. But she also was very interested in what she called 'found embroidery,' which is basically like everything from napkins to tablecloths to things that had embroidered edges. And those were incorporated into her paintings as well.' Steiner said there's a mix of painted, collaged and assembled works in Caroompas' art. 'Rough and also very refined,' she said of the artist's works. 'Extremely colorful and extremely painted … mashed together. It's quite an interesting aesthetic. Some of the imagery is taken from album covers or inspired by album covers or movies or TV shows or even postcards that she found. She was quite a kind of visual collector and then that got assembled into her artworks.' 'Queen of the Countryside' in the Heathcliff series is just one example. It uses acrylic paint and found embroidery on canvas over panel that's nearly 8-feet tall, and has two sections. In one section, Heathcliff is different male rock stars — John Doe of LA punk band X and Joe Strummer of the Clash. They are with Exene Cervenka of X and Catherine Earnshaw, the fictional female lead character of 'Wuthering Heights.' 'She was really … on the one hand, very grounded in art and idea and literature and the classics and the movies and the films,' Steiner said. 'And on the other hand, she was incredibly fantastical in terms of her imagination and amalgamation of imagery.' The works in the series range widely in size — from a couple of feet up to 8 feet. 'There's really a sense of scale,' Steiner said. Steiner also included some of the artist's source material. 'For example, we found a few of the original postcards that she used, like images of kids or singers or others,' Steiner said. 'I put those in the between so we can see what she was drawing from.' Steiner also included Caroompas' own copy of 'Wuthering Heights' as part of the exhibit. The classic novel was written by English author Emily Bronte and published in 1847. 'So she wasn't just kind of superficially interested in 'Wuthering Heights,'' Steiner said. 'She read it and read it many times and I reproduced a page from it. She marked on almost every page, like different passages, and she took notes, and she, you know, really studied it.' At the heart of the Heathcliff series is relationships. 'She definitely was a feminist,' Steiner said. 'On the one hand very much focused on relationships between men and women, and that comes out in many of the works [in Heathcliff]. … What is the relationship or structure of a relationship between men and women? But she was very interested in kind of deconstructing power dynamics and thinking about equality and inequality.' Los Angeles artist Tom Knechtel said he first met Caroompas when she was invited to CalArts as a visiting artist in 1975, when he was in his second year of graduate school there. 'Carole's inspirations were diverse: literature, film, rock music, the history of art, popular culture and advertising,' Knechtel said. 'Before each body of work, she did extensive research — she often came to my house to raid my library. … The materials that she brought back from these investigations were not presented in a simple, straightforward fashion but were woven into a complex tapestry of conflicting images that create a conversation in front of the viewer.' Artist Cliff Benjamin, who lives in Hawaii, is in charge of Caroompas' estate. 'I knew Carole since 1985, until the day she died,' he said. 'She and I were really good friends for many decades.' He said she was a professor at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. 'It was a huge influence on … hundreds and hundreds of art students,' he said. Benjamin said she was part of the generation that lived through civil rights, women's and anti-war movements. 'She was part of that '60s generation that went through all of those different movements and was very much about doing the right thing,' he said. The Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. For more information and to order tickets, visit
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Beach celebrates Arbor Day with native tree planting
Laguna Beach waited longer than expected for its annual Arbor Day celebration, but dozens took part in the educational activities available at Aliso Beach Park on Thursday afternoon. It marked the eighth annual ceremony held by the city, which has traditionally included a native tree planting. On this occasion, a California sycamore was planted in the ground. 'I did the hard work, digging the enormous planting hole, but everything's prepped and then all the kids helped out with putting all the dirt in there,' said Matthew Barker, the city arborist. The lessons shared along the way included tamping down the soil. Community organizations were also there to share their knowledge of environmental matters. Among the groups in attendance were Citizens' Climate Education, Crystal Cove Conservancy, Laguna Art Museum, the Laguna Beach Garden Club, the Laguna Beach Urban Tree Fund, Laguna Canyon Foundation, Laguna Greenbelt Inc, LOCA Arts Education, Pacific Marine Mammal Center and Village Laguna. Public works personnel and West Coast Arborists, a city contractor, were also on hand, as were the Friends of the Hortense Miller Garden and the Laguna Beach chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 'It was a great turnout,' Barker said. 'A lot of kids, which is great. We partner with the Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club. Usually, they'll do environmental activities leading up to [Arbor Day], and then they come and enjoy all the activities and crafts and giveaways and prizes and games that all the exhibitors put on for the kids. 'I work with the Laguna Beach Unified School District, where many of the Boys & Girls Club kids attend one of those schools, and we do a youth art contest.' The prizes included a Lomi kitchen compost appliance for the first-place winner, with bonsai juniper trees going to those that earned honorable mention. 'The winner did a watercolor painting on canvas of a fantastical tree island — like a floating tree island,' Barker said. 'It was quite lovely and unique. We had three honorable mentions. One of them wrote a poem, and then a couple others did some really unique drawings. These are 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-year-olds, so the work that they do is quite impressive for kids that age.' The event was held at Boat Canyon Park last year. Barker, who started in his position in February 2021, said he tries to move the tree planting ceremony around to account for trees that had to be removed. Last year, a non-native pine that died was replaced with a Torrey pine. Laguna Beach had planned to host its Arbor Day event on March 6, but the event was postponed due to rain. It was rescheduled to align with the national Arbor Day date, which fell on Friday.
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Adam Neeley named Artist of the Year in Laguna's Art Star Awards
Adam Neeley's creations shine brightly for the many who wear the finished products created by the Laguna Beach jewelry designer and goldsmith. Before a crowd of his creative peers and other purveyors of the arts, Neeley received the Artist of the Year award on Wednesday at the 17th annual Art Star Awards in his hometown. 'Twenty years ago, I dreamt of coming to Laguna Beach and joining this amazing art colony, and I did,' Neeley said. 'With a great leap of faith, I opened my first gallery on PCH in North Laguna gallery row. I was 21 years old, and here we are 20 years later. 'I joined the Festival of Arts and exhibited proudly for 12 years and felt like, 'You know what, I'm becoming part of this amazing art community.' … Last year, I was very honored to be the first decorative art exhibition at the Laguna Art Museum. … Along this creative journey, I've met so many wonderful friends and patrons that have supported my art and a deep thank you for this, and for this community to continue to focus [on] and support the arts.' The other nominees were Piper Bangs and Andrew Myers. Bangs, who graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a degree in drawing and painting in 2024, had exhibitions throughout the country, with another exhibiting engagement in Seoul, South Korea. Myers was nominated after showing 'Life in Translation' in a Honarkar Foundation exhibit. The artwork displayed versatility across the mediums of painting, screw art, and sculpture. He recently opened a gallery on Forest Avenue. Chris Quilter, a longtime writer for local parody production Lagunatics, emceed the event, held annually by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance. Given his background, the show could not go on without some well-placed jokes, including shots he took at his own artistic credentials, and of course, word play. 'They've been limited to largely writing for Lagunatics — for 20 very odd years,' Quilter said. 'Now, we don't know a lot about art, but we know what we like to poke fun at. We accuse the Pageant [of the Masters] of standing still artistically. It takes a moment, then it sinks in.' In the closing moments of the celebration, Jean Stern was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement award. Stern has served as the director emeritus of the Irvine Museum, senior curator of UC Irvine's Institute and Museum of California Art, and as a curatorial fellow at Laguna Art Museum. 'I am deeply sorry that my wife, Linda, and I could not attend this in-person, as I am writing this from my hospital bed,' Stern said in remarks read by Victoria Gerard, deputy director of Laguna Art Museum. 'Most of all, I am grateful and reassured by the LBAA's dynamic and active organizations that Laguna Beach will continue its significant role in the arts of California.' The evening also featured live caricature drawings of guests, as well as a display of some of the handiwork worn on the runway during the Laguna Art Museum's upcycled couture fashion show. Prior to the awards program, the Laguna Beach Community Jazz Band set the mood with its live performance from the stage. Arts Patron of the Year went to Faye and Wayne Baglin, both of whom have served on the board of numerous arts organizations in the community. The Outstanding Arts Collaboration honor went to Laguna College of Art and Design, Group Y and Rivian, which worked together to put on a speaker series called Creativity Flow. 'Creativity Flow began as an idea to bridge the classroom and the creativity industries to bring our students closer to the visionaries shaping culture and to inspire conversation at the intersection of art, design, innovation and impact,' LCAD president Steve Brittan said. 'What it has become has exceeded our wildest expectations. Held at the beautiful Rivian South Coast Theater, Creativity Flow has evolved into a marquee gathering of creative energy, where students meet mentors, ideas meet opportunity, and industries meet the next generation of talent.' Laguna Art Museum's Creative Foundations K-12 Education was recognized as the Best Arts Program. The program helps connect underprivileged youth with access to arts education and reaches 5,500 students across 46 schools from 16 districts. It provides art supplies, community events, in-class instruction, teacher professional development and free museum admission for children under the age of 12. The winners went home with a 'Louie,' the name given to the sculpted works of local artist Louis Longi handed out as trophies.
