VITALITY AND VERVE: IN THE THIRD DIMENSION

Long Beach Museum of Art to Open New Exhibition. Vitality and Verve: In the Third Dimension on July 15

Exhibition to Feature Immersive, Multi-Media Installations by a Select Group of Nationally and Internationally Renowned Urban Contemporary Artists, Ceramic Artists.

The Long Beach Museum of Art presents Vitality & Verve: In the Third Dimension, a sequel to last year’s record-breaking exhibition Vitality & Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape, which saw over 22,000 visitors to the Museum last summer. Presented in collaboration with POW! WOW! Long Beach and Los Angeles’ Thinkspace gallery, Vitality & Verve: In the Third Dimension showcases works by some of the world’s best street artists, muralists, and new contemporary artists placing an emphasis on their unique sculptural and installation practices. Highlighting this steadily expanding young art movement within a mainstream, museological context, the exhibition celebrates its momentum and cultural presence. The new contemporary movement may have begun in the public and urban domains, but now steadily continues to assert its significance within museum walls. Historically urban public art in general has had to create contexts for the reception and support of its work in the community. It has never been fixed to a singular genre but rather has prospered with fluidity and expanded into all manner of techniques, expressions, media and spaces. This exhibition captures an historical moment of transition in the global trajectory and increasing diversity of new contemporary art.

Each artist interpreted the Museum space with site-specific installations, murals, and sculptural vignettes, collectively transforming all 8,000 square feet of the venue in an environmental immersive experience. Participating artists include Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker, Susan Beiner, Rebekah Bogard, Bumblebeelovesyou, Isaac Cordal, Patsy Cox, Ariel DeAndrea, Aaron De La Cruz, Sergio Garcia, Glazed Paradise (Mark Jenkins & Sandra Fernandez), Andrew Hem, Kiel Johnson, Sarah Joncas, Jean Labourdette (aka Turf One), Drew Leshko, Aaron Li-Hill, Troy Lovegates (aka Other), Telmo Miel, Jaime Molina, Brendan Monroe, Luke O’Sullivan, Felipe Pantone, Erika Sanada, Slinkachu, Mark Dean Veca, Cinta Vidal, Hilary White, Yoskay Yamamoto, Alex Yanesw, and Ernest Zacharevic with Martha Cooper.

Vitality & Verve: In the Third Dimension captures the diversity, breadth, and complexity of an art movement no longer confined to subcultural recesses, singular applications of media, or even two dimensions. The artists are working across an impressive array of materials including fiber, wood, plastics, acrylics, resins, cardboard, textiles, paint, ceramics, cement, paper, and reclaimed industrial materials. Activating the spaces of the Museum with murals, site-specific installations, sculptures and immersive environments, the collaborative energy of the complete transformation highlights the heterogeneity of its participants.

By elevating the social and experiential above the formal and academic, these works speak with an immediacy that connects disparate worlds and spaces. Technically accomplished, and undeniably manifold, the artists in this exhibition combine a variety of styles and aesthetic influences to transform and occupy the interior and exterior spaces of the Museum in unique ways. Perhaps most unified by its lack of stylistic exclusion, Vitality & Verve: in the Third Dimension captures the new contemporary art’s tireless energy and profusion, showcasing its continual tendency to change, morph, develop and defy all confines.

“The Long Beach Museum of Art has a long history of presenting contemporary art in all media and we are thrilled to be showing the exciting work from some of the leading artists from around the world. We celebrate the exhibition with a Members Reception and our popular LBMA AfterDark event on Friday evening July 15 th .” – Ron Nelson, Executive Director LBMA

V&V3D will be one of several locations in Long Beach this summer that will feature art for the public. POW! WOW! Long Beach 2016 will return with mural projects, gallery shows, and exciting programming throughout downtown and nearby locations.

For membership information and ticket information please contact Matt Harms atmath@lbma.org. For more information hours and location please visit the Museum’s website at www.lbma.org

The presentation of Vitality & Verve: In The Third Dimension is made possible by the generous support of The Port of Long Beach, JetBlue, Pasadena Art Alliance, the Bauer Foundation, and Thinkspace Gallery.

About the Long Beach Museum of Art : Located on a magnificent bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Long Beach Museum of Art features a historic mansion and carriage house, expansive galleries and gardens, oceanfront dining at Claire’s at the Museum and a unique Museum Store. The galleries and store are open Thursday 11a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday – Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students and seniors age 62 and older, free for Members and children under 12, and free for everyone on Thursday evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and all day on Friday. Claire’s is open Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (562) 439-2119 or visit

Text courtesy of Marieke Treilhard

VITALITY AND VERVE: TRANSFORMING THE URBAN LANDSCAPE

From the current exhibition at Long Beach Museum of Art. This exhibition was made possible with POW! WOW! and Thinkspace. On view from June 27th - October 25th, 2015. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

VITALITY AND VERVE: PROCESS SHOTS

Behind-the-scenes photos taken during  the weeks leading up to the opening for Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape at Long Beach Museum of Art. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

POP-UP SHOP

During the week of POW! WOW! Long Beach 2015 we opened a Pop-Up Shop which served as a meeting place for the wonderful volunteers, a great spot to pick up the Passport booklets, and also, to check out the POW! WOW! Long Beach merchandise including tees, hats, sunglasses, artist prints, and more. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC

During the week of POW! WOW! Long Beach 2015, the POW! WOW! School of Music organized jam-sessions, professional music-industry mentors, roundtable talks, and several performances around the city, for the benefit of some college-age musicians. Highlights included performances during the Dinner & A Mixtape event, during the Vitality and Verve opening at LBMA, and more. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

DINNER & A MIXTAPE

On Monday, June 22nd POW! WOW! Long Beach presented a special event with DJ Neil Armstrong at Federal Bar LB, which included a custom one-night-only menu, and never-before-released music from Neil's upcoming mixtape. The evening also included a live performance by POW! WOW! School of Music. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

IMPRINT PRESENTS JEFFSTAPLE 1-2-1 WITH FAFI

On Wednesday, June 24th, Imprint presented a free Jeffstaple 1-2-1 talk with Fafi, held at the picturesque Art Theatre of Long Beach. The intimate talk focused on Fafi's career, many accomplishments, and her creative process. The talk was followed by a dinner party for POW! WOW! Long Beach crew across the road at Lola's. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

NYCHOS "DEEPEST DEPTHS OF THE BURROW" SCREENING

On Thursday, June 25th, Imprint presented a special screening of the new Nychos documentary Deepest Depths of the Burrow, held at the picturesque Art Theatre of Long Beach. The film follows Nychos and his partners in the Rabbit Eye Movement in their art travels for a year or so, with cameos by Tristan Eaton, Jasper Wong, and Kamea Hadar. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.

RUCK OUT: LONG BEACH

The fourth annual Ruck Out rally, ride, meet-up & custom bike show took place on Saturday June 27th at The Varden Hotel, in front of murals by artists James Jean and Tristan Eaton. The event included a DJ, food trucks, a raffle, and prizes for the best custom bikes. Photos by Brandon Shigeta.