Sharon Stone will host MOCA’s Distinguished Women in the Arts event
The Museum of Contemporary Art, it appears, has really good basic instincts. The museum announced on Thursday that it has chosen actress Sharon Stone to host its eighth Award to Distinguished Women in the Arts luncheon.
The Nov. 6 event, which generally draws more than 600 people from the fields of art, fashion, philanthropy, film and other areas of entertainment, will honor artists Lita Albuquerque, Nancy Rubins, Helen Pashgian and Betye Saar. All were represented in the Getty’s “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980.”
The award recognizes women providing leadership and innovation in visual arts, dance, music and literature.
“Sharon Stone has established herself prominently in the world of film and humanitarian activism,” event chairman Ricki Ring said in a statement. “We are proud to include her in this diverse group of outstanding individuals who have set a standard for contemporary visual arts, culture and entertainment in Los Angeles.”
Most recently, Stone played Linda Lovelace’s mother, Dorothy Boreman, in the 2013 film “Lovelace.”
Albuquerque, born in Santa Monica, is a founding artist for MOCA; she’s gained international acclaim as a painter and sculptor, especially for what MOCA calls “her ephemeral pigment installations.”
Rubins, a sculptor and installation artist who taught for years at UCLA, is known for what could be called “object flowers” and other large-scale sculptural works.
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MOCA calls Pashgian “one of the pioneers of the California Light and Space movement of the 1960s.” The Pasadena native participated in MOCA’s 2010’s “The Artist’s Museum” and is known for her translucent, often brightly colored cast resin pieces.
L.A.-born Saar, says MOCA, is “one of the great assemblagists of our time.” She’s been part of solo and group exhibitions at MOCA including “WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, 1965-1980” (2007) and “Sanctified Visions” (1990).
The Women in the Arts event, presented by the MOCA fundraising arm the MOCA Projects Council, is a benefit for MOCA’s educational programs, such as its Contemporary Art Start, which aims to develop creative thinking and discussion skills among third- through 12th-graders in L.A. County.
MOCA’s 2012 awards luncheon, also held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, honored photographer Annie Leibovitz; the award was presented by Maria Shriver. Though Leibovitz has photographed practically every Hollywood heavyweight, rock star and politician of note over the last 40 years, it was a photograph of Niagara Falls, from her recently released book “Pilgrimage,” that she chose to show at the event.
Last year’s event also showcased the 2012 Fall collection by Akris, a German-based, luxe fashion house. This year’s luncheon will include a fashion show by Just One Eye, an L.A.-based luxe design boutique/gallery.
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