WORK OF 3 L.A. ARTISTS IS ON VIEW IN LA JOLLA

New exhibitions at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art include the work of three Los Angeles artists: Peter Lodato, Eileen Cowin and John Divola.

In addition, the museum salutes the National Endowment for the Arts’ 20th anniversary with a show of works acquired for the museum’s permanent collection with the assistance of NEA funds.

Beginning Aug. 24, Lodato presents recent paintings and drawings plus a specially designed installation, titled “La Mer,” created as part of a new “Exhibition Prameters” program. The installation incorporates the museum’s view of the beach with its 180-degree scan of ocean, sky and horizon. It is the sixth in a series of works investigating illusion, light, color, surface and space.

Lodato whose early shaped-canvas paintings were followed by long, eye-level, wall-hung constructions of sheet metal, began doing “light” installations that incorporated lights and mirrors. He then experimented with luminous paint, and large opaque color panels, their reflections and afterimages. The artist’s latest works focus on light and illusion.

“Eileen Cowin and John Divola: New Work, No Fancy Titles” opening Saturday, presents 40 recent color works by the two artists. Both create constructions for the camera, and are more interested in the evocative possibilities of photography than its documentary applications. Cowin’s works relate to film and television drama while painting and sculpture are suggested by Divola’s images.

The exhibition was organized by curator, critic and photo-historian Mark Johnstone.

“Salute to the National Endowment for the Arts’ 20th Anniversary” includes sculpture, painting, works in neon and graphics by Carl Andre, Stephen Antonakos, Nancy Graves, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, John McLaughlin, Manny Farber and Agnes Martin, among others.

Several works of the MacArthur Park Public Art Program are being installed this summer in the park, according to Al Nodal, director of the Otis/Parsons Exhibition Center.

Barry Fahr’s “Electric Cross” is in place in the Wilshire light box; Willie Herron’s “Silent Voices” and R.M. Fisher’s “Arches” are scheduled for completion during August; Judy Simonian’s “Pyramids” is to be finished by late September.

A mural is being produced by 15 neighborhood youths under the direction of artist Patssi Valdez; it will materialize on the side and back walls of the MacArthur Park band shell. About half the young people involved are dedicated graffitti artists who adapted their styles to create images reflecting downtown Los Angeles’ ethnic mix.

Fall and winter plans call for the completion of pieces by Alexis Smith, George Herms, Ana Mendieta, and a Doug Hollis/Richard Turner collaborative effort. Works by Eric Orr, Luis Jimenez and Jon Peterson are scheduled for installation next summer.

Ed Ruscha will be the guest on John McNally’s interview program, “Castaway’s Choice,” airing on KCRW, 89.9 FM, Monday at 2 p.m.

Ruscha will divulge the musical selections he would choose if he were marooned on a desert island and could only pick 10. The artist will also discuss the art climate of the ‘60s, early influences on his work, his experiences as an actor, the New York vs. Los Angeles “art scene,” and his use of unorthodox art media.

A public forum to hear community response to a proposed draft for art in downtown public places, presented by the Community Redevelopment Agency, is set for Wednesday, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Design Center, 433 S. Spring Street. Part of the thesis of the CRA proposal is that public art, like the Watts Towers or the Statue of Liberty, can become a source of civic identity and that a healthy culture including the performing and visual arts can play a vital role in the economic life of a city.