FIRST OFF . . .

The San Diego Museum of Art is organizing a summer exhibit of contemporary American art sharply at odds with its Populist image as a purveyor of shows such as the Muppets or Dr. Seuss. Titled “Cultural Currents,” the show will run July 9-Sept. 4 and feature 11 “top-level” contemporary artists of various ethnic backgrounds. Curator Mary Stofflet, who did the museum’s popular 1985 Dr. Seuss exhibit, selected blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans and American Indians, none of whom live closer than Los Angeles and all with proven exhibition records. Among those chosen are painter Rupert Garcia of San Francisco, abstract Expressionist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith of Albuquerque, and three Los Angeles artists, Gronk, Betye Saar and Ann Page. Though the artists all work in mainstream styles, they acknowledge the influence of their ethnic roots. Each artwork will be paired with an object or photograph of the object that influenced it. Stofflet has limited the number of artists in the show so the public can view at least five pieces by each.