‘Long Beach’: Century No. 1

The Long Beach Museum of Art kicks off “Focus: Long Beach” today. The visual arts celebration, held in honor of the city’s centennial, will proceed with group exhibitions of Long Beach-based artists opening every day this week at nine other venues and an art tour slated for next Sunday.

All 10 institutions taking part helped organize the event, though serendipity shaped the museum’s contribution, says museum director Josine Ianco-Starrels.

“I initially decided on a drawing show (representing Robert Anderson, Jeanine Breaker, Ray Bravo, William Fogg and Jen Grey), with an interior environmental installation by Beverly Naidus, and an outdoor sculpture by Jake Gilson,” Ianco-Starrels said. But “life” interfered.

First, Ianco-Starrels learned that the museum’s outdoor summer concert series would mean moving Gilson’s massive sculpture inside. Then, she found out that renovations at another “Focus” venue were to leave three artists--painter Deidre Brooker, conceptual collage maker Joanne Berke, and artist book maker Sue Ann Robinson--without a show place. Ianco-Starrels agreed to take on the eclectic trio.

Still, the museum’s exhibit works well as a cohesive unit, she said.

“The last-minute changes added a dimension I wouldn’t have had. Originally, the drawing show would have come out very fragile, very delicate. But the addition of these artists injected some new color. And, had I not had these additions, Gilson’s huge sculpture might have overpowered the drawings. So God takes care of me and everything works out fine. Naidus’ evocative installation will be shown in a separate gallery, functioning separately from everything.”

Twenty-one artists will open their studios for the “Focus: Long Beach” art tour, “Long Beach Art Expedition ’88.” The daylong event will also take participants to museums and galleries. Vans will be available.

“Long Beach has always been a very lively artists community,” Ianco-Starrels said. “Now it’s been augmented because the rents are cheaper than in L.A. and people can find studios, both in Long Beach and in San Pedro, which is 10 minutes away.”

The Long Beach Public Corporation for the Arts also helped organize “Focus Long Beach.” See art listings for all exhibitions. For art tour information, call (213) 499-7777.

ART IN ITALY: The 43rd Venice Bienale runs next Sunday through Sept. 25. Jasper Johns will be the main U.S. representative. Others included are Sol Lewitt, Willem de Kooning, George Segal, Louise Nevelson, Mike Kelley, Louise Lawler.

HOW TO GET GRANTS: The Music and Performing Arts Commission will introduce “Partnership II,” the second stage of its National/State/County Partnership Program of grants Monday at 10 a.m. in the Grand Hall of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. Since 1985, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a total of $539,679 in the program to Los Angeles County-based arts organizations.

NEW PLACE FOR PICTURES: The Friends of Photography, the respected San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, has made plans to move into its first permanent national headquarters. The new base, named the Ansel Adams Center, is in downtown San Francisco in the Yerba Buena Center. Scheduled to open in April, 1989, the center will offer five exhibition galleries “to offer the richest single-site display of fine art photography outside of New York,” a release reports.