A ‘Toy Factory’ With a Good Purpose

A special “Artists’ Toy Factory” is being set up this weekend at 830 N. La Brea Ave., the space previously occupied by Richard/Bennett Gallery (which has moved to Santa Monica).

Run by Parker/Zanic Gallery, the space will be set up like a Santa’s toy factory, in which 40 to 50 artists will work as the elves, taking broken toys and turning them into art objects. Proceeds--the items will be sold at the “Factory” for $5-$20--will go to Beyond Shelter, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless families move into permanent housing and become independent.

Among those artists tentatively scheduled to participate are Raymond Pettibon, Anthony Ausgang, Kim Dingle, Jim Shaw, Chris Wilder, Jacci Den Hartog, Dani Tull and Keith Boadwee. Organizers are hoping about 200 to 250 objects will be created over the weekend.

Those wishing to donate broken toys for the project can drop them off at Parker/Zanic Gallery (112 S. La Brea Ave.), or at Big and Tall Books (7311 Beverly Blvd.). For those wanting to watch the artists in action, the toy factory will be open from 1-8 p.m. Friday through next Sunday.

Information: (213) 936-9022.

NEW CURATOR: Carole Ann Klonarides has been named Media Arts Curator at the Long Beach Museum of Art, which is widely recognized for its ground-breaking work in the media field.

Klonarides, a New York-based artist and curator for the past 20 years, previously served as program director for the Artists’ Television Network, which produced “SoHo TV Presents,” a weekly cable show of videos by artists such as Nam June Paik, Bill Viola and Laurie Anderson.

Along with her partner Michael Owen, Klonarides has received commissions through her MICA-TV for videos for the Wexner Center for the Visual Arts in Columbus, Ohio, and the BBC2’s “The Late Show,” as well as a 1991 NEA “New Genre” fellowship. In addition, she has curated video programs including “It’s Evening in America,” a 1989 compilation of art videos serving as a commentary on the Reagan Years, and “The Alternative Voice,” presented in New York’s Central Park in 1990.

Klonarides replaces former media arts curator Michael Nash, who is now director of the video division for the Santa Monica-based Voyager Company.

NEA GRANTS: A total of $2.1 million in fellowships to 105 visual artists has been announced by the National Endowment for the Arts. The fellowships are for $20,000 each and are awarded in the categories of new genre, painting and works on paper.

The Los Angeles area artists selected are Connie Hatch, William Leavitt and Gina Lamb, new genre; Deanne Belinoff, Mario Cutajar, Alice Fellows, Charles Hill, James Doolin, Scott Hess and Don Suggs, painting; and Russell Crotty, Buzz Spector and Susan Hauptman, works on paper.

The other California fellows, mostly from the Bay Area, are Jeanne Finley, Lynn Hershman, Paul DeMarinis, Rick Arnitz, Hung Liu, Patsy Krebs, Deborah Oropallo, Sandra Rubin, Gale Antokal, Carole Seborovski and Aida Mancillas. FOLK ART: Oaxacan woodcarvers Moises and Armando Jimenez, grandsons of Mexico’s most prominent woodcarver, Manuel Jimenez, are conducting demonstrations and exhibiting their whimsical animals at the Folk Tree in Pasadena through Dec. 23. A select group of works by Manuel Jimenez are also on view. Information: (818) 795-8733.

ENTRIES: Thursday is the entry deadline for the Downey Museum of Art’s “Photograph As: Urban Scape--Rural Scape” exhibition. The competition is open to all photographers whose work is representative of current trends in exploration of the landscape. The resulting show will be held at the museum Jan. 16-Feb. 23. The entry fee is $10. Information: (310) 861-0419.

Also seeking entries is Encino’s Installation One Gallery and L.A. Art, which are mounting a late January exhibition focusing on the Holocaust. All media will be accepted, and works dealing with other genocidal horrors (such as Armenians or Native Americans) are encouraged. Future shows are planned at Beverly Hills’ Goldfarb Vein Gallery, and other locations throughout the city. Information: (818) 981-9422.