ART NEWS : Barbara Kruger Will Be Regents Professor at UCI

Barbara Kruger, an artist from New York, has been named Regents Professor at UC Irvine for winter quarter this year. As part of her duties there, she will give a free lecture to the public on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Nixon Theater in the Fine Arts Village on campus.

In her work, Kruger accompanies photographs taken from the news with written texts of her own in juxtapositions that frequently serve to critique aspects of contemporary culture. In one piece, for example, a photograph of a mushroom cloud is superimposed with the text: “Your manias become science.” In another piece, a photo of a child’s toy frog carries the message: “Buy me. I’ll change your life.”

Seating for the lecture is limited. For information, call the studio art department office at (714) 856-6648.

The Newport Harbor Art Museum in Newport Beach has scheduled a series of eight evening fund-raising events this winter and spring centering on art, architecture and refreshments.

On Feb. 8, Anton Segerstrom and Mark Moore will open the Works Gallery at Crystal Court in Costa Mesa for an evening of dining (food by the chefs from Gustav Anders restaurant) and hobnobbing with artists (Peter Alexander, Chuck Arnoldi, Billy L. Bengston and Ken Price are to be on hand).

On Valentine’s Day, Susie and Daniel Hernandez of Lake Mission Viejo will host a dinner at their home, prepared by chef Joachim Splichal of Patina restaurant. On Feb. 29, the Indian Wells home of contemporary art collectors Jo and Bob McLain will be the setting for another dinner. On March 5, Judy and Joel Slutzky of Anaheim-based Odetics Inc. will give a tour of their high-tech robotics firm and a “surprise dinner.”

On March 28, Johann and Richard Jonas will offer dinner, a chance to meet the official artist of the 1992 America’s Cup race, and a tour of the Abstract Expressionist collection housed in their Emerald Bay home.

On March 30, Michael Kang’s Five Feet Too restaurant in Newport Beach will be the site of an Academy Awards party and five-course dinner. On April 3, at the Laguna Beach home of Sandy and Harold Price, Newport Harbor chief curator Bruce Guenther will discuss the couple’s 20th-Century art collection, and architect Alex Caragonne will describe how he designed the house to accommodate the art.

The final event, on April 10, will be an evening with Junie and Kenneth Chong at their home on Spyglass Hill, featuring cuisine from Malaysia and Thailand and entertainment by costumed Thai dancers.

Each event will cost $150 per person, except for the Valentine’s Day event, which will be $400 per couple. Maps, starting times and other details will be sent when reservations are confirmed. Information: (714) 749-1122.