A Great Wall of Another Kind Grows in Mid-Wilshire

Construction of the Metro Rail Red Line in the mid-Wilshire area has prompted a curious new public art venue. The 300-foot-long, 12-foot-high “Metro Open Air Wall” serves as the backdrop for professionally curated changing exhibitions of contemporary art. At the same time, the wall at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue will be used as a barrier to enclose construction of a rail station.

The space’s first exhibition features photographer Dennis Olanzo Callwood, whose past work has focused on capturing Los Angeles’ ethnic festivals. For the “Metro Wall,” Callwood photographed the people and activity of the surrounding area.

The project was the idea of restaurateur Mario Tamayo, a board member of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, whose staff will curate the exhibitions, which will change every two months.

The wall was designed by artists and designers Mathew Mackendrick and David Hollen, and is intended to “echo the deco” of the nearby Wiltern Theatre. Special precautions, including anti-graffiti coatings and plexiglass coverings, will protect the artworks.

GOOD NEWS: Two months after the recessionary art market forced its closure, Parker/Zanic Gallery will reopen on Saturday as the restructured Parker/Mark Gallery. “We’re calling it a recession gallery, which means we’re cutting overhead,” said co-owner Tanya Tull, noting that the second-floor space in the 170 S. La Brea complex will show emerging and younger midcareer artists and feature guest curators, including Bennett Roberts of the recently closed Richard/Bennett Gallery and Dominica Salvatore, former Parker/Zanic director. “We’re really excited. We picked a bad year to open a gallery, but we’d come too far and worked too hard not to keep it going,” Tull said.

In other changes to the local scene, the South Bay Contemporary in Torrance has expanded to a second space and will now hold exhibitions at both 5029 and 5025 Pacific Coast Highway. The opening show at the new gallery annex features four contemporary artists from Taos. In addition, the gallery will start an ongoing showcase for fine crafts artists, beginning April 4 with jewelry by Los Angeles artist Valerie Michael.

MURALS: Work has begun on SPARC’s 1992 “Great Walls Unlimited: Neighborhood Pride” mural program, which has selected nine individual muralists or groups to produce works in various Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Murals on environmental themes will be painted by L.A. artists Barbara Benish (in Echo Park) and Eva Cockcroft (Wilmington), and French artist Bernard Heloua (West Los Angeles). Works focusing on youth themes include those by George Yepes (at a county child abuse center downtown), East Los Streetscapers (in Pacoima) and Chinese artist Xiao Hui Xiang (Chinatown). Other projects include Jill Ansell’s tribute to the “Eternal Woman” (at a YWCA), Noni Olabisi’s tribute to African-American women (Crenshaw district), and a work to be done entirely in aerosol and air brush by the collective Earth Crew (downtown). One additional mural, to be done by a fresco artist, will be chosen at a later date.

MOCA TC UPDATE: Construction in the surrounding area will force the Museum of Contemporary Art to close the Temporary Contemporary for an estimated 22 months, beginning in June. The TC is scheduled to reopen in the spring of 1994 with a major international exhibition examining the historical foundations of conceptual art. The closure is forced by the First Street Plaza redevelopment project, which will incorporate the TC and the Japanese American National Museum as cultural focal points of the complex. The museum has known of the impending closure since first taking over the site.

CALLIGRAPHY CENTER: The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, in conjunction with Tokyo’s Japan Calligraphic Art Academy in Tokyo, has established a resource library for original calligraphic works and books and other materials on the artform. The JACCC will inaugurate it’s calligraphy center on April 6 with a gallery exhibition of 67 contemporary calligraphy masters, and a 4:30 p.m. demonstration by two master calligraphers from Japan, Ichiro Higashiyama and Suho Inagaki. Information: (213) 628-2725.

ANNIVERSARY: The Junior Arts Center at Barnsdall Art Park is celebrating its 25th anniversary by creating a gigantic, one-of-a-kind commemorative book featuring original works and quotes from those who have studied at the center throughout the years. Among the participants: Frank Gehry, Betye Saar, Eric Orr, Frank Romero and Kent Twitchell. All other center alumni are invited to participate. Information: (213) 660-3362.

OPEN HOUSE: Performances by the African Music and Dance Ensemble, viewing of Michael Marks’ plastic bubble installation of participatory art and hands-on use of experimental animation labs are among the 40 or so drop-in classes, demonstrations, performances and exhibitions offered at “Preview ‘92: A Day in the Life of CalArts,” beginning at noon on Saturday. Tickets for the event are $75 and benefit the CalArts Scholarship Fund. Information: (805) 253-7883.

EVENTS: “Boomerang,” a three-day art exhibition and sale to benefit ActUp Los Angeles and the Magic Johnson Foundation, will be held at Thomas Solomon’s Garage on Fairfax Avenue, beginning Tuesday with a 5-8 p.m. reception. The show features “small-scale, affordable” work, by mostly younger Los Angeles artists, including Jody Zellen, Joe Smoke, Carole Caroompas, Fred Fehlau and Lari Pittman. Information: (213) 654-4731.

The Long Beach Museum of Art will hold its 12th annual Children’s Cultural Festival next Sunday from noon-4 p.m. Free offerings include hands-on art-making workshops and performances of traditional music and dance. Information: (310) 439-2119.

John Moran Auctioneers will offer more than 100 paintings by American artists including Edgar Payne, Dana Bartlett, William Wendt and Granville Redmond, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Pasadena Center. Information: (818) 793-1833.

DEADLINES: Design concept proposals for public installations for Metro Blue Line stations in Long Beach are due by April 30. The works may be executed in any durable medium, and must incorporate a series of free-standing pylons already planned for the stations. Individual artists or collaborating artists’ teams are eligible. Six finalists will be selected. Information: (213) 244-6408.

Wednesday is the application deadline for an Artists in Residence Program that will award $2,900 each to four artists to create site-specific work at the Santa Monica Place Shopping Center. The program seeks either temporary installations or portable work that uses both traditional and non-traditional materials and is “socially relevant, ongoing, process-oriented and involves the audience.” Information: (310) 458-8350.

Applications are due Friday for the Arts Inc.’s Arts Leadership Initiative, a 14-week training program geared toward working professionals interested in serving on arts boards and committees. Information: (213) 627-9276.