Artwork Becomes Police Work

Chicago has its sacred cows, Los Angeles its heavenly angels. And Fullerton has its flamboyant sheep. Thirty life-size fiberglass ewe sculptures downtown are the darlings of locals and tourists passing along Harbor Boulevard between Chapman and Commonwealth avenues. Some are decked out in ruffles, sweaters, hats and maps and painted outrageous colors. Designed by local artists, the creatures have turned cops into shepherds after vandals attacked some members of the flock. A dozen of the creatures have had their tongues and ears lopped off, so police now make sheep safety part of their daily rounds. The sheep--ostriches were originally proposed--are a nod to Fullerton’s history. They once were the livelihood of the area’s pioneers--immigrants from the Basque region of the Pyrenees. Fans can also count these sheep on the Internet at www.fullertonsheep.com .

Art Is Everywhere

Public artworks are popping up all over Orange County. Local artists are painting a 42-foot mural in Santa Ana. And the John Wayne Airport Art Commission has set up display cases that stretch across the main terminal. Airport Arts Program coordinator Jeff Frisch has mounted a number of ambitious exhibitions, including the high-tech computer and photographic imagery of “Darkroom & Digital,” which debuted in April. The current show highlights military aircraft nose art from World War II and later.

Their Mission: Painting

California Art Club painter Anita Hampton took the top prize and $5,000 at the conclusion of the 7th annual Outdoor Professional Painting Competition last week at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The event featured 105 artists painting impressionist works on the grounds from Aug. 13-17. Robin Hall won second place and $3,000, and Bernard Fallon received third place and $2,000. Douglas Ball, Glenn Dean, Gerald Fried, Dali Higa and BillyO O’Donnell received honorable mentions. The winning paintings will be on display in the Mission’s Barracks Gallery through Sept. 30.

A Call to Artists

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center has announced an open call to Orange County artists to enter its biennial juried exhibition. Fine arts in all media will be considered by jurors Bob Alderette, a USC associate art professor, Los Angeles gallery owner Patricia Correia and Huntington Beach Art Center Exhibitions Curator Darlene D’Angelo.

The Muckenthaler’s first biennial event will fall under the tenure of 23 newly elected board members led by Jane Parker, a supporter of the Muckenthaler since 1991.

The deadline for the biennial is 4 p.m. Sept. 14, and artists must submit one slide and entry form for each artwork. There is no limit on the number of submissions for each individual. A $10 fee per entry is required. Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation members may submit one entry without a fee. Selected artists will be notified by Sept. 28. An exhibition is scheduled Nov. 17 through Jan. 20. For details call (714) 738-6595.

Bowers Exhibition Tickets on Sale Now

Advance tickets for two exhibitions at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art are now on sale. Starting Oct. 6 and showing through Jan. 9, “The Holy Land: David Roberts, Dead Sea Scrolls, House of David Inscription” will feature 50 lithographs from the 19th century by Scottish artist David Roberts; ancient artifacts including fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls--the oldest copies of the Old Testament; and the inscription that is the earliest mention of the House of David outside of Biblical texts. “The World of the Etruscans” debuts Oct. 20 and continues through Jan. 9. That exhibit brings together 335 objects as old as 2,000 years, including sarcophagi, bronze helmets, terracotta statues and gold jewelry. The Etruscans flourished in Italy in what is now Tuscany from the Seventh century BC to the First century BC before being defeated by the Romans. For tickets, call (877) 250-8999.

Honoring a Friend

Pacific Symphony Orchestra supporter Marcy Aurroues Mulville was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award for Music by the California Arts Council. Pacific Symphony Musical Director and Conductor Carl St. Clair accepted the honor on her behalf. While in high school studying violin and preparing to attend college, Mulville dreamed about Orange County having its own orchestra. She was one of the first to make that happen when the Pacific Symphony debuted in 1978. A charter board member, Mulville was involved in every aspect of PSO’s history, from fund-raising to finding volunteers. She died at 90 on June 18.

Other honorees included Nancy Bechtle of the San Francisco Symphony, Rosemarie Cook-Glover of the Southeast Symphony of Los Angeles; Ernest Fleischmann of Fleischmann Arts, Los Angeles, Kent Nagano of the Los Angeles Opera; and the 57-member board of directors of the Santa Rosa Symphony.

The council also named Irvine student Jin-Hyung “Stephen” Park, 12, as a winner of the statewide energy conservation poster contest. As part of the council’s 25th anniversary public awareness campaign “The Year of the Arts--2001,” Park earned a plaque, a $250 prize and campaign T-shirt for his art piece titled “Power Cut” in the grade 3-6 category.

Defying Taboos

Los Angeles artist and sculptor UuDam said he wants to defy taboos in his own culture against speaking openly about sex with his exhibition titled, “Asian ... : A UuDam Swapmeet Show,” in Westminster. The one-day exhibit will explore the use of derogatory terms in art, illustrating the connection between male genitalia and power. UuDam, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1994, says he uses fantasy and racial supremacy as metaphors in his larger-than-life sculptures, photography and a multimedia installation. The exhibit will be on display from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at 14879 Chestnut St., Westminster.