CALIFORNIA ART CLUB

The California Art Club is pleased to present the 97th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The exhibition includes original paintings and sculptures by 180 contemporary artists, juried into the exhibition by a panel of thirteen art experts. There is no theme to this exhibition, other than creating works of the highest quality in technical skills and poetic expression. There are only two Gold Medal awards that are presented - one to the "best" painting in the exhibition and the other to the "best" sculpture; both winners are judged by fellow exhibiting artists. In an effort to document this momentous occasion for future historic reference, a comprehensive 181-page colour catalogue has been produced.
Since the onset of the California Art Club's annual exhibitions (the first was held in January 1911 at the Blanchard Gallery in Los Angeles), the focus has been on producing the highest standards in fine art, in both painting and sculpting. Those artists who qualify to submit entries into the Gold Medal Exhibition must already be designated "Signature," "Artist," "Sculptor" and "Mentor Program" members of the California Art Club, which signifies that they reside in California and have passed a rigid membership judging procedure. This year, the Club has also invited several of its "Out-of-State Artist" members, who are some of the most prestigious artists in the country.

HISTORY

In the early part of the 20th century a small handful of painters settled in Los Angeles where they formed the Painters Club of Los Angeles in 1906. Three years later, the Painters Club reorganized itself into the California Art Club and, for the first time, allowed women to join as members. They soon became recognized as the most important art organization in southern California and a dominant cultural influence in Los Angeles during the city's formative years. Today, the California Art Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional art organization, is recognized as one of the oldest, largest and most active professional art organizations in the country. In 1997 the Club became and affiliate of the California Art Academy and Museum to help preserve traditional academic training and to maintain art and documents relating to California's art history. The California Art Club is an internationally recognized organization of leading American artists headquartered in Pasadena, California, with a current membership of 2,700, of which 51 are "Signature" members; 461 are "Artist" and "Sculptor" (combined) members; 24 are Mentor members (highly talented artists under age 32 selected by special recommendation), and over 2,000 are "Patron" members. Patron membership is open to anyone who would like to join in support of contemporary-traditional art for annual dues of $50. Additional Patron levels with special benefits are also available.

THE PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART

The Mission of the Pasadena Museum of California Art is to educate and enrich the public through the collection, study and presentation of works of California art, design and architecture from 1850 through the present. Informed by the state's rich mixture of cultures and inspired by its impressive geography, California art has long been defined by a spirit of freedom and experimentation. PMCA exhibitions and educational programs explore the cultural dynamics and influences unique to California that have shaped and defined art in all media.
Robert and Arlene Oltman, long-time Pasadena residents and art collectors, founded the museum and underwrote the costs of its construction. The impetus to build a museum devoted to California art grew from the Oltman's collecting activities, which began to focus in recent years almost exclusively on artists from California. PMCA is the only museum in Southern California entirely devoted to California art and celebrates the pioneering role of historic California artists, the vibrant contemporary art scene, and the growing public interest in California in general.
Construction of the new museum began in December 2000 and the completed facility opened its doors to the public in June 2002. Located in the heart of Pasadena's historic Playhouse District, the museum is a vital new cultural venue. Designed by the Los Angeles architecture firm MDA Johnson Favaro Architecture and Urban Design, PMCA is housed in a three-story, mixed-use facility and features 8,000 square feet of gallery space, a bookstore, and a community room.
PMCA's inaugural exhibition in 2002, On-Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art, featured works from four historical moments in California art from the past century - Impressionism to Post Impressionism, Post Surrealism, Hard Edge Abstraction to Finish Fetish, and Bay Area Conceptualism. Subsequent exhibitions included the following: Capturing Light: Masterpieces of California Photography, 1850 -2000; Majestic Sprawl: Recent Los Angeles Photography; Catherine Wagner: Cross Sections; Vincent Fecteau: Recent Works; Milford Zornes: A California Watercolorist at 95; and California Design Biennial 2003.