California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / REDCAT
The Experimental Impulse
Experimental Impulse explores the pivotal role of experimentation in artmaking in L.A. during a time when the city was emerging as an important artistic center. Conceived from the perspective of artists who currently live and work in Los Angeles, this exhibition offers new insights into the understanding of developments in the art world between 1945 and 1980, and in doing so bridge the distance between earlier developments and current practice. Operating from a position that context informs content, Experimental Impulse examines critical moments of artist-initiated/organized convening and exchange that were responses to the lack of opportunities in mainstream institutions within the relatively young artistic landscape of Los Angeles. The exhibition identifies and focuses in on key moments that represent crucial experiments in art making and presenting: the Feminist Program at CalArts and the WomanHouse; the short-lived School of Design program at CalArts that merged ideas of environmental design, humanistic psychology and art (1969-75); self-published zines/journals such as Semina (1958-64), Wet (1976-81), High Performance (1978-97) and LAICA Journal (1974-87); the radical convergence of art, music and publishing within the Los Angeles punk scene; and Studio Z, a weekly gathering of artists at David Hammons' studio on Slauson Avenue.
Los Angeles, CA 90012