City Visions host Joseph Pace talks to the curators of "Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California," a new exhibit of the Oakland Museum of California and SFMOMA. The exhibit highlights four creative communities in the Bay Area that influenced the art world. By weaving together the museums' holdings of California art and ephemera, "Fertile Ground" tells the stories of the artists and institutions that generated unique artistic innovation.
The four key moments and communities featured are:
- Patronage, Public Art, and Allegory of California (1930s)
- Postwar at the California School of Fine Arts (1940s-50s)
- A New Art Department at UC Davis (1960-70s)
- The Mission Scene (1990s-today)
What are the local histories and social forces that created these "fertile" moments? How did the government help these artistic communities flourish?
Guests:
Drew Johnson: Curator of Photography and Visual Culture, Oakland Museum of California
Janet Bishop: Curator of Painting and Sculpture, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Producer: Wendy Holcombe