CALIFORNIA ART CLUB NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beverly Chang
              310-472-9323
              310-709-4922 (cell)

CALIFORNIA ART CLUB TO PRESENT
94th ANNUAL GOLD MEDAL EXHIBITION
BEGINNING OCTOBER 17 AT THE PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART

Club to Offer Special Programs during Exhibition, Including Demonstrations
on Traditional Fine Art Techniques, Lectures for Collectors of California Art

PASADENA, Calif. (October 11, 2004) – The California Art Club’s 94th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, one of the country’s premier juried displays of contemporary-traditional fine art paintings and sculptures, will be on view at the Pasadena Museum of California Art from October 17 through January 9, 2005. A Preview Reception with the Artists will be held on Saturday, October 16, the evening before the exhibition opens to the public.

Due to increasing interest in representational works of art, organizers of this year’s Gold Medal
Exhibition have extended the exhibition period from three weeks to three months, and will offer a series of lectures and demonstrations for collectors of traditional fine art.
The exhibition coincides with “The Tender Land: A Festival of Art, History, Music and
Science,” the City of Pasadena’s four-month-long collaboration among 30 cultural organizations, which highlights mankind’s ever-evolving relationship with nature.

“The Pasadena Museum of California Art is extremely pleased to be presenting this year’s Gold
Medal Exhibition in conjunction with our display for the Tender Land Festival, which will feature
paintings of Pasadena by early members of the California Art Club,” said Wesley Jessup, the
Museum’s Executive Director. “Many of these historic paintings, which are from the collection of The Irvine Museum, were created by artists instrumental in the Club’s founding in 1909,” he added.
Jessup served as a juror for this year’s exhibition along with other art experts and professional
curators, including Suzanne Bellah, Director, Carnegie Art Museum; Amy Scott, Curator of Visual Arts, Autry National Center; Jean Stern, Executive Director, The Irvine Museum; and Dr. Michael Zakian, Director, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University.

The jury selected the 116 paintings and 18 sculptures to be showcased in the exhibition, which has
no theme, continuing a practice initiated by 19th century European art salons to encourage artists to take artistic risks and create what they consider to be their most important works.
The Preview Reception with the Artists on Saturday, October 16, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. will
provide an opportunity for art patrons to meet the participating artists and be among the first to acquire the works of art available for purchase. Tickets for the reception are $125 per person and include a copy of the exhibition’s extensive catalogue, which documents the careers of the exhibiting artists and features a scholarly essay by Dr. Deborah Epstein Solon, which is entitled “Purely Academic: The Training of California Painters at Home and Abroad.” Dr. Solon will discuss this essay as one of the special programs offered by the Club during this exhibition. Other programs include a lecture about the creation of gilded frames for traditional fine art, as well as demonstrations on life sculpting and pastel portraiture. The schedule for these programs, as well as ticket information, can be found on the Club’s website, www.californiaartclub.org.

The Pasadena Museum of California Art is located at 490 E. Union St. in Pasadena, Calif. Its
hours of operation are 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
For more information on the Gold Medal Exhibition or the Preview Reception, contact the
Museum at 626-568-3665 or visit www.pmcaonline.org.

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About the California Art Club:
The California Art Club (www.californiaartclub.org), established in 1909 by early California Impressionists or plein air painters, is recognized as one of the oldest, largest and most active leading professional art organizations in the world. The mission of the Club, which is headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., is to promote traditional fine arts in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture, to produce and promote art exhibits that foster understanding and interpretation of traditional art heritage and California history, and to furnish educational opportunities in fine arts.

About the Pasadena Museum of California Art:
The Pasadena Museum of California Art (www.pmcaonline.org) opened in 2002 and is dedicated to the exhibition and development of California art, architecture, and design from 1850 to 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. Located in Pasadena's historic Playhouse District, the PMCA is an intimate museum that engages the public, encourages involvement, and fosters creativity through innovative events and programs. The PMCA is located at 490 East Union St. Hours are noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday through
Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for seniors, students with valid ID, and AAA members. Children under 12 and museum members are free. Admission is also free on the first Friday of the month. All galleries are handicapped accessible.

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