A Fond Farewell to California 101

Work by Flora Kao, above

California 101, the art exhibition that took place annually – with the excepetion of pandemic closure years 2020 and 2021 – ran for ten years in iconic South Bay locations such as Redondo Beach’s AES Power Plant, empty store space in the South Bay Galleria mall, the former Gold’s Gym spot overlooking Harbor Drive, and for it’s final two years, in the Redondo Beach Historic Library near the pier.

Helmed by curator and founder Nina Zak Laddon, this was a monumental undertaking, focusing on Southern California artists, including but not limited to those in the South Bay itself. The beachfront community has been underserved when it comes to art, with the Torrance Art Museum, Hermosa Beach’s Shockboxx gallery, and the Palos Verdes Arts Center pretty much the only venues in these beach towns.

Laddon’s art brainchild offered expansive installations – such as this year’s radiant gold fabric and projected images from Flora Kao, and the delightful exsculpating food sculptures of Eileen Oda, among other works positioned in the former library’s kitchen. There was also a rainbow room of participatory twine from Peggy Sivert, who also presented an incredible quilt-like textile work featuring a white horse.

The exhibition spaces, quirky, unique, and some more easily availing themselves of moutning exhibitions than others, were always filled with a delightfully varied mix of photographic art, paintings and mixed media, sculptures, and projected works.  The vast display of art was likewise accompanied by programming that drew community members and a range of art lovers from across the region, with this year’s entries including an art salon conducted by Kristine Shoemaker, director of Shoebox Arts, a Sound Healing, and live figure drawing with Timothy Kitz, among others. The gift shop, with it’s Last Banquet kitchen adjunct, offered a wide array of art choices at reasonable prices.

Among the other highlights this year:

Jane Szabo’s haunting photographic images; delicate paper cut outs from Lorraine Bubar; repurposed objects in sculptural art from Ben Zask; Pam Douglas’s figurative installation honoring refugees; stunning black and white images from both father and son Richard Chow and Caden Chow; the lustrous light in the urban landscapes of Gay Summer Rick; Gina M.’s poignant and harrowing installation about gun violence in our schools, “Hate the New Normal.”

Also exceptional: Eileen Oda’s gorgeous large scale painting “Pilgrammage to Concentration Camp Where our Parents Were Imprisoned During WWII;” Scott Trimble’s haunting figures; Ann Bridge‘s exotic look at Southern California sky; Susan Else’s multiple, whimsical cloth sculptures; Karena Massingill‘s lustrous sculpture; Janet Johnson‘s felted fish; and of course, Jason Jenn‘s spectacularly spiritual ” a hundred and one dreams and stories,” utilizing poetically repurposed found and upscycled materials cast in sacred shapes.

Beanie Kamen‘s vibrant fabric work; Erika Snow Robinson’s dramatic palms; Michael Stearn’s motion-filled work in wood – all terrific, each unique.

Also powerful: colorful combos of paint and old dress forms forms Susan Melly; Aimee Mandala’s black and white, hypnotic “Heart Opener;” the soft rose of Beth Shibata’s “Petals Falling,” Mike Collin‘s sharp and witty “The Inventory of Scoldings;” the sparkling stars of Vojislav Radovanovic‘s mixed media “New Constellation,” and the interactive possibilities of a third-floor installation asking attendees to create their own rock stack.

The pandemic closures were a difficult recovery in terms of the volunteerism and donations upon which California 101 depends in part, and while this may or may not have been behind Laddon’s decision to conclude the annual exhibition this year, she also has new and exciting plans ahead, including a 2025 art exhibition that will include international artists.

So while we bid a fond farewell to 2023’s final California 101, it doesn’t mean this road has come to an end. Think of it more as a freeway interchange, a new highway toward art to be established, hopefully, in the near future.

And in the meantime, through September 10th, enjoy visiting and viewing Friday-Sundays from noon to 7 p.m.  Offer up your own 101 salutes to an ever changing and awe inspiring collection of diverse art – by the sea.

The Redondo Beach Historic Library is located at 309 Esplanade in Redondo Beach. Street and hourly pay lot parking both available.

• Genie Davis; photos by Genie Davis