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November
9, 2002 - Pasadena Museum of California Art - Pasadena, CA
After
10 months of dry, the rains finally came to Southern California
this week. It began on Friday afternoon, and kind of just
kept going. It rained most of Saturday too. Rain makes Southern
Californians a bit weird. The streets became slick with
oil and wet, last year's umbrellas are lost or broken, and
who owns a raincoat in Southern California? I don't. And
my umbrella was broken. And we were feeling a bit weird.
But
that didn't prevent us from venturing out into the weirdness
and exploring the new Pasadena Museum of California Art
[PMCA]. It turned out to be a good choice. PMCA is a small,
intimate space that was very enjoyable on this wet afternoon.
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 Opened
in June 2002, and housed in a beautiful new building designed
by the firm MDA
Johnson Favaro / Architecture and Urban Design, PMCA
is nestled in a section of town surrounded by shopping,
residential, and churches not far from Old Town Pasadena.
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From
the street level, the structure looked very intriguing,
but with its' solid light beige exteriors, we had flashbacks
to the Museum of Television and Radio and were thinking
it might share the same cold, stark, antiseptic feeling.
Parking
was a breeze - from one-way E. Union Street, take a left
into the small, lower lever parking garage and there you
are. Parking is free, and has space for about 30 cars.
It's
a bit unclear where the museum entrance is -- a nice sign
or two directing visitors to the right place would be wonderful.
In the building lobby the staircase leading to the upper
floors was closed off, so the elevator seemed the obvious
choice. Second floor? Third floor?
We chose
correctly -- the museum entrance is on the second floor
- but again, a couple of strategically placed signs along
the way would greatly improve the flow and experience from
parking lot to museum.
The
museum foyer is a neat surprise.
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With
smooth curved walls painted in a solid beige, and light
stone tile on the floor, it should have seemed unwelcoming,
noisy and scary. Instead, it felt very calming, soothing
and cozy. A bundle of 50 inflatable balloon-like objects
hung in the middle of the ceiling like a bunch of clear
plastic punching bags.
Peculiar,
but very dramatic and striking.
We were
the only ones in the small foyer, and the staff member behind
the desk, immediately greeted us with a smile. We bought
our tickets...
Adults
- $6.00
Children [under 12] Free
Parking - Free
Total
$12.00
...and
we each received a PMCA sticker to wear.
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This large
opening in the foyer looks right out onto E. Union Street.
And without
any means to shut it, [no glass or closure] it lets the sun and
the rain right in. This
same window can be seen in the exterior shot of the musum. Just
above the parking garage entrance.
The
current exhibit is:
CAPTURING
LIGHT
Masterpieces of California Photography;
1850-2000
and
it runs:
September 21, 2002 - January 5, 2003
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The staff
was quite nice, but gave a stern 'No' when I asked them about
taking pictures. And the number of security cameras throughout
drove the point home. I
didn't even try to sneak one. Understandable, but funny that an
exhibit about photography doesn't allow photography. I mean, isn't
it just a little funny?
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One
glimpse of the gallery through these doors, but this is
is far as we go with the camera.
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