Friday Night

A night at the museum... — An evening out.

This weekend is the de Young 19^th Annual New Generations Student Showcase. Friday night the museum is open late and like a proud mother hen, wanted to support students and witness the beginnings of a bright future. Being an avid San Francisco Giants fan, attending the exhibition meant missing a game. In the end, my team lost to play another day but my students won big!

Four legged visitor admires the art. — Four-legged art admirer.

Putting together a three-day temporary exhibition in a major museum is an amazing feat. There are many logistics for the institution to consider. For example, certain materials are not allowed like fur, skins, preserved insects, old wood, dried fruit, seedpods, and others that could possibly damage its collection. Artists aren’t allowed to display posters or signs anywhere on the premises. Imagine if the museum became a billboard for anyone with no rule or order. It would lose its sanctuary status and feel.

Support the future! Image from the de Young.

The de Young 19^th Annual New Generations Student Showcase is located in the Piazzoni Murals Room. Gottardo Piazzoni lived from 1872-1945, he was an American landscape painter born in Switzerland known for his serene, beautiful, and stylized California landscapes. According to ARTINFO, Piazzoni was asked about his religion and responded “I think it is California.”

Piazzoni's The Land and — Piazzoni’s *The Land* and…

and The Sea before the exhibit. — and *The Sea* before the showcase.

The exhibit was meticulously organized like bringing order to chaos and putting together a puzzle without prior knowledge of its parts. Curating is a delicate skill and displaying 41 pieces from 27 artists could present a challenge. However, the museum didn’t disappoint and it looked flawless.

This is a wonderful and rare opportunity for local art students. The only other museum with a similar exhibition theme is the Getty in Los Angeles. BTW, they got the idea from the de Young. If we need to improve critical, independent, and creative thinking then supporting a new generation with hope and encouragement is a start. Community outreach and art has the power to make us better. That’s a win for us all.