Bakersfield Museum of Art Podcast
This audio series offers entertaining, informative discussions about the arts and events at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Each podcast gives access to special insight by artists, curators, and historians. Hosted by BMoA Curator, Rachel Wainwright, and BMoA Board Member and co-owner of Moneywise Wealth Management, David Anderson.
The Bakersfield Museum of Art Podcast is edited and produced by Steven Nicklaus at Moneywise Studios in Bakersfield, California. The program is made possible with support from Moneywise Wealth Management and the BMoA Fund which ensures that the museum continues to be a cultural epicenter that engages, inspires and builds community through visual arts for generations to come.
New episodes are released on the second Saturday of the month.
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In Conversation With Lita Albuquerque
Lita Albuquerque is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist and writer. Emerging from California’s Light and Space movement, Albuquerque has developed a visual language that investigates identity and the cosmos through painting, sculpture, as well as monumental environmental installations.
Her array of accolades includes three NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Art in Public Places awards, an NEA Individual Fellowship grant, the 2019 Laguna Art Museum Wendt Artist of the Year Award, and MOCA’s (Museum of Contemporary Art) Distinguished Women in the Arts award. In 2020, Albuquerque major outdoor projects including NAJMA (She Placed One Thousand Suns Over the Transparent Overlays of Space) for Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and Red Earth at the Huntington Botanical Gardens and Library Centennial Celebration. Her work is in the collections of the institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Trust, the Whitney Museum of American Art, LACMA and MOCA, among others.
For Further Information:
On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s - 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection
Lita Albuquerque: https://www.litaalbuquerque.com/
Instagram: @litaalbuquerque
In Conversation With Gregory Wiley Edwards
Raised in Houston, TX, Gregory Wiley Edwards was a student at California Institute of the Arts and the Art Institute of San Francisco. He was mentored by second-wave Gutai artist Matsumi Kanemitsu, and New York abstract expressionist Emerson Weolffer at CalArts, leading him to distinguish his art through performance, activism, and his investigations into African art and philosophy. The gestures made onto his all-over paintings are abstract and fluid like as if the brushstrokes were caught in motion on the verge of creating its final form. In his “Stroke Ism” work, Edwards point to the long tradition of iconography from cultures around the world, that is both unique and shared, coupled with his personal relationships and narratives.
After living in Los Angeles for three decades, Edwards moved to Oakland, CA, where he continues to make work.
For Further Information:
On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s - 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection
Gregory Wiley Edwards: https://www.gregoryedwardsstudio.com
In Conversation With Lita Albuquerque, Charles Arnoldi, Laddie John Dill, Ned Evans, and Andy Moses
This episode of the BMoA podcast is a recording of the second of two panel discussions held on November 18, 2021 at BMoA’s On the Edge Artist Symposium. The panel, “Los Angeles 1970 – 1990: Exploring the Myth of California Through Materials and Subject,” was moderated by Rani Singh, former director at Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills and former co-curator at Getty Research Institute.
Here, On the Edge exhibiting artists Lita Albuquerque, Charles Arnoldi, Laddie John Dill, Ned Evans, and Andy Moses discuss the blurred distinctions between different art styles, the freedom that encouraged artists to use new materials in artmaking, the support network and friendliness that distinguished the Los Angeles art scene from its New York counterpart, and the influence that the California landscape had over their work.
For further information:
Artist symposium: https://www.bmoa.org/quinn-symposium
On the Edge exhibition: https://www.bmoa.org/exhibition/on-the-edge
In Conversation With Don Bachardy, Gregory Wiley Edwards, Astrid Preston, and Allen Ruppersberg
This episode of the BMoA podcast is a recording of the first of two panel discussions held on November 18, 2021 at BMoA’s On the Edge Artist Symposium. Moderated by Rachel McCullah Wainwright, On the Edge exhibiting artists Don Bachardy, Gregory Wiley Edwards, Astrid Preston, and Allen Ruppersberg discuss how social upheaval reverberated through the art world of Los Angeles, the network that developed between artists and the collectors who championed their work, and how the California Cool ethos informed their work.
In Conversation With Lynda Benglis
Lynda Benglis is most celebrated for her engagement with the physicality of material within her artistic practice. Studying in New York City, Benglis propelled Abstract Expressionism’s gestural temperament away from the confines of the canvas. In the 1960s, she created fluid sculptures by pouring pigmented wax and latex within the gallery space, allowing the work to dictate its final form, while subverting the bravado of the male art stars from that period. The following decades saw production of provocative video and photographic work that explored the artist’s concern of gender stereotypes, critique of the art market and the artist as celebrity. Benglis continues to create today, compelling an ongoing conversation between abstraction and femininity and is featured in BMoA’s current exhibition On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s - 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection.
For further information:
On the Edge Exhibition: https://www.bmoa.org/exhibition/on-the-edge
Lynda Benglis: https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/lynda-benglis/
In Conversation With Joan Agajanian Quinn
Joan Agajanian Quinn and her late husband Jack represent a key moment in the history of contemporary art, as Los Angeles came to symbolize an innovative and prolific brand of creative freedom. Few individuals have left such an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of Southern California more than Joan and Jack Quinn. Joan found herself both muse and promoter of several Southern California artists, while Jack used his skills as a prominent and influential attorney to help an array of emerging artists and their dealers navigate the worlds of law and business.
Known for her charisma, intelligence and incomparable flamboyance, Joan Agajanian Quinn has served as inspiration for artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, Zandra Rhodes, Larry Bell, Frank Gehry, Ed Moses, Helmut Newton, Billy Al Bengston, Antonio Lopez and many others. As artists sought to record her image across a variety of media, Joan Quinn found herself with one of the world’s largest and significant collections of contemporary portraiture — a poignant representation of friendship, appreciation, and respect.
For further information
On The Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s - 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection
In Conversation with Scott B. Bomar
This month’s guest Scott B. Bomar grew up in Nashville before relocating to Los Angeles and becoming a staff songwriter at Sony/ATV Music. He moved to the other side of the desk to work for Universal Music Group before going to BMG, where he's now the Senior Director of the company's music-related book publishing efforts.
Scott has worked on projects with the Library of Congress' National Recording Archive, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Gibson Guitars, the Grammy Museum, Ken Burns' Florentine Films, Leiber & Stoller Music, SiriusXM, Omnivore Recordings, Bear Family Records, and others. He was nominated for a Grammy award for his album notes for the compilation The Other Side of Bakersfield (which he also produced). Additionally, his 2019 box set The Bakersfield Sound was named one of the best of the year by the New York Times, Variety, and Rolling Stone, and earned Scott a second Grammy nod.
Along with Paul Duncan, Scott co-hosts the bi-weekly podcast Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters, featuring interviews with over 150 writers such as Smokey Robinson, Elvis Costello, Loretta Lynn, David Crosby, Steve Earle, Valerie Simpson, Bill Withers, and more. Scott splits his time between Idyllwild and Inglewood, California, where he lives with his wife Melanie and his two big dogs Jean and Ferlin.
For further information:
Roll Out the Red Carpet: The Bakersfield Sound, now on view
Bomar’s Podcast Songcraft
In Conversation with Robert Price
BMoA’s exhibition The Bakersfield Sound: Roll Out the Red Carpet explores the major figures and stylings of the country music sub-genre with a celebratory display of local history that features costumes, guitars, and posters from the era. In this week’s episode we talk with author, newspaper columnist, and television journalist Robert Price who collaborated with BMoA to bring the exhibition to life. Price is the author of The Bakersfield Sound: How a Generation of Displaced Okies Revolutionized American Music, which was the winner of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections' 2019 book prize for best country or folk history. He is a native of Sonoma County, California.
In Conversation with Jedediah Caesar
The Bakersfield Museum of Art and CSU Bakersfield have forged an ongoing partnership grounded in their shared mission of cultivating contemporary art in Bakersfield. A recent result of that relationship: BMoA hosting the 2021 CSU Bakersfield Department of Art and Art History Graduating Senior Exhibition. Tune in as we sit down with artist, gallerist, and educator Jedediah Caesar. Since 2014 Caesar has been a lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History and the Director of the Todd Madigan Gallery at CSU Bakersfield.
For further information:
Graduating Seniors Exhibit at BMoA
Exhibit Press release
In Conversation With Linda Christensen
Release date: April 10, 2021
Color and Figure, on display now at BMoA, marks Linda Christensen’s first solo museum exhibition and showcases nine paintings made between 2015-2020. Belonging to the Bay Area Figurative movement's rich tradition, Christensen's work is dynamic and an amalgamation of spontaneity, historical reference, and emotional milieu. Tune in as we sit down with the artist to discuss the Bay Area Figurative movement and her commitment to using color and gesture to capture the emotional weight of the figure.
For further information:
Two Bathers by David Park: sfmoma.org/artwork/2008.22/
Color + Figure Book: BMoA Gift Shop
Artist’s website: lindachristensen.net
Uncommon Perspective: In Conversation With Art Sherwyn
Release date: March 13, 2021
BMoA's current exhibition Uncommon Perspective: Paintings by Art Sherwyn explores the newest series of work by local artist and educator Art Sherwyn. The work on display combines vibrant colors with the artist’s love for storytelling. The incorporation of calligraphic mark-making resonates with the lives and characters of those who live in the scenes painted. Beginning the series in 2018, this body of work differs in scale and material, challenging the artist's forty-year practice. Tune in as we sit down with the artist to discuss process, personal evolution, and a life devoted to the arts.
Nudie Suits - In Conversation with Jamie Cuevas Nudie
Release date: February 13, 2021
BMoA's current exhibition, The Bakersfield Sound: Roll Out the Red Carpet, explores the significant figures and stylings of California Country, displaying a dynamic shift from traditional works towards a celebratory display of local history featuring costumes, guitars, and posters from the era. Prominently highlighted in the exhibition are seven iconic "Nudie Suits." The Nudie suit was the "get noticed" stage costume for country performers for more than four decades. Today we interview Jamie Cuevas Nudie, granddaughter of Nudie and Bobbie Cohn, to discuss the colorful life and legacy of Nudie Rodeo Tailors.
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In Conversation with Julie Riegel, Collector of Photography
Release date: January 9, 2021
BMoA’s 2020 Winter Exhibition Black & White: Photographs from the Julie Riegel and Suzette Clerou Collection featured the collection of two sisters who have been collecting work since the 1970s. On display for the first time, the images by world-renowned photographers such as Richard Avedon, Brassaï, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and Nadav Kander nearly span the entire 20th century, showcasing the technical advances and thematic exploration of black and white photography. Tune in to learn more about this unique collection and the women who amassed it.
Bakersfield native Julie Riegel has been collecting photographs for decades.
All of the photographs are reminders...reminiscent of a time or place or a personal experience. It’s not easy to know why the photo gets to you. Something buried deep in your memory vault. Maybe a longing or a way to hold onto something you loved. Some are really beautiful like Nadav Kander’s ‘Swimmer’ and Bravo’s ‘Eternal Woman’. We think beauty helps people handle the hard stuff. Others like André Kertesz’s ‘Martinique’ are about being in the shadows, conflicted, trying to hide or watch from a distance. I think most people experience that feeling some time in their lives. Ours are about things we believe in or have felt. All are emotional. The Edward Curtis images of American Indians are heartbreaking. A reminder of America’s heritage and how much suffering is part of it.
It was 1975 and I was on my first visit to New York. A friend told me there was a photography exhibit by a famous fashion photographer, Richard Avedon. It was the first time Avedon was going to sell his photos to the public. From the minute I walked into the gallery I was hooked. I came back the next day and bought my first photograph. I chose one taken at the Chicago 7 trial because it wasn’t typical of Avedon. Mostly, I liked how he staged the shoot...like a fashion photograph but serious, unglamorous, and relevant to the times. Vietnam. Plus, I loved how strong hands were holding cigars. Maybe it reminded me of my Dad.
-Julie Riegel
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The Life And Work of Marion Osborn Cunningham, a Conversation with Priscilla Wheeler
Release date: November 14, 2021
In our first podcast, tune in to hear more about the life and work of Marion Osborn Cunningham as we interview the artist’s niece Priscilla Wheeler.
About Marion, according to Ms. Wheeler
“Marion was my mother’s sister. Marion's parents, Walter and Priscilla Osborn moved to Bakersfield in 1911 after escaping the biggest forest fire the country had yet seen, in Idaho in 1910. Walter set up his law practice and his wife Priscilla became active in many civic groups.
Marion attended Kern County Union High School (now Bakersfield High School) where she received her first instruction in art.
After graduating from high school Marion went to college in Santa Barbara and then Stanford where she met her husband, Ben Cunningham, a photographer and artist from Reno Nevada. They were married in 1932.
They lived in San Francisco and were ensconced in the 'Art Colony' of Telegraph Hill and North Beach. Marion attended the California School of Fine Arts while Ben was a muralist at Coit Tower.
Her early work was in pastels and oil color. She had twelve one man shows and was represented at the DeYoung Museum and the Legion of Honor. She worked on the first Save the Cable Car campaign and the first San Francisco Open Air Art Show in 1941.
She was an avid traveler and spent ten months in Mexico in 1939. She and her sister walked over the mountains from Oaxaca to Tehuantepec to see the women Covarrubias had made famous with his work.
After her return from Mexico she became interested in silk screen prints a new medium at the time. She wanted to create art that was accessible to the people. After studying at the Art Students' League in New York City she and her assistant produced 10,000 silk screen prints of San Francisco scenes each year and she became known as 'the city's best press agent'.
Her career was cut short by her untimely death in New York City at the age of 39.”