Looking ‘Behind the Curtain’
Grand Central Exhibit ‘Detras de las Cortinas’ Opens Sept. 4
August 31, 2010
Gregg Stone's “Bush Legacy,” 2009
Gregg Stone's “Cholo,” 2004
Emigdio Vasquez' “Fourth Street,” 1982
What does it mean to be “behind the curtain?” Orange County artists will be exhibiting works that allude to metaphoric curtains in the upcoming “Detras de las Cortinas” exhibit at Grand Central Art Gallery.
“The first ‘curtain’ that comes to mind is the Orange Curtain,” said Mike McGee, professor of art, director of Cal State Fullerton's Begovich Gallery and founder of the Grand Central Art Center. “In cultural circles, this is a derogatory term, most often used sardonically by Los Angelinos. For the most snobbish, ‘behind the Orange Curtain’ connotes a dismissal image of Orange County as a cultural wasteland, void of esthetic sophistication and appreciation for anything that is not bland.”
Another metaphoric curtain that the show addresses, McGee said, “is the kind of cultural fog that keeps some people from seeing other people — even when they look directly at them.”
Featured artists for the Sept. 4-Oct. 17 show include: Cal State Fullerton alumnus Emigdio Vasquez (B.A. art ’78, M.A. art-drawing and painting ’79), Henry M. Godines, Gregg Stone, Matt Southgate, Abram Moya, Jose Lozano, Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, Rosa Williams and Alma Lopez.
Alongside "Detras de las Cortinas" will be Cal State Fullerton's award-winning "Querer es Poder: 50 Examples" photo exhibit. It features 50 of the university's successful Latino graduates. Motivating young people to attain a college education is the aim of the exhibit that was created as part of Cal State Fullerton’s 50th anniversary in 2008.
The exhibit's opening reception is slated for 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, and will feature performances by the Capistrano Community Mariachi Program and flamenco dancer Claudia de la Cruz. A free art program for children, “Papel Picado” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11. A closing reception will be held from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 2. It will feature a panel discussion with the featured artists of "Detras de las Cortinas."
For more information on the Grand Central Art Center Gallery, click here.
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Produced by the Office of Public Affairs at California State University, Fullerton.