CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’:
Some Sun, Some Fun, and Couple of Puns

January 17 — April 22, 2005
Des Moines Art Center Downtown
9th & Walnut Streets

Des Moines Art Center Downtown will help visitors chase away the winter blues with its latest exhibition, California Dreamin’: Some Sun, Some Fun, and a Couple of Puns. The exhibition explores themes of sunlight and humor from a variety of California-based art movements including L.A. Pop and Funk Art.

California art gained national prominence in the 1960s through several art movements that emerged from and responded to the unique environment of the West Coast state. The fabled sunshine, extensive coastline, laid-back attitude, and humorous outlook that symbolize California also informed and distinguished its art. In works dating from the 1960s through the 1980s, the fourteen artists in the exhibition engage the light-filled and light-hearted themes associated with Bay Area Figuration and Funk art in the northern part of the state, as well as Finish Fetish, Light and Space, and Los Angeles Pop in the south. California Dreamin’ celebrates sun, fun, and puns in the captivating art of the Golden State. It is curated by Patricia Hickson, associate curator and manager of the Des Moines Art Center Downtown.

Support of the exhibition is provided by Wells Fargo Financial.

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EXHIBITION RELATED PROGRAMS

Exhibition Opening
Friday, January 14, 5—7 pm

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Gallery Talk
Thursday, February 10, 7 pm
Patricia Hickson, curator
Free and open to the public

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