Getting your 15 minutes

The Orange County Museum of Art has issued an open invitation to the public to come create, be heard and be celebrated for 15 minutes of fame.

Two new exhibits opened Sunday at the Newport Beach museum: “15 Minutes of Fame: Portraits from Ansel Adams to Andy Warhol” and “New Art for a New Century: Contemporary Acquisitions,” which include gallery space for viewers’ own photographs and comments.

“We’re working very hard to break down those barriers between people and art and between individuals and institutions,” museum director Dennis Szakacs said. “One of the best ways of doing that is actually empowering people through giving them the opportunity to either become part of a show or let their voices be heard.”

In addition to facilitating dialogue, the exhibits also provide a “double lens” through which the museum’s collections can be viewed by the public, said Karen Moss, chief curator and deputy director for programs.

“The exhibitions are a really nice way to show the viewers what direction the museum is moving in,” she said. “[15 Minutes of Fame] is about taking a single medium and constructing a thematic show around that medium; [A New Art for a New Century] is about taking a particular period and showing work across all media.”

“New Art for a New Century” consists of 90 sculptures, installations, video, paintings and other works completed in the last decade, Moss said.

“With this exhibition, you have a sort of status report of what young artists are doing in the 20th century,” Szakacs said. “It really gives you the opportunity to almost be in an artist’s studio in the sense that the art is so new and energetic.”

“15 Minutes of Fame” showcases more than 175 pieces of portraiture beginning from the mid-1920s to contemporary works and is organized around historical themes in the evolution of portraiture from artists, documentarians and photojournalists, Moss said.

“It’s really interesting to see some of the subjects and topics shown in the older photographs and how those same subjects reappear in the new photographs,” said Lincoln resident Jack Howard, who was visiting the museum with his wife, Joyce.

“That shows the continuity of art,” Joyce Howard added.

Both former school administrators in the San Francisco Bay area, they were impressed by the museum’s method of reaching out to the public and particularly to children.

“Art is part of our culture, and if schools don’t adequately expose kids to it, then they are going to lose out on a whole lot,” Joyce Howard said.

The exhibits have already seen a wide array of public contributions.

The photos and comments will be scanned and posted on the museum’s website as the exhibitions continue through Sept. 19.

While Polaroids taken and then posted in the “Photo Op: Your Own 15 Minutes” room have created a montage of grinning faces, the hand-written “Feedback” cards have created a spectrum of anonymous reviews ranging from passionate political commentary to “I want my own Supernova!!,” a reference to the museum’s contemporary hanging sculpture by artist Lee Bul.

“We’re not going to censor someone’s opinions,” Moss said. “We want to be very open and have viewers feel that they can ask questions like, ‘Why do curators choose some pieces of art and not others?’ and we will answer that.”

Additionally, the public will have a chance to engage in face-to-face dialogue with artists, critics and museum curators at “Sunday Salons” beginning later this month. Moss will be moderating a salon on contemporary California photography May 23 at the museum.

“There really is an opportunity for dialogue, or exchange, and when that happens, things get really exciting and people get much more involved in the act of engaging with art,” Szakacs said.

“We’re very excited to see how people will respond and how we can carry some of these ideas forward into other exhibitions.”