Encircled by insects and loving it

EYE ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Insects are oh so sexy in art.

I saw it first hand and now I’m a believer. Since my childhood

I’ve had an aversion toward bugs, except butterflies, lady bugs and

the like, but now I’ve been converted and find insects to be art and

even sexy. Well, at least that’s the case with artist Mike Tauber’s

new exhibit “Sexy Insects,” which opened Tuesday at Woody’s at the

Beach to a full house.

The event was extraordinary I had an absolute blast. There was an

array of sideline entertainment going on that usually isn’t found at

an art opening. Tauber wanted it to invite crowd participation.

The premise of the exhibit was to take insects, or low-life

creatures and pair them with pop culture which is considered to be

sexy. He was inspired by Ogden Nash’s poems about bugs and used

images of that era, such as Marilyn Monroe with ants in a creation

called “Ant Marilyn.”

Part of the fun included a poetry reading of Ogden Nash’s poems by

actor George J. Woods, who did a fantastic, colorful narration and

the playing of the groovy soundtrack produced specially for the

exhibit by DJ Sir Adamsmasher.

Sir Adamsmasher spent quite a stint on the Billboard Electronica

charts with fellow DJ star Hawke. He’s quite talented and really

knows how to put on a show when he spins and performs. The packaging

of “Insectric Electric” was hand done, adding to the flavor.

Another enjoyable event was the art in progress, for which town

dignitaries worked together to place pieces together and create a

mosaic.

“In a Flash” snapped pictures where people could stick their head

through a cut out hole where the front was painted like a bug. Each

person got to bring back glossy evidence of their bug experience.

There was also a drawing where people guessed how many ants there

were in the “Ant Marilyn” piece and the closest three won prizes.

Tauber announced the lucky winners.

“I used 1036 ants,” Tauber said. “Diane Brazelton from Laguna

guessed 1,032 winning first, artist Shelley got second place by

guessing 1,023 and third was won by Chris Oswalt from ‘Bubbles’ in

the Hotel Laguna.”

If there was a fourth place, Sian Poeschl and I tied, unbeknownst

to the other, guessing 999.

Tauber gave quite a moving speech before the work was revealed,

wearing antennae and funky bug-like glasses throwing out any metaphor

-- “bugaphor” -- possible, as a lot of people where engaging in

bug-speak.

“I’ve been crawling with anticipation, itching to do an art show,”

Tauber said. “One of the best things about being an artist in Laguna

Beach is all the support from the other artists.”

He waxed on ... and now I’ll wax on ...

In order to capture the spirit of the event, I mingled with the

crowd and asked what they thought of the experience.

“Mike does so much for the community, he’s a great artist and I

knew this would be a fun event,” said Sawdust Festival Public

Relations Director Rebecca Meekma. “He’s so creative, kooky and fun.”

“It ‘bugs’ me that there’s not more art like this in Laguna

Beach,” artist Gerard Stripling said. “It’s avant-garde, I know

there’s a market for this; it just needs to be exposed out there in

the galleries. In a word -- excellent.

“Mike is wonderfully inventive, he’s such a cool guy to offer not

only himself and his work, but also his sense of humor,” board member

of California Choreographers Dance Festival, Suzi Chauvel said. “This

is a fabulous new series of art, his presentation is part of his art

process.”

“‘Sexy Insects’ is a spectacular show, which everyone should come

and visit,” Marketing Director for Festival of Arts and Pageant of

the Masters Sharbie Higuchi said. “It’s another fabulous example of

Mike Tauber’s brilliance and creativity.”

“I’ve always admired Mike Tauber’s work both as a Festival

exhibitor and also his design work,” said Director of the Pageant of

the Masters Diane Challis Davy.

“Mike is full of surprises and energy,” gallery owner Marion

Cuddyer said. “It’s the most innocent concept, taking something so

little such as ants and something so high up like Marilyn Monroe --

it’s very creative putting that kind of thought together.”

“Mike’s given so much to our community, not just as an artist, but

as an arts commissioner,” Mayor Toni Iseman said.

“Mike is extremely creative, an ingenious kind of guy,” local

collector Lynne Biscreglia said. “I thought it was astonishing, he

takes art and makes a twist that is so unexpected.”

Biscreglia bought “Ant Marilyn” at the show.

Tauber’s comments the next morning, “It was off the top,

unbelievable, the patio and inside were packed. My goal for the event

was to get the people to participate in the arts. I enjoy art that

combines disciplines such as poetry, music and visual arts and

inspires interaction on all levels.”

He said the best part of the event was watching guests become bugs

in the photo wall.

“This art event was way more than just me, all this contribution,

I’m really grateful, absolutely grateful for all the people and

businesses who helped out and fellow artists helped me personally,”

Tauber said. “The ultimate success of the event is that people will

get more involved in the arts in the future.”

Owners Joel Herzer and Alford Harrison were the perfect host,

making sure everyone was enjoying themselves.

The exhibit runs through June 30 at Woody’s, 1305 S. Coast

Highway. For information, call 376-8809.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321 or suzie.harrison@latimes.com.