Museum makeover unveiling set

Deepa Bharath

The Orange County Museum of Art has never been more ready for a

celebration.

Museum officials call the 2004 California Biennial “its largest

and most ambitious” -- and for good reason.

The museum’s space on San Clemente Drive has been completely

revamped over the last year to make it more modern and

“art-friendly,” said Calleen Ringstad, spokeswoman for the museum.

“We didn’t have good acoustics in here,” she said. “And we had

brick walls, so we couldn’t put up art on the walls. Changing all

that makes a big difference.”

The entrance to the gallery has also been changed, Ringstad said.

“Earlier when you walked in, you saw the store and the ticket

sales counter,” she said. “Now, you see art. It’s the way it should

be.”

The new and improved space will be unveiled to the public on

Tuesday, the opening day of the Biennial.

Visitors to the museum can also sample a variety of salads,

sandwiches and beverages at the new Citrus Cafe, a result of the

museum’s partnership with Los Angeles-based Patina Group.

“We have a more sophisticated faire,” said Brett Doherty, vice

president of operations and development.

The company also has a pastry kitchen and will serve pastries and

espresso in the mornings at its museum cafe, he said.

“Now that the museum has a space that’s suited to hosting events,

we can cater to events to,” Doherty said. “We’re very much excited

about the possibilities.”

The museum’s tradition of biennials featuring new art by

California artists dates back to 1984. Some of the highlights of this

year’s biennial include a new 30-foot billboard by San

Francisco-based artist RIGO 23 and Mungo Thompson’s video “The

American Desert (for Chuck Jones)” that splices together fragments of

the Road Runner cartoons drawn by Jones between 1949 and 1964.

On display will also be Malerie Marder’s large-scale color

photographs from a series titled “Inland Empire” shot in motel rooms

in the suburbs and desert communities of Southern California as well

as painter and sculptor Libby Black’s paper plaid “Burberry

Skateboard” and rose-colored “Chanel Surfboard.”

The works of art will be displayed both at the museum in Newport

Beach as well as at the Orange Lounge in South Coast Plaza. The

exhibits will be on display from Tuesday to Jan. 9.

The renovation work was completed quickly, given what had to be

accomplished, said museum director Dennis Szakacs.

“It took us a year from concept to completion,” he said. “This is

now an exciting, dynamic space where people can experience art.”

This Biennial will be one for the museum to remember, Szakacs

said.

“It’s a great time for the museum to take the Biennial to a new

level because the artists in this state are taking their work to a

new level,” he said.

Szakacs said he can’t talk about all of his future plans for the

museum, but they include increasing the museum’s visibility.

“We have big, big plans,” he said. “This is only a taste of things

to come.”