The Crowd: John Wayne Airport to spotlight Newport Beach history in exhibit

An exhibition tracing the 100-plus-year history of Newport Beach will be unveiled Sept. 13 in the 130-foot Destination Gallery located between Terminals B and C at John Wayne Airport. Created by Balboa Island Museum (BIM) Executive Director Tiffany Pepys Hoey and her staff of historian-archivists, the exhibit will run through the 2024 holiday season, closing Jan. 27.

Heather Bowling, curator for John Wayne Airport, has worked alongside Hoey and staff to bring this impressive project to the public. Previous to taking over the Arts Program at John Wayne Airport, Bowling was director and curator at Brea Gallery. Her passion is “to make art accessible to all by creating inviting, engaging experiences for visitors of all backgrounds.”

The Balboa Island Museum exhibit will take the public on a century long journey through much of the history of coastal Orange County. Scenes on display will include the Balboa Island Ferry, Boy Scout Jamboree, Marine Avenue shops, kids at the museum, the Irvine family, along with so many other contributors to local culture, including many important citizens whose deeds made an impact on life at the beach. The museum exhibit follows two recent curated exhibitions Bowling curated for the airport — “No Touching” and “Endless Summer.”

Art at the airport is overseen by the John Wayne Airport Arts Commission, which is comprised of five commissioners appointed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors. They represent various districts and are led by Kim Le, chair (3rd District). Others include Vice Chair Victor Payan (2nd District), Christine Hernandez (1st District), Susan Petrolla (4th District) and Mary Christine Surgailla (5th District).

“We are currently focusing on reimagining the Arts Program at the airport,” Bowling said. “We endeavor to provide opportunities for emerging and marginalized artists.”

Historical photo of Joe Beek, member of the founding family that created the Balboa Island Ferry, on display at John Wayne Airport exhibit by Balboa Island Museum.

(Photo from Balboa Island Museum archives)

The Balboa Island Museum exhibit offers an often nostalgic and emotional glimpse into both the glory and the growth of coastal Orange County along with its challenges over the development of one of America’s most recognized communities. Hoey and her team have curated the photo gallery and editorial copy placed in black frames, all of which line the 130-foot wall in the terminal for thousands of travelers to examine.

Since its inception, Balboa Island Museum has welcomed some 350,000 visitors through its doors at 210 Marine Ave., free to the public, on iconic Balboa Island. Many of the visitors have come by way of arrival at John Wayne Airport.

To learn more about Balboa Island Museum, visit balboaislandmuseum.org.

ArtSense returns to Orange County Museum of Art

“ArtSense Glamour in the Grove,” benefiting the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is set to return Sept. 28. Museum CEO Heidi Zuckerman will join co-chairs Lauren Chalmers and David Emmes in producing the annual gala honoring Doug Aiken, American artist and filmmaker. Aiken and Zuckerman share a formidable friendship that’s been nourished over years, pushing boundaries in multiple artistic pursuits.

Aitken’s visionary expression can be found in respected institutions around the the globe, including New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art, the Vienna Secession, the Serpentine Gallery in London and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. His awards are substantial: the International Prize at the Venice Biennale, the Nam June Paik Art Center Prize, Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award, the Frontier Art Prize and other recognition.

David Emmes, president of the Orange County Museum of Art board of trustees, presents John Gunnin, left, with the Excellence in Art Education Award.

(Rita Labib)

“Mirage,” a site-specific sculpture that takes the form of a home completely covered in mirrors and set in the heart of the Californian desert, was installed in 2017. It has also been installed in Detroit (2018) and in Gstaad, Switzerland (2019-21). In July 2019, Aiken launched the project New Horizon, a multifaceted art event challenging the notion of art in the 21st-century. The project was composed of a series of live events across the state of Massachusetts, centered around a stunning reflective hot air balloon and gondola. In 2022, a large-scale survey of his artwork was featured in a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

Laurèn Chalmers and Trace Chalmers will co-chair and support ArtSense at the Orange County Museum of Art.

(Reza Allahbakhshi / Capture Imaging)

The Southern California art crowd will immerse themselves in Aiken’s “notion of art in the 21st century” at the late summer al fresco gathering. Terrace by Mix Mix, South Coast Plaza will cater a very specifically curated dinner accompanied by the Chris Norton Band, admired by high profile music patrons supporting the Cannes Film Festival, New York Fashion Week, the Whitney Gala and even Super Bowl halftime fans. An expected highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the “Excellence in Art Education award” bestowed upon local educator John Gunnin.

To support OCMA, where admission is free to the public, ArtSense attendance begins at $5,000 per person. For more details, contact Tim Silverman at the museum, (714) 780-20235 or tsilverman@ocma.art.