Staff Pick | Monthly Muse June 2021

A devoted wanderer, I am often compelled to explore just a bit further. What might be discovered around the next turn? My curiosity and wonder draw me to Channel Pickering Townsley’s Bend of the River, 1919.

Invited in, I follow.

A calm, quiet morning, I imagine the slight rustling of leaves, the faint call of a distant meadowlark, and the untamed churning of the river. Gold patches radiate on branch and chaparral, while long, violet tree-shadows slowly form as the Sun begins to burst over the horizon. Intense contrasts of blue and yellow lead to a well-worn, sunlit path that follows the bend. A faraway cottage perches on the bank.

I reluctantly depart the solace of the painting, leaving no footprint, broken twig, or sign of my presence. The scene remains untouched, pristine into perpetuity.

Dora James
Education Coordinator, Langson IMCA

Staff Pick | Monthly Muse April 2021

In the summer of 2020, I began researching the Latinx and Chicanx artists in IMCA’s collection. I had very limited education in Latinx/Chicanx art and art history before embarking on this project. This work has emboldened me to continue to pursue a career in art historical education focusing on the Latinx experience. The transcendent feminine connection in Cosmic Cruise by Ester Hernandez has remained with me since I first saw it—that moment when you notice something and then all of a sudden you see it everywhere. A few months later I randomly bought a book on Chicana spiritual art. To my surprise, Cosmic Cruise was featured, and I was able to gain a deeper insight into this print. The inspiration for the work comes from the artist’s mother being the first woman to drive a car in the small agricultural town where she was raised. The theme of motherhood and feminine resilience, and the month of May in which I am writing this, has made me think of my own mother. This month we celebrate Mother’s Day and I also celebrate my mom’s birthday. She is a woman who also embarked on many “firsts”—the first woman in her family to migrate to the US, the first to drive, and the first to hold a job.

Endria Suarez, '21, BA (Art History)
Intern and UCI Student Museum Educator, Langson IMCA

Staff Pick | Monthly Muse April 2021

What is it about a sparkling pool on a hot summer day that makes kids want to show off their tricks and water skills to any adult within ear- and eyeshot?

I had a good chuckle the first time I saw D.J. Hall’s Look at Me and read its perfectly fitting title. It brought back summer memories of swimming with my brother and cousins. We constantly shouted, “LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!”, as we jumped, dove, bellyflopped, and splashed in the water. Meanwhile, our parents (sitting in the shade talking about “boring adult stuff”) humored us with quick glances and feigned enthusiasm—while in the same breath reminding us, again, that they didn’t want to get splashed.

My daughter, who is almost three years old, has already discovered the power of the phrase “look at me.” I suspect it will not be long before I am the parent finding myself caught between adult conversations off to the side and my child’s performance right in front of me. She will undoubtedly be just as determined as the girls in Hall’s drawing to capture the full attention of every adult sitting poolside with her best Esther Williams impressions. Hopefully, I won’t get too soaked from being in the splash zone.

Katie Zulueta
Assistant Museum Registrar, IMCA