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UCI IMCA Announces Radiant Impressions
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In Remembrance of Madeline Martin Swinden
The Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is profoundly saddened by the passing of longtime friend and donor, Madeline Martin Swinden. She was a dedicated volunteer at the museum, known for her generosity and warm hospitality that created a spirit of welcome to all visitors.
She also was extensively involved at UCI, having served as president of the School of Medicine Research Associates, and as an advisory board member of both the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and the Department of Neurology.
Mrs. Swinden was further active as a volunteer and philanthropist at other cultural and educational organizations in Southern California. She served on the board of the Mission Preservation Foundation in San Juan Capistrano, Kidworks in Santa Ana, and the Crystal Cove Alliance in Laguna Beach. She also chaired the community outreach advisory board of the Joan Irvine Smith & Athalie R. Clarke Foundation.
A native Californian and a resident of Laguna Beach, Mrs. Swinden attended the University of Southern California. She was also a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America and had a five-decade career designing and selling fine jewelry.
Mrs. Swinden is survived by her husband, UCI Foundation Trustee James Irvine Swinden, and their son, James Irvine Swinden, Jr. She left an indelible mark on the museum, UCI, and regional community, and IMCA sends its deepest condolences to her family.
IMCA Announces the Retirement of Jean Stern, Senior Curator of California Impressionism
The University of California, Irvine’s Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) today announced the retirement of Jean Stern, Senior Curator of California Impressionism at IMCA since 2016, effective June 30, 2020. A leading authority on California Impressionism, he is also Executive Director Emeritus of The Irvine Museum (the collection is now part of IMCA) where he served for over 28 years.
Throughout his career, Stern worked to heighten awareness of the school of California Impressionism through a noteworthy series of exhibitions, books, lectures, articles, and video documentaries. He has presented over 250 lectures, and judged and juried more than 100 local, national, and international art competitions.
Stern said, "It has been an honor to help develop our historic art heritage and to work with the staff and with so many dedicated art collectors. As part of the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art, The Irvine Museum Collection will continue to inspire and educate our community as well as generations to come."
IMCA Museum Director Kim Kanatani said, “While we understand Jean’s resolve to direct his passion for and extraordinary command of the history of California Impressionism beyond our campus, we are profoundly grateful to him for his countless contributions to UCI and the field. The IMCA community is indebted to him for his foresight in creating widespread appreciation of the California experience expressed through this unique genre. We wish him all the best with this next chapter of his life.”
To celebrate his legacy, IMCA also announced the launch of the Jean Stern Acquisitions Fund to further deepen its holdings of California Impressionist works. As UCI coronavirus protocols permit, IMCA will host a virtual celebration for Stern and the launch of this initiative in July. His collection building acumen and curatorial insights will remain an integral part of IMCA programming through 2021. When UCI health protocols allow the IMCA to reopen, his curated exhibition, Radiant Impressions, will showcase highlights from The Irvine Museum Collection paired with complementary loaned artworks. The exhibition considers ways the selected artists engaged with light, for its optical qualities and through metaphor where ephemeral moments are infused with meaning.
In 2017, Stern received the prestigious Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. He has also been presented with lifetime achievement awards from the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association in 2013, the Plein Air Painters of America in 2014, and by Plein Air Magazine in 2014. He currently serves on the board of the California Art Club, founded in 1909, and is a board adviser to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Prior to joining the UCI community, Stern directed Jean Stern Fine Paintings, his gallery in Encino.
He received his B.A. from California State University, Northridge, and M.A. in Art History from San Diego State University. His doctoral studies in American Art were conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles.
In Remembrance of Peter Alexander
The University of California, Irvine’s Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) and Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) community mourns the passing of artist Peter Alexander—a Los Angeles native and seminal figure in the Light and Space movement forged in California in the 1960s.
Alexander and UCI had several interactions spanning decades. He was a guest lecturer in the Department of Art in fall 1971 and winter 1972 and previously, as a student of architecture, worked several summers for the office of William Pereira, UCI’s master planner. He would later enroll at UCLA as an art major, where he studied under Richard Diebenkorn, among other California art-world luminaries.
The artist was the subject of a monographic exhibition in 1974, Peter Alexander / Sunsets, presented in the UCI University Art Gallery on campus and organized by Hal Glicksman, then director of the Gallery. The exhibition comprised work based on signature subject matter for Alexander, sunsets, done in photography and pastel and on canvas and velvet. The artist created three lithographs for the selection.
There are seven works in IMCA’s collection that were part of the Gerald Buck bequest—examples of his groundbreaking resin sculptures and vibrant paintings exploring qualities of light, scale, pigment, and materiality.
When IMCA mounted the exhibition First Glimpse: Introducing The Buck Collection, on view from September 29, 2018‒January 5, 2019 in the CTSA, two of Alexander’s works were featured. His powerful urban nightscape Thrasher (1992) was a highlight of the exhibition co-curated by Stephen Barker, dean, CTSA; Kevin Appel, UCI chair, Department of Art and associate director, IMCA; and Cécile Whiting, UCI chair, Department of Art History. There was an artist talk with Alexander and another seminal artist, Chuck Arnoldi, moderated by Professor Appel recorded on November 16, 2018 available on YouTube.
His innovative practice, pioneering spirit, and influence on a generation of artists are indelibly written in the history of California art and remain as a touchstone for remembrance and inspiration.
We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
Media Release: Visionary Museum Leader Kim Kanatani Is Appointed Museum Director of the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art
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Media Release
Visionary Museum Leader Kim Kanatani Is Appointed Museum Director of the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art
IRVINE, Calif. (June 18, 2019) – Nationally renowned museum educator, scholar and collaborative arts producer Kim Kanatani will join the University of California, Irvine in August 2019 as the first museum director of the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA). Established through foundational gifts of art made in 2016 and 2017, UCI IMCA is poised to become a comprehensive center for the study, research and exhibition of the distinctive work made by California’s artists from the early 19th century to the present.
“UCI has been a leader in the arts since the day our students and faculty first walked onto campus, and with the establishment of UCI IMCA we are positioned for an extraordinary new level of achievement,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “Our goal is to make the arts an essential element of being at UCI. We welcome Kim Kanatani with enthusiasm and look forward to great things to come.”
Kanatani comes to the UCI IMCA from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, where she has served as deputy director and the Gail Engelberg Director of Education. In this role, she has overseen all education programs at the Guggenheim, including public programs for adults, youth and families. She has coordinated with the international museums of the Guggenheim Foundation and has been actively involved in the planning and development of the Foundation’s future museum in Abu Dhabi. Her work has encompassed numerous cross-cultural and museological exchange projects with other venues worldwide.
At the heart of her professional practice is collaborative program development with artists. Most recently, Kanatani spearheaded Guggenheim Social Practice, an initiative that commissions artists to develop new forms of public engagement that address important social values. The inaugural projects featured work by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin, and Shaun Leonardo. She has also co-produced multimedia productions, interpretive installations and exhibitions, and other public offerings with artists, including Matthew Barney, John Baldessari, Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul McCarthy, Catherine Opie, Gabriel Orozco and James Rosenquist.
A native of Southern California, Kanatani was the director of education at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles before joining the Guggenheim in 2001.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a world-class art museum that will showcase and celebrate the most significant collections and exhibitions of California art and give this work the recognition it deserves,” Kanatani said. “Shaping the cultural and interdisciplinary discourse around the ever-changing perspectives of artists who create work in response to the unique culture of California and its global contexts will be key. I envision the museum serving as a state-of-the-art teaching and learning institution, which will offer unparalleled arts and cross-curricular experiences for the campus and the wider community.”
UCI Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Enrique Lavernia added, “With her inspiring energy, talent for creative collaboration, scholarly rigor and deep commitment to civic engagement, Kim Kanatani is the ideal leader for UCI IMCA. She brings an outstanding national reputation that will help UCI make a positive impact through programs and exhibitions that forge meaningful connections at all levels across campus, with our neighbors and supporters, and with our many visitors from around the country and the world. I expect that her leadership and guidance will be invaluable as we move forward with constructing a permanent home for the UCI IMCA on campus.”
About the UCI Institute and Museum for California Art
The UCI Institute and Museum for California Art (UCI IMCA) is home to two of the most comprehensive and expansive collections of California art. The collections are thanks to foundational gifts of The Buck Collection including more than 3,000 works of California modern art and The Irvine Museum Collection including more than 1,300 California Impressionist paintings. The University is planning to construct a permanent museum and research institute on the UC Irvine campus—fulfilling the vision of campus architect William Pereira’s original 1962 campus blueprint—which will be a global magnet for the exhibition and study of California art and its social and cultural framework.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
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