Connecting art and science: Getty Foundation brings together 70 exhibits for PST Art (original) (raw)

It started simply enough: two people working at a Los Angeles institution wondering how they could save some art from being thrown away.

Joan Weinstein, now the Director of the Getty Foundation, remembers it well. Along with her colleague Andrew Perchuk, who is the Deputy Director of the Getty Research Institute, they moved forward with their archive project. But what they didn’t realize at the time was that this idea would soon cascade into other ideas, such as getting local institutions to showcase some of this work.

This idea beget other ideas, which eventually snowballed into PST Art, one of the most distinctive and distinguished art events in the world.

“It organically unfolded, step by step,” Weinstein says. When asked if she ever envisioned it growing as broadly as it has, Weinstein keeps it short and sweet: “Absolutely not.”

PST Art started humbly enough, but that original philanthropic mission of artistic preservation and collaboration remains the same. Happening roughly every five years, PST Art has had two successful iterations in 2011 and 2017 (the name is an acronym for the events’ former name, Pacific Standard Time).

PST Art co-founders Andrew Perchuk, deputy director of the Getty Research Institute, left, and Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, photographed together at the event’s first-ever event in Los Angeles in 2011. AP

The event returns this week in hits third incarnation, which now encompasses events at throughout Southern California. It’s enough that it is now being touted as “the largest art event in the United States,” according to the event website. Seventy exhibitions will be presented as part of PST Art, with the combined collaboration of more than 800 artists.

With millions of dollars worth of grants divided out and years of research and planning in the bag, this year’s PST Art: Art & Science Collide includes programming spread out all over San Diego County. Just as with past PST events, this year’s Art & Science edition is thematically broad, but has a specific emphasis on exploring the ways in which science inspires art, and vice versa. This allows each institution to lean into their respective missions and curatorial outlooks.

“We try to think about what is a theme that is broad enough that the entire art community can participate in it in interesting ways and that would appeal to all audiences,” Weinstein says. “What these art museums and scientific institutions have done is actually show us how many different ways art and science connect and oftentimes in ways you don’t expect.”

Local exhibitions and programming for PST Art: Art & Science Collide will open this week and are scheduled to run throughout the rest of the year. Below is a list of what’s planned in San Diego County. For a full list of Southern California events, visit pst.art.

“Surya surrounded by signs of the Zodiac,” an 1830 watercolor from India. It’s featured in San Diego Museum of Art’s “Wonders of Creation” exhibition, which is part of this fall’s PST Art event. (Matthew Meier / San Diego Museum of Art)

San Diego Museum of Art: ‘Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World’

There is no clearer historical representation of the ways in which art and science have influenced one another than SDMA’s centuries-spanning exhibition. “Wonders of Creation” will feature more than 200 pieces, with ancient and historical works and artifacts — some dating back to the 8th century — paired alongside contemporary works from artists all over the world. The mediums presented run the artistic gamut, with everything from illustrated manuscripts and precious stones, to ceramic items and paintings. Inspired by “The Wonders of Creation and the Rarities of Existence,” a 13th Century text from Zakarīyā Ibn Muḥammad al-Qazwīnī, the exhibition’s aim is much the same as the book itself: to see scientific pursuit and knowledge as something that is truly divine. Or, as museum CEO Roxana Velásquez puts it, to celebrate “the rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy of Islamic civilization” and “its profound and diverse contributions.” Programming for the exhibition will also include a variety of related activities such as artist talks, art-making workshops, performances, and more.

On view Sept. 7 through Jan. 5. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Free-$20. (619) 232-7931, sdmart.org

“Dark Paradise – On Chapter 2 – On restoration and future,” a 2023 video by Paul Rosero Contreras, featured in Oceanside Museum of Art’s “Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean” exhibit. PAUL ROSERO CONTRERAS

Oceanside Museum of Art: ‘Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean’

Running concurrently with two exhibitions of the same name at the Orange County Museum of Art and the Crystal Cove Conservancy in Newport Beach, OMA’s iteration will include a variety of artistic mediums from artists all over the Pacific world. Both conceptual and straightforward, the aim of the art is to explore the cultural, spiritual and sometimes literal concepts of the Pacific Ocean. Through sculpture, video, drawings, photography, and more, the exhibition will be organized to resemble ocean currents, with the hope that the viewer will feel a sense of fluidity. “We cannot separate the issues facing the Pacific; they are interrelated and affect us all,” says Cassandra Coblentz, the lead curator of “Transformative Currents.” “This exhibition is a call to recognize our shared responsibility and the dynamic interconnectedness of our actions.”

On view Sept. 7 through Jan. 19. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Free-$10. (760) 435-3720, oma-online.org

Lynn Hershman Leeson’s 1966 work “X-Ray Woman in Bathing Cap,” featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s “For Dear Life: Art, Medicine, and Disability.” It’s one of several local exhibits featured in the PST Art event this fall. (Georgia Museum of Art)

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego: ‘For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability’

San Diego has been at the forefront of art programming centered on bringing attention to disability in the arts (2016’s “Sweet Gongs Vibrating” at the San Diego Art Institute and 2022’s “Script/Rescript” at the San Diego State University Art Gallery, to name a few), but “For Dear Life” will offer a more comprehensive and historical survey of how artists have responded to sickness, health and the thin line between art and activism. Spanning over six decades and including works from dozens of artists working in a variety of mediums, the pieces on display will be spread out over seven of MCASD’s galleries and will be showcased chronologically and thematically. Taken all together, it offers the viewer a rich and respectful overview of how these artists have used their respective impairment to create something wholly unique and that speaks to their experience. The intent, said MCASD’s CEO Kathryn Kanjo, is to “bring compassion and criticality to the conversations surrounding health today.”

On view Sept. 19 through Feb. 2. Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free-$25. (858) 454-3541, mcasd.org

“Tibet is the High Ground, Part II: The Force Majeur” by artists Helen and Newton Harrison. As part of PST Art, four San Diego museums and institutions are hosting works by the Harrisons this fall.(Hermann Feldhaus)

Various venues: ‘Helen and Newton Harrison: California Work’

Organized by the La Jolla Historical Society (LJHS) and spread out over four locations in San Diego County, “California Work” will be a long overdue, but nonetheless comprehensive survey of the founders of the eco-art movement. Presented thematically and chronologically, beginning roughly at when the couple first met in the 1960s at UC San Diego, the immersive exhibitions will examine the nearly 20 conceptual projects they produced over four decades. Audiences should expect re-staged performance artworks, as well as drawings, paintings, photography, collages, maps, and more, all of which will provide an overview of how the pioneering couple were brining attention to ecological and environmental issues long before it was in the public consciousness. What’s more, they seamlessly blended art and scientific study to dazzling awe-inspiring results that remain, as LJHS Executive Director Lauren Lockhart puts it, “powerful and relevant today.” See website for full list of exhibitions and participating venues.

“Helen and Newton Harrison: California Work” on view Sept. 19 through Jan. 19, at:

“California Work: Urban Ecologies” on view Sept. 19 through Jan.19. La Jolla Historical Society Wisteria Cottage Museum, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free. (858) 459-5335, lajollahistory.org

“California Work: The Prophetic Works” on view Sept. 21 through Jan.19. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Free-$12. (800) 988-4253, artcenter.org/museum

“California Work: Saving the West” on view Sept. 21 through Jan.19. San Diego Public Library Gallery, San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd, Downtown. Free. (619) 238-6690. sandiego.gov/public-library

“California Work: Future Gardens” on view Sept. 28 through Dec. 7. Mandeville Art Gallery, UC San Diego, 9390 Mandeville Lane, La Jolla. Free. (858) 534-2230, mandevilleartgallery.ucsd.edu

“Indigenous Stories Are All Around You,” an installation at the QI Gallery at UCSD’s Qualcomm Institute that’s part of the multi-space Embodied Pacific exhibit featured in the Getty Foundation’s PST Art event. (Alex Matthews)

Various venues: ‘Embodied Pacific’

The collaborative spirit is truly embodied in this series of programs, events and exhibitions spread out throughout the county. First, it’s something of a team-up between the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego Visual Arts, who then paired 30 artists with researchers working in various fields of scientific inquiry and archival studies. The intent with these collaborations, centered broadly on the Pacific Ocean, is to show how science can inspire art, and sometimes vice versa, doing so via “immersive engagement in oceanography, Indigenous design, and critical craft,” according to the program’s website. Taking place over multiple months and at six different venues, patrons should expect to make a weekend out of it. See website for a full list of exhibitions and participating venues.

“Embodied Pacific” on view Sept. 15 through March 14. At various venues. embodiedpacific.com

“Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen” on view Oct. 4 through Dec. 8. Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. Free-$29.95. (858) 534-3474, aquarium.ucsd.edu

“Embodied Pacific: Three Lives” on view Sept. 26 through Dec. 6. Gallery QI, UC San Diego, Atkinson Hall, Qualcomm Institute, 3195 Voigt Dr, La Jolla. Free. galleryqi.ucsd.edu

“Embodied Pacific: Three Lives” on view Sept. 9 through Dec. 22. The Gallery at Geisel Library, UC San Diego, 9500 Gillman Drive, La Jolla. Free.(858) 534-2230, library.ucsd.edu

“Embodied Pacific: Seaways” on view Sept. 27 through Dec. 6. SME Gallery, UC San Diego, 3291 Voigt Drive, La Jolla. visarts.ucsd.edu

“Embodied Pacific: Through a Porcelain Cast” on view Sept. 19 through Dec. 22. The Nest at Geisel Library, UC San Diego, 9500 Gillman Drive, La Jolla. Free.(858) 534-2230, library.ucsd.edu

“Embodied Pacific: Weshow” on view Sept. 9. Kosay Kumeyaay Market, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, 85472 Calhoun St., Old Town. Free. embodiedpacific.com

“Embodied Pacific: Mural-Canoe” on view Sept. 9. Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve, 2055 Pacific Beach Drive, Mission Bay. Free. embodiedpacific.com

“Embodied Pacific: Extraction” on view Jan. 2, 2025 through March 14, 2025. Gallery QI, UC San Diego, Atkinson Hall, Qualcomm Institute, 3195 Voigt Dr, La Jolla. Free. galleryqi.ucsd.edu

A prestige cotton and indigo cloth wrapper made by the Yoruba people of Nigeria in the 20th century. It’s featured in Mingei International Museum’s “Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo.” The exhibit is part of the PST Art event. MINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM

Mingei International Museum: ‘Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo’

In what is likely to be one of the most enlightening exhibitions, “Blue Gold” will give viewers a deep dive into the extraordinary history, chemistry, and economics behind the plant that gave much of the world blue dye. And while it might sound niche on the surface, indigo cultivation and processing has a rich, centuries-spanning history that has produced extraordinary textiles and artworks, with more than 180 pieces from 30 countries on display. What’s more, the Mingei doesn’t overlook the often problematic aspects of indigo cultivation over the centuries, with parts of the exhibition devoted to exploring the more historically troubling results of indigo cultivation and trade, such as issues with pollution, colonialism and, most disturbingly, slavery. Barbara Forsyth, senior curator at the Mingei, told the U-T that the intent was to “connect all those dots and how they’re connected is what will make it an interesting story.” In addition to programming that includes workshops and artist talks, there will also be commissioned works created exclusively for the exhibition by Christina Kim and Porfirio Gutiérrez, among others.

On view Sept. 14 through March 16, 2025. Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Free-$15. (619) 239-0003, mingei.org

The New Children’s Museum: ‘Science Fiction Creates the Future’

Piggybacking off the New Children’s Museum’s excellent “Octavia E. Butler: Seeding Futures” exhibition, which opened earlier this year and will be on view through 2025, the family-friendly institution will be offering up PST-exclusive programming. Led by the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network and other curatorial minds, NCM will host family workshops that “draw on Butler’s interests and themes, according to the museum’s website, with specific focuses on the identification and cultivation of indigenous plants, as well as map-reading, weaving and astronomy. Yes, the intent is to further explore the legacy of the prophetic sci-fi writer, but to also offer hands-on instruction on some of the ideas and themes she explored in her writings.

Various dates throughout 2024. The New Children’s Museum, 200 W. Island Ave., Downtown. Free-$24. (619) 233-8792, thinkplaycreate.org

Originally Published: September 1, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.