Exhibitions on view: February 26 – April 22, 2012
Opening Reception: February 25, 6:30 - 8 pm
Flights From Wonder: Christopher Chiappa, Liz Craft, Martha Friedman, FriendsWithYou, Jon Pylypchuk, Carolyn Salas, Mindy Shapero, Shinique Smith, and Phoebe Washburn
"The process of scientific discovery is, in effect, a continual flight from wonder." - Albert Einstein
"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives." - Albert Einstein
Religious leaders, intellectuals, and scientists such as Honoré de Balzac, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein, Aldous Huxley, and Marcel Proust, espoused a practice of perceiving art and science through a child’s perspective—straightforward, devoid of pretense, and unflinching in its outlook—to invigorate the imagination. Their philosophy encourages us as adults to cast aside preconceived notions and approach the world from this unfettered child’s point of view, so that we may broaden our world view, and stimulate our minds, allowing for greater degrees of discovery, curiosity, compassion, and wonder.
Inspired by this perspective, Flights from Wonder transforms CAF into a series of engaging, hands-on, interactive installations that heighten the synergy between artists and audience, and challenge all ages to re-imagine their relationship to art. The exhibition explores alternate ways to experience art by posing questions such as: How do children react and relate to the art of our time? How do we experience contemporary art? What new awareness can we acquire from children? Featuring an internationally recognized group of artists including Christopher Chiappa, Liz Craft, Martha Friedman, FriendsWithYou, Jon Pylypchuk, Carolyn Salas, Mindy Shapero, Shinique Smith, and Phoebe Washburn, Flights from Wonder empowers audiences to think, play, and create, and rejects the myth that contemporary art is mystifying or elitist, demonstrating instead that art is an enriching and stimulating part of the human experience.
Special thanks to: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York, NY, Casa Magazine, Santa Barbara, CA; The Daily Sound, Santa Barbara, CA; Jon and Lillian Lovelace, Santa Barbara, CA; Montecito Messenger; ParentClick, Santa Barbara, CA; Santa Barbara Independent; Santa Barbara News-Press; Wayne McCall & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA; and X-TRA, Los Angeles, CA.
Flights from Wonder Educational Programming
Learn, play, and discover in CAF’s interactive ArtLab activity center during the exhibition Flights from Wonder. Fabricate miniature artworks, then transform them to larger-than-life masterpieces in our Magnificent Magnification Machine!
CAF’s Youth Docent Crew (YDC), a team of local students ages 7-17, will be providing FREE Flights from Wonder tours for CAF visitors every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm and 3 pm.
Visit our programs page for more.
Special thanks to our media sponsor for Flights from Wonder educational programming:
Bloom Projects: Afruz Amighi,Suspended City
Afruz Amighi will create an on-site sculptural installation, which highlights the often ignored and unmonumental architecture of poverty and desperation. Drawing inspiration from the ever-expanding landscape of refugee camps that dot Middle East borders with make-shift tents, Amighi represents these structures as large graphite drawings. Hovering in space, in a realm of permanent dislocation, these drawings are suspended beneath a night sky with stars arranged in the Kufic Arabic script to spell out surah, the Quranic word for solace.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Afruz Amighi received a B.A. in Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, and an M.F.A. from New York University, New York, NY. A New York resident, she has completed a residency program at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, and was selected for the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art Emerge Program in collaboration with Creative Capital. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, NY.
Special thanks to:The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York, NY, Susan E. Bower Exhibition Fund, Santa Barbara, CA; Casa Magazine, Santa Barbara, CA; Brush & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA; Santa Barbara Independent; Santa Barbara News-Press; and Wayne McCall & Associates, Santa Barbara, CA.
Press Release
ADMISSION IS FREE
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Friends With You, Rainbow City Luminato, 2010, Mixed media, Dimensions variable, Courtesy the Artists
Martha Friedman, Noodle, Cast polyurethane, pigment, rope, steel, 40 in. x 43 in. x 11 ft. (height variable), Courtesy the Artist and Wallspace, New York, NY
Afruz Amigi, Locket, 2010, Stainless steel and base metal chain, 102 x 18 in., Courtesy the Artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, NY
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