California Dreamin - San Jose Museum of Art

A couple of weeks ago my son and I decided to go to one of our favorite places in Downtown San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Art, to check out their new exhibit California Dreamin. This exhibit is very cool and unique. It definitely gave off an endless summer vibe, which is perfect for summer time. 

The California Dreamin exhibit by Won Ju Lim "unleashes the psychic dimensions of time and space. This exhibit was inspired by Baroque architecture, science fiction films and urban landscape. She explores the intersections between reality and fantasy, real and imagined space".  Lim created California Dreamin while living abroad in Germany. She was feeling homesick for Southern California, where my roots are as well. She designed multicolored Plexiglas constructions which reminded us a little of Magna Tiles. These colorful Plexiglas designs are laid out as an imaginary Los Angeles, with picturesque sunsets and swaying palm trees. "She transforms clichéd images of the city into an experience of the sublime."  We really loved this exhibit. The projections on the walls were fun especially when you can see your shadow towering over the city of Los Angeles. It also made me a little homesick for a city that I lived in as a young adult. 

After checking out the California Dreamin exhibit we explored more of the museum. We enjoyed the House Imaginary exhibit as well. It is an exhibit where "artists use the idea of a single family-house to explore memory, identity, and belonging.  Many of the works in the exhibition reflect the personal memories and childhood homes of the artists". Our favorite installation from this exhibit is by Oakland artist Mildred Howard called Abode: Sanctuary For the Familia(r), which is a house constructed of blue bottles that represent where memories are kept. We also enjoyed the 3D prints in the same room upstairs, which you look at with 3D glasses.  These are a lot of fun to check out. 

The last exhibit that we explored was the Conversion: Art and Engineering. We loved this because it is a hands on exhibit, fantastic for little engineers. I love the quote on the wall by Alexander Calder, my favorite modern sculpture artist, "To an engineer, good enough means perfect. With an artist, there's no such thing as perfect." The theme throughout the museum is about engineering and art. Starting with the Los Angeles architecture of California Dreamin, the shelter structures of House Imaginary, and the artist structures of the Art and Engineering, all very inspiring!