CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Art and Design

In Conversation with Lauren Halsey

By

Artist Lauren Halsey talks with students and faculty at the University Art Gallery at LaCorte Hall.
Artist Lauren Halsey talks with students and faculty at the University Art Gallery at LaCorte Hall.

Students from CSUDH’s art and design department welcomed celebrated artist Lauren Halsey to campus this week for a wide-ranging discussion about her approach to art, her creative process, and the importance of community in an event co-hosted by the University Art Gallery and the PRAXIS Community Engagement Program.

Halsey’s work has been the subject of a solo exhibition at the gallery since March. Sitting among the signage, collages, and sculpture that make up the exhibition, the artist characterized her work as “love letters” or “moments of meaning” gathered over many years.

As a student at El Camino College, she traveled through the city by bus every day. “I was remapping my neighborhood and restyling what I imagined the exterior of the neighborhood could look like or should look like,” Halsey says.

Halsey’s sculpted pieces and collages include references to places both obscure and profoundly meaningful to those familiar with her creative geography. “These are spaces I’ve been in or have had access to, like HP Ice Cream on 105th and San Pedro. My grandma lived on 106th. I grew up going to this spot, and I wanted to archive it because it’s beautiful as a vessel or a space for joy.”

In a slideshow presentation that served both as a retrospective and an indicator of future projects for the artist, Halsey documented her love of names and indexing. She included a photograph of drawings she had made to record the names of area churches.

“I grew up in the Missionary Baptist Church off Broadway and 107th. Just noticing the promise and poetry of the names of these churches in an area that might be antithetical to that promise was always so beautiful to me,” Halsey says.

Gallery Director Aandrea Stang says the talk by Halsey was part of a broader effort “to provide a range of artistic practices by Los Angeles-area artists who have a relationship with our student population and South Los Angeles.”

It gives CSUDH art and design students “a valuable art experience by an artist with whom they can relate,” Stang says.

Jupiter Palayo, 22, is a studio art major from Long Beach with an interest in photography and ceramics. She says the intentionality of Halsey’s work and the ability to capture meaningful moments within a community that are easily overlooked or erased are what resonated most with her.

“That’s what I want to do with my photography—capturing moments in space, especially in communities that are disappearing,” Palayo says.

Halsey received the Seattle Art Museum’s 2021 Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence prize and has had solo exhibitions in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Paris. Her works are also featured in collections at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio.

Halsey, whose exhibition at the University Art Gallery closes on December 10, is also in the process of creating a major public monument that she calls her “dream project.” It’s a culmination of her earliest inclinations as an artist in high school. 

The specifics of the design have not been finalized, Halsey says, but the installation will first be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York before relocating to South Central Los Angeles.

“This will be the first project in my life where the work will return back to the context it emanates from,” Halsey says. “It will go to the Met from April to October next year, but it will be in my neighborhood in South Central for three years as its own space.”

Devon Tsuno Selected for Metro Station Art Installation

By

Art and Design Assistant Professor Devon Tsuno
Devon Tsuno sits in his uncle’s garden. – Photo by Elon Schoenholz

Artwork by California State University, Dominguez Hills Assistant Professor of Art Devon Tsuno will soon become part of the greater Los Angeles region’s rich history of public art projects.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) recently named Tsuno among 17 artists chosen to create site-specific, integrated artworks for four stations along its Purple Line (D Line) Extension Sections 2 and 3.

“I think that having grown up in L.A. and being the fourth generation of my family in Los Angeles, it’s amazing to create something that’s permanent, that’s reflective of those multiple generations of my family,” said Tsuno of the opportunity.

Tsuno will design an installation as part of the Wilshire/Rodeo Station, which is currently under construction and slated to open in 2025. He is eager to bring his concept to life, and while he cannot reveal yet what it will be, he did say this project will reflect themes that are woven throughout his artwork.

Tsuno works primarily with spray paint and acrylic to create abstract landscape paintings, prints, and large-scale installations that are deeply rooted in family history, the Japanese American experience, and Los Angeles’ natural environment. His works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, at the Hammer Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, and Gallery Lara in Tokyo, among others.

Being selected by Metro for this project holds not only professional, but personal significance for Tsuno.

“Mobility was a barrier for me growing up in the busing program in the Los Angeles Unified School District,” Tsuno explained. “So having a presence of my work in the Metro system is awesome, and the extension of that line is great because it will really improve mobility for mostly working-class folks.”

Moreover, Tsuno’s grandfather was a gardener in Los Angeles and served clients in Beverly Hills, not far from the future Wilshire/Rodeo Station. Tsuno’s uncle later joined him in the business. He said having his artwork installed at that location further ties his family’s history to the area.

“I’ve always been proud of my family’s work in this community and am excited to have the opportunity to continue that labor as an artist,” Tsuno said.

For more information about the Metro Art project for the Purple Line Extension, visit the online announcement.

Fab Lab Teams with Toyota to Bring Dream Cars to Life

By

Bring Dream Cars to Life
One of the winning drawings, alongside the 3D model created in the CSUDH Fab Lab.

Students working in the fabrication labs in CSUDH’s Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) got an accelerated course in hands-on project management and design in 2021, when they partnered with Toyota USA for the company’s annual Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest.

Each year, children between the ages of 4 and 15 enter the contest, drawing fantastical images that illustrate the car of their dreams. In early 2021, Toyota’s Social Innovation Division approached CISE Director Kamal Hamdan with the idea of using the Science and Innovation Building’s fabrication labs to create 3D replicas of the winning entries.

“The Dream Car Art Contest encourages youth to dream of the future of mobility, and the students at CSU Dominguez Hills help bring that dream to life for the winners of last year’s contest,” said Michael R. Medalla, Toyota USA Foundation manager. “Through this activity, the students were provided with hands-on learning to further develop their skills, and we are so amazed at what they were able to achieve.”

“It was a far-fetched idea initially,” said Hamdan. “When they told us what they had in mind, we started off by asking if it could even be done. Some of these designs are pretty complex.” Hamdan agreed to give it a try, and approached his students with the winning artwork. They chose several of the pieces to begin work on, and students divided themselves into teams to tackle the projects.

“When I first saw the drawings, I thought, ‘Where do I start?’,” said Maritza Trujillo, one of the students who worked on the project. “It had so many small details! With the help of my group members, everything came together very well, though.”

The student teams chose which drawings they would work on from the entire set of winning entries. They did every aspect of the work themselves—from initial planning and project management to the final 3D printing and assembly of the models.

“The biggest challenge was in the beginning, designing our prototypes,” says Fab Lab technician Oscar Rubalcava. “It was a matter of looking closely at this 2D drawing and creating a completely three-dimensional object out of it, which sounds like a somewhat easy task. In reality, you have to consider that a 3D object is much more intricate than a 2D object. So it’s a matter of finding a way to incorporate all the little details into it, which was a real challenge.”

The students first prepared a pair of prototype models to show the Toyota representatives their skills. “When we showed the folks at Toyota our first two models, they were really blown away, to say to say the least,” says Hamdan. “The reaction was unbelievable. I think they were surprised at how well they came out. It wasn’t a surprise to me, though. It’s unbelievable how creative our students are!”

The teams spent about eight months working on the cars, and created a total of seven 3D models. Each team spent a week or so examining the drawings and planning and brainstorming their approach. Next, prototypes were created out of clay or wood, to allow team members to determine exactly how their cars would fit together.

Designs were created with CAD modeling software, then turned into physical pieces in the Fab Lab’s 3D printers. Laser cutters and vinyl cutters allowed the students to make fine adjustments to their pieces, which were then assembled into the actual vehicles. Printing and assembly of the vehicles took between four and five weeks, and then painting and putting the finishing touches on the cars took another week or two.

For Fab Lab technician Nicol Funes, the best part of the entire project was when they showed the results to the students who had drawn the original artwork. “That made me really proud, seeing the faces of the artists and their reactions to how we took their drawings and converted them to 3D models.”

As the culmination of the project, the models are now on view at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. “I’m proud that this project is being displayed at the Petersen Museum,” says Trujillo. “We get to show what we’ve created to our family members, other students, and the community.” The exhibit will remain on view at the Petersen through March 27, 2022.

“This has been an excellent educational opportunity to share ideas generated by kids across the country so that our visitors – children and adults – can experience the design process, which underlies not only automotive manufacturing but innovation in any field, as well as explore the future of the automobile,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

“When people visit the museum, I hope they can see our hard work and our dedication to this project,” says Funes. “It’s a great way to show people what we can do here. Hopefully this project will help expose more kids to STEM fields, and cause them to explore STEM majors themselves.”

Toyota Dream Car photos

New Murals Adorn Innovation & Instruction Building

By

Mark Steven Greenfield stands in front of one of his paintings
Artist Mark Steven Greenfield with one of the murals he created for the Innovation & Instruction Building.

The Innovation and Instruction Building is a striking new structure on the CSUDH campus, but the visual appeal isn’t just in its architecture. Inside, Toros are greeted by a series of eye-catching murals created by Los Angeles artist Mark Steven Greenfield. The eight murals adorn walls throughout the building, adding a vibrant and meaningful touch to its interior spaces.

Greenfield’s work was chosen from that of more than 90 artists who submitted work to be considered for the project. “I was excited by the level of artists that were interested in this project,” said Aandrea Stang, director of the University Art Museum and a member of the project’s selection committee. “We got a lot of great submissions, but Mark’s work really stood out. It was clear that his pieces were the best fit.”

Greenfield, who received his bachelor’s degree in art education from California State University, Long Beach, and his MFA from CSU Los Angeles, has deep roots in the Los Angeles arts scene, both as an artist and arts leader. He was an administrator for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and was the director of the Watts Towers Arts Center before serving a stent as director of the LA Municipal Art Gallery. His works have exhibited extensively in the U.S. and internationally.

Mark Steven Greenfield
Los Angeles artist Mark Steven Greenfield.

Greenfield’s work, although primarily abstract, concerns itself with the complexities of the African American experience, both historically and in contemporary society. Many of the pieces on display have their genesis in Greenfield’s meditation practice, and are based on images formed in his subconscious.

He feels this basis in meditation makes the murals perfect for an educational setting. “I hope the work can be accepted in the same spirit in which it was created,” he says. “I’m hoping that people look at it, and maybe some of that meditative atmosphere gets translated to them, and puts them in a mindset that is more conducive to learning.”

The works didn’t start out as murals, but as pen-and-ink pieces as small as 28 inches high. They were enlarged and printed onto high-quality vinyl that was then applied to the building’s walls, an approach that will enable the works to be changed every few years. “I was shocked when I saw them blown up to mural size,” says Greenfield. “Now I can really see all my mistakes!” he laughs.

The project has inspired Greenfield to pursue more large-scale projects. He is currently working on a project for the new Metro Regional Connector Station in downtown Los Angeles. Called The Red Car Requiem, it’s a mosaic mural that will be 147 feet long once completed. “It’s a tribute to the old Red Car transit system in L.A., and is the largest project Metro has ever done,” says Greenfield.

Meanwhile, the Toro community will get to enjoy his work every time they step into the Innovation and Instruction Building. “I’m excited, and I feel that we’re really lucky that we get to live with this for a while,” says Stang.

 

Select photos of Mark Steven Greenfield’s murals inside the I&I building

Gerth Archives Obtains L.A. Free Press Collection

By

CSUDH Gerth Archives Obtains L.A. Free Press Collection
Issues of the L.A. Free Press showcase the alternative viewpoints promoted by the newspaper.

The CSUDH Gerth Archives and Special Collections just got a lot “freakier” with the acquisition of the archives of the L.A. Free Press, one of the first and most important underground newspapers of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The collection had belonged to Art Kunkin, the publisher and editor of the Free Press from its inception in 1964 until 1972. When Kunkin passed away in 2019 at the age of 91, his daughter began looking for an archive to house the large collection. She chose the Gerth Archives due to their dedication to archiving alternative voices from the local community.

“The L.A. Free Press was really one of the first newspapers for the community during the 1960s,” says Greg Williams, director of the Gerth Archives. “It was the first publication to start presenting points of view that the L.A. Times wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. They not only had their own political slant, but they also supported the Black community, the Chicano community, and the LGBTQ community in a variety of ways.”

For example, Williams says that the Free Press was one of the first publications to highlight issues of police brutality or promote Black Power ideology. “With the LGBTQ community,” he continues, “the Free Press was the first to give them somewhat of a voice in non- LGBTQ publications. What was even more important were the personal ads, which started in the straight community but were soon picked up on by the LGBTQ community. Their personal ads were one of the primary ways at the time to meet other LGBTQ people.”

LA Free Press Boxes
“Archives are usually messes, but this was a special mess.”

Despite the importance and uniqueness of the collection, it had started to degrade after many years of improper storage at Kunkin’s Joshua Tree home. “Archives are usually messes, but this was a special mess,” says Williams. “The archives were in boxes at the bottom of a tin shed, after spending time stored in a barn, on the porch of a trailer, and in a shipping container. Parts of the boxes and folders had been eaten by mice, so some stuff is missing, but what has been preserved is amazing.”

Williams and seven other archival librarians trekked out to the desert during the summer, spending several days recovering and repackaging the collection. “Getting this collection was more like an archeological dig, because the stuff was so buried,” says Williams. The archivists packed 350 boxes with materials, then moved the collection to its permanent home in the Gerth Archives.

Kunkin wasn’t storing the material for archival purposes, so the boxes represent a semi-random collection of Free Press issues, as well as lots of other things that Kunkin kept—everything from flyers for concerts to receipts for tires. Williams says it will take years to sort through and catalog the materials, but he’s already made some exciting discoveries.

“I just opened a random box in the container and there was a book by (1960s LSD guru) Timothy Leary with his autograph,” says Williams. “Then, inside that book was a letter from Leary in prison that must have been written shortly before the Weather Underground helped him break out. I wasn’t expecting this collection to reflect that ‘60s vibe so much immediately.”

A signed copy of The Politics of Ecstasy and letter from Timothy Leary found inside.
A signed copy of The Politics of Ecstasy and letter from Timothy Leary found inside.

Williams expects that it will take his team several years to go through the collection and catalog it, but they’re ready for the challenge. “It’s a daunting task, but the treasures are there, and we’re very excited about coming up with strategies on how to catalog them.”

Receiving the Free Press collection is another feather in the cap for the Gerth Archives, and one more step in what Williams hopes will establish CSUDH and the archives as a center for research on alternative politics, alternative social movements, and diverse populations and their history.

“That’s why the archives exist these days,” he says, “to get and generate more history from voices that have not been heard. We’re very excited and grateful to have this one-of-a-kind collection, which puts you right at ground zero of the 1960s counterculture.”