Wayne Thiebaud, Sun Fruit, 1963, Oil on canvas, 12” x 14", Collection of Richard L. Nelson Gallery, University of California, Davis

The Pasadena Musuem of California Art (PMCA) will open four new exhibits. On view in the Main Gallery is You See: The Early Years of UC Davis Faculty featuring work of five UC Davis faculty members Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest, Manuel Neri, Wayne Thiebaud and William T. Wiley, all five artists came to teach at UC Davis between 1960 and 1965. The five artists are sometimes identified with "California funk," characterized by bawdy irreverence, iconoclasm and self-deprecating humor. Their work was instrumental in creating a regional movement that served as a counterpoint to the established New York art scene.

Also in the Main Gallery is Edith Heath: Tabletop Modernist. This exhibition focuses on the life of Edith Heath and her defining influence on California design through pottery. Popular at dinner tables across the country and featured in many of the early American industrial design exhibitions, Heath Ceramics helped define mid-century modernism.

On view in the Back Gallery is TRAFFIC! by Benny Chan. Chan has worked diligently over the past few years to photograph overhead views of Los Angeles freeways during the height of rush hour. Using a camera designed and manufactured exclusively for this project, Chan has taken pictures from high in the sky from a helicopter and has rendered monumental sized prints. With his almost omniscient perspective, Mr. Chan explores and sheds light on the conundrum of traffic as a symptom of a society being unable to keep pace with its own expansion, while at the same time rendering a serene beauty from the chaotic scene.

In The Project Room view Annie Lapin: Parallel Deliria Iteration which the artist describes as “a never ending painting in three dimensions.” The installation is comprised of recycled components from previous installations, discarded works from Lapin’s studio practice, and new elements added in response to the architecture of the PMCA Project Room. The visual impact of the resulting installation is, like her paintings, marked with the artist’s internal struggle to break free of the constraints of the spatial limitation inherent in the act of painting.

All four exhibits will be on view through September 20. PMCA is located at 490 E. Union Street, Pasadena. Admission to the Opening is $5.00 for non-members and free to members. General admission prices are $7.00/adults, $5.00/students and seniors and free to members. For more information call (626) 568-3665 or log onto www.pmcaonline.org.