Image: Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside Museum of Art will stage an 'Off The Wall' conversation on October 17, bringing together a curator, artist, journalist, and museum leader to discuss sea-level rise and its effect on Southern California’s art community. The program is tied to 'Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean', OMA’s exhibition examining the environmental and cultural pressures facing the Pacific Ocean.
The museum describes 'Off The Wall' as a conversation series that gathers community leaders, artists, and curators for discussions of current affairs affecting the creative health and well-being of the region. The format combines moderated discussion with audience participation, with the aim of bringing art “off the walls and into our daily lives.” For this installment, OMA will feature Cassandra Coblentz, the lead curator of 'Transformative Currents'; artist Fran Siegel; Los Angeles Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia; and Katie Dolgov, OMA’s director of exhibitions and collections.
The discussion will focus on the impact of sea-level rise on Southern California’s art community and on how science and art can work together to build awareness and prompt change. That framing links the public program directly to the museum’s broader exhibition theme. According to OMA, 'Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean' examines the historical causes and ongoing effects of cultural and environmental devastation in the Pacific and considers art’s potential to support ecological change at both planetary and local scales.
'Transformative Currents' is organized around ocean currents and presents works in diverse media by 21 contemporary artists and collaborative teams. The exhibition addresses interconnected issues affecting the oceanic environment, including climate change, industrial pollution, and overfishing, while stressing the relationship between local actions and global problems. OMA says the show also unites art, science, and Indigenous knowledge systems in an effort to raise awareness and improve coastal conditions.
The museum has said the exhibition is presented in two parts, with one portion on view from August 17, 2024, through January 19, 2025, and another from September 7, 2024, through February 9, 2025. OMA notes that the project is also being extended through satellite presentations at the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa and the Crystal Cove Conservancy in Newport Beach.
The October 17 'Off The Wall' event will take place at Oceanside Museum of Art from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Admission is listed at $15 for visitors, $10 for members, and $5 for Artist Alliance members and students.
