Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
Museum Celebrates JTHAR’s 15-Year Anniversary with Exhibition
Innovative Art Inspired by Regional Desert Landscapes Opening September 18
The San Bernardino County Museum is honored to showcase the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR) 15-year anniversary celebration exhibition from September 18, 2021 – January 3, 2022. The exhibition celebrates this anniversary by showcasing thirty-five artworks completed during the residency. The artists selected are at all stages of their careers and work in all media, including drawing, painting, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and non-fiction writing, interdisciplinary, social practice and architecture.
The museum recognizes JTHAR’s important work to engage emerging and seasoned artists in the Joshua Tree experience which allows for remarkable creativity as demonstrated in this upcoming exhibition. They also acknowledge the power of these resident artists and their resulting literal, abstract, and conceptual expressions to serve the cause of environmental sustainability, through influencing public opinion. Museum Director, Melissa Russo shared, “The San Bernardino County Museum is proud to host this 15-year anniversary exhibition of the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR). The museum has a long-standing relationship with artists and art organizations throughout our Southern California region, supporting vibrant and unique creative community through exhibitions and programs.”
Over the past 15 years, JTHAR has hosted 110 national and international artists from Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and over 17 states across the United States. Curator and JTHAR advisory board member Alma Ruiz praised the organization’s achievements, “We can only marvel at what the JTHAR founders have accomplished in a relatively short time. The residency’s reach in its short existence is to be commended and encouraged. Its positive impact on the artists’ professional growth is evident.”
Established in 2007 by founders Fredrick Fulmer and James Berg, JTHAR is a non-profit artist residency that awards an international community of artists the gifts of time and space amidst the extraordinary natural beauty of Joshua Tree National Park. Group and solo residencies of six to seven weeks include scholarship funds, living accommodations, studio space designed to accommodate a broad range of artistic activity and a gallery exhibition.
The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.
The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free. For more information, visit http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.
