Now Begin

From a sidewalk cafe at the Paseo Colorado on Thursday, I observed a crowd on the other side of Green Street. They were hard to miss with those banners. It was obvious what they were doing at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, but it wasn't obvious who they were. We have a lot of schools around here.

Because of the date and time, I figure these particular commencement exercises were for Western University of Health Sciences. I don't know much about Western University, but I think it's interesting that they had Temple Grandin as their commencement speaker. And they certainly chose a beautiful place for their ceremony.

Euclidean

I haven't been inside the giant white structure just east of the Civic Center on Euclid. I've Googled, but no luck.

Help me out here. Is it part of the Civic Center? Part of the Sheraton? Or just its own mystical self?

Update: Helen gave us our answer. It's the Civic Center's Temporary Exhibit Space.

Art Night, Art Future

We Pasadenish are a gentle people. We're polite, well-mannered and friendly. We smile and say thank you. We're willing to give way.

Except, apparently, when it comes to public art. We loves us some art and we're passionate enough to fight about it.

You may recall our January discussion regarding the installation of art on the plaza in front of the Pasadena Civic Center. Here at Pasadena Daily Photo comments remained relatively civilized compared to how things heated up in brick-and-mortar real live town.

I've since sworn off local politics on the blog. By its very nature, a daily blog gives me insufficient time to research complicated issues. However, if you want to get involved in Pasadena's art future, specifically at the Civic Center a.k.a. Convention Center, you may want to free up the evening of March 18th to attend a public meeting and voice your opinions.

You might be just the one who can help turn war-like Pasadenamaniacs back into the gentle, peace-loving Pasadenamanians we were all meant to be.

(The photo was taken at the outstanding Pasadena Museum of California Art on Art Night, 3/13/09. Extra Art Night shots on Overdog.)

Civic Center Perspective

Here's a model of Pasadena's Civic Auditorium. It's to scale, but it's not accurate; nobody gets to park on Green Street in front of the auditorium like that.

I want you to click on the photo so you can enlarge it and get a look at the art installations proposed for the plaza. On the left (east) is a piece by Hans Peter Kuhn called Lightfield. On the right (west) is a piece by Dennis Oppenheim called Thinking Caps. Pasadena citizens who care about the look of the city should do a couple of things very soon: read about the pieces here, do some web searching and see other photos and blog posts, and perhaps post opinions here.

And go to the Civic Center if this issue concerns you. This model stands inside the nice new headquarters wing just east of the auditorium. Anybody can walk in there and view it.

Then let the City Council know how you feel about these art works. Do it ASAP, my friends, because this Monday, January 26th, the Council is going to decide whether or not to spend many many millions installing these babies and they need to hear from you toot sweet.

I've received several emails from outraged citizens who want me to blog about these artworks. To tell the truth, I'm less concerned about the works than about their placement, not to mention the seriously bad timing of what looks like frivolous spending against the backdrop of national economic news. (Has anyone in charge here been reading the news? Anyone? Or are the numbers of beggars on the freeway off-ramps increasing because folks just like to beg?)

Some people don't want to have to look at pink and green hats when they step out onto the plaza in front of the Civic Center. I don't blame them. The hats are kind of ridiculous. But frankly I think the hats will hardly be noticeable in comparison with the visual slam that is the Paseo Colorado, with its featureless walls and neon signs blabbing about Tokyo Wako and Pacific Theatres.

Look, art is art. Some people will like it and some won't. That's practically how you define it. But Pasadena's Civic Center itself is a work of art. Or it was, before there was a shopping mall.

Not that we could choose to have it removed. I wasn't here but I'm sure the preservationists tried to prevent the building of it way back when. There was a time when citizens had an unobstructed view from the Civic Auditorium to the Central Library, with a wide avenue leading from one to the other. You can get an idea of it from the first page of this .pdf.

There's no bringing back the past. What do you think of the Civic Center's future?

Update: A link was posted today on Pasadena Insight: It takes you to the blog of the Pasadena Arts Council, where the public can vote “yes” or “no” on the proposed Convention Center public art. Who knew the Arts Council had a blog? Go vote!

Apéritif

The Pasadena Symphony, conductor Jorge Mester and pianist Howard Shelley staged an "open, working rehearsal of music by Mozart" Friday night for Art Night.

I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium but it was okay to shoot in the lobby, where this video presentation showed the rehearsal going on inside. I was disappointed, but I contented myself to photograph a particular lamp above the stairwell twenty or thirty times when I discovered I could hear the orchestra especially well while standing beneath it.

If that was a rehearsal, surely a performance will transport me higher than the stairs.