James E. Watts: 'Storyteller'
Sunday: 12 PM - 4 PM
Thursday: 12 PM - 5 PM
Friday: 12 PM - 8 PM
Saturday: 12 PM - 5 PM
About the Event
Curated by Beth Smith, Oceanside Museum of Art's latest exhibition, "Storyteller," showcases the work of San Diego sculptor James E. Watts. Watts' work is immensely character-driven and inspired by beloved and monstrous characters in literature and pop culture. His figurative sculptures are eye-stopping and abstract, and his panel or flat works — generally constructed from reclaimed wood and tin — are jam packed with intricate details.
Opens Apr. 2 and is on view through Jul. 17, 2022.
About the artist:
James E. Watts thinks of his studio as a sanctuary. He named it The James Watts Institute for Artistic Behavior. Located at street level in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, he welcomes people who walk by and pause to look in the window. Watts’s sculpture is often inspired by classic literature such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Don Quixote. Characters from books are transformed as Watts carves, hammers, fastens, and bolts pieces of salvage and scrap metal. He is known for repurposing metal lunch boxes, cookie tins, and assorted metal ephemera.
Curated by Beth Smith, this exhibition sees Watts’s personality in every figure, a light-hearted mix of humor and social commentary.
Read more at the OMA website here.
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Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside Museum of Art is a cultural jewel located in downtown Oceanside with a view of the Pacific Ocean and the historic Oceanside Pier. The museum presents provocative, contemporary exhibitions from the region and around the world. OMA offers concerts, films, lectures, and docent tours. Oceanside Museum of Art is a gathering place where friends meet to share and enjoy the rich cultural experiences available in the region. In addition to a progressive exhibition schedule, Oceanside Museum of Art is housed in side-by-side buildings designed by two of southern California’s most renowned Modernist architects. The classic Irving Gill designed building is nestled against the contemporary Frederick Fisher designed Central Pavilion creating the perfect union of past and present architecture. Exhibitions showcase the finest art of the southern California region from landscape paintings to studio furniture, neon sculpture, art quilts, and architectural glass. OMA’s galleries feature on enlightening survey of contemporary art enriched by the cultures of the community. The museum’s galleries are redesigned for each exhibition, surprising visitors with a fresh, exciting visual transformation for every new exhibit. Admission: OMA Members: free General admission: $8 Seniors 65+: $5 Students free with ID Military and their dependents free with ID North American Reciprocal Museum Program Members free with ID
