Arts UC Merced Presents will bring internationally renowned artist Gronk Nicandro to the San Joaquin Valley to emphasize the role art plays in people's lives, foster artists’ collaborations and give the public a chance to watch art be created.
Nicandro is a set designer, painter, draftsman and artist based in downtown Los Angeles. In 1970, he became a founding member of the multimedia collective ASCO.
His body of work can be found in various museum collections across the world including UCLA Library, Vincent Prize Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mexican Museum of San Francisco and National Hispanic Cultural Center of Albuquerque.
“This is a rare opportunity to witness an artist create a painting in public view. Visitors are welcome to drop in at the arts center and watch Gronk at work,” said Gail Benedict, producing manager for Arts UC Merced Presents. “He will be happy to stop what he’s doing to answer questions.”
Nicandro's residency at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center runs from Oct. 7 to 19. He will create an original piece of art on a 12-foot-by-8-foot wall in the center, and other pieces of his art will be displayed in the first-floor gallery.
The show, “Gronk: An Urban Narrative,” is the first time Arts UC Merced Presents has hosted an artist in residency, and is another example of the campus's cultural contributions to the region.
“I’m excited to see what Gronk comes up with for ArtHop, occurring on the last day of his two-week visit,” said Dunya Ramicova, artistic director for Arts UC Merced Presents. “There’s no telling what surprises he will have in store for all of us by that time.”
A reception for Nicandro starts at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the arts center, 645 W. Main St. UC Merced Professor Kenichi Yoshida will deliver a lecture at 6:15 p.m., followed by a discussion with Professor Ramon Garcia, of California State University, Northridge, about Chicano art within the context of the contemporary global art scene.
All three events are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and offer their thoughts.
An exhibit of Nicandro's works, along with the new piece of art, will be on display from Oct. 10 through mid-November.
As a set designer, Nicandro has collaborated with world renowned director Peter Sellars on operas in Russia, Madrid, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Ojai. Nicandro collaborated with Ramicova, an art professor at UC Merced, on two opera projects: “Griselda” and “The Indian Queen.”
Additionally, the UC Merced Art Gallery will feature the work of Luis Roberto Vazquez, a young artist studying with Nicandro. A reception for his show will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 8 in the campus gallery, in the Social Sciences and Management Building.
Vazquez is a painter, draftsman and artist based in downtown Los Angeles. His public murals can be seen in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles and Russia.
For more information visit Arts UC Merced Presents’ website, email the organizers or call 209-228-4566. News about events can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
