Visit the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum Oct. 20, as they celebrate autumn from 5:30-8 p.m. with lawn games, pumpkin painting and DJ sets all night.
“It’s a once in a semester event for students to celebrate with us,” said Public Affairs and Communications Specialist for the Kleefeld, Amanda Fruta.
Admission for the gathering is free, but RSVPs are encouraged by the museum, who have also recruited a Savage Tacos food truck.
The Black owned gourmet food truck is operated by Long Beach locals Keith and Rachel Lukasavage who have made the effort to feed the homeless in Long Beach every Monday with a commitment too, “People over Profit,” according to their website. An order of three tacos costs $10.95 and entrees are $12.95 according to their online menu.
The event is in celebration of three fall exhibitions that first went on display Sep. 6, and In-Between the Silence the inaugural exhibition of Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld.
Described by the museum as, “a place that is not knowledgeable by the mind, but its power and strength can be directly experienced by basking there,” In-Between the Silence contains multiple pieces donated by Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld.
Displaying Kleefeld’s work in a museum named after her has been met with criticism in the past. The described “pay to play,” scenario behind Kleefeld’s permanent exhibitions was viewed negatively, following her $10 million donation that was used to expand the museum.
The other artists whose works are displayed are the late Miyoshi Barosh, whose exhibition The End is a perspective on the end of one’s own life, and Juan Gomez’ BeautifulBlood/Sangre Hermosa.
The End was completed in 2017 two years before Barosh’s death caused by uterine cancer, and was created shortly after her initial diagnosis.
Gomez’s exhibition explores the theme of family sacrifices by using materials to act like gauze throughout his work he creates a connection to helping heal generational scars.
The final exhibition that is part of the event is Hurry Slowly which is a culmination of works acquired over the nearly 50 years of collecting art at CSULB. It includes the first work acquired by the museum, Lucas Samaras’ Photo Transformation (1974), as well as many others that showcase the development of art and connect back to the disciplines taught on campus.
“People really get to know where we came from, where we are, and where we are going,” said Fruta.