Science-themed ‘Pacific Standard Time’ for 2024 takes shape with Getty art grants
"Indigenous futurism. Narrative medicine. Cyberpunk and digital dystopias. Soil contamination. Environmentally sustainable mega-cities.
These and other topics will be explored in “Pacific Standard Time: Art x Science x L.A.” in 2024. The Getty Foundation announced Wednesday the 45 Southern California cultural and educational institutions that will collectively receive more than $5 million in exhibition research grants. “Pacific Standard Time: Art x Science x L.A.” will include dozens of concurrent exhibitions as well as performances, publications and other programming, all exploring the intersection of art and science.
The funding comes at a critical time when most of these cultural institutions have been closed for 10 months, resulting in unprecedented financial challenges. In November, the American Alliance of Museums released a survey reporting that nearly a third of museums in the U.S. were concerned about permanent closure within 12 months should they not receive additional financial relief.
“It feels like a very important moment to us,” Getty Foundation Director Joan Weinstein said. “Being part of PST is also being part of a community. And in this current crisis we’re not going to have a resilient community without this network of museums, large and small, working together.”
César García-Alvarez, director of the Central-Alameda art space the Mistake Room, said in Wednesday’s announcement that the Getty’s pandemic-era support “allows institutions like ours to take on major projects that not only encourage us to think big but also gift us opportunities to build meaningful community partnerships for the future.”
The grant recipient projects sound both far reaching and specific to our time, exploring sci-fi-like ideas about artificial intelligence, space exploration and biomedical technologies along with more urgent issues such as social justice, climate crises and global health and medicine.
Boyle Heights-based Self-Help Graphics & Art received $110,000 for “Sinks: Places We Call Home,” exploring how industrial waste and soil contamination affect communities of color. Artists Beatriz Jaramillo and Maru Garcia will deep-dive into the local landscape, working with Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County scientists and Self-Help Graphics to investigate the effects of practices at nearby manufacturing sites. The project will include community participation and virtual reality elements.
Also exploring pollution, climate crisis and environmental justice: the Hammer Museum in Westwood received $215,000 for “Breath(e): Towards Climate and Social Justice.” The museum will bring together contemporary artists and activists along with scientists, architects and designers to probe the effects of pollution and other environmental issues on underserved communities who have been subject to various forms of discrimination. It also explores proposed solutions for saving our planet." — Deborah Vankin, Jan. 27, 2021
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Los Angeles Times website.
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