Throughout the year the Fresno Art Museum offers patrons the opportunity to view a wide variety of diverse and contemporary art.
The museum periodically changes up its exhibits, and the current exhibits at the museum are “Sikh: Legacy of the Punjab,” “Edges: From the California Art Collective,” “Ad Infinitum: The sculpture of Rafael X. Reichert” and “Nights in the Square: Revolution in Egypt.”
The exhibits have been on display since Jan. 19 and will be on display until April 30 when new exhibits will take their place.
The main exhibit, “Sikh: Legacy of the Punjab” showcases the art of and educates people about the Sikh culture. The exhibit is comprised of art from the eighteenth century to the present. The items in the exhibit include paintings, armor, weapons, musical instruments, sacred texts and modern art. It also features a scale model of the Darbar Sahib, a sacred space in India.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about the Sikh culture and the local Sikh community wanted to help educate about who they are,” Executive Director Linda Cano said. “The community can learn a tremendous amount. They can learn who the Sikhs are, their contributions to culture and their background. You can get an idea of who they are. They are a very cohesive group and great contributors to our community.”
The exhibit, “Edges: From the California Contemporary Art Collective,” is based on the theme of edges and how edges appear in and affect the work of the artists. The exhibition features the work of artists such as Donnalee Dunn, Juliana Harris, Linda Koch, Anne Scheid, Trude McDermott, Joan K. Sharma and Robert Weibel.
“All the work is contemporary, some of it is more abstract,” Cano said. “Trude McDermott tends to get more abstract. Julianna Harris’ art is quiet, very contemplative and reminds me a little of Monet. Anne Scheid is a personal favorite of mine. She has a little figure in her art as does Robert Weibel.”
“Ad Infinitum: The Sculpture of Rafael X Reichert” is another exhibit in the museum and uses found objects to create assemblage sculptures. All the pieces to the sculptures are from objects that Reichert found from around the world.
“It’s a very complex show,” Cano said. “He found all the objects and incorporated them into his work over a very long period of time. He is a world traveler and just picks up things from wherever he goes.”
Photographs taken by A. Sameh El Kharbawy are used for the exhibit “Nights in the Square: Revolution in Egypt,” which is an exhibit comprised of photographs from last year’s revolution in Tahrir Square in Egypt. Kharbawy’s photographs capture the turmoil and celebration that occurred last year in Tahrir Square and some of his photos use an almost vintage look to capture the historic moment.
“He was waiting for a group of students for a study abroad when the revolution occurred,” Cano said. “He told them not to come out because of a difficult political situation, but he went out every day and night into Tahrir Square and took pictures of the revolution.”
The exhibits will be open to the public until April 30 when new exhibits will be put on display. The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.