By Jorge Villa
After two years of construction, CSULB Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum reopened its doors to the public with a crop of new exhibitions on Saturday, Feb. 12.
The Museum is open with limited hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The opening will serve as a soft launch kickoff event to the CSULB Arts Festival, a semester-long series of arts and culture events presented that unites all the departments under the College of the Arts (COTA), including Dance Carpenter Center and the Museum of school and Art.
The newly renovated building added 4,000 square feet of space, including more galleries, work, and educational areas.
A slew of artists will be showcasing their work in the Main Gallery, Mini Gallery, Community Gallery, David Campagna Prints and Drawings Room, as well as the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld gallery.
Among the artists’ work featured is Linda Besemer’s “StrokeRollFoldSheetSlabGlitch,” Rita Letendre’s “Eternal Space,” Hung Viet Nguyen’s “Sacred Path,” Mark Bradford’s lithographs, David Campagna Prints and Drawings Room, and Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld’s “In-Between the Silence.”
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Another feature of the 11,000 square feet museum is the historic Millard Sheets’ 14-by-11 foot mosaic mural, which was relocated from a bank in Lakewood.
In addition to the space, museum facilities include more inclusive policies to reflect the community at large. Once the museum rolls out its regular open hours, they will introduce specific time brackets ranging from “loud hours, quiet hours, evening hours and dim hours,” catered to help folks who may experience sensory issues.
The theme of the festival is “Together,” which is meant to bring together The Beach community and revitalize campus in a meaningful way.
“We’re really trying to come together around arts and culture, especially as the campus repopulates,” said Amanda Fruta, a public affairs and communications specialist. “We can find artful ways to activate our public spaces in a safe way.”
A full list featuring the programs and calendar will be released on the COTA website and participating organizations by Feb. 18.
