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A naturally occuring ring of trees is called a Cathedral. In the center is the oldest, largest tree that drops seeds, which become seedlings and eventually large trees around the center tree. There is a natural ring of redwood trees (200 plus feet tall) where I lived in the Santa Cruz mountains. In the center of the ring was a ‘mother’ tree that had been struck by lightning and was charred black. Before the ‘mother’ tree was struck by lightning, it had dropped seeds in a ring around it, which grew to be huge giants. I have been fascinated by the fact that within a ring of trees, after the center ‘mother’ tree dies (struck by lightning or otherwise killed) the trees around it send glucose via the roots to the dying tree and keep it alive sometimes for decades. I invite visitors to enter the ring of trees, created with gossamer silk chiffon panels and hope to create a tranquil and contemplative, immersive environment.

Diane Williams is a non-binary immigrant artist from the Philippines whose interdisciplinary work stems from the political and social landscape that surrounds her—specifically the ethnically diverse neighborhoods of Los Angeles. These neighborhoods are a “melting pot,” a testament to the idea that people of diverse backgrounds and identities can live harmoniously. By creating works regarding immigrants and gender, Williams’ work encourages cultural and social understanding by focusing on the duality, hybridity, and ambiguity that exists in diverse cultural narratives and identities. In the series Monsters and Aliens, Williams creates a variety of masks crafted from what she calls “cultural detritus”: shredded paintings and other discarded materials such as fabrics and yarn that have been salvaged from local shops that are traditionally owned, run and supported by immigrants. She wears these masks to signify “other” in her performances and self-portrait photographs. By completely covering the wearer’s face, the mask both takes away their humanity and transforms them into a human/animal hybrid, recalling female monsters from Ancient Greece, such as Medusa, the Sirens, and Chimera. These creatures were considered powerful, evil, and frightening. Williams wants the viewer to question what they fear from strangers and reflect on their own prejudices with respect to race and gender. Diane Williams is an interdisciplinary artist and organizer based in Los Angeles, California. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach in 2013 and is currently a 2021 Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Southern California. Her work has been featured in select publications and radio interviews including Los Angeles Magazine, LA Weekly, Artillery, Art and Cake, P&A Magazine and KPFK. Williams exhibited in several solo and group shows at the Armory Center for the Arts, Walter Maciel Gallery, The Lancaster Museum of Art and History, PØST, Cerritos College Gallery, Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art RAFFMA, Children’s Museum of the Arts New York, Berkeley Art Center, San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries SFAC and Grafiska Sällskapet Stockholm, Sweden among others. Her art is held in private collections and the public collections of the National Immigration Law Center, Los Angeles and Washington DC headquarters and Azusa Pacific University.

CODE Karchi Perlmann August 13 - October 23, 2022 Back to All Exhibitions CODE is a collection of images that have been deconstructed within its digital file, or in other words, hacked in its “DNA.” Toppling the code of the original image file can affect properties such as contrast, RGB (Red-Blue-Green) values, and the pixel properties’ structure and order. It may even cause an image to cease to exist. These changes appear like glitches from a motion picture, presenting new forms and conditions, contributing to the large-scale artworks’ prominent and subtle sensory experience. While Perlmann specifically targets certain image properties, the final results are always unexpected and randomly calculated, leaving traces of human activity in the subject’s virtual and physical environment. This ongoing body of work is rooted in the conventions of the alternative processes of photography. However, this exhibit pushes beyond these processes by examining the foundation and entity of an image. Perlmann proposes the following questions for consideration when viewing his work: is an image a virtual or physical entity? Is a traditional photograph an image or a physical expression of a perception? Are all visual artists, in essence, image makers, constructors of ideas and concepts, generators of mirages of a world that resides in the human psyche? And lastly, what is the place of an image in the human experience? Leaving to interpretation whether an image’s building blocks are its code or the image is, in effect, a code of human perception. Perlmann is interested in creating images that yield an exchange between reason and the enigmatic, or the explainable and unexplainable. Many of his works are reactive for both the viewer and himself, “giving voice to profound encounters that trigger the instinctive, emotional, and intellectual self.” Perlmann was born in Budapest, Hungary, where his journey began as a photographer, independent filmmaker, and imaging artist. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where his work focuses on Southern California and his immediate environment.

Dream Feelers Thinkspace Projects December 15, 2024 - February 2,2025 Back to All Exhibitions Opening Reception: Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 4 - 6PM Dream Feelers, curated by Thinkspace Projects , explores dreams and their transformation from idea to object. Using ceramic, the artists of Dream Feelers interpret their own dreams, molding clay to bring subconscious thoughts into reality. The exhibition considers the dream as sculptural representation examining the link between the visible and the invisible. The exhibiting artists harness this intangible, individual experience and bring their dreams into the shared physical realm. These ‘dream feelers’ help the viewer to envision what lies beyond our normal perception of reality. This exhibition features new work from: Natalia Arbelaez, Megan Barnes, Emily Yong Beck, Benjamin Cabral, Fl.our Pots, Hunter Harvey, Yasuhito Kawasaki, Haylie Jimenez, Sydnie Jimenez, Janiece Maddox, Janina Myronowa, Sachi Moskowitz, Jeffery Sun Young Park, Thomas Martinez Pilnik, Adam Shrewsbury, Amy Sol, Austyn Taylor, Chidi Ukwuoma. Andrew Hosner, co-founder and curator of Thinkspace, has been a pivotal figure in Los Angeles Street Art and New Contemporary Movement for nearly two decades, championing emerging and established artists globally. Established in 2005, Thinkspace has gained international acclaim as a leading force in the New Contemporary Art Movement, an ongoing artistic movement that showcases a diverse array of talent. Thinkspace has curated exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Museum of Art and History (MOAH) among others.

The Cathedral (The Shrine of Trees, The Sisters and The Mother) Miya Ando June 23, 2018 - September 2, 2018 Back to All Exhibitions A naturally occuring ring of trees is called a Cathedral. In the center is the oldest, largest tree that drops seeds, which become seedlings and eventually large trees around the center tree. There is a natural ring of redwood trees (200 plus feet tall) where I lived in the Santa Cruz mountains. In the center of the ring was a ‘mother’ tree that had been struck by lightning and was charred black. Before the ‘mother’ tree was struck by lightning, it had dropped seeds in a ring around it, which grew to be huge giants. I have been fascinated by the fact that within a ring of trees, after the center ‘mother’ tree dies (struck by lightning or otherwise killed) the trees around it send glucose via the roots to the dying tree and keep it alive sometimes for decades. I invite visitors to enter the ring of trees, created with gossamer silk chiffon panels and hope to create a tranquil and contemplative, immersive environment.

Coyotes, Whiskey and Fireworks Matt Picon August 12, 2017 - September 23, 2017 Back to All Exhibitions Matt Picon was born and raised throughout Southern California and is currently living and working in El Paso, Texas. With a background in photography and graphic design, his work moved to site-specific interventions and video installations prior to obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia at Arizona State University in 2013. He invested in creating relationships between traditional and non-traditional materials and how they communicate form, history and purpose to the viewer. The objects and installations vary on material use, but are mainly constructed of repurposed wood and steel with other conventional materials applied in alternative ways. Sculptures from a recent body of work entitled “Coyotes, Whiskey, and Fireworks,” are based on historical research, observations and personal experiences in the Mojave Desert, specifically the Antelope Valley. Calling Lancaster home during his formative years, Picon found it necessary to revisit and focus on not just his memories of the region but also the stories that came before his own. In response, Picon has created sculptures and installations that address the landscape, suburban development, homesteads, historical forms and personal stories.

March 31 - May 15, 2022 The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) and MOAH:CEDAR are excited to announce the Museum’s 37th Annual High School Student Art Exhibition! Hosted virtually by MOAH:CEDAR, an institution that has a long standing history of being recognized as the community hub of art and culture. This highly anticipated event promises an unforgettable opportunity for students and community members alike. Media categories featured in the exhibition include: painting, drawing, ceramics, digital and film photography, 2D and 3D and mixed media.

What’s going on here? Artist Lynne McDaniel explores society’s complicated relationship to nature. For many years her work has been concerned with environmental issues. McDaniel uses the language of the landscape to explore changes created by wars, human intervention, and the passage of time. The scene may be beautiful, but there is always an element of ambiguity. The incursion can be a subtle dash of color, or a more violent stroke or erasure. The destabilization or interruption of what is happening in the paintings reflects her growing uncertainty about what is happening on the larger canvas of the world. Most of McDaniel’s work from the last year or so reflects the contraction of her world to the streets surrounding her home in the foothills of Los Angeles. McDaniel found herself unable to engage with disasters and catastrophes and found herself seeking solace in the landscape of the daily walks she takes around her home and studio. The paintings document her movement through the physical space as well as the subtle changes occurring over time. The resulting work forms a sort of journal of McDaniel’s experience, a recording of daily activities during safer at home orders that gives an accounting of time, and status to small things. McDaniel is still more fascinated by the questions than the answers.

After taking a step back from illustration, artist Godeleine de Rosamel has worked primarily in ceramics, creating unique life-forms and vegetation that inhabit a whimsical yet earthly domain. She embraces the innocence of her childhood drawings, bringing those creatures from the page into our third dimension. De Rosamel's interest in natural history is evident not only in her subject matter, but also in her process. She combines materials like clay, pigment, and sticks to create creatures that appear to come from a world adjacent to our own. In de Rosamel’s practice, she assumes the role of “Creator” by sculpting new species to populate her human-less utopia. In her world, politics, gender, and suffering do not exist. Instead, her charming, well-fed creatures roam freely through forests and sleep under trees. They reside in an idealized setting, where leisure and tranquility are at the forefront. Through her earthy color palette and each creature’s laissez faire demeanor, she maintains a softness and levity in her work. Her world is a utopia far from our own, and far from the devastating impacts of human activities on biodiversity on our planet.   Godeleine de Rosamel is a French artist based in Los Angeles, California. Born in Lille, France, de Rosamel’s passion for art began early when she was just a child drawing animals and taking her first ceramics class at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. In 1986, she attended the Ecole de Recherche Graphique (ERG) in Brussels, Belgium, where she graduated with a Fine Arts degree and began a career as a children’s book illustrator. Her whimsical illustrations have been featured in a number of books in France and Belgium. In 2001, she moved to Los Angeles and continued her career as an illustrator for several years until ultimately switching gears and to focus on her ceramics practice.

The Math Literacy students and teachers of Antelope Valley Union High School District in collaboration with MOAH museum are proud to present "Tessellation World." An exhibition that emphasizes the understanding of spatial reasoning, geometric concepts, and measurement in real-life situations that require problem solving, communication, reasoning, and analysis of information and further deepens the connection between art and mathematics.

Presented in collaboration with Thinkspace Projects, Los Angeles Spenser Little is a self-taught artist who has been bending wire and carving wood for almost 20 years, allowing his creativity to morph into images that range from simple wordplay to complex portraits. He has related his wire work to a mixture of playing chess and illustration, as the problem-solving component of the work is what continues to inspire himself to create larger and more complex pieces. Some works contain moving components and multiple wires, but mostly the pieces are formed from one continuous piece of wire that is bent and molded to Little’s will. He has left the wire sculptures all over the world, in locations that range from the Eiffel Tower to the bottom of caves, their location selected with little discernment, only for the piece to be finally realized at the moment that someone discovers the surprise piece of art. Little has taken part in numerous POW! WOW! mural festivals in the past few years, which has exposed his work to an entire new audience via their network of art sites/blogs and having his work shared all over the world including the likes of the Antelope Valley (Lancaster, California); Long Beach, California; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Honolulu, Hawaii; Israel; and San Jose, California. Regarding his new body of work, Spenser shares “To me, all art is a form of illumination devices. For this exhibition I have built a new series of mixed-media kinetic lamps. The lamps serve as bright facades for inner, hidden chambers. Looking through their constantly closing and opening doors, viewers are offered a peak at what makes them tick. Like the different layers we develop throughout our lives, we only allow certain people to see our most inner workings, while the majority are only able to see our polished exteriors. The lamp building process begins with the wood carving of the central character's head. I then weld a round bar frame for the outline of the body. I don’t put much forethought into where the design will go, aesthetic or engineering wise, which allows me to adapt any spontaneous idea during the build. Once I have the legs and body welded out and sized to the wooden head, I begin to problem shoot the kinetic portion of the build. Which is the unnatural part for my purely sculptor’s brain. Once all of the kinetic components are complete, I clean and bake the paper skin on the lamp, allowing them to come to life.” www.thinkspaceprojects.com

Untethered Sonja Schenk January 8, 2015 Back to All Exhibitions Sonja Schenk is an artist based in Los Angeles. She began as a video artist and has since turned to painting and sculpture. She has participated in group shows at the Vincent Price Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Center, Tarfest LA, and Cerritos College Art Gallery. Her work has been featured in NY Arts Magazine, the Eastbay Express, the San Francisco Chronicle, Forth magazine, and at rhizome.org. She has had shows in Northern California, Los Angeles and has been invited to do a site-specific work at a museum in Switzerland, her first show outside the U.S. Noah Thomas' exploration of sound is influenced by landscape and by an internal landscape/soundscape embodied in the construction of ‘place.’ Thomas’ improvisational practice currently uses the analogue manipulation of sound from a variety of sources, looped digitally and offset in time to create a sense of space/place. The instruments he uses include trumpet, cedar flute, conch, keyboard, Theremin, tonal percussion instruments, sound toys and natural objects. Thomas used a variety of these instruments to interpret Sonja Schenk’s paintings and sculptures during the opening reception. Just as the physical landscape delivers a wide range of sensory cues, clues and delights, so do Thomas’ soundscape. Together with Sonja Schenk’s works, which stack and crumble, rise and fall like the terrain, they become a new construction of place.