Artist Talk | Amy Adler @ the Athenaeum

Please join us for an artist talk by Los Angeles–based artist Amy Adler. Working across the disciplines of drawing, performance, photography, and film, Adler creates an interplay between mediums that focuses itself on the concept of the film still, realized through layered and nuanced hand-drawn images. Adler will share a special presentation of her career, process, recent projects, and 2024 mural for Murals of La Jolla, Location, on Thursday, May 23. The 6:30 p.m. lecture will follow a reception beginning at 6 p.m.

Location speaks to the potential of art as a space for reflection, play, fantasy, and inspiration. The mural image is based on a photograph Adler shot of a playground while scouting locations for a film. This scene was shot at night and is, therefore, empty. Recalling the idea of a stage lying dormant, this vacant setting lies in wait, anticipating the arrival of active participants. As an open-ended narrative, Location sets the stage for a sense of wonder, intrigue, and anticipation.

Adler was born and raised in New York City. She received a BFA from Cooper Union, an MFA from UCLA in 1995, and an MFA in film production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2011. She is a professor of visual art at UC San Diego, where she has been teaching since 2004.

Adler’s work has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, including solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA); the Aspen Art Museum; and UCLA’s Hammer Museum. Her work is featured in the permanent collections of many notable institutions, including the Desde Foundation, Athens, Greece; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Perez Art Museum, Miami, Florida; Hammer Museum; MOCA; and Drammens Museum, Norway. Her short films have been screened at international film festivals, including Frameline, Outfest, and BFI Flare. Adler is a recipient of a 2021 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Mural Members and Makers attend FREE and will receive an email to RSVP for the lecture.

The lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of the lecture.