Not only is Pomona's Arts Colony hosting its monthly Second Saturday Art Walk, but there are big happenings at the American Museum of Ceramic Art, AMOCA, too.
It's got a fabulous exhibit, a special guest speaker, music, a sneak peek at the 51,000-square-feet floor plan for its new location, plus a chili bowl fundraiser and silent auction.
Hundreds of bowls have been created and donated by local artists for the fundraiser. For $12, a patron can choose a bowl and move down the line for a healthy portion of chili to be scooped right inside; vegetarian chili is available.
AMOCA is especially proud of its current exhibit, "Peregrinacion: Mexican Folk Art," on display through Jan. 8, 2011.
The exhibit features Mexico's contemporary folk ceramics, infused with humor, whimsical stories and festive traditions.
"Peregrinacion" includes catrinas, masks, skulls, tree of life sculptures, devils, mermaids, animals and religious icons.
"Peregrinacion means pilgrimage, a journey. This exhibit is like taking a journey through Mexican culture," said Karen Crews, AMOCA's assistant curator.
More than 50 Mexican artists are represented in the exhibit.
Crews said that ceramic sculpture and pottery are staples of Mexican heritage. The color and styling of a piece can many times be traced back to a single village, reflecting
the culture unique to each region.Saturday's special guest speaker is James Caswell, owner and curator of Santa Monica's Historia Gallery.
Caswell, who specializes in ethnology, art history, shamanism, spirituality and tribal world-view, will give a lecture and lead a tour through the new AMOCA exhibit.
His focus will be on objects that reflect the intertwining of religious and cultural beliefs with the fabric of everyday experience.
AMOCA is also sharing some inside information about its upcoming move to the former Pomona First Federal Bank building, less than a mile from its current location.
The new space will have two huge exhibition halls, ceramic school, artist studios, photography studio, gift shop, ample office space and a large, 165-space parking lot.
The new AMOCA building will also house the Roger and Helen Porter Library, named after the couple who donated more than 3,000 publications on ceramics.
With the acquisition of this building comes the Millard Sheets mural, "Panorama of Pomona Valley," which has been on display there for years.
The mural, which is 7 feet tall and 77 feet long, depicts the 100-year span just prior to the founding of Pomona.
"This building is a great addition to Pomona," said Dave Armstrong, AMOCA's founder, who with his wife, Julie, purchased the building for the museum.
AMOCA is one of the few ceramic museums in the country with its mission to educate by presenting, collecting and preserving examples of significant, worldwide ceramic achievements from ancient times to the present.
diana.sholley@inlandnewspapers.com, 909-483-9381
PEREGRINACION: MEXICAN FOLK ART
Where: American Museum of Ceramic Art, AMOCA, 340 S. Garey Ave., Pomona
When: Through Jan. 8, 2011
Cost: Members and children under 12 free, adults $3, students and seniors $2
Information: 909-865-3146, www.ceramicmuseum.org
AMOCA CHILI BOWL FUNDRAISER
Where: American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave., Pomona
When: Saturday
Cost: $12 includes handmade bowl and chili
Information: 909-865-3146, www.ceramicmuseum.org