Come and PLAY at PVAC

As many gallery attendants know all to well, suppressing the human desire to touch something beautiful and interesting is a constant struggle.

"Please do not touch the artwork." "We ask that you not touch the artwork." "Don't touch dang it!"

Luckily for South Bay residents, the Palos Verdes Art Center is actively encouraging patrons to touch (band, slap and pull) the art in their new exhibit.

PLAY- New works by Silvie Deutch, evokes a children's playground, where vibrant sound sculptures tempt in visitors to pick up the provided picks, mallets, drumsticks and bows and cavort to their hearts content. I hesitate to call them instruments - the sounds that emit from the art pieces can hardly be called music, but nonetheless there is a soothing tone that resonates from the sculptures when manipulated gently.

The exhibit consists of seven sculptures - five harp-like string pieces, a set of tubular bells, and a large red singing bowl. Bright orange amps connect to the pieces and enhance the sounds through the gallery. Some guests take to the sculptures right away, while others (no doubt conditioned from previous gallery visits) need a bit of encouragement to begin playing. Once they get going, the resulting ruckus can be quite boisterous.

Sprinkled among the art pieces are the original blueprints and diagrams of the sculptures, which Deutsche has on sale for $750 a pop. If you take a fancy to one of her sculptures, they will set you back between $2,500 to $3,500.

Deutsch was the recipient of the 2016 Beverly G. Alpay Scholarship, which awarded her $10,000 to put up a solo exhibition at the PVAC. As an interdisciplinary and collaborative artist, Deutsch has a long history of creating interactive art sculptures that encourage visitors to physically connect with art. It was only natural for her to design these unique art pieces specifically for the gallery space, creating an interactive, immersive environment where visitors can not only connect with the art, but with each other. I imagine patrons visiting the gallery as strangers only to leave as members of impromptu music groups.

Along with PLAY, the Palos Verdes Art Center hosts two other exhibitions through the summer. In the Walker Gallery is Justin Favela: Gracias, Gracias, Thank You, Thank You, where Nevada-based Favela elevates piñatas to high art with three massive portraits of tigers made of glittering tissue paper. Also included is a sculpture of a beglittered six pack of Bud Light, a piñata of a dead horse just asking to be beaten, and a TV with HD looped video of Favela's family gathering in the deserts of Nevada.

The Norris Gallery upstairs currently hosts the PVAC Faculty Exhibition, which includes 21 pieces created by the talented artists who teach classes at the center. The pieces range from drawings, paintings, ceramics and jewelry, and no doubt serve as an impetus for visitors to consider becoming students in one of the many art classes the PVAC has to offer.

PLAY - New Works by Silvie Deutch, and Justin Favela: Gracias Gracias, Thank You, Thank You run form June 10th to July 9th. The PVAC Faculty exhibition will be on display through August 19th at the PALOS VERDES ART CENTER:

5504 WEST CRESTRIDGE ROAD, RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275.