Press Releases
San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, brings “glaciers” into its art gallery this September. Otherworldly Glaciers: Ceramic Sculptures by Mary Beierle is the first exhibition in the institution’s Open Casa gallery program for the 2019/20 season. The gallery will be transformed into a staging ground for several medium and large-scale glaciers that the artist calls ‘monoliths’ – some over 6 feet tall – that reflect the rugged terrain and tectonic shifts of the American West. Visitors are invited to walk around, peer through and explore the sculptures, which are made from earthenware ceramics. The exhibition will be on display from September 21 to November 3, 2019.
“This body of work is a response to my treks through the American wilderness and my curiosity about our environment,” says artist Mary Beierle. “Using the dramatic imagery of our western landscape and figures from classical sculpture, I hope to create a space for the viewer to contemplate our complex relationship to the natural world.”
The gallery, which has a west wing and and east wing divided by an entrance and exit, will be split into two gallery displays. The west wing will have 5 ‘monolith’ glacial sculptures in icy hues and varying sizes, ranging from 4 feet tall to over 6 feet tall. The east wing will be dominated by a single red piece consisting of a sculpture resembling a female form as an urn, with blood-red ceramic rose petals trailing dramatically behind it.
About Mary Beierle
Mary Beierle grew up alongside the Los Angeles Mountains and has trekked throughout the mountains and glaciers of the American West. The trembling of the tectonic shifts in that rugged terrain and the visual imprint of that geology are major influences in her work.
Beierle’s sculptures are characterized by emerging and receding figures, glazing as subject and composition, and contrasts of scale — from miniature to massive, larger-than-life-size pieces. She is interested in creating an experience of form and space that the viewer may touch, peer into, and encounter from various perspectives.
Initially a biopsychology student, Beierle began her formal art studies after living in Europe and Asia. She received her MFA from California State University, Long Beach where she also received art/travel grants to study Alaskan Glaciers, Paleolithic cave drawings and sculpture, and art studies in Italy, Korea, and China.
Beierle’s art has been exhibited in the United States and Europe including: The Fête Picasso, Vallauris, France; The American Museum of Ceramic Art, the Shoshana Wayne Gallery; the Saltzbrand Ceramic, Koblenz Germany; Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for the Arts and Crafts; the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery; San Bernardino County Museum, and the Wignall Museum Gallery. She has received the Dan McGrath Award for Excellence in Art, the Art Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement, Purchase Award Ink and Clay 30, and the Beverly G. Alpay Art Award. She is a Resident Artist at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA).
If you go: Open Casa: Otherworldly Glaciers is on view from September 22 through November 3 during Casa Romantica’s public hours. Entrance to the exhibition is free with admission to Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens ($5 for ages 13 and up; free for children ages 12 and under) For more information about art exhibitions and cultural events at Casa Romantica, visit CasaRomantica.org/Calendar or call (949) 498-2139.
Open Casa series
Casa Romantica’s Open Casa series shares outstanding contemporary and historic art from around the world within its unique gallery space. In 2018-19, the gallery presented a selection of significant California Impressionist works from the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine, a 360-degree mural experience from LA-based artist Levi Ponce, and two coastal/Southwest exhibitions in photography and painting. In 2017-18, the gallery presented the prominent private collection of California Impressionist works from Peter and Gail Ochs of Fieldstone Homes, paired global exhibitions of artists from the Netherlands and Rwanda, and commissioned works from three prominent Baja California-based Mexican artists. Other recent exhibitions include the work of Michael Childers, a famous celebrity photographer, a commissioned installation of 8,000 pieces of hanging flora by Rebecca Louise Law which received national press; the work of National Geographic photographer Sandro Santioli, the work of award-winning celebrity photographer Douglas Kirkland, and a three-year commitment to the private collection of E. Gene Crain, with oil and watercolor paintings by the California Scene Painters of the 1910s-1960s.
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens maintains a robust series of year-round programs in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature for all ages. Under the leadership of Executive Director Berenika D. Palys, Casa Romantica has commissioned several critically-acclaimed works, including Casa Coastal: Murals of Levi Ponce (2019; visual art), Casa Theater: The Odd-Essy (2019; theater), Casa Kinetic: Culture Shock LA Hip Hop (2019; dance); Casa Coastal: The Art of Baja California (2018; visual art), Casa Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018; theater), Casa Kinetic: Celebrating Tap Dance Legends (2018; dance), Casa Coastal: Rebecca Louise Law (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Contemporary Dance Collective (2017; contemporary dance), The Beauty of the Butterfly (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Carrie Lee Riggins (2016; contemporary dance), Casa Drama: Slings & Arrows (2015; theater), and Open Casa: The Photographs of Douglas Kirkland (2015; visual art). The 2019-20 Casa Captivating season includes a new music program (Casa Vibes), visual and performing arts commissions, and an expanded Casa Kids education program.
“Casa Romantica strives to be the epicenter for innovative artistic experiences in our southern California community,” says Casa Romantica Executive Director Berenika D. Palys.
Casa Romantica also hosts a variety of free arts education programs for children year-round. The institution’s annual Casa Romantica Music Festival and Academy has received critical praise for its comprehensive two-week music studies program in cello, piano, viola, and violin. Casa Romantica also offers a Summer Dance Workshop, a Spring Break Arts Week, various art, literature, and horticulture events to grades K-12, and welcomes over 6,000 children from the Capistrano Unified School District each year for STEAM-based field trips that examine the history of San Clemente and the coastal environment.
