The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA) at California State University, San Bernardino will have the last week of “Made in California: Art + Photographic Portraits of Artists by Shimabukuro.” The exhibit will run until Saturday, Dec. 7.
 
The exhibition presents fine art photographer Wayne Shimabukuro’s insightful portrait photographs of renowned California artists alongside their often iconic works.
 
“The exhibition’s idea was conceived when Wayne Shimabukuro donated a large portfolio of his photographs to RAFFMA in 2017,” said Eva Kirsch, director of RAFFMA. “Going through the list of the artists’ names, we started imaging our ‘Made in California’ exhibition – not a comprehensive, thematic presentation of California art like the LACMA’s significant 2001 exhibition under the same title, subtitled, ‘Art, Image, and Identity 1900-2000.’ Ours is just a selection of artworks and portrait photographs of artists – all made in California.”
 
According to Shimabukuro’s website, the Los Angeles native has been photographing California artists for more than 30 years, initially in the 1970s as “a casual endeavor,” which “gradually became a committed project.” In search for “insight, a sense of place, a bit of narrative,” Shimabukuro typically shoots his portraits in the artist’s studio, each time approaching it fresh, with no preconceived notions of how the sitting should go. By working patiently and fluidly with his sitters, Shimabukuro creates images of great compositional and psychological clarity, strong and stunning, potentially iconic statements of presence. Recently, in conjunction with the “Made in California” exhibition, he revisited the artists’ studios and photographed many of the artists again after many years.
 
Each portrait photograph of an artist in the RAFFMA exhibition is matched to an artwork by each of the portrayed artists. The result is eclectic – very Southern California. The exhibition features artworks of different genres and mediums, from paintings and sculptures, through drawings and prints, to installations and media art – all made in California from the mid-1960s through today.
 
The list of artists in the exhibition contains close to 40 names, from Kim Abeles to Habib Zamani, and includes such well-recognized artists as John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, David Hockney, Sam Francis, Ed Moses, Astrid Preston, Monique Prieto, Alyson and Betye Saar, and Ed Ruscha. 
 
To learn more about Shimabukuro, visit his website at wayneshimabukuro.com.

About RAFFMA
The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, houses a collection that includes Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art, and hosts ca. 10-12 temporary exhibitions a year. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA presents the largest public display of ancient Egyptian art in Southern California. The exhibition, Journey to the Beyond: Ancient Egyptian in the Pursuit of Eternity, will be on display through May 2020.
 
General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $6 per vehicle ($3 on weekends).
 
RAFFMA Hours
Monday – Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday: Noon - 8 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Friday and Sunday

Visit the RAFFMA website for more information.