Catalina Island Museum hosts Frida Kahlo Projection Series outside; hosts virtual gyotaku printing demo for members

AVALON—The Catalina Island Museum announced two events that will be going on this month as part of two different exhibits as their galleries remain temporarily closed due to Covid-19.

The museum has brought the “Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray” exhibit outdoors for members, the community, and island visitors to experience. Approximately 50 photographic portraits and prints of Frida Kahlo are being projected as larger-than-life images nightly from 8–10 p.m. along Metropole Avenue and Crescent Street.  The nightly projections began on Aug.  27 and will continue through Sept. 27.

“It is heartening to be able to share the Frida Kahlo exhibition in a unique format during a time when people need it the most,” Julie Perlin Lee, executive director of the Catalina Island Museum, said in a released statement. “During our closure, I have been inspired by the resilience of the Avalon community and museum staff to continuously adapt and creatively find ways to connect during these uncertain times.”

The images of the intimate exhibition display the personal life of Mexico’s most prolific female artist, Frida Kahlo, captured through the lens of longtime friend, lover and confidant Nickolas Muray. The work includes approximately 50 photographic portraits and prints from 1937–1946, including six images that have never before been exhibited in the United States, and a number of intimate letters of correspondence between Kahlo and Muray.

The museum said the outdoor Frida Kahlo projection series allows visitors to experience the exhibition in a different way while the museum’s galleries remain temporarily closed and as one of the last chances to see the portraits in Southern California before the exhibition closes on Sept. 27.

When visiting the outdoor Frida Kahlo exhibition, the museum encourages visitors to take safety precautions including wearing a face covering at all times and practicing safe physical distancing.

In a separate event, on Sept. 26, the museum will host a virtual gyotaku printing demo by artist Dwight Hwang for museum members from 11 a.m. to noon. Hwang’s work is featured in the museum’s current special exhibition “Soot and Water: Gyotaku Records of Catalina.”

Guest curator, Michael VanHartingsveldt, will also join the virtual event to share the history of gyotaku and give a virtual tour of the exhibition. The event will also showcase the printmaking skills of Avalon youth.

The event will take place on Zoom and is open to museum members. It is free of charge but registration is required. Registration can be completed at bit.ly/3k3geps. Membership information can be found at catalinamuseum.org/membership.