De Saisset Museum (Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino; 408/554-4528; www.scu.edu/desaisset) • Flashing Back: 1960s Works in the Permanent Collection (thru Apr 13) highlights the work of California artists. • Eye on the Sixties: Vision, Body, and Soul (thru June 15) Selections from the collection of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson focus on the artistic expression that emerged in the 1960’s in the wake of the Abstract Expressionist era. Included are paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints by artists such as Josef Albers, Robert Arneson, Bruce Beasley, Fletcher Benton, Wayne Thiebaud, and more. Tues-Sun, 11-4.
Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts (Stanford: Lomita Dr. & Museum Way; 650/723-4177; www.stanford.edu/dept/ccva) • Tourism and the American Landscape (thru May 4) This exhibit explores the work of Frederic Church, Winslow Homer and Thomas Moran in the context of the new and growing U.S. tourism industry in the 19th-century. Their portraits of the nation’s scenic wonders inspired tourists to go where few had gone before. Works includes nearly 70 painted sketches, along with studio paintings, drawings, books and stereographs. • Makishi: Mask Characters of Zambia (Mar 26–June 29) A selection of 24 wooden masks explores the masquerade traditions of ethnic groups living in the “three Corners” region of Zambia, Angola and the Congo. • Experiments in Navigation: The Art of Charles Hobson (thru July 6) Peruse one of the thirty artist’s books that Hobson published over a 20-year period. The books explore themes of classical mythology, astronomy, surrealism, shipwrecks, and love affairs of famous historical figures, among other topics. Wed-Sun, 11-5, Thurs ‘til 8pm.
The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (San Jose: 560 S. First St.; 408/283-8155; www.sjica.org). • This Show Needs You (thru May 17) This avant-garde interactive exhibition presents art as social exchange and includes workshops, making food, and a wedding. • Lift Off (thru June 14) The 4th annual San Jose State MFA exhibition features the works of up-and-coming young artists. • Night Moves (thru June 14) Artist Ray Beldner uses language from homeless signs to make poetic neon versions that reflect humanity’s shortcomings and vulnerabilities. • Brendan Lott: Memories I’ll Never Have (May 23–Aug 2) By pulling photographs from the Internet and sending jpegs to China where the images are reproduced as oil paintings, Lott challenges notions of art and technology, authorship, globalization and outsourcing Tues-Fri, 10-5pm; Thurs ‘til 8; Sat, 12-5.
San Jose Museum of Art (San Jose: 110 S. Market St.; 408/294-2787; www.sjica.org) ) •Line on the Loose: A Hassel Smith Memorial Exhibition (thru May 18) See the works of one of the most influential San Francisco Abstract Expressionist painters during the 40s and 50s. •Fred Spratt: Color and Space (thru July 6) Spratt’s monochromatic square and rectangular works respond to Minimalism, an extreme form of non-representational art that emerged in the late 1960s, creating vivid interaction between color and space. • Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon (thru Oct 19) This exhibit shows the evolution of robot iconography in art over the past 50 years. Tues-Sun, 11-5.
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (San Jose: 520 S. First St.; 408/971-0323; www.sjquiltmuseum.org) • Core Memory/Peripheral Vision (thru June 8) Exhibits feature the work of eight renowned digital Jacquard and artworks created using digital technology. • Pixels & Pieces (thru June 8) is a selection of historical one-patch quilts from the Museum’s permanent collection. • Advanced Geometry: Gloria Hansen (thru June 8) A selection of art quilts by one of the world’s foremost experts on computer-generated quilt design. • Awareables: Conscious Clothing (thru June 8). This exhibition proves that the marriage between technology and fiber art can yield imaginative and innovative works. Tues-Sun, 10-5.
San Mateo County History Museum (Redwood City: 220 Broadway; 650/299-0104; www.sanmateocountyhistory.com) • Gabriel Moulin’s Photos of the San Francisco Peninsula: Town & Country Homes 1910-1930 (thru Nov 9) See the glory days of the Peninsula elite through the lens of one of California’s premier photographers. Tues-Sun 10-4.
