Napa Valley Museum Announces The Opening Of California Dreamin' In The Main Gallery

]From August 30 through October 28, 2018 in the Main Gallery, Napa Valley Museum Yountville will present: California Dreamin'. Melissa Chandon and Matt Rogers' joint exhibition at the Napa Valley Museum Yountville embodies the idyllic "California Dream" of freedom and vitality. Paintings of palm trees, lifeguard stations, and woody-style station wagons carrying surfboards set against expansive blue skies capture the indelible collective memory of the relaxed, carefree beach lifestyle that took hold of imaginations around the world in the 1960s. With their vivid dream-like palettes and sense of light and air, Chandon and Rogers have each earned reputations for depicting the essential character of the Golden Coast. This exhibition - which also includes rare woody cars, surfboards and other elements of surf culture - unites the artists' visions, celebrating a moment in time when the world collectively dreamed of the fun and sun of 1960's California, and embraced its spirit of love, peace, and connection. Opening Celebration on Saturday, September 1 from 5 - 7:30 pm is FREE for members; $20 for Non-Members.

With animated, Pop-inspired colors and pared-down compositions, Melissa Chandon's paintings push everyday scenes toward the brink of imaginative, dynamic abstraction. In her vibrant, graphic world infused with California light, landscape breaks down into basic elements-what she calls "core essence"-while shadows and reflections take on a life of their own. Chandon's lifelong fascination with the American vernacular continues: "I am still captivated by the ideal of the holiday or vacation," she notes. "Or perhaps it's just simple pleasures that I relish. The simple row boat, the backyard pool, the tail-fin of a highly designed car from my parents' generation." In her paintings, as in the objects and scenes that inspire her work, color, form, and design fuse into brilliant images that have the air of vividly remembered places.

Matt Rogers' landscapes are fantastical confections whose cotton candy trees and vertiginous depths take us far from realism. Having lived in California his entire life, he is aware of its precariousness, that it represents the California dream - sunsets and palm trees - but also devastation. The California landscape is subject to earthquakes, fires, and mudslides, which Rogers has experienced firsthand. In California, sunshine and noir are always two sides of the same coin. Utopia coexists with dystopia, and beach culture rubs shoulders with counterculture-a paradox that infuses many of Rogers' paintings. In his work, we can sense his deep understanding of California's complicated, dark, bright, beauty. Matt Rogers and Melissa Chandon are represented by Caldwell Snyder Gallery.

Also featured are rare "woody" wagons: a 1939 Packard and a 1948 Buick.

In the Spotlight Gallery August 30 through October 28, 2018: Surfboard Artist Tim Bessell. La Jolla-based contemporary California artist Timothy Bessell is known for the distinctive handmade surfboards he's created throughout his career, having shaped more than 46,000 over the course of his lifetime. Bessell's Artist Series surfboards pay homage to famous artists who have inspired him, including iconic pop artist Andy Warhol. Released in very limited editions, these handmade works, created in collaboration with the Warhol Foundation, take Warhol's graphics and combine them with Bessell's most popular surfboard shapes. Surfboards for sale during the exhibit will benefit the Museum's arts and education programs.

Also on Exhibition: In the History Gallery from July 7 through September 16: 50 Years of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. An interactive and dynamic exhibit to educate museum visitors about the history of the Napa Valley's Agricultural Preserve, the exhibition covers its key players, why and how it was initiated, describes the major challenges and successes of the last 50 years, and provides a view into its future priorities and anticipated challenges and changes. On permanent exhibition in the History Gallery: "Land & People of Napa Valley." Admission to the History Gallery is included with regular Museum Admission.

Museum Admission is $10 Adult; $5 Seniors (65 and older) and Kids under 16; Admission is Free for Museum Members, residents of the California Veterans Home and Active Duty Military. Tickets to the September 1 Opening Celebrations are available through the Museum's website. The Napa Valley Museum Yountville is located at 55 Presidents Circle in Yountville, and is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 to 4 pm. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing unique experiences that enrich the cultural fabric of our community through exhibitions and educational outreach. For more information, call 707.944.0500, email info@napavalleymuseum.org, or visit our website at www.napavalleymuseum.org.

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