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| Group Show |
| Rob Forbes Selects |
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| July 16-August 20, 2011 |
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| click here for exhibition artwork |
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Opening Reception: Saturday, July 16, 2011, 5:00 to 7:00pm
The Frank Lloyd Gallery is pleased to announce its second annual ceramics exhibit selected by a guest curator. Worldwide design maven Rob Forbes has chosen this year's group exhibit. Last year's selections were made by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Rob Forbes, the founder of PUBLIC Bikes and Design Within Reach, has something in common with Gehry: both have a background in ceramics. Gehry's unexpected connections to the medium were the story of last year's show. This year, Forbes reveals his background as a refined potter and ceramic designer, and chooses the extraordinary group show for the gallery's summer months. The exhibit opens July 16th and continues through August 20.
Forbes' selections vary in this exhibit, as he extolls the virtues of the humble pot and the design of functional vessels. Revealing a refined eye and an ability to point out relationships between disparate elements, Forbes also relies on his knowledge of ceramic history and technology. He has chosen Mark Pharis, a ceramic artist who often works in series, for instance. Pharis, based in Minnesota, makes simple hand-built work that belies an intelligent design background.
At the request of gallery owner Frank Lloyd, a small group of Forbes' work is included in the show. The design community of Los Angeles is sure to welcome the opportunity to view Forbes' ceramics, just as architects flocked to the gallery last year to see Gehry's own pottery. "The gallery program was enriched by the expansive vision of Gehry", says Lloyd, "and we expect that Forbes' way of seeing will demonstrate a new view, as well."
Rob Forbes has a reputation in the design community as a man with a vision. He sees the world of design as part of everyday life, and accessible in common objects, patterns, color and juxtapositions. Rather than characterize himself as an aesthete, he says he is "really a streetwalker", humorously referring to his habit of taking photos of the urban landscape when traveling. His viewpoint is typified by a project of re-publishing George Nelson's Ways of Seeing, a classic modern discourse on the designer's aesthetic. He is also an advocate for communities based on human needs and interactions, facilitated by intelligent and sustainable design. Honored by many design organizations worldwide and chronicled in publications from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times, Forbes has gained a reputation for bringing design to the masses.
Less known is Forbes' background as a potter, ceramic designer, and professor of art. After an apprenticeship to British potter Michael Cardew, and studies in art and aesthetics at the University of California Santa Cruz, Forbes graduated from Alfred University in New York with an MFA in ceramics. He has a significant resume as an exhibiting artist, as well as a background in teaching at the Philadelphia College of Art. All of this precedes his founding of Design Within Reach. Established last year, Forbes' new company is the rapidly growing PUBLIC Bikes.
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