Second Sundays: Sargent Claude Johnson and the WPA

Name: Second Sundays: Sargent Claude Johnson and the WPA | The Huntington
Start: Sun, Mar 10 2024
Location: The Huntington

Event

Celebrate the legacy of Sargent Claude Johnson and the Works Progress Administration through artmaking, musical performances, and in-gallery talks at this all-ages event.

In-Gallery Talks

Join Huntington curator Dennis Carr and donors Sandy and Bram Dijkstra for short in-gallery talks.

11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. | Boone Gallery | Dennis Carr discusses the exhibition “Sargent Claude Johnson”
Noon and 12:30 p.m. | Chandler Wing, Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art | Sandy and Bram Dijkstra share insights from the exhibition “Art for the People”

Hands-on Artmaking

Experiment with press molded clay sculpture with guest ceramist Wayne Perry. Create one-of-a-kind clay busts inspired by the “Sargent Claude Johnson” exhibition, or join a collaborative and communal clay-based activity.

Music

Enjoy the eclectic musical stylings of Heart of Los Angeles’ Eisner Intergenerational Big Band, playing selections of Harlem Renaissance jazz.

This Second Sunday program was made possible by generous support from Charlene and Shirley Quan.

About the Exhibitions:

Art deco painting of a soldier grasping a gun, looking toward the sky.

Exhibition

Art for the People: WPA-Era Paintings from the Dijkstra Collection

Dec. 2, 2023–March 18, 2024 | Drawn from the collection of Sandra and Bram Dijkstra, “Art for the People” explores paintings created in the United States between the 1929 stock market crash and World War II.

Learn more

sculpture of wooden head with hand on side of face

Exhibition

Sargent Claude Johnson

Feb. 17–May 20, 2024 | This exhibition of 43 works is dedicated to the work of Sargent Claude Johnson, the California artist whose uplifting portrayals of people of color made him the West Coast’s key connection to the Harlem Renaissance.

Learn more