Chapman University's brand new Hilbert Museum of California Art will officially open on February 26, and will host opening celebrations February 26 and 27. The museum will house and exhibit a world-class collection of California Scene paintings donated to the University by Mark and Janet Hilbert of Newport Beach. This is the only museum in the nation to showcase the work of the California artists who visually captured the history and culture of the Golden State, from the 1920s to the present day.

The museum is located at 167 N. Atchison Street in Orange, across the street from Ruby's Diner and the Orange train station. Regular operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed on Sundays and Mondays. The museum will be open to the public with normal operating hours on Tuesday, March 1. Admission to the museum is free and open to the public, and there is free parking adjacent to the building. 

The first exhibition, curated by California Scene expert Gordon McClelland, is titled Narrative Visions: 20th Century California Art From the Hilbert Collection, and will feature an overview of works from the collection by acclaimed artists Emil Kosa Jr., Lee Blair, Mary Blair, Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Fletcher Martin, Rex Brandt, Phil Paradise, Milford Zornes, and many more. In addition, a recently published hardcover publication featuring 1,000 works from the collection will be available for purchase at the opening events.  

ArtsOC Executive Director Rick Stein led a twelve-member delegation of California arts leaders to Washington, D.C. last week as part of the Western States Arts Federation's annual Arts Leadership & Advocacy Seminar.  The delegation visited Capitol Hill and met with Members of Congress or their legislative staff, connecting with 23 different Congressional offices to discuss funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and arts education initiatives.  Stein is President of the Board of Californians for the Arts, the statewide arts advocacy organization.

On February 25, the Otis College of Art and Design will release its 2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the LA Region, which includes valuable economic impact data on the creative industries and nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Los Angeles and Orange County.  Otis also prepares and will release later this spring its annual statewide creative economy report.  Arts Orange County is pleased to support the Otis Report for a third year as a media partner.

Arts leaders from around the state gathered on January 27 in Sacramento to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the California Arts Council (CAC).  Governor Jerry Brown, who founded the CAC in 1976, spoke at the gathering.  Past CAC Council Members Annette Bening and Peter Coyote also spoke.  In addition to performances by outstanding artists from around the state, the U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera (bottom left) and the State of California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia (bottom right) spoke and recited their work.