THE VIRGIN'S DREAM: 
Beatrice Wood Drawings and Ceramics

May 21 - September 10, 2011
The Groves Gallery

The absurdities of love and life come alive in the drawings and ceramics of renowned California artist Beatrice Wood. The Virgin's Dream, a title taken from one of her signature figurative ceramic works, features a diverse collection from the 1930s to the 1990s of drawings in watercolor, colored pencil and graphite, figurative sculptures, vessels, tiles and plates. Born in 1893, Beatrice Wood was an important figure in the history of Modern Art working with such legends as Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia and others. As the only woman artist to be associated with the Dadaist group in New York during the 1920s, the aspiring artist was dubbed the "Mama of Dada."

This exhibition highlights work from the archives of Beatrice Wood that were donated to Oceanside Museum of Art by David VanGilder in 2010. VanGilder was Wood's archivist and produced an extensive bibliography on the artist during the ten year period he lived with her in Ojai, CA. Along with numerous sketchbooks featuring whimsical drawings by Wood, the museum now houses a diverse collection of drawings and a few ceramic vessels. The exhibition is co-curated by David VanGilder and Danielle S. Deery.

This exhibition is made possible by Irv Simpson and Valya Roenko Simpson