Torrance Art Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Exterior in 2024 | |
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| Established | 2005 |
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| Location | South Bay Area of Los Angeles, California, 3320 Civic Center Dr, Torrance, California, CA 90503 |
| Coordinates | 33°53′57″N 117°45′02″W / 33.8991°N 117.7506°W |
| Type | Art Museum |
| Collections | Painting, Contemporary art , Conceptual art |
| Founder | Erika Grubb |
| Director | Kristine Newhouse (2005-2008), Max Presneill (2009- ) |
| Architect | Renzo Zecchetto Architects |
| Website | Torrance Art Museum |
The Torrance Art Museum (TAM) is a museum for contemporary art, located in Torrance, California. It was founded in 2005 after granting museum status to the previous Joslyn Fine Arts Gallery founded in 1964. TAM is a nonprofit organization, exhibits contemporary art, painting, sculpture, photography, media art, performance and conceptual art through temporary rotating exhibitions in its three gallery spaces. The program features on average five shows per year, per gallery space, collects artworks in a digital archive on the website. Since 2009, the museum has been headed by Director and Head Curator, Max Presneill[1]
In 1960, entrepreneur Marcellus L. Joslyn established a charitable foundation to build facilities for the elderly, aid hospitals, and fund colleges and universities. In 1961, Torrance became a major beneficiary when the foundation provided $75,000—half of the total cost—for the construction of a recreation center. Weldon Fulton Associates was hired to design the 8,760-square-foot facility, which was to include movie theater, a community center, and office rooms and classrooms for teaching art. The Joslyn Recreation Center opened on April 11, 1964. It offered adult craft and art workshops and special events for seniors and students.
Fine Arts Supervisor Erica Grubb was the first to recognize the potential of the Joslin Recreation Center. She developed art classes for adults and children, organized exhibitions, tours to famous art institutions and other social events. She created the Joslyn Fine Arts Gallery in 1964. Beginning in 1978, Grubb pushed the Joslyn to become a permanent art gallery, believing that emerging artists needed to broaden their exposure to contemporary art.[2]
The Torrance Art Museum was founded in 2005 by curator Kristine Newhouse (2005–2008), as the evolution of the Joslyn Fine Arts Gallery. Since 2009, the museum has been headed by director Max Presneill.