A new exhibit at the Bakersfield Museum of Art explores the meaning of animals in Japanese culture. Photo courtesy of the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

By Beth Pandol, Director of Marketing, Bakersfield Museum of Art

Four new exhibitions celebrating nature and the garden open Thursday, March 11 at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, including an elegant exhibit on the special meaning of animals in Japanese culture.

“They Swim, Fly, Wiggle, Walk or Slither: The Hidden Code of Animals in Japanese Art” is an exhibit from the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford. Animals play a significant role in Japanese art, not only in paintings, prints and textiles but also in decorative arts such as lacquer ware and ceramics. Japanese fauna is rich with animals like the carp and rooster which carry symbolic significance. This exhibit showcases this fascinating and beautiful depiction of flora and fauna with stunning works focusing on animals that hold special meaning and position in Japanese culture.

Also opening is “Home Grown” by Betty Finch, a Bakersfield-based artist who will be showcasing her avid interest in nature and gourds, which she combines with her previous training as an FBI forensic artist. Finch’s uniquely styled gourds come to life as delightful people and animals.

A man made of gourds by Betty Finch. Photo courtesy of the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

Trained by master gourd artists in both the U.S. and China, Finch uses her skills as a former homicide detective/forensic artist to craft these amazing gourd pieces.

“Everyday Garden” by Francis Baker is a series of photographs and three-dimensional pieces that experiment with the casting of roots in the shape of everyday objects. These creations originated after Baker became fascinated while re-potting plants and observed the root structures that formed the cylindrical shape of the pot.

Newly on display in the Ann Katherine Brown Permanent Collection Gallery, are small pieces by Laddie John Dill. While large-scale pieces are what brought Dill international fame as an artist, these sketches and preparatory drawings from the Museum’s permanent collection give an intimate glimpse into the process of the artist.

Exhibitions run from March 11 to May 23, 2010, with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 11. Admission to the reception is free for museum members and $10 for others. There will be appetizers and a no-host bar. The museum is located at 1930 R Street. For more information call 661-323-7219 or visit www.bmoa.org.