Events

Torrance Art Museum – ¿WILD?

Torrance Art Museum (TAM) presents the inaugural year of its collaborative public art residency project ¿WILD? was founded in 2022 by Madrona Marsh and Torrance Art Museum as a collaborative project. An integral part of the project is its non-institutional setting and environmental footprint. Over the period of a month in the spring and the fall the program fosters cross disciplinary exchange and exploration. During this period the artist-in-residence will research, develop, and build a site specific work of public art to be presented on the grounds around the preserve for four months. The program is made possible thanks to the support of Torrance Art Museum Advocates, Friends of Madrona Marsh, and the City of Torrance.

Katie Shanks (they/them) is a Los Angeles based fiber artist. Since receiving their BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University Long Beach in 2010, they have emphasized the cultivation of community and connection—as a founding member of the art collectives Somewhere in LA, Level Ground, and Acceptable Risk Los Angeles and taking part in artist run initiatives and exchanges such as High Beams, BLA Connect, NOMAD, and TAM Forum. Over the years, Shanks has enriched their practice taking scenic byways through millinery, fashion, installation, and performance—embracing the multifaceted nature of the work and always pursuing new mediums to best communicate feeling and convey meaning. Their work has long been inspired by the landscapes—natural and urban—that surround them in their vast and varied home-state of California. Accepted into Tulane’s MFA Program in Sculpture in the Fall, it will be necessary to say goodbye in order to close this chapter to open and begin writing the next.

Katie Shanks’ project will be on display May 16 -September 16, 2023.

Dodd Holsapple creates contemporary visual artwork examining distinctive composition blended with a maximized color theory set to data driven patterning, mathematics and time executed to verify environmental awareness. Themed visuals weave through color filled constructions with rigid, measured definitions of space that embrace a highly developed use of method and unique compositional balance culminating to amplify today’s contemporary landscapes in crisis. Creating a recognizable contemporary style, Dodd’s work is bursting with rhythmic and thematic technical visuals that document multiple moments into vivid complex visions. Inspired by research about environmental conditions and scientifically collected data, charts and graphs Dodd explores art as social response awareness and habitat defender. These engaging works are executed as a true art experience for the viewer telling a visual story with purpose and unexpected movement that deeply invites the audience to look passionately into contemporary fine art spirited by the environmental concerns.

Dodd Holsapple’s Project will be on display November 14, 2023 -February 14, 2024.

About Madrona Marsh and Nature Preserve
The Madrona Marsh is the last remaining vernal freshwater marshes in Los Angeles County; it is a mix of several micro-habitats and is classified as an “SEA.” Significant Ecological Area (SEA) designation is given to land that contains irreplaceable biological resources.

Madrona Marsh & Nature Preserve
3201 Plaza del Amo
Torrance, CA 90503