Feb. 2, 2023

Art museum revives treasures by once-famous sisters

In the 1920s and ’30s, Margaret, Esther and Helen Bruton were the art-world equivalent of literature’s Bronte sisters. They hung out with Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse and Ansel Adams. And their murals, paintings, mosaics and prints wowed critics and the public. Then they faded into obscurity. Some of their works were destroyed, and their deaths went unnoticed by the newspapers and magazines that once printed hundreds of stories about them. Now, UCI’s Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art is helping to restore their legacy, thanks to an unusual chain of events involving a Monterey librarian. This Saturday, the first group exhibition of the Bruton sisters’ art since 1954 opens at Langson IMCA. For a preview of more pieces from the show, click on the hyperlink above and scroll down to #UCIconnected.

A Grammy curse?

The Grammy Awards will be televised this Sunday. Does winning the category for Best New Artist inhibit creativity down the road? Apparently yes, according to research led by Noah Askin, assistant professor of teaching organizations and management at The UCI Paul Merage School of Business. After studying the work of Best New Artist nominees from 1980 to 1990, Askin concluded that a band that “internalizes and absorbs [early] recognition is less likely to earn similar recognition in the future” because the accolades often disrupt and damage the group’s creative process.

Sunday road closures on campus

Because of the annual Zot Trot Triathlon, road closures will be in effect on the east side of campus on Sunday, from 5 a.m. to noon. Detour routes can be seen on a map of the affected areas. Alternate route signs will be posted, and traffic directors will be on hand to guide motorists.

Groundhog makes annual weather forecast

On Groundhog Day 2023, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.

10-year-old girl asks police to test cookie for Santa’s DNA

When a Rhode Island girl sent a partially eaten Christmas Eve cookie and carrots to local police, asking them to test the snacks for Santa’s DNA, the state’s governor and Department of Health got involved and relayed their findings.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic
Saturday, 9 a.m. (sponsored by UCI Athletics)

Airness
Saturday, 8 p.m., through Feb. 12 (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)

Over 50 Years of Research on African American English: Breaking the Cycle
Monday, noon (sponsored by School of Education)

America & the Holocaust: Immigration, Isolationism and Antisemitism
Monday, 6:30 p.m. (co-sponsored by UCI Center for Jewish Studies)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

Art credits:

Margaret Bruton, Helen at Sargent House Studio, circa 1920, Oil on canvas, 40 x 34 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art

Helen Bruton, Woman with Turquoise Bracelet, 1943, Cut ceramic mosaic tiles and cement, 24 x 28 x 1 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art

Esther Bruton, Top of the Tent, 1930, Etching, 17 x 14 in. Edition 2/18. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art

Helen Bruton, Circe, 1949-1952, Ceramic and glass mosaic. 27¼ x 47 in. Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll, © Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll

Esther Bruton, Untitled (Leopard mosaic), circa 1935, S&S ceramic tiles, glass tiles with gold leaf, terrazzo, jade, pebbles, brass, and metal wire, 36 x 30 in. From the collection of Eric and Teresa Del Piero, © Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll.

#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

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