Exhibitions

Photo of E.T. Bell from the Caltech Archives

Caltech Writers: Part I

By Michelle Turner | March 28, 2018

One of the greatest overlaps between science and science fiction over the past century has been Caltech. Several great SF writers have spent part or all of their academic years…

Bust of actor Glenn Strange as Frankenstein

It’s Alive!!

By Michelle Turner | March 14, 2018

Two centuries ago, this year, a single book created a whole new genre, that of what we now call science fiction. The book was Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, but…

1967 Rose Princess gown by William Cahill

William Cahill: Wedding Couturier and Royal Court Designer

By Michelle Turner | November 8, 2017

The Royals of Pasadena: Rose Queen® and Royal Court exhibit features eight gowns by world renowned wedding dress designer, William Cahill (1918 – 2005). William Cahill is remembered as a…

batchelder tile factory sketch

Ernest Batchelder: Educator, Designer and Tilemaker: Part II

By Michelle Turner | October 25, 2017

This essay is adapted from the text in the exhibit Batchelder: Tilemaker, which was on view at Pasadena Museum of History from September 2016 through March 2017. Ernest Batchelder: Educator,…

Sketch by tilemaker Ernest Batchelder

Ernest Batchelder: Educator, Designer and Tilemaker: Part I

By Michelle Turner | September 27, 2017

  This essay is adapted from the text in the exhibit Batchelder: Tilemaker, which was on view at Pasadena Museum of History from September 2016 through March 2017. Ernest A.…

rose hall design drawing

Calling on the Rose Muse: Creating the “Royal Rose Hall” Installation

By Michelle Turner | September 20, 2017

As a member of the curatorial team for the Royals of Pasadena exhibit, I was called upon to imagine what might be created in the entry hall that would evoke…

mah jong game tiles

The Games People Play

By Michelle Turner | July 26, 2017

If you have ever matched your skill – or luck – at the gaming table, you’re not alone. For most of us games are pleasant pastimes on a rainy afternoon,…

A.J. Calabu and #D chalk crayons

Beautiful Ephemera: Chalk Festival Street Painting

By Michelle Turner | June 14, 2017

I am an artist, and I know that making art, while enriching and enlivening, can also be an intensely solitary process. Think of a painter in her studio who mixes…

“Red Car Line – Venice, California” by Harold Edward Lanfair

The Art of Getting There: Railroad Inspired Artistry

By Michelle Turner | May 24, 2017

Steve Crise, co-curator of the exhibition The Art of Getting There: Railroad Inspired Artistry (on view March 29 – August 13, 2017) describes a selection of artwork inspired by the…

Grayson Arts

By Michelle Turner | February 24, 2017

Grayson Arts, the firm which created artisan ceramics for the bath and home, was founded by husband and wife team John “Gail” and Helen Lee Grayson.  Begun as a hobby…

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