Due to County, State and Federal government
guidelines regarding public gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairplex is postponing the opening of the Millard Sheets Art Center until further notice.
About Millard Sheets Art Center
Through our exhibitions, educational programs, events, and workshops, the Millard Sheets
Art Center provides the community with meaningful experiences within the world of visual arts.
As part of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, we engage the community at multiple levels of
education and our exhibitions promote the rich and diverse cultures that lie within LA County
and Southern California.
Contact
Dee Campos - Visual Arts Manager
Phone: (909) 865-4560
Email: dcampos@fairplex.com
Millard Sheets Art Center Curriculum
Curriculum: Shifting Aesthetics
Who is Millard Sheets?
Millard Sheets (June 24, 1907 – March 31, 1989) was born in Pomona and encouraged
at an early age to develop his talent. At age seven he began taking lessons from a neighbor, and
at age 12 he won his first competition at the Los Angeles County Fair. Theodore Modra, the
Director of Fine Arts at that time, became Sheets mentor. When Modra died in 1930, Sheets took
over the directorship.
After graduating from Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, in 1929, Sheets entered and won a
competition in San Antonio, Texas. The prize money enabled him to travel to South America, New
York and Europe, giving him his first taste of world cultures that later became the passion of
his art and life. After his return, Sheets married and settled in Claremont where he taught art
at Scripps College and Claremont Graduate School from 1931 to 1954. He was also instrumental in
developing Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, as well as California Institute of the
Arts, Valencia. During World War II, Sheets served as an artist-correspondent for LIFE
Magazine.
Millard Sheets is credited with over 200 architectural designs and murals that span the United
States. His artworks hangs in 46 museums in 15 states, including the Smithsonian, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Chicago Art
Institute and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Locally his presence is evidenced in many
building designs, mosaics, and wall paintings.
During Sheets’ 25-year tenure as Director of Fine Arts at the Los Angeles County Fair, he
organized some of the most impressive exhibitions ever to be brought to Los Angeles. In 1937, he
oversaw the WPA construction of a 12,000 sq. ft. building, the first major gallery dedicated
solely to art in Los Angeles County. Most memorable are his post WWII exhibition, One World of
Art; 6000 Years of Clay; and The Arts of Daily Living, extensively documented in House Beautiful
Magazine. Over the years, he brought artwork from the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum and
numerous National museums.
The gallery was dedicated to Millard Sheets in 1994. Speaking as the family spokesman, David
Stary-Sheets prescribed, "The art exhibits of the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts shall
strive to educate, aim to develop taste, and serve to stimulate thought. Works shown shall be of
the highest quality, those that can stand the ‘test of time,’ those that have an
important message to convey, and those that exhibit excellent fundamental skills. With an eye on
the future, the gallery shall seek to interpret the continually evolving world of art as new
interests, new materials and new messages arise."
History of Millard Sheets Art Center
The Millard Sheets Art Center began as the Fine Arts Program of the Los Angeles County
Fair where art exhibitions have been an integral part since its founding in 1922. Each year, the
art exhibitions produced for the Fair have featured artists from not only Los Angeles, but
throughout California, the US, and the world and have presented contemporary as well as
historical art in a variety of styles and media including painting, photography, sculpture,
textiles, video, ceramics, drawing, architecture, and design.
The Fine Arts building, a 12,000 square foot gallery and more than 20,000 sq. ft. in total was built
in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration. The facility was dedicated as the Millard Sheets
Gallery in 1994 to honor the Pomona, California artist and teacher Millard Sheets (1907-1989).
Significant exhibitions produced by Sheets during his tenure include Masters of Art, 1790-1950, a
survey of European and American paintings and sculptures which presented works by many of the
most important artists from that period, among them Delacroix, Millet, Van Gogh, Cezanne,
Picasso, Eakins, Marin, Rodin, Moore, and Brancusi, to name just a few. Arthur Millier, art
critic for the Los Angeles Times, wrote in his review, “The country’s greatest
museums could be proud of this show.”
Today, the Millard Sheets Art Center produces year round exhibitions showcasing artwork at varied
levels of skill and experience in order to create a deeper engagement with art and culture in
our surrounding communities. We are working to bring more culturally relevant and significant
artists to the Millard Sheets Art Center during the LA County Fair and as a part of our year
round exhibitions. For the Pomona Valley and our surrounding communities experiencing artwork of
this magnitude is virtually impossible due to the highest concentration of cultural institutions
located an hour’s drive away in Los Angeles, but we have an opportunity to fill this void.
Beginning in September 2017, we will be participating in the Getty Foundation’s Pacific
Standard Time LA/LA with an exhibition featuring two of LA’s iconic Chicana artists and
founding female members of ASCO and Los Four, Judithe Hernandez and Patssi Valdez.
As we look to the future, we hope to continue providing meaningful introductions and experiences for
our communities and Southern California to the wonderful world of art and culture.
Upcoming Exhibitions
SoCal MFA Juried Exhibition
SoCal MFA Juried Exhibition is launching its fifth installment at the Millard Sheets Art Center. The exhibition, organized by MFA students from Claremont Graduate University in conjunction with the Millard Sheets Art Center, provides both a platform for Southern California’s emerging artists to exhibit new directions in art and a learning experience for CGU students to work with art center staff in creating a large-scale juried exhibition.
This year’s juror is artist Devin Troy Strother. Strother is an American artist based in New York, and he is best known for his intricate alternate narratives in a variety of mediums (mixed media, sculpture, neon, and installation).
Strother selected more than 25 works ranging from painting and sculpture to photography and multimedia
by Zafirah Ahmed, Ashleigh Clayton, Giselle Daneshmand, Manyu Gao, Stephanie Huang, Jonah
Jackson, Lauren Moradi, Luis J. Moreno Napoles, Haylie Roche, Briar Rosa, Adrienne Sacks, Ziba
Safavian and Danielle Trent.
Exhibition Dates and Gallery Hours:
January 27 – March 7, 2020
Opening Reception: February 1, 2020 from 2pm - 6pm
Gallery is open Mondays – Saturdays, 11am – 3pm
RSVP for the Opening Reception here.
Parking:
Gate 1
1101 W McKinley Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768
Free and Open to the Public
Complimentary Parking
Past Exhibitions
Shifting Aesthetics: A Selection of 11 Contemporary L.A. Artists
Shifting Aesthetics: A Selection of 11 Contemporary L.A. Artists
Shifting Aesthetics highlights works by contemporary visual artists living and
working in Los
Angeles, and celebrates the talents and achievements of these artists working within
various
mediums including ceramics, painting, mixed media, and photography. The group exhibition
also
speaks to the diversity in experiences, perspectives, and styles of each artist’s
body of
work as they forge their own unique artistic path within the L.A. landscape.
Gallery Hours:
Hours During the LA County Fair:
August 30 - September 22, 2019
Wednesdays - Fridays: 12 - 9pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 10am - 9pm
Opening Reception Saturday, August 24th
6 - 9pm
Parking
Gate 1
1101 W McKinley Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768
Free and Open to the Public
Complimentary Parking
Appetizers and an open bar serving selections from the Los Angeles International Wine
Competitions
will be served during the reception.
Internships
Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship
The Millard Sheets Art Center (MSAC) is seeking a Social Media & Public Programs intern to assist
in creating our annual LA County Fair fine art exhibition. Under the supervision of the Visual
Arts Manager, the successful candidate will produce compelling and inclusive content for a
diverse audience across a range of media (written, verbal, photo, social, web and digital) for
the exhibition, which will be presented in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art. This role requires an ability to build awareness of the art center, and will provide
support in planning and executing public programming for the fall.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Organizing press materials
- Installing artwork
- Maintaining gallery inventory and updating artist files
- In collaboration with the Marketing Department, create, and maintain social media promotion
through social media posts, videos, written stories, and other content that serve to
illuminate the artistic process for the fall exhibition
- Assist with the planning, research, development and implementation of public programs, which
include artist talks, performances, film screenings and special projects.
- Other duties, as assigned.
The ideal candidate should feel equally comfortable working independently and as part of a larger
group, with excellent verbal, communication, and computer skills. This is a wonderful and
relevant work experience for students who are pursuing their B.F.A. or B.A. in fine arts, arts
administration, curatorial studies, museum education or art history. It is important that all
applicants are aware of the eligibility requirements of the Getty Marrow Undergraduate
Internship.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply directly on the website and send a
cover letter and resume (as one PDF document) to Dee Campos, Visual Arts Manager, at dcampos@fairplex.com no later
than Friday, May 10th. Please include "2019 Getty Intern" in the subject line.
University Sponsored Internships
Students who are eligible to receive credit from their college may apply for the
following internships. Students are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Social Media and Marketing Intern
The Millard Sheets Art Center, in conjunction with the Fairplex Marketing Department, is
seeking an intern to provide social media and marketing resources to increase visibility and
awareness for the artists that are selected to participate in Alt 66. The intern will gain
thorough, hands-on experience creating awareness and excitement for our unique exhibition.
If interested, submit your resume and cover letter to Dee Campos, Visual Arts Manager, at dcampos@fairplex.com.
Art Education Intern
The Millard Sheets Art Center, in partnership with The Learning Centers at Fairplex, is
seeking an intern to craft an education program that will include tours and hands-on workshops
for the exhibition Alt 66 at the Los Angeles County Fair. Interns will produce a calendar,
program, curriculum, and visual guides for our visitors to experience our exhibition in a
experiential and personal format.
If interested, submit your resume and cover letter to Dee Campos, Visual Arts Manager, at dcampos@fairplex.com.
Volunteer
We are always looking for art and creative minded individuals to support our exhibitions
and projects throughout the year and especially during the LA County Fair.
If interested, submit your resume and cover letter to Dee Campos, Visual Arts Manager, at dcampos@fairplex.com.