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Julian Tan: End Trances January 18 – April 19, 2025 Opening Reception: Friday, January 17, 5:30 p.m. –7:30 p.m. Gallery Walk-through: Saturday, January 18, 11 a.m., free Artist Talk: Thursday, February 27, 6 p.m. reception; 6:30 p.m. lecture, $15/ 20/ 5 “The gaze is ours to give, and the journey is ours to take.”—Chat GPT analyzing End Trances For his exhibition End Trances, Los Angeles–based painter Julian Tan has created a body of work centered on a blinding, mysterious light in the sky and humans’ moments of wonder, panic, and solace as they witness it. In creating these paintings, Tan was thinking about recent trends including the use of AI in art making, the vastness of knowledge at our fingertips in a world dominated by instant information, public fascination with unidentified aerial phenomena, and a pervasive sense of being at the precipice of something—whether the end of the world or a cultural shift we have yet to understand as a society. The unknown light offers us all a glimpse of our own humanity, a sublime focal point in each work that remains open to interpretation. Julian’s work reflects his personal experiences and his fascination with the intersection of history, politics, and cultural change. As a second-generation Chinese American, the tension of not fully belonging has given him a unique perspective, one that informs his exploration of identity, culture, and the way people navigate a rapidly changing world. His paintings aim to capture the present while reflecting on the past and imagining the future, offering a lens through which viewers can connect with shared experiences and universal questions. In his BFA studies at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tan immersed himself in foundational principles of design, art history, and critical theory, setting the stage for a serious pursuit of painting and a life as an artist. While the program introduced him to conceptual thinking and problem-solving, it was the painters in the program and the drawing classes that left the biggest impression on him. He went on to earn an MFA at the University of California, Davis, dedicating himself to refining his techniques and developing an original visual language. Tan spent most of his time at UC Davis deeply immersed in understanding and creating abstract painting and sculpture. While he loved earnestly creating and looking at abstraction, he began questioning whether it could express the ideas he wanted to communicate. This challenge led him to rethink his approach and focus on work that carried more personal and cultural meaning. Painting became a way for him to say things he felt couldn’t be said with words. Now, working from his own studio, Tan is propelled by questions of the future, universal truths, and a desire to create works that capture a “mirror’s gaze of the near future.” Alongside his wife and dogs, Oso and Sumi, he continues his search for expression that resonates with universal truths about the human experience. Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/upcoming-exhibitions

Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names now, but Social Security Administration data shows oak-based names are gaining popularity, particularly in conservative parts of the country.

Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago. He is of French, Italian and Spanish descent. He spent years working as a missionary in Peru.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is restoring several programs and bringing back the staffers who run them, but much of the agency's work is still on the chopping block.

At services on Sunday, some Catholics took particular pride in the election of the first American pontiff, who has familial ties to multiple places across the country.

The four were part of a group known as the "Hong Kong 47," and were rounded up for taking part in an unofficial primary poll in 2020 that drew more than 600,000 people.

Duterte's youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, was declared Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, was reelected as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons won in local races, an indication of the family's continued influence.

Illume Speaker Series Knapp Lecture On James Baldwin: Racial Progress without Redemption Melvin L. Rogers, PhD | Knapp Chair of Liberal Arts Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m. IPJ Theatre, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice The lecture invites the audience to travel back to the 1960s and to think through the assumptions that frame our discussion about racial progress. Baldwin asks us to disentangle our preoccupation with redemption to achieve democratic progress. Advancing democracy through dialogue may mean we don’t completely forget our missteps and trauma. Advancing democracy may involve figuring out how to dialogue, given that the past and present trauma may persist. Melvin L. Rogers, PhD, is the Edna and Richard Salomon Distinguished Professor of Political Science and associate director of the Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Brown University. Co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and International Relations and the Africana Studies Program.

If there's no quick armistice in the tariff war launched by President Trump, American consumers will be footing the bill, most economists agree. But if tariffs end, prices might be slow to come back down.

Celebrate Valentine's Day weekend by making art with or for someone you love! In this workshop led by artist Natalie M. Godinez, participants will learn the basics of stamp carving, how to create a DIY pattern, and how to use found materials to create your own stamps. You will leave with a hand-carved stamp, a recycled stamp, and a hand-printed bandana. We hope you join us at ArtReach for this artist-led workshop! About the Artist: Natalie M Godinez (she/her/ella) is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and community advocate raised in Tijuana, México. Godinez explores memories, identity, and relationships to places and language through textiles, printmaking, and collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Applied Design degree from San Diego State University and she has been teaching art since 2009 across California. Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nataliemgodinez/ Website: https://www.nataliegodinez.com/ We kindly ask that adults actively participate in this art activity alongside any child under the age of 11.