The UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA) is home to two collections gifted to UCI: The Buck Collection includes more than 3,000 works of California modern art and The Irvine Museum Collection comprises more than 1,300 California Impressionist paintings. Through exhibitions and publications, research, artist talks, and educational outreach (all free and open to all), Langson IMCA strives to expand the understanding of California’s artistic past and present, its distinctive social and cultural framework, and its contribution to shaping and challenging the art historical canon. UCI is establishing a purpose-built facility manifesting the University’s commitment to education and public service by making the arts a vital component of the University experience. It is expected to open in 2027. Until then, Langson IMCA offers exhibitions and programs in its interim space in downtown Irvine and on campus.
Langson IMCA retained Bow Bridge in 2020 to serve as communications counsel and develop and implement a strategic public relations campaign to raise its profile and heighten awareness of its various facets and offerings. Bow Bridge’s portfolio includes helping to convey the mission, values, and “voice” of the institution as well as its offerings to constituents and broader audiences across communications platforms. Recent exhibitions include Variations of Place: Southern California Impressionism in the Early 20th Century; The Resonant Surface: Movement, Image, and Sound in California Painting; Radiant Impressions; Echoes of Perception: Peter Alexander and California Impressionism; Beyond the Frame; Dissolve and The Bruton Sisters: Modernism in the Making.
Top Photograph: Interior of IMCA Inset Photograph: IMCA with visiting UCI students