Enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee and join Penn History of Art PhD and PennDesign MFA candidates for an intimate conversation inspired by the ICA exhibitions on view.

Jeanne Dreskin, an art historian and former Los Angeles resident, leads a conversation that considers Los Angeles as a backdrop to decades of vibrant artistic production and an international scene that continues to evolve today. When Barbara Kasten relocated to L.A. in the early 1970s, she found herself in a sun-drenched city whose unique geography and artistic scenes would catalyze her engagement with new materials and working methods.

Prompted by the ICA exhibition, Barbara Kasten: Stages, this conversation will consider Kasten’s encounters with the art of Southern California—such as the Light and Space movement, the “finish fetish” aesthetic, and photographic experimentation—as well as the backdrop of Hollywood as she forged her own artistic path both inside and outside of her studio.

Jeanne Dreskin is a second year PhD student in the History of Art Department at the University of Pennsylvania. She has previously held curatorial and publications positions at Dia Art Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Her research and independent writing projects focus on historical lineages of photography and the intersections between the photograph and other modes of media production in contemporary art.
Barbara Kasten: StagesCoffee & Conversation