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Other 2009 Group Shows

In 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States in 2009, captain Chesley Sullenberger skilfully landed flight 1549 into New York’s Hudson River after a double bird strike disabled its engines, and metal detectorist Terry Herbert discovered the UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure buried in a field in Staffordshire. And to top all of this, Josh Agle participated in thirteen group shows.

The exhibition A Broken Promise of the Flying Car at the M Modern Gallery in Palm Springs, California has already been covered on the M Modern Gallery Group Exhibitions post and the other twelve are detailed below in chronological order.

Lucasfilm Annual Employee Meeting
The fifth Vader Project exhibition featured one hundred Darth Vader helmets re-imagined by famous creators, artists, and designers from lowbrow, pop surrealism, underground street, graffiti, tattoo, rock poster, apparel, and designer vinyl genres. This iconic collection completed a four-year art odyssey before returning from its world tour in 2010 to a Freeman’s auction in Philadelphia. Josh Agle contributed Darth Tipua (a word from Māori mythology meaning ‘differing shaped demon’) to the collection, this Tiki-themed helmet was auctioned for $2,100 USD. The Lucasfilm Annual Employee Meeting event at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, California was held on the 4th February 2009. The Helmet can be viewed on pages 8 and 9 of the Vader Project Auction Catalogue which can be seen online at the Freemans auction site.

The Vader Project @ The Andy Warhol Museum
The sixth Vader Project exhibition was its museum premiere, held at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from the 28th February to the 3rd May 2009. One hundred contemporary artists were given a full-size replica of the actual Darth Vader helmet used in the Star Wars films. The plain white helmets served as a blank slate for the artists to paint, design, and customize.

Hi-Fructose Overdose
The Overdose Exhibition from the Hi-Fructose Contemporary Arts Magazine ran at the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, California from April 4th to 25th 2009. This big show of sixty artists covered a wide range of contemporary art. Josh Agle included the four original paintings from the Crypto-Zoological Species of North America folio. The four paintings, Chupacabra, Mothman, Sasquatch and Jersey Devil, measure 10” by 12”, and are acrylic paint on wooden panel. The folios of four prints were launched at San Diego Comic-Con on 20-23 July 2006 and limited to 100 sets (plus 15 APs) – all prints individually signed and numbered. These four original paintings sold for $20,000 USD with a portfolio included with each painting.

Sasquatch
Mothman
Jersey Devil
Chupacabra

Forever Fullerton: Julius Shulman
Julius Shulman was a well-known architectural photographer during the 1950s and 1960s. He extensively catalogued buildings in Fullerton, a city in northern Orange County, California. The Forever Fullerton: Julius Shulman exhibition ran from the 4th of April to the 19th July 2009 at the Fullerton Museum Center in Fullerton, California. The show included thirty-four images from Shulman’s huge portfolio which resides at the Getty Research Library. In addition the exhibition included scenes from mid-century interiors and exteriors including chairs from Eames, furniture by Herman Miller, and architectural pottery from California ceramicists. The opening reception ran from 6pm to 9pm on the 4th April 2009. Josh Agle produced the painting for exhibition posters available at the show.

Urban Superstar Show
The Museum of Modern Art (MADRE) in Naples, Italy hosted the Urban Superstar Show from April 24th to June 15th (extended from May 25th) 2009. The group art exhibition was curated by David Vecchiato and included forty influential artists from across the world. Josh Agle contributed three original acrylic paint on wood panel original paintings to the exhibition, all three from the 2008 Voyeur Exhibition at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York. The paintings were Peeping Ted (12”x20” – below right), The Untamed Pet (48”x24” – bottom left), and The Airplane Aficionado (48”x24” – bottom right).

4th Annual BLAB! Show: New Paintings of the Apocalypse
The 4th Annual BLAB! Show:New Paintings of the Apocalypse group art exhibition was held at the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, California from August 8th to 29th 2009. Josh Agle displayed his original acrylic paint on wood panel painting The Lounger which measured 18” by 18” and was priced at $9,000 USD.

Shag Spirited Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Cocktail Reception
Josh Agle was asked by Disney to design pieces for the 40th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion dark ride at Disneyland in California. Shag created thirteen original paintings highlighting different aspects of the hugely popular attraction which appears, in different guises, in all five Disney locations. The Shag Spirited Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Cocktail Reception took place from 8pm to 11pm on Saturday 8th August 2009 in the Crystal Cove at the Paradise Pier Hotel in Disneyland, California. Guests who bought the Swingin’ Spirits or Groovy Ghouls ($185 USD) packages got to enjoy the recepion, purchase Shag Haunted Mansion 40th anniversary merchandise, have a photo with Josh Agle and get items signed. The thirteen paintings shown below were all available as serigraph prints.
Where Spirits Dwell
The Dearest Departed
A Dismaying Observation
Portraits Good, Portraits Not Good
Let there be from Regions Music from Beyond
Ghoulish Delights
A Swinging Wake
The Gruesome Widow
The Fat Lady Sings
The Eerie Ensemble
We’re Dying To Meet You – DisneyLand Edition
We’re Dying To Meet You – Disney World Edition
A Ghost To Follow You Home

In Search of Tiki
The In Search of Tiki exhibition was held at the Forest Lawn Glendale Museum from August 8th 2009 to January 4th 2010. The show was curated by Doug Nason and Jeff Fox, and featured traditional oceanic art, Polynesian pop, and modern Tiki art. The group exhibition included Josh Agle whose original acrylic on board painting In Seach of Tiki was used as the name and advertising print for the show.


Shag Haunted Mansion Product Release and Signing
The day after the cocktail reception Shag attended a product release and artist signing at the Disneyland Resort. On Sunday August 9th 2009 Josh Agle continued the celebration by signing his work for the long line of guests. Shag designed photograph frames and mattes for the 40th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion.
HM Blue Matte (12″ by 10″)
Potraits Matte (12″ by 10″)
Blue Ghosts Matte (12″ by 10″)
Plain Matte (12″ by 10″)
Frame (12″ by 10″)
Frame

Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Merchandise Event
The main event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion dark ride at Disneyland in California was the Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Merchandise Event on September 9th 2009. Guests could sign up for Grinning Ghosts ($475 USD), Foolish Mortals ($430 USD), Dearly Departed ($250 USD), or Hitchhikers ($85 USD) – all packages offering different rewards. The invite led with the paragraph: The Plot Thickens. . . After five husbands and five untimely deaths, the Black Widow Bride of the Haunted Mansion will wed once more. Has she found her soul mate? Or will another groom meet his doom? Join us, Foolish Mortals, and we’ll dig up the answers at our ghostly celebration that everyone’s dying to attend.

The Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Merchandise Event was held on September 9th 2009 at the Disneyland Resort in California. The event featured imagineer and artist panels, a themed dinner, and a live performance. The event itinerary for Wednesday September 9th was as follows:

  • 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM: Package pick up, event store, photo opportunity.
  • 9:00 AM: Event registration at Grand Californian Hotel.
  • 12:30 PM: Artist signing event at Grand Californian’s Sequoia Ballroom.
  • 5:00 PM: Spirited Séance and Haunting Seminar panel at Grand Californian’s Sequoia Ballroom.
  • 7:00 PM: Wedding “Feast or Famine” dinner and show at Disney California Adventure’s Stage 17.
  • 10:00 PM: “Spine-tingling Toast and Cake Slicing” event at Haunted Mansion attraction in New Orleans Square.
  • 10:30 PM to Midnight: Ride-thru of Haunted Mansion and conclusion

The rest of the Shag Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary merchandise was as follows:

Ear Hat
Appetizer Tray
Cookie Jar Urn
Lantern
Lunch Box
Aloha Shirt
Charm Bracelet
Postcard Set Tin Front
Postcard Set Tin Rear
Decanter and Glasses Set
Pin Set 1
Pin Set 2
Vinylmation Figure Set A
Vinylmation Figure Set B
Old Fashioned Glass
Coaster Set Front
Coaster Set Back

Aloha Shirt 2
Stainless Steel Bottle
Jewellery Box

Pink Martini
The popular mini-orchestra Pink Martini, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale, played the Hollywood Bowl for a special one-night-only performance on September 19th 2009. Pink Martini performed selections from their 2009 album Splendor in the Grass with special guest appearances from Ari Shapiro and Emilio Delgado. Josh Agle provided the poster to advertise the event.

The Hollywood Bowl Poster Artshow
The Hollywood Bowl Poster Art Show ran at the Arclight Hollywood in West Sunset Boulevard, California from November 17th 2009 to January 5th 2010. The group art exhibition showed Hollywood Bowl posters including all thirteen from the 2009 Hollywood Bowl summer season and many vintage ones.  The show was so successful that it was extended and moved to the Arclight Sherman Oaks, California (see Group Shows 2010). Josh Agle contributed the 2009 poster Pink Martini, a limited edition of 150 copies measuring 16” by 24”. Each Pink Martini poster is signed and numbered by Shag, and priced at $75 USD.

X-Mas Luau
The X-Mas Luau group art exhibition ran at the Strychnin Gallery in Berlin, Germany from the 11th December 2009 to 31st January 2010. Josh Agle provided three acrylic on panel paintings (10″x12″) of attractive native girls using high-tech devices beside Tikis (Wahine 1, 2, and 3), and later attended the after show party. Note that the three paintings were exhibited again at the end of 2010 at the Ambergris Exhibition at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York.
Wahine 1 (An Awesome Playlist)
Wahine 2 (The Blender)
Wahine 3 (An Online Life)

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