Grand Central Art Center puts the creative process on exhibit

Editor’s Note: This is part of a monthly feature on arts and culture offerings in Orange County, which is rich with indoor and outdoor, often inexpensive or even free, options that you might not know about.

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On any given afternoon, visitors to the Grand Central Art Center might encounter an artist at work — perhaps sketching a mural, casting a ceramic figure or constructing an installation.

And the working artist is glad to discuss their projects with anyone entering their creative space.

While most galleries provide the end result of the creative process as evidenced by the finished piece, visitors to this art center can glean insight into the creative process directly from the artists themselves.

“How often do you get to go in and see an artist working?” asked John Spiak, director and chief curator at the Grand Central Art Center. “Grand Central is about the creative process itself. It’s not a passive experience … You get to engage and oftentimes it’s a co-creation of creative experiences.”

Featuring a main gallery hosting large-scale exhibitions, storefront and lobby spaces showcasing smaller exhibitions, a theater doubling as a performance venue and room for film and multimedia work, the art center is located in the historic Grand Central Building in the heart of Santa Ana’s Artists Village. It is open daily except Mondays.

A perfect example of the interaction between the artist and the community can be experienced through one of the center’s current exhibitions: “CuppyBreak.”

For the interactive exhibition, Los Angeles-based artist Misty Choi crafted intentionally flawed ceramic cups to be used as emotional metaphors.

The sculpted cups are lopsided, cracked, unstable, contain holes and other deformities, forcing users to adjust their grip or rethink how they move, and that tiny act of adaptation is the point, Choi said.

She wants people to rethink ordinary objects and reflect on personal resilience.

“You look at them, they’re almost impossible to drink from … that’s the whole idea,” Choi said. “This conflict, this difficulty.”

Choi’s installation extends to the nearby Artists Village Café (formerly the Gypsy Den), where patrons can sign up, meet Choi, drink from one of her cups and engage in conversation.

“A cup is a very ordinary object,” said Choi, who was born in Seoul, Korea. “Maybe they can relate themselves in a more artistic way to their everyday experiences.”

“CuppyBreak” is the café’s first collaboration with an individual artist, Spiak said.

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While the center’s exhibitions are appropriate for all ages, themes often address issues meant to spark passion — issues such as immigration, identity, borders, social control and colonialism, Spiak said.

“We try to be as family-friendly as possible, but also content-heavy,” he said.

Created by artist Aryana Polat, an upcoming exhibition, “A Boundary Meant to Separate,” will turn the gallery into a modern ruin.

Drawing from her research into Cold War-era infrastructure, Polat’s sculptures explore what happens to military structures after their strategic purpose fades — and how their meaning keeps shifting long after the fences, bunkers and borders stop being used.

“She uses real material,” said Bella Marino, curator for the exhibition. “Pieces of concrete from this now-defunct missile site … to act as a tether between the past and the present.”

“A Boundary Meant to Separate” opens Aug. 1 during downtown Santa Ana’s monthly art walk.

Originally constructed in 1922 as a market, the Grand Central Art Center has operated through a partnership with Cal State Fullerton since 1999, collaborating with the university’s College of the Arts.

The relationship also gives students direct access to working artists, professional practices and real-world creative environments, Spiak said.

The reddish-brown brick building houses studios and project rooms reserved for resident artists, 27 upstairs apartments exclusively for graduate students and three artist-in-residence units funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation.

Directly across the courtyard from the center is the Santora Arts Building, a historic commercial building constructed in 1928 that now houses art galleries, retail stores and restaurants.

Up to 1,500 visitors explore the Grand Central Art Center on art walk Saturdays, Spiak said.

“It’s for the public,” he said, “but it’s also an economic drive engine.”

If you go

Visit: The Grand Central Art Center is a partnership between Cal State Fullerton and the city of Santa Ana and visitors can interact with the artists as they work. The art center is also in the heart of Santa Ana’s Artists Village with various galleries and shops within walking distance.

Where: 125 N Broadway, Santa Ana

House: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. It is also open from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month during downtown Santa Ana’s art walk.

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Cost: Admission is free

Information: grandcentralartcenter.com