Press Releases
San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, has commissioned Minnesota-based public artist Christopher Lutter-Gardella to create a site-specific installation to open the Casa Coastal gallery program for the 2020/21 Season.
The exhibition, titled Magic in the Air, opens on June 25, 2021 and will be on view through September 4, 2021.
“Christopher Lutter-Gardella elevates simple paper-craft into immersive, kinetic art forms — with a riveting message,” says Executive Director Amy Behrens. “His deliberate use of materials saved from landfills and storm water drains are a call to action; it’s a transformative statement about our role in our ecosystem. Casa Romantica — as both a center for culture and public gardens — has a responsibility to give our community the tools to educate themselves about the important role that pollinators have on our ecosystem, and our future.”
Magic in the Air will be a fully interactive exhibition inside Casa Romantica’s Art Gallery. It will feature pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and ladybugs creatively made up of waste stream materials such as plastic utensils for the eyes of the insects. Centered in each room will be giant mobiles that will swirl around guests. Guests are encouraged to touch pieces, lay down in the exhibit room and truly immerse themselves in the atmosphere.
“We, humans […] are sustained; we are gathered-round-about by the forces of Nature. All things conspire to make us possible. We depend upon so much–even upon the smallest, and most humble,” says Lutter-Gardella, “Let this exhibit bee a gathering of pollinators, here to remind us to care for them, even as they care for us.”
To help support the exhibition, Casa Romantica will be hosting four workshops with the Artist for all ages. Each workshop will allow participants to construct the insects that will be used in the exhibition. Casa Romantica will also be rolling a tiered fundraising program that will give donors the opportunity to have their name displayed in the gallery, take part in a private garden tour or have a dinner with the Artist. For more information on events related to Magic in the Air, visit CasaRomantica.org.
About Christopher Lutter-Gardella
Christopher Lutter-Gardella is a designer, sculptor, public artist, and community educator. Lutter-Gardella produces art predominately from waste stream materials, which explores the unique potential inherent in materials. He works to inspire and facilitate original thinking in the realms of theatrical, educational, and public-art design. A deep emphasis is placed upon eco-consciousness, resourcefulness, integration, and improvisation.
Winner of the Minneapolis Creative City Challenge for Wolf and Moose (2016), Lutter-Gardella’s other works have been featured annually at Holidazzle Minneapolis, and Kaleidoscope (2019) at Mall of America.
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens maintains a robust series of year-round programs in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature for all ages. Casa Romantica has commissioned several critically-acclaimed works, including Casa Classic: La Serva Padrona (2020; classical music), Casa Coastal: Murals of Levi Ponce (2019; visual art), Casa Theater: The Odd-Essy (2019; theater), Casa Kinetic: Culture Shock LA Hip Hop (2019; dance); Casa Coastal: The Art of Baja California (2018; visual art), Casa Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018; theater), Casa Kinetic: Celebrating Tap Dance Legends (2018; dance), Casa Coastal: Rebecca Louise Law (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Contemporary Dance Collective (2017; contemporary dance), The Beauty of the Butterfly (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Carrie Lee Riggins (2016; contemporary dance), Casa Drama: Slings & Arrows (2015; theater), and Open Casa: The Photographs of Douglas Kirkland (2015; visual art). The 2020-21 Casa Captivating season includes an expanded dance (Casa Kinetic), theater (Casa Theater), and concert series (Casa Vibes), visual and performing arts commissions, and an expanded Casa Kids education program.
Casa Romantica also hosts a variety of free arts education programs for children year-round. The institution’s annual Casa Romantica Music Festival and Academy has received critical praise for its comprehensive two-week music studies program in cello, piano, viola, and violin. Casa Romantica also offers a Summer Dance Workshop, a Spring Break Arts Week, various art, literature, and horticulture events to grades K-12, and welcomes over 6,000 children from the Capistrano Unified School District each year for STEAM-based field trips that examine the history of San Clemente and the coastal environment.
Mission Statement: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and is the historic home of the founder of the City of San Clemente. Casa Romantica provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, and horticulture and is a premier Southern California cultural center.
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is located at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672. Hours: Tuesday—Thursday 10 am—4 pm; Friday—Sunday 10am—2pm; closed Mondays and holidays. General admission is $5; Casa Members, active military with ID, and children under age 13 visit for FREE. For more information, call (949) 498-2139 or visit CasaRomantica.org
