The Getty Foundation has committed $17 million in grants toward the 2024 edition of Pacific Standard Time, an arts initiative and event that brings together 50 institutions across Southern California.
“I am proud to announce today that Getty is making a commitment to continue these large-scale, interdisciplinary collaborations that produce new knowledge and engage broad audiences on a regular basis,” said Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the Getty Trust, in a statement yesterday (May 9).
The Getty Trust operates the foundation in addition to the Getty Museum, Research Institute and Conservation Institute, and was first established by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in 1953.
Pacific Standard Time, a Getty-organized collaboration, launched its inaugural edition in 2011 with Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945-1980, which examined the history and impact of the Los Angeles art scene. It was followed by Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, which focused on Latin American and Latinx art.
Pacific Standard Time will now take place every five years
Moving forward, the initiative will be renamed “PST Art,” according to the Getty, which added that events will now take place on a five-year cycle. The next landmark collaboration, PST Art: Art & Science Collide, is scheduled to begin in September of 2024 and will showcase works from more than 800 artists exploring topics like climate change, environmental justice and artificial intelligence.
“PST Art and Science strikes at the heart of the enduring human intertwining of science and art. Neither has limits, both speak to the imagination, and when they are put together, each is even more powerful,” said Fleming in a separate statement.
The upcoming edition of PST Art will be “the most far-reaching to date,” according to the Getty, with museums, civic organizations and scientific institutions in Southern California taking part. These include the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the La Brea tar pits, the Los Angeles Film Forum and the California Institute of Technology.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Brand Library and Art Center is planning an exhibition of works exploring the cosmos and robots, and the Palm Springs Art Museum is set to examine how scientific research has impacted abstract art. Meanwhile, the Hammer Museum’s exhibition will look at the protection of oceans, atmosphere and forests.
More organizations and artists will likely join the collaboration as September approaches, according to the Getty, which has announced nine shows for PST Art at its museum and institutions. The exhibitions will explore topics ranging from how science, art and religion were interconnected in the Middle Ages to a reframing of Van Gogh’s Irises.
“The extraordinary creations on show will include both the technologies that have allowed us to explore the world we inhabit from the most minute to the cosmic, but also the visualizations in art, literature, and spirituality that these discoveries inspired, from medieval stained glass to photographic holograms,” said Timothy Potts, director of the Getty Museum, in a statement.
The Getty Foundation’s $17 million pledge marks an increase from its $5.38 million in exhibition grants for PST Art, which it announced in January.
The foundation, which focuses its funding on art history, conservation, museum and archival development, and professional development, has awarded 9,000 grants to 180 countries since 1984, giving out a total of $490 million.
