FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Saturday June 3, 2017 from 10 AM – 1 AM   |   Sunday June 4, 2017 from 10 AM – 7PM

Artist Projects: Scott Benzel, Jeff Cain, Krysten Cunningham, Erik Frydenborg, Channing Hansen, Gregory Michael Hernandez, Alice Könitz, Karen Lofgren, Margaret Wertheim, Rosha Yaghmai.

Music & Celestial Viewings*: Constance Demby, Ernest Gibson, Matthewdavid,
Odeya Nini, Sun Araw, Tara Jane O’Neil, White Magic.

Gong ceremony by Harisant. Evening performance by Anna Luisa Petrisko.
Seminar and Workshop by Margaret Wertheim. Artist Edition by Claire Nereim.
Snacks and Such by Bob Dornberger

KNOWLEDGES at Mount Wilson Observatory features site-oriented art installations and performances at the historic astronomical observatory June 3 & 4, 2017. The exhibition includes sculpture and installation works by Krysten Cunningham, Erik Frydenborg, Channing Hansen, Gregory Michael Hernandez, Alice Könitz, Karen Lofgren, and Rosha Yaghmai, a performance by Scott Benzel staged on the rotating deck of the historic 100-inch telescope, and a video screening by Jeff Cain. Margaret Wertheim, Director of the Institute for Figuring, presents a free symposium and workshop exploring concepts of space in mathematics and cosmology on Sunday June 4th. A limited edition letterpress print by Claire Nereim will be available for purchase at the exhibition.

On Saturday night June 3rd, the Observatory grounds will remain open to the public after dark for free performances and screenings, along with ticketed stargazing sessions through the two large telescopes. Free programs include a gong ceremony by Harisant, a performance by Anna Luisa Petrisko (Jeepneys), and theater screenings of historic glass lantern slides taken at the Observatory nearly a century ago. Snacks and Such will be available by
Secret Restaurant’s Bob Dornberger.

*Celestial viewing through the 60-inch telescope and 100-inch telescope is ticketed into one-hour sessions and accompanied with solo live music performances by Constance Demby, Ernest Gibson, Matthewdavid, Money Mark & Secret Circuit, Tara Jane O’Neil, Odeya Nini, Sun Araw, and White Magic. Each of these micro-concerts are a very limited capacity of 20-25 people. These sessions create a rare opportunity to be transported through a visual and sonic experience of the cosmos. Tickets are $40 per person, and include viewing through the telescope, offering the public an opportunity for individual, rather than standard group access. Tickets are sold separately for each show. More info and tickets available on our Tickets page.

In a very special encore appearance, symphonic sacred space music pioneer Constance Demby invites audiences to “travel on a beam of sound to the heart of the universe” as she performs her custom designed Sonic Steel Space Bass inside the 100-inch Telescope dome. This additional Sunday afternoon performance is ticketed at $20 per person.

For an up-to-date listing of the weekend’s events, visit our Schedule page.

KNOWLEDGES at Mount Wilson Observatory is made possible with support from the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts.

ABOUT KNOWLEDGES:

KNOWLEDGES is an artist-organized curatorial initiative into the expanded field. The 2017 exhibition is curated by Christina Ondrus, KNOWLEDGES founding director, with additional programming contributions by John Hogan, Ian James, Gabie Strong, and Brica Wilcox. KNOWLEDGES is a recipient of an inaugural 2016-17 Artist Project Grant from the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. The first iteration of KNOWLEDGES at Mount Wilson Observatory was in 2012, and included work by 40 artists, performers, collectives, and organizations in an unprecedented event. KNOWLEDGES is a project of the Pasadena Arts Council’s EMERGE Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Read more on our Mission page.

DIRECTIONS:

Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is located on Mount Wilson, a 1,740-metre (5,710-foot) peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. From the 210 Freeway, follow the Angeles Crest Highway (State Highway 2) north out of La Canada-Flintridge, past the Angeles Forest Highway turnoff to Palmdale, to the Mount Wilson turnoff at Red Box. Drive about 5 miles more to Mount Wilson. Read more on our Visiting page.

PARKING:

The U.S. Forest Service requires that each vehicle parking within the Angeles National Forest, which includes the Observatory parking lot, display a National Forest Adventure Pass or a Golden Age Passport. The Adventure Pass may be purchased for $5 (one day) or $30 (one year), per vehicle. On weekends, the passes may be purchased at the Cosmic Café, above the Observatory’s main parking lot. Read more on our Visiting page.