Long Beach museum of art

The Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA) was among the first to focus on video as an artistic medium, spurring similar efforts throughout the United States. Beginning in 1974 the museum began collecting and exhibiting video art, later also actively encouraging the development of video art by co-producing projects and offering editing facilities to artists in its Video Annex. The museum's innovative approaches to the display of video art included several experiments with broadcast and cable television. Through this long-standing commitment, LBMA developed one of the most significant video collections in the country. The museum acquired the video archive of the Los Angeles Woman's Building after it closed in 1991.

From the description of Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, ca. 1970-2002. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 731040940

The New Television Workshop supported the creation and broadcast of experimental works by artists from 1974-1993 at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts.

From the description of New television showcase [videorecording] / produced by WGBH. [1976] (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 743244620

Historical Note

The Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA) began collecting and exhibiting video art in 1974 and in three decades developed one of the most significant video collections in the country, comprising approximately 5,000 videotapes. LBMA's video program started when museum director, Jan Adlmann, hired curator David Ross to establish the museum's video program. Exhibiting video art as an artistic medium was at the forefront of LBMA’s mission during the 1970s. The video program allowed artists to display their videos through experimental exhibitions like the Southland Video Anthology (1975-1978), which featured work by hundreds of video artists. Video art exhibitions were already taking place in Europe and on the East Coast in the mid-1960s, and LBMA played a pivotal role in bringing video art to West Coast audiences.

In 1976, LBMA became the first museum to provide an in-house production facility where artists could produce and edit their videos. The production facility was located in the museum's attic, and was internally known as the Artist's Post Production Studio (APPS). APPS offered artists a place to create video art, and in exchange for this service, artists would leave a copy of their work with the museum. Through APPS, the museum began to develop a video collection, albeit inadvertently. Artists would also send copies of their work to the museum to be included in the collection.

Around 1979, LBMA received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to open the Video Annex (also known as the Station Annex), located next to a fire station the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, California. The Video Annex was primarily used as a post-production studio, and held two editing studios, Studio A and Studio B. The Video Annex became a source of revenue for the museum, as artists rented the space to edit their work using broadcast-quality equipment. LBMA also established a residency program, allowing artists to live in the Annex while producing and editing their work. Artists were also commissioned to create works for broadcast television at the Annex, and the space eventually housed the museum's growing collection of videos.

In addition to supporting the work of video artists through exhibitions and the production facility, LBMA was able to present the medium to a wider audience through broadcast cable television. LBMA produced many cable series and live broadcast events through local cable television networks, and in partnership with other institutions, such as The Kitchen in New York, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Iowa. In the early 1980s, LBMA produced the cable series, Shared Realities: A Cultural Arts Cable Series, which featured interviews, art videos, music, and live performances.

LBMA also acquired the video archive of the Los Angeles Woman's Building after it closed in 1991. Founded in 1973, the Woman's Building was an independent feminist arts institution that served as a center for education and activism.

In the mid-90s, the museum closed its video program, but the left the Video Annex open for a few more years to generate income. California artists played an important part in creating video art history, and through the museum’s innovative programming, artists and curators were able to work together to create a substantial collection of video art. Collectively, the materials in the archive trace LBMA's role in the early history of the medium through its multi-faceted efforts to support artists and public understanding of video art.

From the guide to the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, circa 1964-2003, (The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688 (310) 440-7390)