The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA) at Cal State San Bernardino will present a new temporary exhibition, “All Too Human: The Art of Mark Strickland.”

The exhibition will be on display Feb. 17-May 19, with an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 15, 6-8 p.m. A special, members-only preview event will take place just before the reception at 5:30 p.m.

The exhibition will feature deeply emotional and moving artworks highlighting Strickland’s longtime exploration of the human condition, including both the flaws in human nature resulting in tragedies and falls, and the enduring human spirit, dignity and compassion. The artist finds inspiration in the world around him, studying the contemporary struggles of the homeless, immigrants or the ill and combining them with larger concepts relating to the Holocaust, world peace and what it means to be human. Strickland appears in many of his works, along with widely recognizable iconography such as the Statue of Liberty and the Fibonacci sequence. A catalog featuring an essay by well-known art critic and writer Peter Frank will be produced alongside the exhibition.

In conjunction with the exhibition, an artist talk will be held on Thursday, April 19, 6-8 p.m. and will include a mix of music, discussion and live painting. 

Strickland has been drawing, painting and sculpting the human form for 40 years. An adjunct professor of art at Art Center College of Design of 34 years (1978-2012), he has also taught at University of California, Los Angeles (1982-1992) and Santa Monica College (1978). He was a drawing course instructor for Walt Disney Imagineering in 2011 and 2015. Strickland received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA in 1969, then studied art at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena for three years before earning his master’s degrees in art and psychology from California State University, Long Beach in 1978.

During his long career, the artist has participated in numerous multi-disciplinary projects in Southern California and abroad, including Italy, France and Germany as well as numerous group exhibitions in Southern California and in France.

About RAFFMA

The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art is a nationally recognized museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The only accredited art museum in San Bernardino, RAFFMA has accumulated a permanent collection of nearly 1,200 objects focusing on Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA houses the largest permanent and public display of Egyptian art in Southern California.

General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $6 per vehicle and $3 on weekends.

The museum is open Monday–Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday, noon–8 p.m. and closed Friday and Sunday. For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RAFFMA website.