DETAILS BELOW ON:
OPENING RECEPTION: JOSEPH PERAGINE
CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE CSUF AD CLUB - CREATIVE BOOTCAMP
JOY OF UNCERTAINTY @ GCAC THEATER
MANA STUDIOS & THE REPLICA DOVES
SCHEDULE A CLASS VISIT |
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OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, MAY 2 from 7-10PM |
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Joseph Peragine, Pass The Ammunition, (2005) video. Courtesy of the artist and Grand Central Art Center. |
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JOSEPH PERAGINE PASS THE AMMUNITION
May 2 through July 12, 2026 Opening Reception Saturday, May 2 7 - 10PM
Pass The Ammunition uses the visual language of animation to examine how violence is normalized, circulated, and sustained—often through systems that feel impersonal, routine, and “built in.” In the context of today’s escalating tensions, the work feels especially urgent—not as commentary on a single event, but as a lens on the broader machinery of conflict: how militarized responses become default options, how rhetoric hardens into policy, and how distance (geographic, political, emotional) can make the consequences of violence feel abstract. Pass The Ammunition asks audiences to look closely at what is being “passed” along—objects, responsibility, fear, power—and to consider where agency lives within these cycles. By using animation’s capacity for transformation and exaggeration, Peragine makes the familiar strange again, creating space to reflect on complicity, escalation, and the systems that keep conflict in motion. The animation’s rhythm—precise, relentless, and hypnotic—invites viewers to notice how easily repetition can become acceptance, and how quickly a tool becomes a symbol, then a habit, then a culture.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Joseph Peragine is an artist whose work in painting, sculpture, installation, and animation has been exhibited widely in galleries, museums, and contemporary art spaces in the United States and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include Hell on Wheels Redux at the Willson Center for Arts and Humanities at the University of Georgia, Low Anchored Cloud at the UGA Performing Arts Center, and Low Anchored Cloud at Marcia Wood Galleryin Atlanta. His work has also appeared in group exhibitions and screenings including …an Atlanta Biennial… at Temporary Art Center in Atlanta, exhibitions in China and Japan, and film programs such as the Garden State Film Festival, Best Shorts Competition, and The World’s Independent Film Festival. Peragine’s practice moves fluidly across media, often combining dark humor, psychological tension, and a vivid engagement with the natural and constructed worlds. His public and site-responsive projects include Funtown at PeepSpace/Whitespace Gallery in Atlanta and Low Anchored Cloud at the Georgia World Congress Center Hotel. Earlier in his career, the City of Atlantacommissioned his permanent public installation Brute Neighbors for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a project that received the Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award for Excellence in Public Art. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Peragine earned a B.F.A. from the University of Georgia and an M.F.A. from Georgia State University. He is currently Director of the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.
EXHIBITION DETAILS |
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CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS / PROJECTS |
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CARLOS VIANI NEXT OF KIN through May 15, 2026
Ino Moxo: “And this, which is nothing, is everything” César Calvo, The Three Halves of Ino Moxo: Teachings of the Wizard of the Upper Amazon
When artist Carlos Viani’s father disappeared in Lima, Peru, in 1978, he left behind a green raincoat, discarded photographs, and a human skull he had exhumed decades earlier. This disappearance launched a four-decade search for answers, culminating in 2015 when Carlos received an email from a coroner in Orange County, California, informing him of his father’s death. In Next of Kin, Carlos uses a transdisciplinary approach—combining archival research, forensic methods, photography, video performance, installations, and a photo book—to explore the tension between fact and fiction, trace and memory. Against the backdrop of loss and diaspora, the project delves into his father’s secret life and reflects the universal enigma of estranged fathers and their lasting impact across cultures and histories.
EXHIBITION DETAILS |
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DANE HI'POI NAKAMA DEAR UNCLE TANI, extended through May 10, 2026
Dear Uncle Tani, is an exhibition of artworks and writing by Dane Nakamaand their grand–uncle, Kiyoshi “Tani” Iguchi. Through Iguchi’s letters and photographs—relics of a life cut short by World War II—Nakama charts the tremors between memory and myth, tenderness and solitude, uncovering how the echoes of nationalism continue to haunt the living.
EXHIBITION DETAILS |
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ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE BEN KINSLEY THE LOST CHAMPION |
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Ben Kinsley, The Lost Champion, Brown-Woolly Fig (Ficus drupacea), Santa Ana, CA |
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BEN KINSLEY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE THE LOST CHAMPION
MAY 2026 Ben Kinsley returns as an artist-in-residence, continuing the research and development phase of his project The Lost Champion. The Lost Champion is a public, place-based project that memorializes the loss of a national champion tree (Brown-Woolly Fig - Ficus drupacea) that was cut down in Santa Ana—by listening to what remains. A state or national champion tree is the largest known individual of a specific species, determined through a standardized point system based on height, trunk circumference, and average crown spread. These trees are typically identified through public nomination and maintained in official registers—such as American Forests’ National Champion Tree Program and state-level counterparts like the UFEI California Big Trees Registry—to encourage conservation and appreciation of our oldest and most extraordinary trees. During his upcoming visit, Ben is scheduled to meet with Rhonda Wood, an ISA Certified Arborist and Tree Climber, and Michael Cutchins, a measuring documenter and public nominator of several champion trees in Orange County, as programming around the project continues to take shape. Through guided walks, field recording, and collective attention to five sites across Santa Ana that are currently home to state champion trees, The Lost Champion explores the urban forest as a living ecosystem and listening as a form of memory, care, and witness. The project will culminate in an event at the site of the former national champion tree, incorporating field recordings Ben captured prior to its demise.
Programs are currently in development, stay tuned to our email announcements, as dates and details will be released soon! |
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CSUF AD CLUB CREATIVE BOOTCAMP @ GCAC |
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CREATIVE BOOTCAMP CSUF AD CLUB
April 29 from 12:15 - 5:30PM
The Santa Ana Art District Creative Bootcamp is a student-led ideation event where CSUF Communications students collaborate directly with local businesses to develop promotional campaign concepts that elevate Santa Ana’s creative identity. Hosted at Grand Central Art Center during Comm Week, the CSUF AdClub Creative Bootcamp takes participants beyond the classroom and into Santa Ana’s Artist Village for a full-day, high-energy, fast-paced creative experience—working alongside fellow creatives and industry professionals to develop real campaign ideas in a hands-on setting while spotlighting Santa Ana as a vibrant cultural destination.
Judges: Maria Gonzalez, Content & Community Engagement Manager, Travel Santa Ana Logan Crow, Executive Director, The Frida Cinema John D. Spiak, Director/Chief Curator, Grand Central Art Center
Food generously provided by: JJ Jensen, Owner, Chapter One
Our sincere thanks to CSUF Communications Professor Carolyn Coal and her students for working with GCAC in the development of this program. |
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JOY IN UNCERTAINTY GRAND CENTRAL THEATER |
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JOY IN UNCERTAINTY: A GLORY CHICKEN ADVENTURE (full play) @ Grand Central Art Center by Sigrid Gilmer
Presented by CSUF Theatre and Dance Sara Guerrero, director Diana Burbano, dramaturg
May 1 & 8 8:00 PM May 2 & 9 12 Noon and 6:00 PM
Grand Central Theater, Santa Ana (Post show shows talks to follow on Opening Night and after matinees) Tickets:: $10/ $5 (Titan) All orders subject to a $4 service fee Joy in Uncertainty is an irreverent black comedy at the intersection of identity, pop culture, and contemporary American society. The Itchy Bugs have invaded 9-year-old Joy’s town. School is closed, the talent show is canceled, and 28 days of lock down and pudding baths are ordered to combat the plague. Joy doesn’t know what to do. Things are very scary and weird. So, what do you do? You call Glory Chicken – a superhero who will teach you how to be cool and kind when things are scary and weird. With Glory Chicken, everything’s gonna be alright. This new play is part of the BIPOC SUPER HERO PROJECT, a nationwide project igniting theaters and playwrights across the diverse tapestry of America. Produced in conjunction with GCAC artist-in-residence Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble CSUF students can register here to receive a complimentary ticket to music, theatre, and dance performances throughout the academic year.
TICKETS |
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THE STOLEN DOVE - REPLICA DOVES MANA STUDIOS |
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THE STOLEN DOVE - REPLICA DOVES MANA STUDIOS
As a major component of Jon Rubin’s The Stolen Dove project, each family or organization that hosts the dove will convene a community gathering to share the story of Alex Odeh’s life and the ongoing pursuit of justice in his case. After passing the dove to the next host, they will receive a precise, handmade replica dove as a gift, enabling them to continue carrying the story forward. In this way, a single public sculpture of a dove multiplies into a flock, with each host becoming a long-term steward and storyteller. A vandal can deface one statue in a public park, but they cannot erase a story that lives across dozens of homes and communities. We are truly grateful to be working with Cal State Fullerton alum Jay Garcia (B.A. Illustration ’96) and his outstanding team at Mana Studios on the production of these replica doves. Established in 2004 and located just a few miles up Main Street from GCAC, Mana Studios is Jay’s full-spectrum 3D design studio—bringing ideas to life through both digital and traditional processes. From concept to completion, their expertise spans digital and traditional sculpting, molding, casting, concept art, and design. With years of industry experience, Jay and his team pair the highest-quality materials with cutting-edge techniques to achieve exceptional results. When you see the replica doves in person, you’ll understand exactly why we’re so excited to partner with Mana Studios.
ABOUT MANA STUDIOS |
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SCHEDULE A CLASS VISIT TODAY |
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Cal State Fullerton Sociology Professor Berna Torr, Geography Professor Zia Salim, and their students with The Stolen Dove during their visit to GCAC. |
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YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER!
HELP MAKE OUR 2026 PROGRAMS AND RESIDENCIES POSSIBLE |
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GCAC's current exhibition season and artists-in-residence are supported in part through the generosity of the following: |
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Cal State Fullerton's Grand Central Art Center is dedicated to fostering innovative artistic practice and meaningful community engagement. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, artist residencies, and dynamic exhibitions, GCAC serves as a catalyst for cultural dialogue and creative exploration. By amplifying deverse voices and embracing experimental approaches, the center seeks to inspire, educate, and connect communities within and beyond Southern California.
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