The Palm Court Arts Complex is home to the Great Park Gallery and the Great Park Artist Studios. The Palm Court’s re-purposed military structures now form a cultural campus supporting the development of a fresh approach to establishing an interdisciplinary, public arts program.
Learn more about exhibitions at the Irvine Fine Arts Center here.
Learn more about exhibitions at City Hall here.
Thursdays & Fridays: Noon–4 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free Admission
Please note: The Great Park Gallery is currently closed while our next exhibition is installed.
Exhibition: October 9–December 31
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 16, 1–3 p.m.
Before the 19th-century, art served as ornament, decorating walls and living quarters. Beyond the Decorative surveys how contemporary artists are redefining decorative techniques and subjects by creating new narratives relating to individuality and self-expression through the mediums of painting, photography, video, sculpture, textile design, and wallpapers. This exhibition will feature an essay by artist and curator Constance Mallinson, and include works from nationally and internationally recognized artists including Zafi Ahmed, Casey Baden, Susy Bielak, Reed van Brunschot, Fatima Franks, Samantha Greenfeld, Michael Harnish, David Krovblit, Lesley Kice Nishigawara, Cecilia Paredes, Fred Schmalz, and Nikita Vishnevskiy.
Through August 28
Running in conjunction with the Great Park Gallery exhibition Phillip K. Smith III: Shared Light, this minimalist installation showcases small-scale static artworks by contemporary artist Phillip K. Smith III. Phillip K. Smith III: Light + Shadow Works features a selection of wall-mounted and free-standing sculptures that highlight the purity of light. Unlike the large-scale public artworks featured in the Gallery exhibition, this installation provides viewers with intimate viewing experiences of pure forms that rely on the interplay of light and shadows to produce optical experiences.
Learn more about Phillip K. Smith III: Shared Light, on display in the Great Park Gallery in conjunction with Phillip K. Smith III: Light + Shadow Works, here.
Thursdays & Fridays: Noon–4 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
*Great Park’s Hangar 244 is subject to closures due to private event rentals and/or larger city-wide events.
In 1971 the City of Irvine became an incorporated city by the State of California, enabling it to become the thriving city we know today. In collaboration with University California, Irvine, Hangar 244 at the Great Park presents 1971: Building Irvine. Through historic photography and text, this exhibition celebrates community milestones, landmarks, and spaces built after 1971 while recognizing the past that brought us here.
In 2003, a group of six photographers branded as The Legacy Project, set out to document the transition of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into the Great Park. Located in the History Room of Hangar 244, these photographs capture MCAS El Toro, archiving the buildings and structures on the base before construction would commence.
Construction of Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro began on August 3, 1942, on land previously owned by the Irvine Company. The runways and taxiways were completed by December 1, 1942, and all squadron hangars were complete by January 15, 1943.
These photos, taken by Bob Blankman, a history archivist and member of the first unit stationed at El Toro, capture the building of the base.
In 1993, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro was designated for closing by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission and all of its activities were to be transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The station officially closed on July 2, 1999.
Since 2002, the Legacy Project has documented the transformation of the former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro into the Orange County Great Park. They have created more than 200,000 images and famously turned a giant jet hangar into the world’s largest camera and used it to take the world’s largest picture.
These photos capture the Flying Bull insignia around the military base and its buildings.
This photography collection from the Legacy Project highlights seven former MCAS El Toro buildings, their purpose when the base was open, and their coordinates.
The Legacy Project is comprised of artists Mark Chamberlain, Clayton Spada, Jacques Garnier, Robert Johnson, and Douglas McCulloh.
A Guide to Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro is a documentary about the history of the region.
This 9-minute archive will take you on a retrospective journey from the early days of the Irvine family’s prodigious ranching and agricultural projects, to the coming of World War II and the subsequent arrival of Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro.
The film screens every 20 minutes in the History Room hallway of Hangar 244.
