[FAC] Lines, Lines, Lines....Drawings and written works by William Saroyan

[Cris Monahan-Bremer]

William Saroyan is well known for his writing, but many people don't
know that he also dabbled in the visual arts. In the new exhibit,
"Lines, Lines, Lines" at Fresno City College, the public will get to see
Saroyan in a whole new light. The exhibit, which opens August 27 in the
Art Space Gallery, will feature a number of watercolor drawings made by
the Pulitzer Prize winning author. The exhibit is Fresno City College's
contribution to Fresno's year-long centennial celebration of Saroyan's
birth. 

According to Edward Lund, Art Space Gallery curator, "Lines, Lines,
Lines" is a whimsical look at Saroyan's drawings and writings and will
feature readings from the Saroyan archives. 

"He wasn't a visual artist the way he was respected as a writer. His
drawings are whimsical. They're not revolutionary or new, they are just
his," said Lund of Saroyan's watercolors. "Some of them have a nice
quality to them. He would just do soothing circular lines or vertical
lines and play around with color. So it's not like he was just throwing
paint around, there's a consistency to them," he said. 

In addition to the drawings, the exhibit will feature a number of
Saroyan artifacts, including his bicycle, for which he was well-known.
"The exhibit will include some small drawings, a couple of large
drawings, his cigarette packages crushed on the floor, some of his
actual work in the typewriter and a selection of pieces, some of which
can only be viewed through a case and others can be handled and read,"
Lund noted. The public will also be able to see several of the
typewriters that Saroyan used throughout the years to write the stories
in which Fresno was often the setting. 

Lund said there will also be several recorded versions of the song "Come
on-a My House," which was written by Saroyan and Ross Bagdasarian in
1939. The song became famous in 1951 when it was recorded by Rosemary
Clooney and hit #1 on the record charts. The public will also hear other
song lyrics credited to Saroyan which are featured on albums by various
Armenian singers. "So there's this kind of quirky side to him, as well,"
Lund said. 

ArtHop is scheduled for September 4 from 5 - 8 p.m. Readings from an
unpublished Saroyan play will be featured on Saturday, September 27 at 2
p.m. Theatre arts instructor Chuck Erven and several FCC students will
perform the readings. The Art Space Gallery will be open that day from 1
- 4 p.m. 

The Art Space Gallery is open Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Wednesdays and
Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; and Fridays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

 

Cris Monahan Bremer

College Director of Marketing and Communications

Fresno City College

1101 E. University

Fresno CA 93741

(559) 442-8258

FAX: (559) 485-3367

www.fresnocitycollege.edu

 

 

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