Art Jumps From Canvas to Screen at Cinema Orange Tonight

​Frank Herbert Mason painted the Resurrection of Christ on display in Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and eight large paintings of the Life of St. Anthony of Padua permanently installed in the 11th Century Church of San Giovanni de Malta in Venice.

But, as demonstrated in a documentary screening tonight at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), the even longer lasting legacy of the Cleveland, Ohio-born artist who died at 88 in 2009 will be his work to preserve the religious and non-religious works of the Old Masters.



Sonny Quinn's A Light in the Dark: The Art & Life of Frank Mason explores both the modern classic artist's work and battles against an art establishment that destroyed priceless cultural treasures and threatened to obliterate more. Among those shown cheering on the co-founder of ArtWatch International is author Tom Wolfe and former Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Hoving.

Following the May 19 screening of Céline Danhier's Blank City, tonight's A Light in the Dark presentation is the second from Cinema Orange, the collaboration between OCMA and the Newport Beach Film Festival to screen 2011 Art, Architecture + Design Film Series entries from April's NBFF run.

You only need to pay the regular $12 museum admission to wander the grounds at 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, take in the 7 p.m. guided tour of the current exhibition "Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy" and then settle into a seat at the outdoor pavilion (weather permitting) before the film starts at 8 p.m. More details at www.ocma.net or www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.

If you can't swing tonight's flick, make sure to come to July 21's presentation of Space, Land and Time: Underground Adventures with Ant Farm, a doc I thoroughly enjoyed about the Swinging '70s architectural collective best known for creating the Cadillac Ranch in Texas. But the Ant Farm was much more than that, as directors Elizabeth Federici and Laura Harrisonbook show through archival footage and current interviews. Back then, these cats were thinking about things like recycling, affordable shelter and everyone just getting along. The museum and festival promise a stirring post-screening Q&A, noting that the Ant Farm will be featured in OCMA's exhibition opening Oct. 9, "State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970."

Cinema Orange concludes Aug. 18 with Murray Grigor's Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day.