The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop
Organized by Bettina Hubby
April–June, 2012
Los Angeles
From The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop announcement:
Artist Mason Williams’ joke with a serious spark, birthed a shop! In 1964 he ribbed pal Ed Ruscha, that if his art career didn’t work out, he could always open up this shop in Eagle Rock and sell eagles and rocks, calling it the Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop. Ed's studio was in Eagle Rock at the time. Ed told Hubby about this one sentence that Mason had scrawled in his notebook: The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop. Hubby became increasingly enamored by the concept of the shop, concocting an image of the store as an interactive community-enlivening project. So, 48 years after the idea was conceived, with Ed and Mason’s blessing, The Eagle Rock, Rock and Eagle Shop opened its doors.
The art space/store featured over 400 objects Hubby armchair and thrift-shopped from all over our nation. Using Ebay, Etsy and a bit of Amazon, Hubby mined the internet for reasonably-priced, rock n’ eagle-centric curiosities. The shop was filled with a melting pot of aesthetics—all representations of the eagle, and/or rock. The objects range widely and humorously covering pet rocks, pop rocks, hide-a-key rocks, fake rocks with surprises inside, an eagle painted saw blade, the film Legal Eagles, eagle dream catchers, et cetera. She designed and created the packaging for the idea; the logo graphically merges together the concept and the experience, and were prevalent on merchandise such as T-shirts, temporary tattoos, badges, pencils, and tote bags.
With this project, Hubby explored a diversity of symbols at the crossroads of curating, collecting, commerce and performance. We as viewers/shoppers/participants were invited to wonder not only about the objects themselves, but about the people who sell them. Were they being sincere, ironic, expressive, or...? The descriptions of the items for sale often revealed the seller’s unique perspective. Collected and archived, these objects and their stories comprised the project’s limited edition catalog. Hubby also invited artists to contribute a work of contemporary art related to eagles, rocks, and eagles and rocks together, a group show was born in the back room of the storefront. The intention was to launch the project beyond, and to blur, the lines between art and kitsch, craft and commerce.
Participating artists: Suzanne Adelman, Chad Attie, Paul Cleaver, Tricia Gabriel, Samara Golden, Nick Herman, Bettina Hubby, Bolyn Hubby, Melissa Huddleston, Charles Irvin, Karen Lee, Adam Janes and Ann Lynn, JEFF&GORDON, Jonsey, Karen Lofgren, Shana Lutker, Melodie Mousset, Michele O'Marah, Dennis Hoekstra & Noah Olmsted, Mary Anna Pomonis, Olivia Primé, Melinda Rayman, Karen Rose, Amy Russell, Tif Sigfrids, Jim Skuldt, Mike Slack, SAMO HURT (AKA David G.A. Stephenson), Kirsten Stoltmann, William Stone, Kevin Sudeith, Valentin Toledo, Keith Walsh, Landon Wiggs, Mason Williams , and Jessika Wood
Special thanks goes out to Michael Noguiera, of Sir Michaels Rentals, Eagle Rock, and Renee Dominique and Julia Salazar of the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. and Ajay Singh of Patch, Eagle Rock Special thanks also to Emily Hopkins of Side Street Projects in Pasadena. This radically fun and visually/mentally stimulating art and community rock n' eagle spectacular closed June 3rd. Thank you for visiting and supporting and celebrating the one, the only, The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop!
The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop, Bettina Hubby, 2012. (Click here to order catalog.)