The Palm Court Arts Complex is home to the Great Park Gallery and the Great Park Studio. 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
Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography
Exhibition: September 29–December 29
Exhibition Opening Reception: Sunday, September 29, 1–3 p.m.
Concert photography has captured the heart-pounding energy and moments we share together, producing some of the most iconic images of each generation. From rock concerts to intimate acoustic performances, discover the power of music and community through the eye of the camera. Explore the magic, passion, and sheer artistry of performances that have shaped the cultural landscape of music history. Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography surveys the sights and sounds of live music from a diverse range of photographers from the 1960s to today.
Exhibiting photographers include Brian Alvarado, Rita Carmo, Christie Goodwin, Bob Gruen, Heather Hawke, Marcos Hermes, Ralph Hulett, Richard Kroening, Michael Lavine, Lily Ordunez, Estevan Oriol, Harrison Voorhees, and Claire and Jeremy Weiss.
Additional images contributed by Orange Peel Magazine featuring the work of Pedro Barrera, Max Callas, Josué Cambara, Georgio Lingerfelt, Alishia Stevens, and Samantha Wong.
Image Credit: Bob Gruen, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day on stage at Parc des Princes in Paris, France. June 26, 2010.
Jazz in the Palm Court: For the Love of Vinyl
Sunday, October 27, 2024, 1–3 p.m.
In support of the Great Park Gallery exhibition Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography the Great Park Gallery presents a live music event, Jazz in the Palm Court: For the Love of Vinyl. Inspired by a diverse range of music that traverses the eras, this event will feature live jazz renditions of hit songs we all know and love.
In addition to live music, local vendor Resident Vinyl will host a pop-up vinyl record shop. Event visitors will also have a chance to engage in an arts and crafts activity by creating their own original artworks on vinyl record sleeves, re-imagining the album artworks of their favorite artists!
Come celebrate the cultural landscape of music and performance. Bring folding chairs and blankets for seating around the Palm Court; no advance registration is needed for this free all-ages event.
Concert Photography: Stories and Experiences
Saturday, November 23, 2024, 1–3 p.m.
Live music and performance creates communities and memories that last a lifetime. Join musical and cultural enthusiasts Owen Ela of Resident Vinyl and independent music journalist Liz Ohanesian for a walkthrough and discussion of Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography. Come hear the stories and experiences that inspire and shape the cultural landscape of music throughout Orange County and beyond.
Song Requests and Concert Posters
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 1–3 p.m.
In support of the exhibition Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography, the Great Park Gallery presents a unique live music and art making activity. Song Requests and Concert Posters will give participants the opportunity to request songs they love from the '60s to today to be performed live while creating fictional concert posters that represent their favorite artists.
Live music provided by Spencer Askin, master guitarist and face of social media personality Shreducation. No advance registration is needed for this fun free all-ages event.
More Than You Can Chew
January 26 – April 20, 2025
Opening Reception Sunday, January 26, 2025 1-3pm
Extending beyond aesthetics and taste, More Than You Can Chew surveys contemporary artworks that examine the cultural, economic, and political foundations which shape our culinary experiences. Acting as conduits for discourse, the artworks included in this exhibition bring new ideas to familiar subjects. Explore the complexities of food through a lens that merges the edible with artistic integrity, showcasing that some of the most simple and familiar things can hold hidden and elaborate meanings.
Image Credit: Eriko Kobayashi, Sunny Side Up, Borosilicate Glass and Flameworking, 2022.
The Great Park Studio is a creative flex space that offers camps and classes, special events, and private rentals. Studio camps and classes cover educational topics such as chess, engineering, science, and more. All current camps and classes can be viewed at yourirvine.org, or browse the current digital edition of Inside Irvine. Special events include enhancement activities that compliment Great Park Gallery exhibitions. Information regarding private rentals at the Studio and Great Park can be viewed here.
Thursdays & Fridays: Noon–4 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free Admission
*Great Park’s Hangar 244 is subject to closures due to private event rentals and/or larger city-wide events. For building closure status, please call 949-724-6599.
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.
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.
The Flying Bull
In 1943 Walt Disney designed the El Toro Flying Bull logo for Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Walt Disney Productions created approximately 1,200 designs during World War II for both American and Allied military units. 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. These photos, captured by the Legacy Project, document the Flying Bull insignia in various locations of MCAS El Toro.
Opening El Toro
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.
Coordinates
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 over 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. This photography collection showcases 18 former MCAS El Toro buildings and sites, accompanied by a large-scale historic map of the base highlighting the coordinates and building numbers represented in each photo. The Legacy Project is comprised of artists Mark Chamberlain, Clayton Spada, Jacques Garnier, Robert Johnson, and Douglas McCulloh.
Life on the Base: MCAS El Toro
The day to day for El Toro service members included the expected activities of life on a military base, however their free time and recreational activities were fun, diverse and similar to Great Park visitors today. The images on display, courtesy of the First American OC Historical Photo Archive and the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, capture life in the early days of MCAS El Toro. Originally exhibited in the 2023 Great Park Gallery exhibition Life on the Base: MCAS El Toro curated by Cynthia Castaneda.
Pilot Maker: Planes from MCAS El Toro
On display in and around Hangar 244 are two World War II era training planes––a N3N-3 Canary and a SNJ-5 Texan. Both aircraft were used as training planes for service members of MCAS El Toro, while the Texan was used for military operations during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, as well as in numerous other conflicts around the world.
