Judson Studios Exhibit at Forest Lawn Museum (Glendale)
DETAILS:
Location: 1712 S Glendale Ave. Glendale, CA 91205
Hours of Operation: The exhibit is on display through September 12th, 2021. Wednesday-Sunday: 10AM-5PM
Reservations for timed (and free) entry suggested, but not required. Walk-ins welcome based on capacity.
Parking: Free parking lot on site.
Cost: Free!
Time Commitment: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Miscellaneous:
Timed (and free) reservations can be made by phone: 323-340-4782 or by email: museum@forestlawn.com
Make sure to visit other points of interest at Forest Lawn like the stained glass re-creation of The Last Supper and The Crucifixion which is the largest religious canvas painting in the world. Details below. You can also find more information about these and other attractions on their website, provided below under “resources”.
Founded in 1897, Judson Studios is the oldest family-run stained glass studio in the United States and one of the preeminent producers in the world of this awe-inspiring medium. Located in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, if you’ve seen a piece of stained glass artwork in Southern California, there’s a pretty good chance it was made at Judson Studios. Highlights of their master craftsmanship include the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas, numerous Frank Lloyd Wright works like The Ennis House, on the campus of USC, and the Cadet Chapel at the US Air Force Academy. With a portfolio that spans around the globe, to see them all would be a daunting task. Thankfully, you can view a retrospective of Judson Studios’ work and history at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale thru September 12th, 2021. If you’re familiar with Forest Lawn, you know that it’s one of the major cemeteries in Southern California. I know, I know, a cemetery is the last place you’d expect to host a major art exhibition, but it has a long tradition of priding itself as a point of interest for the living as well. More on that later.
The Judson Studio exhibit is entitled: Stained Glass From Gothic to Street Style. It’s the perfect description since, if you’re anything like me, you probably only thought of stained glass as a church-related aesthetic. But this art form can extend to a wide array of settings. Ever evolving, Judson Studios’ goal for innovation has seen their work applied to modern art, home decor, furniture, and countless commercial projects. Part of the exhibition even features collaborations with urban artists such as Marco Zamora, El Mac, and David Flores. The exhibit even unintentionally extends next-door to the Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection since the stained glass windows located within were created by, you guessed it, Judson Studios. The exhibit is a rare combination of serenity and exhilaration and needs to be experienced in person to fully appreciate. I hope you take the opportunity to visit while it’s still on display.
With numerous locations throughout Southern California, Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale is the original and flagship location of the six cemeteries currently in operation. It’s hard to miss, since its iconic white cross can be seen for miles from the 5, 134 and 2 freeways upon its perched positioned. Founded in 1906 by Dr. Hubert Eaton, the Glendale location sprawls across 300 acres of rolling hills. As mentioned earlier, you’d be hard pressed to view any cemetery as an “attraction”, but Eaton was determined to transform the depressing imagery that is often associated with most cemeteries into a bright and vibrant celebration of life at Forest Lawn. Eaton made sure the grounds were always lush and manicured, planted trees to emulate a park setting, erected classic artwork and sculptures to inspire culture, and constructed numerous pieces of architecture to evoke the majesty of old Europe. This was all in the hopes that it would create a welcoming gathering space for the community. Once you get passed the idea that you’re on the grounds of a cemetery, I think Eaton was pretty successful achieving that vision.
Various points of interest are spread throughout the grounds, but I’d like to highlight three in particular.
The Museum - The location of the current Judson Studio Exhibit, this museum is truly a hidden (and free) gem in Los Angeles. It rotates exhibits throughout the year, covering a broad spectrum of topics and disciplines. But its permanent collection is pretty impressive as well.
The Grand Mausoleum - Within its stunning marbled interior, you can find a stained glass re-creation of The Last Supper by Italian artist; Rosa Moretti. This large re-creation (30ft x 15ft) is accompanied by music and a narrated history played on loudspeakers that runs on intervals throughout the day. (If it’s not playing when you arrive, you can ask the attendant at the welcome desk to play it.)
Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection - Considered the largest known religious canvas painting in the world, The Crucifixion, painted by Polish artist; Jan Styka in 1904, has the massive measurements of 195ft x 45ft. It was so large, The Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection was specifically built to contain it. Literally displayed like a movie screen with theater seats and all, viewers can see the painting accompanied with music and a narrated history at regular intervals throughout the day.
