IRVINE, CA.- A naming gift from Jack and Shanaz Langson to the University of California, Irvine will support the construction and operation of a state-of-the-art building facility to house the Institute and Museum of California Art and its important collection of California art. In recognition of their generous support, IMCA will be named the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art.

In addition, their gift will serve to catalyze the growth of a multi-million-dollar endowment to provide long-term support, and it will enable Langson IMCA to advance its manifold mission in arts research and scholarship, conservation, presentation and interdisciplinary learning in collaboration with numerous academic departments at the university.

“We are grateful for Shanaz and Jack’s tremendous gift,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “Their passion for advancing and providing access to art and culture will help Langson IMCA create an exceptional facility showcasing its brilliant trove of California art from the Buck and Irvine Museum Collections for art lovers and art historians from all over the globe.”

The Langson name is a familiar presence on the UCI campus. Jack and Shanaz both serve as trustees of the UCI Foundation and have generously supported the campus over the years, including areas within the arts, health and the Jack Langson Library.

“The new gift emphasizes our vision that a well-rounded, 21st century educational curriculum fully integrates visual culture with other existing teaching disciplines at the university and expands opportunities for learning,” said Jack Langson.

“The Langson IMCA will also apply the latest scientific developments to understanding and preserving art objects and archival material for the benefit of future generations,” added Shanaz Langson.

The Langson Institute and Museum of California Art

Langson IMCA was established by UCI in 2017, after receiving gifts of two important collections of California art: The Irvine Museum Collection and The Buck Collection. Working with numerous campus and institutional partners, Langson IMCA considers what constitutes California art and how to tell these stories in informed, inclusive and just ways, ensuring that a diversity of voices and lived experiences are presented.

UCI is planning to construct a purpose-built museum and research institute to house both permanent and temporary exhibitions drawn from its two collections and other works. It is intended to serve as a global magnet for the exhibition and study of California art and its social, cultural and environmental frameworks.

“I am indebted to Shanaz and Jack Langson for their generosity, which will enable IMCA to develop a signature facility celebrating UCI’s important and growing collections of California art and giving this work and its artists the recognition they deserve,” said Langson IMCA Museum Director Kim Kanatani. “Our museum and institute will serve as a dynamic crossroads to investigate and promote California’s influence and innovation through art and culture. As a forward-thinking teaching and learning laboratory, we will offer unparalleled arts and cross-curricular experiences for the campus, the region and beyond.”

Langson IMCA’s holdings currently include over 4,500 works representing a wide array of genres and mediums, spanning late 19th century California Impressionism and plein air painting to Post-War and contemporary art. Through its growing collection, research institute, and public programming, Langson IMCA celebrates artists responding to the singular California experience, initiates research to generate new scholarship, and fosters meaningful encounters and experiences with art and its global contexts.

IMCA currently operates an interim museum location on the main level of the Airport Tower building at 18881 Von Karman Avenue in the airport area of Irvine. The 2,500 square foot space presents one exhibition at a time which rotate approximately three times per year accompanied by public programs. Exhibitions feature both permanent collection as well as loaned works.

An integral part of a leading research university, Langson IMCA is a dynamic center for the study, presentation and appreciation of California art – the creative output forged by the state’s distinctive features, history, peoples and natural environments. Langson IMCA builds on UCI’s mission to position the arts as a core component of the UCI experience and a vibrant asset to the Irvine and regional communities.