Art Studio Program Lecture Series

Sara Velas

Sara Velas is a visual artist and the founder and director of the Velaslavasay Panorama which currently exhibits a 360 degree arctic panorama -- Effulgence of the North. A member of the International Panorama Council, Ms. Velas has traveled extensively throughout the world to experience the unique immersive state offered by the panoramic art form in both its historic 19th century and contemporary manifestations. Born in Panorama City, California, she received her BFA from Washington University School of Art in Saint Louis, Missouri and resides in Los Angeles.

About the Velaslavasay Panorama

Drawing on the illustrious history of the Great Panorama Paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries, The Velaslavasay Panorama is an exhibition hall, theatre and garden dedicated to the production and presentation of unusual visual experiences,. The Velaslavasay Panorama panoramic exhibition encircles the spectator within a fully enveloping atmosphere; the vast painting, of a continuous surrounding landscape, accompanied by sound stimulation and three-dimensional elements, affords the viewer an opportunity to experience a complete sensory phenomenon.

Historically, the panorama (also known as cyclorama) was an immersive 360-degree painted environment, often including a three-dimensional faux terrain in the foreground of the painting to enhance the illusion. An early relative to the motion picture, the captivated public would visit these paintings-in-the-round as an entertainment or novelty, much along the same lines as the cinema is seen today.

Located in the historic Union Square area of Los Angeles, The Velaslavasay Panorama presents an art form that has been all but lost due to the technological advancements of our time and the differing ways in which the public consumes mass entertainment.