SAVE ART CITY BLOG

Art City is in my humble opinion best kept secret
And  inspiration,  for many  where sculptors and art lovers alike can  be an Art City is abundant with artistic  energy  and revered  among   stone sculptors  and other mediums that can buy unique stones for  mounting a finished piece can attest to how important Art City is to the  local art scene.  One of many examples to the importance of how they   helped me with finding of  the perfect  my bronze “Hawk”  and learned
which the beautiful red pipe stone to mount my Mohawk Shaman to.  Ventura Tourists should be directed to Art City for the “Real Deal”
Art experience. 

citool@sbcglobal.com

July 24, 2022

Please  save Art City.  I'm a stone sculptor who has enjoyed the stone and  friendship of my fellow sculptors there for 30 years.  Paul Lindhard and  Art City originally brought me to Ventura as a visitor and then as a  resident.  It has been my "special place" to not only buy stone, but to  bring family, friends and fellow artists to visit and tour.  Ventura  would not be the same without this hidden gem.

tepsie@yahoo.com

July 22, 2022

To  me, Rock City is such a rare space allowing rock sculpture artists to  work. The pieces they create are outstanding and necessary. The artists  create but also take the time to talk to guests to share their vision  and stories. To educate and share one’s journey is priceless.  I cannot  imagine many places allowing the freedom of space and vision as is  allowed at Rock City. Please recognize and allow Rock City to exist in  its present location. 

suesmashey@gmail.com

July 19, 2022

     Art City is one of the primary and enduring cultural assets in  Ventura, and there is nothing else like it that I know of. It was one of  the reasons I could move to Ventura: an organic and growing place of  true dedication to quality art is a powerful attraction.  It has invited  new talent and sustained developed talent for almost 40 years, and this  is without big infusions of money or energy from government at any  level--a truly remarkable achievement.
     Additionally, Art City  has provided gallery space and space for community activities such as  poetry readings that have drawn writers from around the state.
      This is an inclusive and self -supporting community of artists that  enhances our lives here and Ventura's reputation as something beyond a  beachside bedroom community: to lose this place does damage at so many  levels.

July 17, 2022

lrolens@aol.com

I  have lived here since 1987 except for a couple of years here and there  where I lived abroad and then moved to work on Capitol Hill in  Washington, D.C. and every time I visit here I am thrilled at the art  that is always exploding and evolving. I don’t know of any place in the  U.S. that is comparable where you can literally go and watch these  artists at work and then see what they create.

It is a living,  breathing icon of creativity, skill and passion and has been with us now  for many decades for our children, the community as a whole and as a  testament to the heart and soul of Ventura. It is truly an oasis like  none other and through Paul Lindhard’s faithful dedication has continued  to grow and thrive.

I was shocked and horrified to learn the  news about the sale of the land it sits on and implore everyone to pass  the word so we might save this wonderful historical landmark for  generations to come and so we can continue to come here and soak up it’s  positive energy, and be able to purchase works from these amazing  artists who are dedicated to their craft and making it available to us.

We,  as a community, as individuals, now have a rare opportunity to give  back and show our appreciation for the “heart” that Art City has given  to Ventura and the surrounding area.  If nothing else it will inspire  our youth to think about using their own hands and talents to maybe  become artists themselves. Nothing sparks the interest in a child as  much as being able to sit and watch these sculptors and artists  do  their craft right in front of them. Please keep this mission to “Save  Art City” foremost in your minds and unite to preserve a part of us that  we cannot afford to lose.

simplicity3424@gmail.com

JULY 15, 2022

The beautification of Ventura as well as the thriving art community of Ventura in all genres is important to the people of Ventura. To loose Art City, by far the most significant and creative contributor to to the art of stone sculpture would be a major loss to our community. It takes a lot of resources to make stone sculpture. Paul Lindhard has spent 37 years building on these resources so stone sculptors can create their magic. We can not let the creative vitality of the Art City compound and all it has to offer for artists and the public that goes there for inspiration to simply vanish. It must not happen. 

Dear Sir,   Art CITY is Vital to Ventura's unique Social & Business fabric.  It's why we don't live in Santa Barbara or L.A. anymore.  As business owners, we whole heartily recommend that Art CITY stay at it's present location.  

Thank You,  Helen O'Neill & Co.  Bike Hub Ventura,  Bike Hub Oxnard  Friends of Bates Beach  Museum of Ventura County  Ventura Land Trust  CFROG .

Helen O'Neill Pineapple Productions 332 Rodgers St. Ventura, CA 93003 USA 805-701-7661

helen13@earthlink.net

I am sure you are aware of the situation of “Art City” and the sale of the land they have rented for decades is being sold without any recourse on their part because they were never advised.  Ventura has been wonderful in the support of its artists.  The pandemic has affected us all and changes have had to be made.  This is one enterprise that cannot close.  Art and culture are important for the citizens and tourism.  Please is there something that you can do protect Art City from closing. 

June 21, 2022

www.SandraMcCulloughArtist.com 

My  wife and I lived in Ventura from 1993 until 1996.  Days after we moved  to Ventura we discovered Art City.  We quickly became friends with the  artists who worked there.  Art City became our favorite place in  Ventura.  Over the years we lived in Ventura and since our return to  Texas we collected many works from Art City.  These beautiful pieces of  Art now grace our home.  With sorrow, we heard that Art City may soon be  gone.  Art City epitomizes the unique spirit of  Ventura.  Both have a  special place in our heart.  We hope and pray both endure to delight  future generations.

jhenry@greenthread.net

JUL 7, 2022

Art  City exemplifies the heart and uniqueness of Ventura.  This  working-artist village provides space for sculptors and others who have  contributed to our community’s culture and character for decades. Guests  can explore Art City, experiencing the timeless ambiance of master  craftspeople at work, while enjoying the massive variety of sculptures  produced there. These sculptors’ masterpieces grace public spaces and  private homes in many cities and states. When we wrote the Downtown  Specific Plan, we named it “AuthentiCity.” Art City is an archetype of  the authentic places that are celebrated in that vision. In the Plan,  that parcel is designated  with a “Workplace Overlay”,  signifying its  ongoing value as a place of work and creativity. I support Paul  Lindhard’s goal of a counter-offer to purchase the property. Art City  cannot be simply “relocated”— to anyone who has worked or visited there,  it is clear that this is exactly where it belongs. 

Email
christy@christyweir.com

JUL 7, 2022

Reverence for Unique Beauty and Creativity.

A Notion Long Past Due

In 1932, Millard Sheets, who was already an established painter at the age of 25, took a class on fresco painting at L.A.'s Chouinard School of Art, with renowned Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros.  Sheets would go on to become the premier painter of the California Regionalist School in addition to chairing the art departments of Otis and Scripts.

In that same year, Sheets spoke to an assembly at South Pasadena Junior High School about his work with murals. Students at the middle school — back then, it was a junior high — were working on their own murals. When Principal G. Derwood Baker, an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, learned of the Chouinard mural, he invited Sheets to the school as a guest speaker. Sheets accepted and was so impressed with the students’ work that he offered to paint murals for the school.

Through a combination of ignorance, indifference and incompetence, the murals were all ultimately painted over, and have remained unseen for about 70 years. 

Around 1968, I was picking up a load of books for a Santa Barbara book dealer, from the docks in San Pedro.

After securing the books, I went down the road to Long Beach, and took along the Pike Amusement Park. I passed by the Cyclone Racer, the iconic roller coaster I had viewed, but never ridden, through my youth in Southern California. On this particular day, someone saw me admiring the structure, and said, “If you want to ride it, you’d better do it today; this is its last day of operation.” I had no choice to take them up on this suggestion, and along with just one couple on the whole train, I took the plunge. It was a profound experience, and made it clear that riding the Matterhorn at Disneyland was not an adequate preparation for the Cyclone Racer.

I took a number of photos of the roller coaster that day, and when I returned some time later, I took many more pictures of it in a half-demolished state.

Finally, I recall a close friend of our family, who had met my mother when they were both giving birth to sons at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, telling me about taking the two boys for a stroll in our neighborhood in South Pasadena. She said they stopped for a while to watch the demolition of a Greene and Greene house, to make way for a new apartment building.

So what? In a more enlightened time or place, none of this tragic destruction would have occurred. Recognizing the unique and brilliant gift given to the Junior High School, someone knowledgeable and suitably appreciative of these masterworks would have been assigned their stewardship, and ensured their proper care and preservation. 

The roller coaster may not seem as elevated artistically as the murals, but when the roller coaster at Mission Bay in San Diego was threatened with demolition some years ago, the community, recognizing its significance as a cultural landmark, mounted a successful campaign to save it, It continues to delight riders of all ages to this day.

And can there be any doubt that someone suggestion the destruction of a home designed by Greene and Greene would be summarily denied approval, if not tarred and feathered? 

So, the point is, when will we wake up and pay proper homage to examples of creative brilliance right in our midst, and rise up to protect and preserve them when they are threatened. Such an environment if Art City, right here in downtown Ventura. For 38 years, the vision and dedication of sculptor Paul Lindhard has nurtured the development of this site into a simply brilliant collection of sculptures, as well as the opportunity to see artists working to create new pieces. Lindhard has provided a place where these artists can proceed with their noisy, dusty work, and collaborate and share inspiration with a community of like-minded people.

Now, this property is in escrow to a real estate developer, and Art City is presented with the daunting, if not impossible task of finding a new home. Paul and his colleagues deserve better. They are facing ling odds, but miracles like this have been accomplished. My brother in Carpinteria was part of a years-long effort to preserve the Bluffs in their town, where a buyer with a development plan was already in place. Art City deserves no less. A community-based campaign could raise the funds to keep this artistic enclave in its present home, continuing to attract artists and visitors from far and wide to view this wonderful place. There certainly is enough wealth in Ventura and the nearby communities to make this a reality. But time is short, and once it’s gone, all we’ll be able to do is look at photographs and say how said it was that it couldn’t be saved.

JUL 11, 2022

Tom Moore, Ojai

miscplots@yahoo.com