As it turns out art in Fullerton goes way back. Two centers of gravity, Norton Simon and Leo Fender, come to mind.
Norton Simon, who grew rich from his formation of food conglomerate Hunt Foods and acquisition of Max Factor, Canada Dry and others, acquired one of the largest private art collections in the world. He was a Fullertonian.
Over the years he sought a home for his massive and prestigious collection. After years of frustrated negotiations with the City of Fullerton he had to settle for second best, Pasadena. Friends for Fullerton's Future - Lost Art
Leo Fender, godfather of the electric guitar, started his factory right here in Fullerton on Fender Avenue. But it was more than a factory for electric guitars. It was a factory for electric guitar music. The type of guitar was new, the type of music it made was new, and the artisans of this new music form would gather in the area to trade licks and techniques.
There is a persistent but unverified rumor that impromptu concerts were performed at Hillcrest park. The rumor includes the tidbit that Jimmy Hendrix actually performed at one of these gatherings. And it was Docent Mike Miller who told me that that was also the origin of the city’s ban on public music performances.
So that is two things the city has saved us from; having to hear live music while in public, and museums built by domineering industrialists-turned-philanthropists.
The tension between the city’s two competing forces, one pushing in the direction of keeping the public safe and the other allowing liberty to pursue productive and industrious endeavors, is still evident today. Even with the number of vacant spaces downtown the city forces draconian restrictions on existing businesses, such as having the police kick out dining customers at midnight to enforce contrived conditional use permits, or limiting the lines of people waiting to get in to 25 persons. I wonder how bouncers would enforce that.
But in some ways the Art Walk is a celebration of overcoming this adversity. The people will form their own museum. If it can’t be in one place it will be in several. Fullerton’s walkability makes this possible.
As we look at the town and see it’s shortcomings we must never forget it’s values and virtues. Chief among these is walkability. Measured on a human scale walkability is of primary importance among a city’s features. Walkability allows open exchanges in commerce, trade, social intercourse, and thought. It allows impromptu gatherings and interchanges. In this case it allows free-form and open expression of art on a one-to-one or one-to-many basis.
In Southern California walkability is rare. Fullerton sits in the same area that pioneered the planned community. Cities like Mission Viejo and Lakewood, bedroom communities typified by large green unused lawns, planned on one thing more than anything else; a car.
Cheap fuel, the novelty of the automobile, blossoming populations, and perhaps California’s earthquake management, lead to a reliance on motor vehicles in city design. Cities were no longer punctuated by a town center. They were splayed over hill and dale from the industrial community, which was silent at night, to the bedroom community, which was a ghost town during the day.
Motoring to and from work the commuter has approximately two forms of expression; the beep and the finger. These are not conducive to the higher levels of artistic expression.
But walking is transportation on the human scale and Fullerton’s core is built on human distances, walkable distances. An Art Walk is an expression of art within human activity.
Walking mid-course to the Graves Gallery I saw the KCAL News van which indicated that something significant was going on inside. It was my first visit to the gallery and I was pleasantly surprised. The space is large and holds a wide variety of local art. It’s large enough to host this event and still have enough room for a live band, the very talented “A Collusion of Souls”.
Another pleasant surprise was the Carpe Diem/Blanquel Art on Wood/PÄS complex of galleries. They seized the night with a DJ, video presentations, fine art, photography, and mixed media displays. They also had a graffiti/graphic artist live-painting his work to the delight of the children.
One of the more elaborate locations was Violet Hour Studio. They showcased a live performance by a singer/songstress whose name I did not catch but whose performance was enchanting. Her melodious tunes and lyrical songs were the soundtrack by which I toured the wall and found-object art. Marble figures adorned tables. Photos blanketed walls.
The place is more something like what you might find in the more bohemian and avant-garde locations in LA. Wall art is well isolated and grouped, the locations carefully diagrammed and mounted. Although it was farther from the core of the tour the distance allowed for a larger space and a fuller exploration of themes. A DJ took over during musical breaks. A mannequin greets you, legs akimbo, inviting you within her room while the tape warns “caution”.
Out-of-Vogue/Otto had collections appropriately matching the mid-century-modern furniture/books/and clothing they sell. Jason Freeny’s diagrams of cooties and gummie bears was some of the most novel art I saw that night. Although whimsical and fantastical they can also be viewed as a matter-of-fact analysis of what we know to be fantasy objects. (ceci n’est pas une pipe).