This Bohemian Night image is one of the silk-screened posters that the Art Association used to advertise their Bohemian Night shows. The Whittier Art Association formed a partnership with the Whittier Civic Light Opera,
and what began as some humorous skits, performed in 1952, ended up as a very well attended annual event that lasted more than ten years.
Emil Kosa Jr. returns for his second solo exhibit at the gallery. He serves as a judge for the Whittier Art Associationโs competitive exhibit in May, 1950. Non-member, professional artists always judged WAA member exhibits, for which there were cash awards.
Paul Landacre shows his wood engravings during his March exhibit at the gallery. His prints are in permanent collections at the Library of Congress and in major museums and libraries in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco,
and Seattle. He teaches at the Kann Institute of Art in Los Angeles.
Norman Rockwellโs drawings and paintings are shown in the small gallery, and the paintings of Joseph Mugnaini
are shown in the main floor gallery. Mugnaini, is an instructor at Otis Art Institute, and a good friend of
Norman Rockwell.
Note:ย The Whittier Art Association & Gallery Archives holds the inventory sheet of Norman Rockwellโs artwork
that hung in this April, 1950 exhibit.
The Whittier Art Associations Art Fair was held under the trees behind the gallery building. ย Artist members demonstrated several media including water color painting, by Mabel Haig, woodcarving by Cloudsley French,
and weaving by Glen Nelson. Ida OโKeeffe visited the event, and can be seen in the center of the newspaper photo.
The Art Fair was held on the gallery grounds, and the memberโs competitive exhibit was featured inside the
Whittier Art Gallery in the main floor exhibit space.
James Couper Wright exhibits water color in a one-man show at the gallery.
Note:ย James Couper Wright earned 48 awards during the 1930s for his still life paintings and landscapes that
were considered โbold and modernโ. He was a member of the California Waterย Color Society from 1931 to 1956.
Jean Charlot, internationally famed muralist, show his lithographs in a solo exhibit at the Whittier Art Gallery.
He has also authored books including ๐๐ณ๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐บ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ช๐ด๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ.
Note:ย Jean Charlot, worked in the true fresco technique during the early 1920s. He befriended Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and Jose Orozco.
A fresco depicting Hopi snake dancers.
Arizona State University, 1951
Mabel Haig steps in as โGuest Speakerโ when a case of measles and other problems prevent the exhibiting Laguna artists from attending their exhibitโs open meeting. Mabel tells the history of the Laguna Beach Art Association
with โhumorous whimsy and dramatic suspenseโ.
The Whittier Art Associationโs first Bohemian Night featured a โBohemianโ theme with humorous skits and an
old-fashioned vaudeville show by Axel Christensen, a well-known comedian. Proceeds from the show were to
benefit the galleryโs Building Fund.
Milford Zornes and Art Landy exhibit with the Artists Guild of Southern California at the Whittier Art Gallery.
Milford Zornes and Art Landy enjoyed a long friendship and years of plein air painting together. This photo was probably taken in the mid to late 1940’s when Milford was teaching at Otis Art Institute.
Milford Zornes
๐๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ข, 1952
Watercolor, 15 x 23 in.
Ralph Hulett exhibits at the gallery. Arthur Miller considers Hulett to be a โa consistently good watercoloristโ.
Bohemian Nightโs second year featured a hilarious melodrama entitled โThe Lighthouse Keeperโs Daughterโ, the โclever farceโ was written and narrated by Mabel George Haig. The eveningโs live music was played on piano and accordion. Mrs. Paul Van Cleave, Paul Gardiner, Dick Squires, and Blanch Hutchison, performed Mabel Haigโs melodrama, โThe Lighthouse Keepers Daughterโ.
The second annual Bohemian Night was produced by the galleryโs artists. Placed in the setting of โCafรฉ Bohemiaโ,
was the proprietor and other โemployeesโ of the cafรฉ. Art Association artists became writers, musicians, and actors
in this effort to raise money for the Galleryโs Building Fund.
The California Art Club exhibits watercolors and oil paintings at the Whittier Art Gallery in August. Phillip Paval, president of the club, spoke at the open meeting. His subject was โArt of the Silversmith. Phillip Paval is an internationally known Silversmith and creates original designs in both gold and silver. His work has been exhibited
in America and major museums in Europe.
Bohemian Night, with a Left Bank theme, featured a Parisian sidewalk cafรฉ setting, complete with can-can dancers. The show was a collaboration between the Whittier Art Association and the Whittier Civic Light Opera.
The proceeds benefitted both groups.
Milford Zornes one-man show at the Whittier Art Gallery features a collection of his watercolors, temperas, and
oil paintings. Milford Zornes is a nationally recognized watercolor painter, a member of the American Watercolor Society and art director of the Padua Institute at Padua Hills. At his artistโs talk, he spoke of his experiences in
Thule, Greenland.
This photo of Milford Zornes was taken in 1956.
Milford Zornes
๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ด๐ด, 1957
Watercolor, 19 x 24.5 in
Rex Brandt, an associate of the National Academy of Design, exhibits his watercolor paintings in December.ย
During his artistโs talk, he showed three films, โWatercolor Landscapeโ, โWatercolor and Printers Inkโ, and
โOil Painting Methodsโ.
A Bohemian Night titled โTraveling Lightโ, is a Parisian fling, set in a Left Bank cafรฉ. The evenings are planned with
a longer intermission โto permit patrons to sit for individual portraits sketched by a sidewalk artistโ.
Note:ย This Bohemian Night, โTraveling Lightโ, written by Natalie Stone, told the musical story of a โcereal-contest winning couple, who won a trip around the worldโ. The show played โto a sold-out houseโ for four performances.
Taro Yashima, author and illustrator, exhibited paintings at the Whittier Art Gallery in June of 1958.
Taro Yashima gives a watercolor painting demonstration at the South Pasadena Public Library.
Taro Yashima’s book, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฐ๐บ, was published by Viking Press in 1955.
Taro signed a copy of his book,ย ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฐ๐บ for Holly Overin, the daughter of Whittier artist, Janet Overin.
Janet was a student of Taro Yashima.
ย
Phil Dike exhibits in a one-man show at the gallery. His watercolor paintings are well-known in national exhibitions. His exhibit featured watercolor paintings at the sea coast, boats, the Newport Harbor area, hills and countryside.
Phil Dike is an assistant professor of art at Scripps College.
Phil Dike’s watercolor painting,ย ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต, was featured on the cover of theย ๐๐ฐ๐ด ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ป๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. Inย this painting of Newport Bay, Phil Dike’s bold brushย and intense color were recognized.
Milford Zornes teaches evening beginning and advance drawing classes at the Whittier Art Gallery.
Construction is underway on an addition that will increase the Whittier Art Galleryโs exhibition space. The $10,500 addition will have a โbasement workshopโ room. The addition is being built by Raymond Hunnicutt, the contractor who built the original gallery building in 1938-1939.
The Whittier Art Gallery plans opening of its new addition. The event will honor Mrs. Mabel Haig, a charter director of the Association, founders, life members and past presidents of the Art Association.ย