1917 February 5, ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ:
Mabel and Myron Haig spend the day “enjoying the beauties” of Laguna Beach.
Mabel and Myron Haig spend the day “enjoying the beauties” of Laguna Beach.
The old hotel pavilion in Laguna Beach is being remodeled under the direction of Edgar Payne, “to meet the needs
of an exhibition”. It will be known as the Laguna Art Gallery”.
โIn Laguna Beachโฆthe old pavilion was converted to a gallery managed by the artists themselvesโฆa permanent association has been formed.”
Laguna Beach Art Association members exhibit at the Whittier Womanโs club house. Artists include Anna Hills, Hanson Puthuff, Edgar Payne, Karl Yens, Guy Rose, Sam Hyde Harris, and others.
Mabel Haig exhibits her water color painting โMorning Mistโ in a competitive exhibit at the Southwest Museum,
in Los Angeles.
Mabel Haig exhibits in the August Anniversary exhibition of the Laguna Beach Art Association. Among the other exhibiting artists are Benjamin Brown, Frank Cuprien, Henri DeKruif, William Griffith, and Anna Hills.
Mabel George Haig is accepted as a member of the California Watercolor Society. She will exhibit with the group
in January at the Franklin Galleries in Hollywood.
Mabel spends a week with Anna Hills in Laguna at her home in Laguna Beach.
Mabel Haig is accepted as one of the first 20 members of the California Water Color Society. She exhibits with
the groupโs artists including, Edouard Vysekal, Karl Yens, Marion Kavanagh Wachtel, and Carl Borg.
Mabel Haig speaks about California Painters to a local womenโs PEO group. The article mentions, โThe fact that
Mrs. Haig is personally acquainted with many of these artists made it especially interesting. She predicted that California would some day be one of the great art centers of the world.โ
Mabel Haig is honored as a finalist in a national House Beautiful Magazine cover design contest. โHer picture with others chosen for display, has been on exhibition at the Boston Public Library, and the Art Center in New York City, and will be shown in several other cities throughout the East, and in Chicagoโฆโ
Anna Hills of Laguna Beach teaches an art sketching class at the Whittier Womanโs club house. An exhibition and
tea are planned. โ. . . Gentlemen will be welcomed at the exhibition.”
Thirty small water color paintings by Anna Hills and 100 sketches, the work of her sketch class students will be exhibited at the Whittier Womanโs clubhouse.
Anna Hills and her students exhibit at Whittier Womanโs clubhouse. Ten students, including Mrs. Myron J. Haig (Mabel Haig), exhibit water colors and oils.
Anna Hills, president of the Laguna Beach Art Association, teaches bi-monthly sketch class at the Whittier Womanโs club house.
Laguna Beach Recognized Art Colony of West Coast
โThe dream chasing artistsโ of the Laguna Beach Art Association see work on their new gallery begin. The new
gallery to be built on a high site overlooking the Pacificโ.
The prosperous Roaring Twenties came to an abrupt end with the stock market crash, October 24, 1929.
The Laguna Beach Art Association occurred some debt. The Art Association’s artists held three art auctions to
raise funds to pay-off the debt. Both Mabel Haig and her close friend, Anna Hills, donated paintings to be sold for
the benefit of the Art Association.
Anna Hills of Laguna Beach, internationally known landscapist, dies of a heart attack.
Mabel George Haig exhibits at the Laguna Beach Art Gallery in July, 1930. Her water color painting, Shanty Town
is entry #18. Some of the other participating artists are George Brandriff, Benjamin Brown, Frank Cuprien, Elanor Colburn, Phil Dike, Clyde Forsythe, William Griffith, Anna A. Hills, Joseph Kleitsch, Hanson Puthuff, Edgar Payne,
and Donna Schuster.
Meeting called to form an Art Association.
Plans are made for the Pio Pico Mansion to become the home of the Whittier Art Gallery. Mrs. Myron Haig
โmotorsโ with others to Laguna to seek advice from William Griffith.ย The Whittier Art Association opens a temporary gallery on Philadelphia Street in Whittier.
William A. Griffith, three times president of the Laguna Beach Art Association, exhibits his paintings at the
Whittier Art Gallery. Ruth Peabody exhibits her statuary.
Laguna Beach Art Association past president, William Griffith, spoke at the galleryโs open meeting. โHe
encouraged the members of the Whittier [Art] Association in the belief that Whittier too, can be made an
important art and cultural centerโ.ย He went on to say, โI wish you all the luck in the world, and Laguna will do everything possible to help youโ.
Laguna artists William Brandriff and Ida May Sharpless exhibit at the Whittier Art Gallery.
Edgar Payne paints a demonstration picture at the Whittier Art Gallery. He was the first president of the Laguna Beach Art Association, and he is โone of Californiaโs most prominent painters.
Edgar Payne exhibits 36 canvases at the Whittier Art Gallery. More than 100 people watch his painting demonstration on opening night. His paintings โbring to Whittier all the light and color and grandeur of the wide-open spaces of many placesโ.
The California Water Color Society exhibits 60 watercolor paintings at the gallery. ย Among the exhibiting artists were: Phil Dike, Hardie Gramatky, Mabel George Haig, Eduard Vysekal, Donna Schuster, and Lucille Hinkle.ย
The South Coast News, announces that Whittier has organized an Art Association โfor the whole surrounding community between Los Angeles and Laguna Beachโ. The Association is sponsoring art classes in water color landscape by Mabel George Haig; life drawing by Eleanor Colburn, sculpture by Ruth Peabody, and pottery by
pupils of Glen Lukens.
When the California Water Color Society exhibit closed, the paintings were sent to the Los Angeles County
Historical and Art Museum.
Emil Kosa Jr. exhibits water color paintings and drawings at the gallery. Also exhibited are paintings by Alfred W. Johnston, sculpture by various artists, pottery by pupils of Glen Lukens, and pastels by Harry Muir Kurtzworth.ย
Mr. Kurtzworth is the director of the Los Angeles Art Association.
The Los Angeles Times Newspaper announces that the writing of the late Anna Hills, โHow to Judge Picturesโ,
will be read at a meeting of the Whittier Art Association.ย Anna Hills was one of the cofounders of the
Laguna Beach Art Center and Gallery.
Note: The correct title of the document is โHow to Judge a Pictureโ, written by Anna Hills for a talk she gave about two months before she passed away in 1930.
The Whittier Art Gallery exhibits paintings by the late Anna Hills; water colors by Mabel George Haig, and
engravings by Paul Landacre. Harry Muir Kurtzworth will speak at the open meeting on โArt in Southern Californiaโ.ย
Anna Althea Hills
๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ , 1910
Watercolor, 7 X 9 1/2 in
Mr. Kurtzworth, has served as curator of the Los Angeles Museum, is now the director of the Los Angeles Art Association. He speaks at the galleryโs open meeting. stating, โYour problem is to take Art to the people,
and later, the people will come to Art.โ
Karl Yens exhibits paintings and prints. Water colors by Tom Lewis, sculpture by Sherry Peticolas, and wood
carving by Ruth Bennett. A competitive show for Whittier Art Association members will open November 15.
Conrad Buff exhibit features paintings and lithographs. He has painted the mountains of the Swiss Alps, Alaska, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and California.ย ย Buff also painted a mural over the mantel in Whittierโs William Penn Hotel. Other exhibiting artists are Worden Bethell, Jason Herron, and Ruth Bennett.
Mr. R. F. James, illustrator from New York City, will speak on art from the standpoint of illustration. Exhibited are paintings and lithographs by Conrad Buff, paintings, pastels and water colors by Worden Bethell, sculpture by
Jason Herron, and carved wood panels by Ruth Bennett.
Otis Art Institute instructors, Mr. Roscoe Shrader and Edouard Vysekal, will speak at the Whittier Art Gallery.
Mr. Roscoe Shrader is president of the California Art Club, and Edouard Vysekal is a noted Southern California painter.
Mr. Roscoe Shrader, Dean of Otis Art Institute, speaks on the purpose and value of art. The artwork of
Miss. Dowiatt is exhibited. Popular prizes for the Whittier Art Association memberโs competitive exhibit are awarded.
Forrest Randall “brings a cosmopolitan opportunity to Whittier for his water colors have been exhibited in the
Feragil galleries in New York, and his wall paper designs in the Waldorf Astoria in that city.”
Work on the first unit of the Whittier Art Gallery will commence tomorrow. Donor Fred L. Pease, architect
William Harrison, and contractor Raymond Hunnicutt will attend. The Art Association secured a site on Painter Avenue which is one of the most attractive streets and one of the main entrances of the city.
Ground breaking exercises were held at 727 South Painter Avenue, attended by Art Association members and representatives of leading civic organizations. Mrs. Mryon Haig, president of the Whittier Art Association, accepted the deed of the property on which would be built the new home of the Whittier Art Center. She turned at least one shovel of dirt to speed up the actual building work.ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Note:ย The galleryโs original address of 727 So. Painter Ave. was changed to 8035 Painter Ave. in the 1960s.
Construction of the first unit of the Whittier Art Center (Gallery) will be 36 X 36 feet facing East, so arranged that an ell can be added to the Southwest corner and then further galleries on the West end of the lot as the need develops.
Only the exterior of the gallery was completed until more funds were raised to complete the inside. “Friends of the Association” solicited funds. Whittier citizens who supported the cause are listed.
The Laguna Beach Art Gallery exhibits 76 canvases in the 12th Anniversary show. Some of the exhibiting artists
were William Wendt, Joseph Kleitsch, William A. Griffith, Mabel George Haig, Karl Yens, Frank Cuprien, and
Clyde Forsythe.
The Whittier Art Gallery was given warm support from the Whittier Woman’s Club, Jr. Woman’s Club,ย East Whittier Woman’s Club, the Business and Professional Woman’s Club, the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), and organizations in every school district, covering the entire community.ย The town’s businessmen also contributed.
Mabel George Haig was invited to exhibit at the World’s Fair on Treasure Island.
Whittier artist Forrest Randall designs fabric for one of Scarlett O’Hara’s costumes worn in the motion picture
“Gone With the Wind”.
The gallery has been designed with โspecial lighting effectsโ, and the walls will be of burlap.
โThe building has been so constructed thatโฆa wing or wings may be added.โ
New Building of Whittier Art Group to Open Tonight.
“All is in readiness for the opening tonight at 8 o’clock of the galleries of the Whittier Art Association, South Painter Avenue and Moorland Drive. Members of the organization, aided by loyal friends, have labored months towards this achievement.”
Arthur Millier reports that 600 visitors attended the galleryโs opening night. He closed with, โBecause the gallery is so fine, it has already been offered exhibitions ofย a quality which ordinarily Whittier would never have a chance to see. Whittier hasย shown Southern California the wayโ.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Arthur Millier,ย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย April 16, 1939, ๐๐ฐ๐ด ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด
Phil Dike exhibits water colors with thirteen other artists at the Whittier Art Galleryโs
Opening Exhibition.
Note: Phil Dike was California Water Color Society President in 1938. He was employed by the Walt Disney
Studios 1935 โ 1945, where he taught drawing composition. He contributed to both Snow White and Fantasia.
Phil Dike was a key figure in the development of California style of water color painting.
An oil painting, nearly 400 years old, is discovered in an East Whittier home. The painting by Venetian master,
Paris Bordone, had once hung in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and had not been seen by the
public for over 35 years. The painting was shown at the Whittier Art Gallery and the public was invited to hear
a special lecture.
Art critic, Philip A. Ramus, the fine arts connoisseur of London and Hollywood, will speak about the Paris Bordone painting.
Painting of Renaissance painter, Paris Bordone, is displayed at the Whittier Art Gallery. The painting is valued at $125,000.
Visitors from London and eight states come to view the 400 year old Renaissance painting by Paris Bordone.
Rex Brandt and other artists from the Progressive Art Center of Southern California, exhibit โmodernโ paintings at the Gallery. Young artist Rex Brandt, became a nationally recognized artist and Associate of the National Academy
of Design. He returned to have a solo exhibit at the Whittier Art Gallery in December of 1957.ย ย
Paintings by conservative painters, Hanson Puthuff, Katheryn Leighton, Jessie Botke,ย William Wendt, Clyde Forsythe, George Brandriff, William Ritschel, Jack W. Smith,ย Carl Borg, and others, are exhibited. The paintings
were sent from the Biltmore Salon In Los Angeles.
Mrs. Haig, โdean of Whittier artists,โ exhibits water colors.
The Whittier Art Gallery continued to exhibit the work of prominent artists while bracing for World War II and living through the most difficult of the War years. Exhibits of the work of Edgar Payne, Enjar Hansen, Eleanor Colburn, Clyde Forsythe, Sam Hyde Harris, Hanson Puthuff, and others, […]
The exhibit of Richard Munsell ย oil and water color paintings was proclaimed, “Years outstanding local one-man painting show”, by Arthur Millier, Los Angeles Times art critic. Richard Munsell was a California Art Club exhibiting Member, 1935 – 1938. He taught at the Chouinard Art Institute.
Wayne Long is known widely through out California for his ceramic work.ย He is president of the Whittier Art Association.
The Whittier Art Association begins their annual Membership Drive, remembering their first year in the gallery
they built on Painter Ave.
Sam Hyde Harris wins award in Whittier Art Associationโs Competitive Memberโs Exhibit.
Camera Club members remember the origin of the club’s name, “Circle of Confusion.”
Architect William Harrison exhibits his drawings and photographs.ย It was W.H. Harrison that donated the plans
for the Whittier Art Gallery in 1938.
Ejnar Hanson exhibits oil paintings and watercolors. He is president of theย California Water Color Society, and has been represented in both the New York and San Francisco World Fairs.
Architect William Harrison, who donated the plans for the Whittier Art Gallery in 1938, is praised by the
๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ป๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ.
Paintings by Millard Sheets, Edgar Payne, Marian Kavanagh Wachtel, Anna Hills, and Paul Lauritz have been
loaned for the galleryโs exhibit of โArt Gemsโ. Mabel Haig is chairman of the committee in charge.
Loan exhibit opens with 35 oil and water color paintings by American, Canadian, and European artists.
Sueo Serisawa, Japanese-American artist, exhibits paintings at the gallery. Click article twice to enlarge.
Pruett Carter, illustrator, exhibits illustrations from such magazines as ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ฏ, ๐๐ค ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ด, and ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ.
He is considered as โone of the top ranking Illustrators for popular magazinesโ.
Ceramic artist, Wayne Long, will visit major cities to give ceramics demonstrations. Wayne Long served as
Whittier Art Association president 1939-1940.
A Proclamation of the Mayor of Whittier urges all citizens to enroll as members of the Whittier Art Association.
This article appeared on the newspaper’s front page, five weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Millard Sheets attends a dinner party before his evening as a guest speaker at the Whittier Art Gallery.
Mabel Haig studied with Millard Sheets in 1930.
An exhibit of work by the late Eleanor Colburn features her Modern Madonna paintings. The exhibit was
scheduled to open on Sunday, December 7th, at 3:00 pm. Pearl Harbor was bombed at 10:00 am that morning,
and the whole town of Whittier was locked down.
Paul Lauritz, Los Angeles artist, famous throughout the United States, exhibits at the gallery.
Note:ย Paul Lauritz is a member of The Society of Sanity in Art. He is elected California Art Club President,
June, 1942.
Orpha Klinker, prominent Los Angeles artist exhibits paintings and etchings. One of her etchings is currently exhibited at the National Academy in New York.
Edgar Payne, a conservative painter, is internationally known for his landscape and marine paintings.
Edgar Payne exhibits oil paintings. He is the author of ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ณ๐ต, and ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ
(published 1941). He is โone of the best known American artistsโฆโ.
Edgar Payne attends his reception at the Whittier Art Gallery where his large paintings of Arizona scenes, studies
of the High Sierras, and Mediterranean seascapes are exhibited.
Art Association provides pot luck dinner with bargain cafeteria price of only five cents per serving.ย
The association will furnish coffee, strawberries and sugar (These would be welcomed words during this time of
war rationing of sugar).
Ten nationally-known artists exhibited during the galleryโs 1941-1942 year. There were two memberโs competitive exhibits.
Chouinard Art Institute exhibits the artwork of 14 advanced students in the main gallery. Mabel George Haig
exhibits water colors in the small gallery, reserved for Whittier Art Association members.ย In her paintings
Petunias, The Pink Boat, and Not a Throughfare are among her paintings on display.
Mabel Haig exhibits water colors in group exhibit. She has exhibited at the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles.
Note: The Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles were located in the elegant Ambassador Hotel.
Lt. Arthur Beaumont exhibits his paintings at the Whittier Art Gallery through August, 1942. He speaks at an open meeting, giving a โwitty and entertaining account of painting the โgreat flying fortresses, or B-17sโ.
Sam Hyde Harris exhibits 14 paintings during January. He will give a demonstration of โhow to paint an
oil paintingโฆproceeding through each stepโ.
Clyde Forsythe โone of Americaโs great desert painters, spoke on โthe qualities which make a picture greatโ.ย
He is a personal friend of American illustrator, Norman Rockwell.
E. Roscoe Shrader, Dean of Otis Art Institute, will speak at the gallery. โAn additional attraction will be the showing
of a colored film of art students at work at Otisโ. The current exhibit is student work from Otis.
Otis Art Institute sends Traveling Exhibitions to Army bases and provides art kits to young artists in the service. Excerpts of servicemenโs letters were read at the galleryโs open meeting.