ARTS A Proud Heritage Susan is managing one of the great institutions on the peninsula. The Carmel Art Association has been in continuous operation for the past 80 years. Its tradition of fine art by local artists is thriving under Susan¹s direction. Spring 2008

Susan Klusmire

I am the manager of the Carmel Art Association (CAA), which is the second oldest art gallery in the United States. We have the mission "To advance the knowledge of and interest in art and to create a spirit of cooperation and fellowship between artists and the people."

We've had amazingly gifted artists among our membership. Salvador Dali was a former member.

The CAA remains, to this day, the only gallery in Carmel exclusively showing local artists' paintings and sculpture. It is visited by thousands of people from around the world each year.

For the past 80 years the Association has been fulfilling the terms of the mission statement ‹ a period of time stretching back to the afternoon of August 8, 1927, when 19 members of Carmel's artistic community met and defined the mission statement.

I worked for 20 years as the Museum and Cultural Coordinator for the City of Monterey. We had exhibitions at the Alvarado Gallery. My research often brought me to the CAA gallery looking for pieces. On one of these trips, while on the search for artistic treasures I said to an acquaintance, "I would love to work here someday."

A dozen years later I was working here, so sometimes the things you wish for come true.

My childhood was steeped in the arts. My grandmother was a hiker/backpacker, who wrote poetry for a backpacking magazine. My mom wrote children's books.

My great grandfather was a Los Angeles sculptor, J. L. Roop, who, among other accomplishments, created the puppet that was used for the model of King Kong. The Los Angeles Natural History Museum's Seaver Center for Western History Research has a collection of his scrapbooks, photographs, articles, and other items.

My grandfather created the Indian sculpture that points the way to Arrowhead Springs. He was able to create such life-like representations of prehistoric animals that a collection of his animal sculptures are on display at the La Brea Tar Pits.

As a child we did outings to the LA County museum. My grandpa's prehistoric animals seemed enormous to my young eyes.

Embroidery is my own art medium and I always had a passion for textiles and design. I started embroidering when I was eight. For my tenth birthday I got my first sewing machine. I've always found embroidery to be therapeutic. The act of focusing my attention upon the minute stitches and getting the design to come out perfectly was healing. That kind of creative effort always gets me into the moment.

The majority of our members are dedicated and professional artists who bring that kind of focus to bear on all their creative efforts. That's what their life is about: Their focus.

The CAA has 120 members. Anyone within 35 miles can apply for membership, but we've got an exclusive society of artists. The Board of Directors makes the selection for new members as an annual springtime event. Last year they chose only three new members out of about 50 applicants. They might ask applicants to supply slides or to bring in a portfolio of their work. They will sometimes spend a couple days reviewing and discussing the applications.

We lack any standard pricing for art. Each artist determines his/her price. We have the largest amount of watercolors available at least on the Central Coast. Prices are extremely reasonable. The San Jose Mercury had a report of small-town art communities and Carmel came out number six in the entire United States as an art destination.

The association was created in 1927. The newly formed group met in a room in the Seven Arts Building at Lincoln Street and Ocean Avenue for $30 a month rent. In December that first year the Association conducted the first annual exhibit of a set of "Thumb-box Sketches," which became so successful that the major exhibition became a yearly event. During the Great Depression in 1929 the Association was forced to give up the Seven Arts Building location and a commercial gallery handled the artists' works for the next five years. Memberships declined during that difficult period.

In 1933 they purchased the current building for $5,500. They borrowed the money from a businessman Barnett Segal, who has a room named after him. Another room, Beardsley, was named for an patron who donated $500 to the association, which was long enough ago to snag a room named after him.

In 1933 they purchased a property on Dolores Street between 5th and 6th for $5,500 with a down payment of $413.34. By 1937 the Association was outgrowing its facility, so dues were increased, raffles held, members donated time and talent to construction, and by April, 1939, the new gallery was open for business.

During the 1930s the great San Francisco artist, Armin Hansen, built the stone wall, designed the garden, and built the lovely benches in the front of the building. More recently, a three-foot addition has been added to the south side, new bathrooms have been constructed, a new kitchen added, plus new and improved lighting and wall covering, and a wheel chair lift to make the building handicapped accessible.

The Carmel Art Association reaches into the community by offering free lectures and demonstrations throughout the year. The gallery space is available for special public events such as the Bach Festival and the Carmel Art Festival.

Eight decades following its inception the Association maintains the same ideals that it had in 1927. It continues stimulating art interest in the Monterey Bay area and enabling Monterey Peninsula artists to keep in closer touch with one another, plus it continues serves as a conduit for the sale of their paintings, which provides the funds to sustain the center and pay the staff salaries.

We have an amazing art base through clientele, supporters, the arts community, and through the community in general. The CAA numbers among its clients some of residents who have second homes on the Peninsula, some coming from as far away as Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

It's gratifying for me to belong to something that's been going so good for so long. After 80 years the creative energy around this place remains stronger than ever. °

To learn more about the Carmel Art Association go to www.carmelart.org.

Send any comments on the article to editors@65mag.com.