The walls of Art Center Morro Bay are no stranger to a wide variety of art, but a particular type of art made its home at the center during May and June.
Carl Berney, the treasurer of Central Coast Artists Collective (CCAC) described the pieces featured in the show as “all over the map,” with a laugh.
“But they all have that same defining trait of being from the collective,” Berney said.
As part of its second-anniversary celebration, the CCAC showcased works from its craft-makers, photographers, and sculptors at Art Center Morro Bay between May 18 and June 26.
The Painters Group, a subgroup of the CCAC, will have its show at the same venue Sept. 21 through Nov. 6. Entries opened on July 1 with an Aug. 1 submission deadline.
Berney said that each category in the anniversary showcase was individually juried by artists within the respective genre groups and featured contributions from across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties—with each category also featuring awards for the respective top pieces selected for the exhibition.
Some of the winners include Peggy Jansson, James McDonald, Barry Lundgren, Susanna Lindsey, Larry Le Brane, Kenneth Wilbanks, and more. The works ranged from paper weaving, mosaics, landscape paintings, stone carvings, fused glass, wood construction, light shows hanging from the walls, and metal and bronze pieces—all showcasing, according to Berney, just how much the Central Coast’s local artists have to offer.
Representing locally made work is the collective’s goal as currently—according to Berney—Central Coast artists don’t have many options to take part in exhibitions like the recent group show, and the only way the exhibition took place was due to the collective renting out Art Center Morro Bay for use.
“Some artists can get a spot at a restaurant or coffee shop, but that’s really it for just being able to exhibit their art,” he said. “[They] can’t go to a gallery because that art has to be curated by whoever runs the gallery, so it’s hard to represent everyone here on the Central Coast.”
Berney said that in years past, before the creation of the collective, local artists would display their works at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), but in recent years the museum shifted its focus.
“Right now, the artist collective is trying to pick up where the museum left off,” he said. “The collective is doing OK in supplanting the administrative services that SLOMA provided, but we still lack that building to hold exhibitions.”
Berney said that CCAC is looking to move forward with more events and hopefully a new home to exhibit their works.
“The reception for the opening of the exhibition went very well—we had several hundred people that came to that,” Berney said about the anniversary exhibit’s premiere.
With such a large showing of support, Berney said the CCAC is in talks with the city of SLO about finding a more permanent building they can use to house their artists—a group he hopes will continue to grow and evolve.
“The art groups represented by the collective are currently confined to SLO and Santa Barbara counties, but the charter for the collective includes these two counties and Monterey County as well,” he said. “On top of that, those artist groups can have members from anywhere, so it’s representative of a wide range of people that could be partly based anywhere on the Central Coast.”
Ultimately the CCAC plans to hold more exhibitions later in the year, including the Painters Group show in September. Berney said he’s hopeful—as is the rest of the CCAC—that the group will continue to grow and get more people involved in the arts across SLO, Santa Barbara, and Monterey counties, and beyond.
“It’s growing and not shrinking, and that’s allowed us to continue to throw these events and get the word out about artist workshops,” he said. “People are interested in art from out here, and I’m hoping things stay that way.”
Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas from the Sun’s sister paper, New Times, is appreciating the art around him. Reach Sun Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Santa Barbara County Fair Guide 2023.
