ON THE MOVE: In June, the Town Center Gallery, which had shown art in the Santa Maria Town Center since 2006, was asked to move out of its mall space so the new owners could complete renovations. At the time, the Town Center Gallery board president said, “Maybe it’s a sign of something bigger and better in the future.”
The Town Center Gallery board of directors has been searching for a new location since then, but the gallery remains homeless at the end of the year—though the gallery has held some shows at Good Neighbor Bakery in Santa Maria.
The Town Center Gallery started in 1983, though it was known as the Visual Arts Gallery and was located at the Veteran’s Memorial Culture Center. A year later, the gallery was remodeled and the name changed to Culture Corner Gallery. In 2006, the gallery moved to the mall and underwent another name change, to Town Center Gallery. It incorporated as a nonprofit last year.
Since opening in the mall, the gallery has expanded from 30 artist members to its current 90, with an average of 60 to 70 artists per show. Credit: FILE PHOTO BY SHELLY CONE
Our weekly Events Wire newsletter is your guide to Northern Santa Barbara County concerts, arts, and local happenings—delivered every Friday.
It was a year of gains and losses, of firsts and 50ths. Galleries that have closed will be missed, but new ones promise to fill the void. PCPA entertained audiences with a world premiere, while Santa Maria Civic Theatre celebrated a half-decade of productions. This year’s happenings show that Santa Maria’s art scene is anything but bland.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone hopes for an extra artsy 2009. Send her holiday greetings at scone@santamariasun.com.
ON THE MOVE: In June, the Town Center Gallery, which had shown art in the Santa Maria Town Center since 2006, was asked to move out of its mall space so the new owners could complete renovations. At the time, the Town Center Gallery board president said, “Maybe it’s a sign of something bigger and better in the future.”
The Town Center Gallery board of directors has been searching for a new location since then, but the gallery remains homeless at the end of the year—though the gallery has held some shows at Good Neighbor Bakery in Santa Maria.
The Town Center Gallery started in 1983, though it was known as the Visual Arts Gallery and was located at the Veteran’s Memorial Culture Center. A year later, the gallery was remodeled and the name changed to Culture Corner Gallery. In 2006, the gallery moved to the mall and underwent another name change, to Town Center Gallery. It incorporated as a nonprofit last year.
Since opening in the mall, the gallery has expanded from 30 artist members to its current 90, with an average of 60 to 70 artists per show. Credit: FILE PHOTO BY SHELLY CONE
ART LOST: The Town Center Gallery wasn’t the only gallery closing in the Santa Maria Valley. Old Orcutt’s David Ryan Gallery closed its doors at the end of December. Terri and Ron Thatcher poured their love of art into the show space, creating a place for artists and art lovers alike to learn and share in an eclectic mix of fine art.
“We’ve made so many friends through the gallery, it’s going to be sad not to see them as often, and we’re going to miss working with the artists,” Ron said.
The decision wasn’t an easy one for the owners, but Ron explained that some recent health problems prompted him to re-examine some of his obligations. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY DAVID RYAN GALLERY
NEW AND EXCITING: In June, PCPA presented the world premiere of José Cruz Gonzàlez’s play The Heart’s Desire—the story of a young Mexican-American veteran, John Guerrero, who comes home from World War II with a new bride and a new dream. He also comes home to a town that has changed from what he once knew. Now, racial tensions run high.
Gonzàlez’s play hit home for many audience members as it touched on themes of racial inequality, women joining the workforce (and then losing jobs as their men came back from the war), and the reality of who never returned from battle.
Gonzàlez was originally commissioned to write Heart’s Desire by a small Latino theater company in Minnesota. It opened with a one-day reading, but the company couldn’t produce it. The playwright continued to work on the show until 2006, when PCPA contacted him to develop the work for the stage. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY/PCPA/LUIS ESCOBAR/REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
SWEET HISTORY: Santa Maria Civic Theatre celebrated a milestone with its 50th anniversary in 2008. The theater presented a world premiere of Sugar! Oh, Sugar! to coincide with the birthday celebration. Meg Smith and her husband Tom first founded the theater after they moved to Santa Maria and couldn’t find a local community theater group.
The Smiths ran an ad for locals interested in acting, and 35 people responded. The group’s first production was The Tender Trap, which was a huge success and ran for three nights. That success was all the theater needed to get off the ground.
In its half-century years of operation, the theater has run on volunteer power.
“It’s really kind of unique in community theaters, which have worked with all volunteers,” founder Meg said. “Most theaters get burned out pretty soon. It’s really miraculous to have it last for 50 years.” Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY SANTA MARIA CIVIC THEATRE
JOINT VENTURE: Los Alamos gained a contemporary art gallery when mother-and-daughter team Connie Rohde-Stanchfield and Nina Rohde Brown opened C Gallery. The duo wanted to bring contemporary art from both local and nationally known artists to the area.
Rohde-Stanchfield, a former art teacher from the Santa Ynez Valley, even shows work from some of her former students. Now retired, Rohde-Stanchfield thought the gallery at 466 Bell St. would be a natural progression for her. In addition to art shows, C Gallery offers a recital series featuring acoustic vocalists, adult women’s art classes, and common object art shows. Credit: PHOTO BY SHELLY CONE
HELP FROM ABOVE: St. Mary’s school benefited from the talents of Sister Nancy Murray—sister of comedian and actor Bill Murray and local businessman Ed Murray—when she brought her one-woman play to Santa Maria. Sister Murray, a Dominican nun, portrays St. Catherine of Siena as part of her ministry. The show tells the story of the 14th century saint with humor and energy.
Sister Murray shares some traits with the saint she portrays, which gives her insight into the performance.
“Growing up in a big family with a strong mama and a soft spoken father—my dad only had a look—and being a Dominican myself, I felt a strong connect,” she said.
And Bill isn’t the only funny person in her family. She said it’s a family trait. Being surrounded by a funny family also helped hone her wit and helped her recognize what she believes is the sense of humor St. Catherine portrays in her writings.
Sister Murray brought her traveling show to Santa Maria at the request of her brother, Ed, to help with St. Mary’s scholarship program to fund tuition for students whose families have been hurt by the mortgage loan crisis. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY SISTER NANCY MURRAY
