The Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall is a large room with plenty of wall space, which for the last few years has been reserved for showcasing single artist exhibits every month or few months. But in July, the library decided to change it up.
Ever since then, the Shepard Hall has showcased the art of multiple local artists. The collection of visual art cycles out for new works by the same artists every two months, explained the library’s Graphics Technician Sara Voss.
“We thought it would be something interesting to try,” Voss said. “It’s to give everyone an opportunity [to display work] and give a variety [of art] for our patrons to look at.”
Voss even has some of her own art hanging in the Shepard Hall, a graphite rendition of some superheroes from both the Marvel and DC universes together in one piece. Voss spoke with the Sun about the exhibit at the opening reception event on Oct. 28.
The Art at the Library exhibit is a great opportunity for local artists to show to a wide variety of people, Voss explained, and it’s only $20 per year for an artist to show there.
“It promotes art in the community and brings more art awareness,” she said. “We try to encourage as much art as we can.”
Some well-known Santa Maria Valley artists were at the reception as well, schmoozing and viewing each other’s art.
Minnie Anderson, winner of the Sun’s “Best Local Artist” category in the Best Of reader’s poll, has two pieces showing in the Art at the Library Exhibit.
Though Anderson has focused on abstracts over the last few years, the two pieces she has showing are quite figurative. Anderson is known for her graphite portraits but hasn’t shied away from painting abstracts, figurative, and representational art.
“These I call ‘pop art,’ as they are not really abstracts,” she said. “Sara Voss does a beautiful job of displaying everything, and facilitates everything. She’s very good.”
Some artists showing in the Shepard Hall aren’t necessarily Santa Marians. One Santa Barbara-based artist decided to showcase some of his nature photography at the library as well.
Jim Stoicheff became familiar with the Art at the Library’s call for artists while serving on a jury in Santa Maria. He figured the library was a great place to showcase his black and white photos of the Carrizo Plain.
“I found the Carrizo Plain, and the first time I went there I just fell in love with it, and now I’ve been there like 10 times in the last year,” Stoicheff said. “I’m currently working on a photo book of photos of the Carrizo Plane.”
Two artists in the exhibit, Margaret and Fred Cooper, are showing artwork that isn’t for sale. The Coopers came to Santa Maria decades ago to work as teachers. Margaret is a retired Righetti High School teacher, and Fred is a retired Santa Maria High School art teacher.
Margaret Cooper is sharing a piece of hers from 1958, which she painted not long after her time working for Disney.
“I worked on Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmations in 1955,” Margaret Cooper said. “I was still in my 20s in those days; I’m 86 now.”
Cooper said she doesn’t create much art anymore, but is still happy to show her work at the library.
Other artists are excited to show at the library for the opposite reason; they can’t stop producing new work. Susan Buchanan is showing several of her acrylic floral paintings. Buchanan’s husband is retired Santa Maria Public Library Librarian Jack Buchanan—they both volunteer in the Friends of the Library shop—and she explained that the library is a great place for her to share her art with the community.
“It’s nice to have a place to show your work, otherwise it piles up in your garage,” she said. “I’m quite prolific. I do art every day, so I’m producing a lot of work, and sometimes people actually buy these things!”
Arts Editor Joe Payne needs to spend more time at the library. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 10-17, 2016.