February 9, marked the third “Nelbert Chouinard Day” in South Pasadena as approved by the City Council at their February 3, 2016 meeting. Nelbertina (Nelbert) Chouinard (1879-1969) was a legendary arts educator who moved to South Pasadena after her husband was killed in World War I. In 1921 she started and ran the Chouinard Art School which grew into the Chouinard Arts Institute in downtown L.A. which eventually became the most important art school on the West Coast. Its reputation continued to grow and by the 50s and 60s the school was known as one of the top art schools in the world. Its open, progressive education principles inspired and empowered more than 50,000 students, many of whom went on to become leaders in a wide variety of artistic fields.
In the early 1950s Nelbert Chouinard suffered a stroke and could no longer run the school. In gratitude for Chouinard Art Institute serving as a breeding ground for the artists for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, Disney’s first full-length motion picture in 1937, Walt Disney agreed to support the school financially. When Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles closed after 60 years, it was sold by Mrs. Chouinard to Walt Disney and it became CalArts.
A list of celebrated Chouinard artists almost reads like a chapter of ‘Who’s Who of Contemporary American Artists of the 20th Century.’ They include Larry Bell, one of only two living individuals on The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Arts Club Band” album cover; John Van Hammersveld, well-known for the iconic “Endless Summer” movie poster, and record album covers for the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane; and Rick Griffin who designed dozens of famous, extraordinary San Francisco rock concert posters. Another famed Chouinard grad is Ed Ruscha, an early leading light of Pop Art who was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2013. Many other ‘Chouinardian’ artworks and imagery are instantly recognizable for their inclusion in a succession of Walt Disney films and even at Disneyland itself.
The South Pasadena Public Library and the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library partnered with the Chouinard Foundation of South Pasadena the last two years for major public events. In 2014 the organizations partnered to present a screening of ‘Curly,’ a 2012 documentary film about an inner city youth who found inspiration through accessible art classes provided by the Chouinard Foundation. In addition, a never-to-be-duplicated Chouinardian All Star panel discussed the school’s lasting impression on the Art World. In 2015 the groups presented “Llyn Foulkes-One Man Band” an award-winning documentary about the artist who became well-known in the 60s and 70s for his paintings that used the iconography of postcards, vintage photos, and road signs, and by ’79 he also became dedicated to playing as a one-man band.
During the entire month of February this year, paintings from a series called “Palms Blvd. Venice Beach,” by L.A. artist Nancy Armitage, a volunteer for the Chouinard Foundation of South Pasadena, can be viewed at the South Pasadena Public Library. The abstract paintings are housed in the display case by the front door –along with some of Nancy’s notebooks– and on the opposite wall by the clock. Nancy Armitage is well-versed in an array of painting styles, abstract, figurative, and plein air. She has shown her artwork in galleries throughout Southern California, as well as Mexico and Italy. Armitage’s journey to the abstract style stems from her annual Paint-Out in Venice Beach, CA. There she was surrounded by works by Diebenkorn, Lichenstein, and Rothko. The modern master paintings spoke to something inside Nancy and she began focusing on two primary elements of design: composition and color. Using Turner painting techniques and the lovely muted color style of Diebenkorn, the abstracts within her began to emerge freely. Armitage encourages each viewer to see what he or she wants in her abstract paintings, and to relax and simply look, letting her painterly brushstrokes and color free their minds from the worries of the day.
Resource: http://south.pasadenanow.com
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