Open 24 hours a day, our outdoor murals provide a view of the world through the eyes of an artist. At the corner of 4th and F streets there is a painting of three dogs by Duane Flatmo. This surrealistic master is best known for the commercial art used by the Lost Coast Brewery. A visit to the brewery lets you see more of this man's work. They will let you bring home sample labels from their beer bottles or purchase shirts. The brewery (on 4th St. ) has a mural on the side of the building of people dancing. His work is also represented in the Kinetic Sculpture Race. Last year they had a vehicle that looked like a giant lobster in battle with a many eyed octopus (see the gallery section of mergemedia.org for photographs). As a person drives north on Highway 101 it is impossible to miss the mural featuring a cow on the Co-op grocery store. This huge painting transforms a standard business into a delightful gem. The painting describes what the business does in a pleasing format. It is a collage of fruits, vegetables, meat and grains. Another business that has transformed itself into a work of art is the Fresh Freeze hamburger stand at Harris and F St. It has the look and feel of a 1950's restaurant and a toy car museum. The simple act of going out to dinner is transported into an experience. While in the Henderson section of town, be sure to enjoy the auto parts store at Henderson and F St. It has a mural depicting an ancient gas station. Just like the Co-op grocery store, the art serves as a clue to what the business is all about. On 3rd street in Old Town is a mural that is difficult to see. It is a life size painting that looks like the building next door. At first glance, the viewer is fooled into believing that it is a real building but upon closer examination it is revealed to be a painting. The artist took great care to match the color and shape of the real building. The interplay between reality and fantasy make this work a delight. On 101 heading south is a mural of The Murray Field Airport in the 1930's. If a person had driven from Arcata, they would have just passed the real Murray Field. Once again, a clever play between reality and fantasy.
For sculpture enthusiasts, a drive over to Woodley Island is in order. There at the end of the marina is a monument to sailors lost at sea. "The Fisherman" by Dick Crane is a larger than life metal sculpture depicting a man in foul weather gear. This work is so large that it can easily be seen from the boardwalk area of Old Town across the water. Also on the boardwalk is a recreation of a sailing ship with signal flags flying. The creators have a chart that explains that each flag represents a letter in the alphabet. By comparing the chart to the flags flying a message is revealed. It says "WELCOME TO EUREKA". A unique display of whimsical sculpture is on display at 2nd and E St. The artist Romano Gabriel made flat wooden people and flowers that he planted in the garden of his home. After he passed away, the collection was donated to the city. This is an example of folk art. He spent his life working as a carpenter and made these pieces for his own amusement. The pieces have an eastern European style.
The Morris Graves Art gallery (7th and F streets) has a sculpture garden behind it. Metal sculptures combine radically different objects in unusual configurations.
Inside the gallery, the most impressive art is the building itself. This originally was a Carnegie Free Library built in an era of grand architecture. Redwood is used to build a main staircase and for columns to support the ceiling. A hand made tile floor graces the main room. Behind the main room is a performance rotunda with a grand piano for concerts. The basement houses a workshop where school children receive training and hands on instruction. Of all the art displayed in this gallery, the work by the children moved me the most. Admission is free but donations are welcome. The staff was able to direct me to other galleries that were excellent. Stacy Loomis recommends that people visit the Piante gallery (620 2nd St.), the Humboldt State University First Street Gallery (422 1st St.) and the Gallery Dog (214 E St.).
The public library has a gallery on the second floor. It is an ever- changing exhibit of local paintings. (3rd and O St.) The library is a beautiful redwood building with a view of the Marina. It is next door to the Carson Mansion and "The Pink Lady", superb examples of Victorian architecture. These are two of the thousands of Victorian homes here. Everywhere you go in Eureka there is art.
Scroll down to read a detailed article explaining Arts Alive (originally published in the Northcoast Journal)
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a detailed article explaining Arts Alive originally published in the Northcoast Journal
Arts Alive! Humboldt County Art Towns: Receptions A Growing Trend By Beti Trauth On the first Saturday evening of each and every month of the year, art lovers roam the streets of Eureka. They move from venue to venue, sipping beverages, sampling culinary treats, socializing with friends, and viewing an amazing array of exhibits that showcase the multiple talents of Humboldt County's artists. Co-sponsored by Eureka Main Street and the Humboldt Arts Council, "First Saturday Night Arts Alive!" is a popular cultural tradition. In addition to such expected sites as the Morris Graves Museum of Art and Humboldt State University's First Street Gallery, more than 40 Eureka businesses have become places to display and appreciate the arts. Jewelry stores, women's clothing shops, hotels, restaurants, theaters, doctor's and lawyer's offices add art to their walls and lobbies to not only enhance their artistic environments, but also to entice customers to come back more often to shop. The performing arts are included in the Arts Alive! extravaganza. Street jugglers, musicians, dancers and poets all contribute to the monthly festivities. According to longtime community arts advocate and Humboldt Arts Council board member Sally Arnot, Eureka's "Arts Alive!" had its beginnings in 1994. At that time, the arts council joined forces with the newly formed Eureka Main Street to create a "Phantom Gallery" program based on a model from Tucson, Arizona, to "take vacant storefront spaces and make them alive again with art; bringing community back" to those revitalized spaces. The arts council was inspired by other art exhibition programs that were already going on in different places throughout the country. Arnot said, "I think it was phenomenal that there was such collective realization, everywhere, of the importance of the arts to our communities." Arnot also believes that those initial collaborative efforts "had a lot to do with the turning around of our Old Town area. We moved in and created art galleries-ones you could walk into, or others as storefronts. We had 13 or 14 successful Phantom Gallery spaces at one time; and soon, all of those spaces were rented for business." The success of "Arts Alive!" in Eureka has encouraged two other neighboring towns to start their own monthly events. Arcata Main Street now hosts "Arts! Arcata" on the second Friday of every month in and around the Arcata Plaza and the Victorian Village of Ferndale has a monthly "Fourth Friday in Ferndale" to celebrate their local artists. In Ferndale, as in Eureka, the majority of the exhibit venues are non-galleries, but at least one, "Imagine That," is a working studio where visitors watch the artists in action. The Ferndale Arts Cooperative and Hobart Galleries are mainstays of the town's artistic backbone. Michael Behney, Executive Director of Arcata Main Street, said that he feels their event "adds a new dimension to the quality of life in downtown. It's a great way to give people a reason to come-a great way to market our art community to the outside world." There is an unmistakable, growing awareness that art transcends itself and becomes a gift that enriches us all. That awareness is not a luxury. It's a necessity for our aliveness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beti Trauth is an active contributor to the Humboldt arts community as a writer for The Humboldt Beacon, The Arcata Eye, and as a photographer for area media publications. Beti is also an accomplished actor, singer and director.