“Water & Wood” – Can art galleries return to Hermosa?
“Moonshadow,” by Drica Lobo
Wind in the Sails for “Water & Wood”
Rafael McMaster is raising a flag for art in Hermosa
It takes some effort, some passion and planning, to organize and mount an art show, but that’s what Rafael McMaster has done. His endeavor bears fruit this Saturday when “Water & Wood” opens with a reception from 4 to 9 p.m. at Hermosa Design in Hermosa Beach. It’s not only a group show, it’s a group show with over 70 artists. So what was it that drove McMaster, a skilled artist and photographer, as well as a musician, to compile such a visual feast?
Something’s missing here
“I was inspired by the reality that my daughter, who is seven years old, is growing up in a city with zero galleries,” he replies. McMaster then points out what many of us know or suspect, that the South Bay is not awash in venues where one can view art on a regular basis. “What does this say about our community?” he adds, posing a question that is both rhetorical and timely.
Rafael McMaster. Photo
McMaster believes that “having an art gallery is part of the core civic construct, like a fire department, a person who makes keys, a donut shop… Art galleries seem like one of those things.” In other words, if not quite as necessary as a library, post office or police station, certainly vital to the health of any self-respecting city.
Some people might shrug off the notion of a permanent art gallery in Hermosa as a luxury that it doesn’t need or can’t afford or won’t survive. Over the years there have been several, notably Gallery C in the former Bijou Theatre, now a Chase bank. But McMaster thought long and hard about this, and he wondered, Why does art matter?
“I sat with that question for like 36 hours,” he says. “I just kept asking myself: We go to galleries, we do this, we do that, I talk to artists, ask them Why? Why does it matter? Is it just my personality? Do I (alone) care? If I care, that’s cool, but that doesn’t reason I should make it a profession and my mission, right?
“And what I came to was, When I see a piece of art that moves me, what does that mean, it ‘moves me’? It inspires me, it touches something inside, it’s something that’s beyond words for me. I can feel a sense of spirituality, I can feel hope, and I can feel connected. These are all unique to being a human. It reminds me of my humanity.
“I wake up every day now,” McMaster continues, “energized and inspired to do this because it really matters to me to bring a gallery home to Hermosa, to have a flourishing art scene in the South Bay, where there’re art shows every weekend, and that’s normal.”
“Jade Drops,” by Laura Schuler
Can he build on it?
With the helpful advice of such local artists as Don Adkins and Holly Socrates, McMaster was able to reach out to about 280 artists, and he was encouraged that so many of them responded. He already envisions a packed house for “Water & Wood” on opening night:
“What happens when Hermosans, South Bay people look around and there’s like a hundred pieces of art, not crappy art, good art, and they look around and they can see 70 artists that are all talking? What does that feel like? Where has this been? My hope is that people will say, Oh yeah! That is what art shows are about! Hopefully it completes them in a way where they understand that part of them has been missing because they hadn’t had the opportunity to go to art and photography shows or exhibits here in the South Bay.”
In case one is thinking, ‘Well, what about the shows at the Torrance Art Museum, the Manhattan Beach Art Center, or the Palos Verdes Art Center, let alone the well-attended “CA 101” and “Power of Art” shows in Redondo Beach?’ McMaster is quite aware that there are other venues and other art events, including the Hermosa Beach Fine Arts Festival that Ken Klade started as a downtown art walk a dozen years ago. “One thing I never want to do is have a person read an article and say, ‘Well, I have a scene; you didn’t come to my show, and here you want to say there’s no art shows? What a dick.’ And that’s a person I want to be friends with because they’re fellow artists.”
Starting them early
McMaster himself is an integral part of the community, raising the artistic awareness and skill of young people.
“I teach here in Hermosa, every weekday 4 to 5:30,” he says. “I teach a group of 15 students everything I know about art and photography and the creative process. I’m always looking for new students.”
This is a program run through the HVPTO, the Hermosa Valley Parent Teacher Organization and the Hermosa View Parent Teacher Organization, the city’s two schools. “I teach at my house in Hermosa,” McMaster says, before pointing out the lack of community studio space. “Which is another part of the plight of the artist in Hermosa. Not only is there no show space, there’s no workspace. That’s why these artists don’t know each other, because they’re all working out of their garages. That’s the reality of it.”
If they’re even lucky to have garages, of course.
“Oceans,” by Violette Alshin, age 7
McMaster shares some images with me that were created by his students, explaining the art process used by a few of them, and the results are impressive. Several of these works are in the show, which is bound to make the kids happy and their parents proud, and perhaps will dazzle the rest of us.
While labeling it an appreciation rather than a competition, McMaster plans to hand out cards at the opening, asking visitors to look closely at the work on view and then to indicate the three pieces they find most appealing. “It’s about helping people stay engaged throughout the art experience,” he explains, adding that there’s a separate section where he’ll have “at least 17 kids under the age of 18,” and we can vote on their works as well, separately from the older or more established artists. The good thing here? “Silvio’s has stepped up for this show and they’re putting together a package for the youth who is the top vote-getter.”
Rafael McMaster. Photo
Hermosa patriot
Now, exactly why the theme of water and wood?
“I wanted something that both artists and photographers could sink their teeth into,” McMaster says. “Some of the amazing submissions that we received are brilliant photographs of woodscapes, of water-based things.” There may be other shows, other themes in the near future, but “next February, same time, maybe different place, maybe same place, ‘Water & Wood Year Two.’” In short, full-steam ahead.
McMaster is also among a small group which has recently formed the Hermosa Beach Artist Collective. Its co-directors are Amy Friedberg and Grae Halsne.
“The purpose of our non-profit,” he explains, “is to create the opportunity for local artists to show their work in Hermosa, and to work in Hermosa. The second thing we do is [to offer] classes for kids and people who wouldn’t normally have access to camera equipment or painting equipment. And the third thing that we hope to do is to create an actual collective workspace.” Destination: Art and their conclave of studio spaces in Torrance comes up. “We want to do what they’re doing over there. We want to do it in Hermosa.”
At the end of our conversation, I ask Rafael McMaster if he has any last words. He mulls it over for a few seconds and then says, yes, he does:
“I have been absolutely blown away and taken aback in the most positive of ways by the response of our community,” for this chance to show “art and photography, and for helping build something here in Hermosa. I couldn’t imagine another place that I’d want to do this in.”
Water & Wood opens Saturday, from 4 to 9 p.m., at Hermosa Design, 618 Cypress Ave., Hermosa Beach. Jamisen Jarvis plays live sets at 6 and 8 p.m., and other musical acts are scheduled as well. The show continues through Saturday, Feb. 18 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Friday, 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday). Call (310) 297-0003 or email rafael@rafaelmcmaster.com. ER