|
March 17, 2023
MoAW
presents
THEN and NOW:
A loving tribute to the early years of
Cathedral City.
THE ARTISTS OF THE COVE
Beginning in the 1930s, several talented artists made their way to Cathedral City from the East and the Midwest to find the tranquility they needed to create and establish a very important period in American Art.
The Artists of the Cove narrative is provided by www.CaliforniaDesertArt.com The images are from the collection of the Historical Society of Cathedral City and the portrait of Marguerite Hillery is Courtesy of the Hillery Family Trust.
| |
|
Cathedral City Town Gossips
by Samuel deWalt Arner
Oil on Canvas
circa the 1940s
Samuel deWalt Arner
(1900 - 1980)
Artist and archaeologist Sam Arner came to Cathedral City in 1931 from the East. A world traveler, and 20 years younger than the developers here, he too, found his fortune in real estate.
In the 1930s, he homesteaded a 640-acre plot in the upper cove; he developed real estate, the Arner motel, and the Texaco gas station among other businesses in the downtown area.
He opened the San Jacinto Studio, Cathedral City's first known art gallery located two blocks down from the present-day Senior Center. It later became the "Museum of Antiquities and Art" which included one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian artifacts in the West.
He married several times and from all reports was not widely liked by the townspeople.
Cathedral City resident Diane Delaney, who owned Dian's Coffee Shop down the street from the present-day Taco Bell, remembers him in his later years as a grumpy old man who never talked to anyone.
He came to the coffee shop, sat by himself in the same booth each time, ordered the same food, read his paper, and spoke only to say something negative. He was fussy and liked things just so...once complaining to her that the flypaper smell coming his way spoiled his coffee. One day Diane gathered up her courage to tell him "next time you pass this place - please do."
She remembers his last wife Irene, as a Tammy Faye Bakker type, who unlike him, was a charming free spirit and was never with her husband.
Sam Arner died here in 1980.
| |
|
Val Samuelson, oil on canvas.
Cathedral City Historical Society
Val Samuelson
Bulldozing Modernist,
(1913 - 2000)
For such a small place, the Cathedral City Cove has sheltered more than its share of leading-edge individualists. Val Samuelson lived in the Cove for 37 years. He was one of the first desert painters to move heavily into abstraction - a museum director called him a "romantic abstractionist." Born in Barrett, Minnesota, he studied at the Minnesota School of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Arts.
He showed his work throughout the Southland and had a major influence as art director of Villager Magazine (precursor of Palm Springs Life) and art director of the Idyllwild Arts Academy. He had lifelong vision problems and listened to cassettes of classical music as he was painting to compensate - naming some of his pieces after symphonies.
All of that is well enough, but you know you are really from Cathedral City if you know this important fact: Val Samuelson (along with Mike Dunn) built the Dunn Road, the ill-fated Road to Nowhere at the back of the Cove. It descends 15 miles from HWY 74 in the mountains to the desert floor in Cathedral City. Samuelson personally piloted the 50-ton Caterpillar and sometimes sold paintings to pay for gasoline. Not every town can claim its own Bulldozing Modernist.
| |
|
Matille Prigge Seaman
(1883 - 1966)
The Artist and Art Teacher seen in this portrait was one of Cathedral City's earliest residents, arriving prior to 1929. She helped set the style for open-mindedness in the community.
Billie, as she was called, was big, unconventional, and dressed in men's clothing. She was embraced by small-town neighbors including Willard "Bill" Hillery (1881 - 1961), his son (the first major) Bob Hillery (born in 1929), and also the artist, Agnes Pelton, who arrived in town in 1932.
Billie's personal Derringer seen on display in this exhibition was etched with the name of Mrs. Jim Seaman; her late husband was a warden in the Azusa mountains in 1907. Billie Seaman had been a horsewoman growing up in White Plains, New York, and also learned to shoot as a young woman. Packing a Remington .41 Derringer - a favorite of outlaws and gamblers - came as naturally to her as carrying car keys.
The portrait and Derringer were inherited by Billie's friend, a former Cathedral City resident and U.S. Air Force veteran named Wilma "Jeannie" Parker. After Parker's death in 2016, her partner Paulina Dellosso arranged to have the items returned to the Cathedral City Historical Society. (The Derringer once hung above the mantel in Billie's Cathedral City home). The Historical Society is grateful to Dellaosso, who was intent that the pieces remain at home.
This 1935 portrait of Billie posted above poses a mystery for art fans. The artist is unknown and the inscription is illegible (at least to the Historical Society). This is obviously a skilled artist who was able to capture Billie's intense, slightly world-weary expression. One tantalizing possibility: The artist could be Agnes Pelton herself. Pelton was painting portraits of her neighbors at the time including Marguerite Hillery (mother of Bob Hillery) and arts patron Christina Lillian. Could this be Agnes Pelton's portrait of her neighbor and friend Billie Seaman? If so, what about the mystery inscription? Your guesses are welcome. The house that Billie Seaman built for herself still stands at 37-086 Cathedral City Canyon Drive.
| |
|
Agnes Pelton
Sea Change
Oil on Canvas, 1931
Whitney Museum of American Art
Agnes Pelton
(1881 - 1961)
Agnes Pelton is currently one of the most famous artists in the world. A recent exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art elevated her to the level of stars like Georgia O'Keeffe.
Arts writers exult in using words like mystical, spectral, and cosmic to describe her - yet she was grounded and rooted in everyday life here in the Cathedral City Cove from 1932 until her death in 1961. The portrait you see here, taken by Pelton's neighbor Wilson Ellis, suggests the serene yogi so widely portrayed in the media.
Pelton was a down-to-earth and involved member of the early Cathedral City art community, a friend to Boy Scouts, and stray cats. This rarely-seen portrait shows her in her later years when she was suffering from illness and was decidedly frail. Still, she reveled in visits with her neighbor Matille "Billie" Seaman, as well as chats with a young Bob Hillery. As you study the portrait, you will see the face of a woman content to be among friends near the end of her life. As she once said: "This region has taken me in, accepted me."
| |
|
Portrait of Marguerite Hillery
by Agnes Pelton
Marguerite Hillery
Agnes' Neighborhood
While art scholars have zeroed in on Agnes Pelton's mystical interests, just as important to her acclaimed art was her grounding in the small village of Cathedral City.
The teapot you see here served guests at many of Pelton's art shows at her home in the Cove. Her friend and neighbor Marguerite Hillery poured the tea, then asked visitors to sign the Pelton guestbook. The guestbook was given to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. The teapot remains in the Hillery family, a well-used memento of the small-town life of a world-famous artist.
In a further measure of Pelton's dedication to local life, the artist painted many portraits of her neighbors. The portrait you see here, of tea-server Marguerite Hillery, was inherited by Marguerite's son Robert Hillery (1928 - 2018), the first elected mayor of Cathedral City. The portrait still hangs in the family home.
| |
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON DISPLAY | |
|
ALL UNDER HEAVEN
Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife
A Very Special Gift From
Marlene and Bruce Kanter,
Heather James Fine Art
Tim Walsh
Michael H. Healy
Tianxia (天下) or, All Under Heaven, is the ideal of a perfect and harmonious empire in the eyes of the people.
50 original antiquities spanning millennia (3,600 B.C.E. to 1920s C.E.) of ancient Asian cultures, from mysterious funerary objects and life-size protective temple guardians to delicate terracotta sculptures created for the tombs of the deceased. A giant Maitreya Buddha with obsidian eyes, a tapestry of silk and gold thread, a rare lacquered cosmetic box, earthen vessels, and bronze statues, these ancient treasures from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, celebrate everlasting remembrance, happiness, and eternal life.
This diverse collection of Asian antiquities is displayed in three sections: Earthly possessions, objects used by the living, the temple icons of Buddha and Shiva (Heaven), and funerary goods, objects found in the tombs of the elite (the Afterlife). MoAW premieres these dazzling artifacts for the first time together in one exhibition - All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife.
| |
|
PALEO: The Story of Life
4.6 billion years of fossil history
Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as PALEO: The Story of Life brings together in one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology from over a century of worldwide excavations, exhibited in geological, chronological order.
From 2.5 billion-year-old single cellular cyanobacteria responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere to the first multicellular life of 700 million years ago, PALEO: The Story of Life spans 4.6 billion years in scope. From the Precambrian to the Paleozoic Era, from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods of the Mesozoic Era to mammals and prehistoric humans of the Cenozoic Era (including the famous Lucy skeleton), this internationally acclaimed, comprehensive collection dramatically illustrates the awesome story of prehistoric life on Earth.
Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Carnegie Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, as well as many others.
| |
|
THE CRAB NEBULA (M1) IN TAURUS.
Photographed with the 26-inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory. Copyright Regents, University of California. Lick Observatory photograph.
STARSCAPE:
A Journey To The
Beginning of Time
Displayed in association with PALEO: The Story of Life, this spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the Hansen Planetarium, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the early days of the cosmos.
| |
|
photo: Steven Salisbury
LUCY:
(Australopithecus afarensis)
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and
the National Museum of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
| |
|
The Cathedral City Woman's Club, 1946
Cathedral City
Historical Society
presents
Then and Now
A 40th-year anniversary exhibition of the history of Cathedral City
A comprehensive photographic timeline of the history of Cathedral City greets you upon entering the lobby of the Museum of Ancient Wonders. This is an exhibition of recollections of the people and places that created Cathedral City's early history and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its burgeoning progress, from the past to the present, THEN AND NOW is a loving tribute to the City of Cathedral City on view through March 31, 2023.
| |
|
TUTANKHAMUN
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. To share in the commemoration, MoAW's "Wonderful Things" exhibition is on a nationwide tour. Click on the link below to see a previous installation on the banks of the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding CA.
| |
|
Become A Member of MoAW
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to more than 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, including Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call at (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
| |
|
MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities, establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Saturday
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$ 3.00 Discount available for Coachella Valley Residents
$10.00 Group Rate for 10 or more individuals.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums. Contributions are tax-deductible and gratefully accepted.
MoAW IS SPONSORED WITH FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
BY THE FOLLOWING:
| |
|
Alberto Acosta, Executive Director & Chief Curator
Joseph McCabe, CFO & Director of Development
DEW FOUNDATION
By contributing financial support, DEW Foundation joins hands with effective charitable organizations to meet human needs and promote the common good worldwide, encouraging and empowering our family’s personal involvement.
Art Laboe Foundation, Inc.
A beloved resident of Palm Springs, Art Laboe was an American disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner. He was generally credited with coining the term "Oldies but Goodies".
Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
The mission of the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
is to support Arts & Culture, Youth, Educational, Medical and,
Social Servies, and Community activities that enhance the quality of life.
Municipalities & Societies
Cathedral City Historical Society
City of Rancho Mirage
Members and Patrons
Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert
Marlene and Bruce Kanter
Tim Walsh
Mike Healy
Bjorn Kielman
Zachary Weingart
Mark Walsh
Karen Speros
Nancy Dobrozdravic
Mary Madison
Carla San Miguel, CSM Traducciones
Margie St. Anthony
Skot Jones
Dean Kieffer
Leo Stevens
Sarah and Malcolm Beresford
Tarek & Mohamed Ragab, the Egyptian Art Center
Marty Martin, CEO of Origins Institute, Inc.
Scott Robertson & Staff, New Leaf Caterers, Cathedral City
Willie Rhine & Albert Gonzales, 849 Restaurant, Palm Springs
Jack and Sandra Rivers, Canyon Printing, Cathedral City
THANK YOU
| | | | |
