New City Complex Gives Art Visibility

Beaches, boats, missions and Marines all get their due in Oceanside’s tourist brochure, but nowhere does the word art appear.

Next week, when the city celebrates the opening of its new Civic Center, it will also welcome a new visibility for the arts. An art exhibition containing works by over 100 artists will be on view at the center during the dedication weekend of June 29-30.

“By investing as much as it has in this building, the city of Oceanside is showing the city at large that it’s making strides, making an effort. Bringing the arts along with it is an important part of that effort,” said Steve Rivkin of the city manager’s office.

Art in all media will fill two community rooms adjacent to the library in the Civic Center. A tent will be erected near the plaza fountain to handle the display of additional work.

Nearly 200 artists from throughout San Diego County attended a pre-exhibition meeting in March to receive guidelines for participating in the show. Though the show is not juried, artists were required to register in advance, and each was allowed the display of two works.

“We should really be calling this a community art show,” said Michelle Skaggs of the city manager’s office, but true to its official title, the event will be both an exhibition and contest. Awards--ribbons only, no cash--will be distributed in each of 12 categories by a jury of three.

All three members of the jury have long been active in the North County arts scene. Louise Kirtland-Boehm is the director of the Palomar College Art Gallery in San Marcos. David Beck-Brown, a San Diego artist, has also served as a consultant for Escondido’s public art program, and Connie Beardsley is the manager of Carlsbad’s arts office.

The idea of an art exhibition grew over time, said Skaggs. “It was envisioned at first as a tiny affair, but the response from the artistic community was so great that it’s expanded.”

In addition to enhancing the dedication festivities, the show may also have a more permanent impact on the Civic Center. A committee, including Civic Center architect Charles Moore, will review the work on view for possible purchase or display in the complex.

“This is a way of bringing the art to us to see what’s available,” said Rivkin.

No money for art was allocated in the budget of the $30 million center, a crisply geometric, white stucco complex trimmed in blue and accented by a spectrum of colored tiles.

The upcoming exhibition, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, will fill the center with art and, according to Rivkin, with promise.

“I think the city of Oceanside deserves to honor itself in this way. It’s a way of coming of age.”

OCEANSIDE

ART SHOW

What: Exhibit of works by more than 100 artists in conjunction with the dedication of the Oceanside Civic Center, 300 block of North Hill

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30

Where: Library community rooms at the Civic Center

Cost: Free