The-N O R TH COAST
Rjerlllu
HI Number V III
25c a c o p y
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A M a x im u m o f A p p e a r a n c e s
by Donald Osborne
A b a r e f a c t is s o m e t h i n g s e e n o u t
w a r d l y — It c a n b e w e i g h e d a n d m e a s
u r e d a n d i t s e e m s t o a p p e a r th e s a m e
to a l l p e o p l e . ( T h e " s a m e " i f w e d i s r e
g a r d th e s t o r y o f th e b l i n d m e n a n d th e
e l e p h a n t . ) In t h i s a g e o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n
e x p lo s io n b a r e f a c ts h a v e h a d a w ay of
b e c o m in g c o m p le x , n u m e r o u s .te c h n o lo g
i c a l , a n d h i g h ly s p e c i a l i z e d . T h e s e " f a c t s "
a r e a s s u m e d and a c c e p te d an d have b e
c o m e a b a s i s f o r t r u t h s , e v e n th o u g h
th e y m a y be s e e n in w a rd ly d if f e r e n tly
b y d i f f e r e n t p e o p le ( p r o f e s s i o n a l s o f te n
d i s a g r e e w h e n i n t e r p r e t i n g " f a c t s " of
la w , e c o n o m ic s , p s y c h o lo g y , a n d so o n ).
A r tis tic tr u th is an in te n tio n a l p e r
s o n a l b ia s to w a rd a fa c t o r f a c ts . T he
a r t s a r e c h i e f l y c o n c e r n e d w ith th e w a y
p e o p l e s e e d i f f e r e n t l y — w ith p e r s o n a l
v i s i o n . A r t is a n e x p r e s s i o n o f i n s i g h t
m a d e v is ib le , r e a d a b le , o r a u d ib le , an d
m u s t n o t b e m i s t a k e n f o r th e p h y s i c a l
t h i n g s f r o m w h ic h t h e a r t m a y a r i s e .
If th e e n d p o in t of th e a r t s w e r e l i t e r a l
t r a n s c r i p t i o n of th e s i g h t s a n d s o u n d s
w h ic h e x i s t in th e w o r l d , p e r f e c t m u s i c
w o u ld b e n a t u r e n o i s e s ; p e r f e c t s c u l p
t u r e w o u ld b e t a x i d e r m y a n d a r t s i n v o l
v in g th e w r i t t e n w o r d w o u ld n o t e x i s t
b e c a u s e w o rd s a r e a b s tr a c t, m a n -m a d e
in c a n ta tio n s .
A r t s p r i n g s f r o m th e h u m a n s p i r i t — i ts
r e a c t i o n s to t h e w o r l d , n o t j u s t a t t e m p t
e d r e p r o d u c tio n s of it. A r ts e n lig h te n
t h e s p i r i t a s w e l l a s th e i n t e l l e c t .
A r t i s t s w ag e a s ile n t y e t d e a d ly w a r
a g a i n s t c u l t u r a l a n d s p i r i t u a l d e a t h . It
i s a n a g e o f m e d i o c r ity a n d t h e t r i v i a l :
W o r th is j u d g e d b y l e d g e r s o f p r o f i t
a n d lo s s an d by N ie ls e n r a tin g s . T he
pow e r of a r t d i m i n i s h e s ; i t i s d e c o r a tiv e ,
i t s v a lu e i s in e n d l e s s r e p r o d u c t i o n s o f
w h a t is r e g a r d e d a s c o m m e r c i a l l y i n
o f f e n s i v e a n d s a l a b l e . An a r t i s t ' s v i s i o n
m a t t e r s l e s s th a n its r e t a i l v a lu e ; i n
d e e d , th e v i s i o n i s s u b o r d i n a t e .
C a n n o n B e a c h i s a c o m m u n i t y w h ic h
r e f l e c t s th e t e n s i o n s b e tw e e n a r t ' s
v a l u e s . It i s k n o w n a s a n a r t i s t s ' v i l l a g e ,
a n d th e b e s t a n d th e l e a s t a r e d r a w n to
i t s r e p u t a t i o n . It i s y e t a p l a c e w h e r e
a r t i s t s a re not e n tir e ly d is c o u ra g e d
a n d a r e t o l e r a t e d , w h ic h a l l o w s t h e m
to p u r s u e t h e i r c o m p u l s i o n s to c r e a t e ,
to r e f l e c t a n d i n t e r p r e t t h e p o w e r s of
l i f e a n d d e a t h in t h e i r w o r k s . B u t th e
o th e r s id e is a ls o a p p a r e n t — a r t 's
r e d u c t i o n to c o m m o d i t i e s , b o u g h t a n d
s o l d ; th e l e s s v i s i o n o r p o w e r , th e l e s s
o r i g i n a l i t y , th e g r e a t e r th e c h a n c e s of
s a la b ility b e c a u se c o n s u m e rs a r e e x
p e c t e d to h a v e n o r e a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g
of a r t.
T h e t e n s i o n i s f o r e m o s t a m o n g th e
a r t i s t s w h o r e q u i r e th e m a r k e t to s u r
v iv e a n d p u r s u e t h e i r a r t . F o r th e m o s t
p a r t th e C a n n o n B e a c h g a l l e r i e s p r e f e r
q u a l i t y a n d c r e a t i v i t y ; y e t a p r e s s u r e to
s u c c u m b to a m a s s m a r k e t i n c r e a s e s .
A s o c i e t y t h a t is p e r c e i v e d a s e v a s i v e
o f i n q u i r y i s g i v e n th e t r i v i a l a n d i n
c o n s e q u e n tia l; its a p p e a r a n c e is m o r e
n o tic e a b le w hen it h a s re p la c e d w o rk s
of d is tin c tio n . T o le ra n c e to w a rd a r t i s t s
d e c l i n e s a s f e w e r b e l i e v e t h a t th e
a r t s a r e in te g r a l an d n o t s u p e rflu o u s .
U n d e r s u c h p r e s s u r e s , w ith a n e v e r
i n c r e a s i n g n e e d to m a k e e n d s m e e t ,
th e a r t i s t s a r e in d a n g e r o f l o s i n g a
s e n s e of c o m m u n ity th a t h a s b e e n th e ir
bond and e x h ila ra te s th e ir c re a tiv ity .
It is f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h a t T h e H u m m i n g
b i r d 's " S h o w c a s e 1 9 5 " c a m e i n to b e in g .
It i s a n a r t i s t s ' g a l l e r y c o m p o s e d
o f g i f t s f o r th e e y e s , th e s p i r i t a n d t h e
m in d b y a c o m m u n i t y t h a t r e f u s e s to
be d im in is h e d . On its w a lls , on p e d a -
s ta ls o r f re e s ta n d in g a r e in te n s e ly
p riv a te v is io n s g a th e r e d fo r a c o l l e c t
iv e i d e a l . N o o n e is o b l i g a t e d to l ik e
t h e m — th e o n ly r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s to
o b s e rv e th e m r e s p o n s ib ly .
T h e r e a r e s o m e p a r tic u l a r l y s p e c i a l
p i e c e s o n e x h i b i t a t t h e 1 9 5 . J o e P o l i c e 's
f ir s t m o to riz e d m e ta l s c u lp tu re ; F r e d
K l i n e 's a c r y l i c p a i n t i n g : b o th a r e d e
c e a s e d a r t i s t s w h o l i v e d in C a n n o n
B e a c h ,a n d w ho n o u r is h e d th e a r t s c o m
m u n i t y w ith t h e i r w o r k a n d e n e r g y .
T he g a lle ry has s e v e r a l p u rp o s e s .
O f c o u r s e th e a r t w o r k i s a v a i l a b l e f o r
p u r c h a s e ; b u t th e i d e a f o r a s h o w c a s e
s e r v e s at le a s t th re e o th e r p o s s ib ilitie s
a s w e l l . T h e f i r s t i s t h a t th e g a l l e r y
w ill be a d i r e c t o r y lo c a tio n f o r c lie n ts
a n d a r t i s t s to m e e t ; it w i l l o f f e r o p p o r -
tu n itie s fo r a r t a w a r e n e s s a n d e d u c a
tio n ; a n d it w i l l r e m i n d u s a l l t h a t w e
c o n t i n u e to be f o r t u n a t e t h a t o u r c o m
m u n i t y i s y e t a p l a c e in w h ic h a r t i s t s
w a n t to l i v e a n d w o r k .
D o n a ld O s b o r n e , w h o s e a r t i s s i g n e d
O z . i s c o - m a n a g e r w ith F r e d D w e llo o f
S h o w c a s e 1 9 5 . F o r m o r e o n th e n e w
g a l l e r y , w ith e x a m p l e s o f th e w o r k s o n
d i s p l a y , p l e a s e t u r n to p a g e s i x .