HISTORY OF THE WHITTIER ART ASSOCIATION

In the summer of 1934, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Women's Auxiliary celebrated its first Allied Arts Festival. The Whittier Woman's Club also took part. A group of artists from the show joined together, drew up a constitution and elected a board of directors for what became the Whittier Art Association.

Their aim was to create and maintain a community art gallery that would offer continuous exhibits of fine arts and crafts, to stimulate and coordinate the expression of local artists, and to advance the appreciation of fine art.

After five years of fund raising, the Association moved into its own gallery. Mr. Fred Pease donated the land on Painter Avenue and lent money for the building. Architect William Harrison donated his design for the quaint, period style building.  Raymond Hunicutt supervised the construction for free and local businesses donated materials at reduced prices. The Association made every payment on time, and in 1945 the entire debt was paid off making the Whittier Art Association one of the few artists'associations to host its own fulltime gallery.

In 1959, the gallery was enlarged to include a stage, a kitchen, restrooms and a paved parking lot. An Art Guild was organized to provide financial aid. A membership of 30 to 40 women worked with teas and special events to maintain the gallery, both inside and out. Their help enabled the Association to become a totally self-supporting nonprofit organization.

The Whittier Art Association believes that art is a necessity, rather than a luxury, and that it belongs not to an exclusive few, but to everyone. The Association offers opportunities to amateurs, professional artists, students of all ages and discriminating art lovers, as well as to the members themselves. Such noted artists as Milford Zornes, Taro Yashima, James Cooper Wright, Millard Sheets, Ralph Hulett and even Norman Rockwell have exhibited, taught and demonstrated in the association's meetings and shows!