Courtesy image.
OXNARD — Through Fall, 2022, the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) will present its latest exhibition, “Chouinard Arts.” Original student works of the famed Chouinard Arts Institute will be displayed through the early fall of 2022.
On loan from local collector Ms. Joy Roy, the nine-piece collection brings a wide variety of maritime subjects to life. The pieces are heirlooms of her grandfather, the artist Stan Johnson, who attended Chouinard and traded these small works amongst his classmates more than 80 years ago.
All of the pieces date from the 1930s and include early works by Arthur Beaumont and Millard Sheets, both of whom had long and distinguished art careers. Arthur Beaumont would become a renowned WWII maritime artist, and his depictions of battleships and naval battles were featured in National Geographic Magazine. Beaumont is best known for his later watercolors of ships and harbor scenes. Millard Sheets was one of the earliest of California Scene Painting artists and helped define the art movement. Many of his large-scale building-mounted mosaics from the mid-20th century still exist in Southern California.
Founded in 1921, the Chouinard Art Institute was a leading professional art school in Los Angeles until it was absorbed into CalArts. It was established for the training of fine art practitioners and commercial artists. By the 1930s, the motion picture industry was recruiting Chouinard alumni in increasing numbers for various departments, from art direction to costume design to animation. Many of Walt Disney’s earlier animated films, including Bambi and Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, featured the creative works of several “Chouinardians.”
“We are very pleased to have the privilege of sharing this exceptionally unique collection of art by Chouinard students,“ says Olivia Williamson, Exhibition and Collection Manager at CIMM. “We especially love the Southern California connection.”
About the Channel Islands Maritime Museum — Founded in 1991, the Museum’s galleries feature rare and beautiful maritime paintings dating back to the 1600s, world-class models of historic ships, rotating thematic exhibitions, and interactive exhibits. The Museum is open Thursday-Monday from 12 pm to 4 pm. Located at: 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard CA 93035. Admission is: free for members, $7.00 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 youth (ages 6-17 years), free for children age 5 years and under. www.cimmvc.org