Influential artists, important paintings, and some of the roots of Western U.S. art will all be rediscovered at the Art in the Adobes Festival weekend in Monterey, Calif., this coming September.

Returning to the historic buildings of California's first capital, Art In The Adobes 2012 will unveil a special selection of paintings gathered from public and private collections. The show is being curated by Dr. Julianne Burton-Carvajal and organized by the nonprofit Old Monterey Foundation.

Among the highlights will be a fascinating 1925 mural by Henry Alderton, a National Academy of Design nominee, who is one of three Rediscovered Artists in this year's festival. Alderton's Old Monterey mural embraces all of the peoples, periods and cultures of Monterey in one sweeping townscape, with Spanish galleons looming in the background.

The other two Rediscovered Artists are Academy of Design member Lockwood de Forest, an early business partner of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Abel Warshawsky, an American-born member of the French Legion d'Honneur, who painted in Monterey for 30 years.

This year's Art InThe Adobes signature image is Warshawsky's Paris Studio, one of many works from the artist's three decades in France, on exhibit courtesy of the City of Monterey.

“It's a multi-level composition that invites the viewer to walk right in, pull up a chair, and engage the waiting model in conversation until the painter arrives,” said curator Burton-Carvajal. “Or could she be the painter? Instantaneously, unexpectedly, we find ourselves piecing together a story from the seen and unseen elements of the painting.”

Also rediscovered is the long-lost WPA mural, Shrimp Fishermen by M. Evelyn McCormick, courtesy . After it was found rolled up in a Sacramento warehouse, its surface cracked and brittle, funds were raised from as far away as New York City for expert restoration.

McCormick is famous for introducing French style impressionism to northern California in the early 1890s,” said Burton-Carvajal. “In this bold mural, painted in her mid- sixties, she shows her modernist muscle.”

Art In The Adobes will open the evening of Thursday, September 13 with a preview reception in the Cooper Molera Adobe garden.

On Friday, “Discovery Day,” school groups will be able to tour several venues, including Stevenson House, the Monterey Museum of Art and the Youth Arts Collective. Friday afternoon will feature a special event for All Access ticket holders at the Monterey Museum of Art, La Mirada.

On Saturday and Sunday, attendees will choose their own itinerary as they stroll through a four block area of the Old Monterey National Historic Landmark District. Both days will include hands-on history demonstrations and expert lectures. Polk Street will become a pedestrian “Paseo” with seating areas, live music and works of art for viewing and sale. A plein air painting competition will take place on Saturday, with judging on the Polk Street Paseo on Sunday.

Tickets

Summer Celebration Dinner & Auction, July 12, 2012: $100 per person

Art in the Adobes Festival, September 13 - 16, 2012
All Access Festival Tickets are available, as well as one-day tickets for Saturday and Sunday. Prices range from $20 to $95. Discounts are available for tickets purchased before September 1.

For tickets and information, go to artintheadobes.org or call (831) 241-5504.

Organizer
Old Monterey Foundation

Partners
California State Parks, City of Monterey, Monterey History & Art Association, Monterey Museum of Art, Old Monterey Business Association 

Affiliates
Casa Amesti Foundation, Youth Arts Collective

Co-chairs
James Bryant, Teresa Del Piero, Kip Hudson and Nancy Selfridge.

Website: artintheadobes.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/artintheadobes
Twitter: @ArtInTheAdobes