Art in the Adobes Festival 2013
Artists & Architecture is the theme of the third annual Art in the Adobes Festival, happening September 13 through 15 in Monterey’s National Historic District. But that one theme encompasses many stories. First, there are the stories of the historic buildings, which are both venues for art, and art works themselves. Despite its small size, the Monterey region has one of the richest architectural heritages in California, dating from 1794 and to the present day. Among the many Festival exhibits are two featuring California’s mission heritage, coinciding with the 300th birthday of missions founder Junipero Serra. Some of the many distinguished guest speakers will also focus on architecture. Then there are the stories of the three Featured Artists, including, for the fist time at Art In The Adobes, a living artist, Elizabeth Murray, who is available to tell of her historical and contemporary inspirations. Elizabeth Murray (ElizabethMurray.com) uniquely combines photography, painting, and horticulture as a means of capturing the spirit of a place. She was the first female gardener to participate in the restoration of the gardens at Giverny, designed and developed over a span of decades by Monet. She has returned to France regularly for nearly 25 years, photographing the evolving gardens in different seasons of the year and sharing her work in a series of books and calendars, published by Pomegranate Press. M. Evelyn McCormick (1862-1947) broke ground as a professional artist at a time when that role was rarely filled by a woman. After studying in Paris and summering near Giverny, she brought French Impressionism back to northern California, painting en plein air in Monterey for 50 years. Nationally renowned interior designer Frances Adler Elkins (1888-1953) also drew inspiration from time in France, before settling in Monterey, where she restored Casa Amesti with a flair that led to a coast-to-coast interior design career. Elkins counted among her friends and collaborators designer Jean Michel Frank, sculptor Alberto Giacometti, and fashion innovator Coco Chanel. Journalists can download high resolution photos of selected paintings, along with a credits guide document, at this temporary link. Yet more stories come from the Festival’s guest speakers. They include Hearst Castle Historian and author Victoria Kastner, who will speak about famed architect Julia Morgan and her Monterey connection, and Dr. Jarrell Jackman, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, who will discuss the past, present, and future of historic buildings in the Santa Barbara and Monterey regions. The full schedule of events at Art in the Adobes Festival 2013 can be found at artintheadobes.org. IMAGE SHOWN: Historic Buildings, Old Monterey. By: Francis John McComas. City of Monterey Collection
