HISTORY: All Kinds of Art in Coronado

from Crown City Magazine March 2021

by Crown City Magazine

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHERS

Crown City History

IN COLLABORATION WITH HOTEL DEL CORONADO & CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

All Kinds of Art in Coronado

B y CAROL PASTOR, CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER

If you were to ask five people the meaning of art or what it meant to each of them, no doubt you would receive different answers. With that in mind, I turned to Webster’s Dictionary. The more complete version of the definition of “art” describes it as composition, performance, drama, sketching, painting, sculpting and on it goes. This brings me to the artists in Coronado over the years. If you have lived here for a number of years you, too, can probably name a few. If you are a visitor then perhaps we can bring you up to date. As I had mentioned in the February issue, one of our most famous pieces of art are the murals from La Avenida Restaurant which now hang in the Coronado Public Library, both painted by Alfredo Ramos Martinez. If you have not seen them or have never noticed them, it is certainly worthy of a moment of your time to observe the forty-eight-foot-long mural hung at the lobby entrance called El Dia del Mercado and the smaller piece further down the hall in the reading area, named the Canasta de Flores.

Another noteworthy stop to view is the Legends of California piece by Donal Hord depicting Hord’s vision of the founding of California. The Legends of California are a series of seven Limestone panels on the exterior wall at Coronado High School, on the corner of 7th and D Avenue. This creative piece dates back to the early 20th century. It has been saved and nurtured to be kept as part of our town’s history. Our village has an abundance of artists in many fields. Some of our artists, mostly in paint, are private and never shown, other than to family and friends. However, many Coronado artists have explored and excelled in other artistic mediums such as writing. More wellknown over the 20th century is Frank Baum, none other than the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who lived in the yellow house on Star Park Circle. His books were translated and published around the world, not to mention the movie enjoyed by now generations The Wizard of Oz house on Star Park Circle. Date unknown. of viewers. Coronado also had Joe Coronado Historical Association Collection. Wambaugh, a true crime author and novelist who lived here and was known to hang out with some of the police officers — maybe because of his past occupation as an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, or maybe

he was looking for ideas for the next book. In more recent days we have fiction from Ted Nulty, a Coronado High School graduate with a background in various law enforcement fields who has published at least five books, some more fanciful in nature. You can check out his first work from the library, Gone Feral. This book is a great thriller set in our area as well as Palm Springs. Take a stroll down Orange Avenue and visit some of the galleries or stores which display some of our artists’ work. Uwe Werner has been showing his paintings not only here but around the world for over twenty years. Another worthy visit with local art of all media — pottery, jewelry and more — is Art in the Park on Sundays at Spreckels Park. Some great watercolorists have been with us for perhaps thirty years like John Yato, an artist who has long displayed his art at Art in the Park.

If you are now enthused about trying your skills, just ask around. There are people here who teach classes as well as private study in everything from china painting to sculpting to any form of art that you may wish to try. You can find art in jewelry making, which is both relaxing and imaginative. You, too, may find something creative in the arts that will help pass the time during our “stay-at-home” days. I do hope you find the time to enjoy some of the arts and artists to be found here in Coronado.