t o n r ally A
S
CREATING THE HUMBOLDT ART SCENE, BRICK BUY BRICK
She started the “Brick Buy Brick” campaign – people contributed money to have their name appear on bricks and tiles in the museum and grounds. by David Kaftal
I
courtesy HumboldtArts.org
t’s hard not to fall in love with her the first time you meet Sally Arnot. Those striking silver locks of hair, her elegant style, and that shy, beautiful smile disarm and captivate. But behind that lovely exterior beats the heart of a lioness for art. When you look at the evolution of the North Coast art scene, there were certain people who really helped get things off the ground. Any short list would have to include Dr. Homer Balabanis, who founded the Humboldt Arts Council; Morris Graves, whose donated artwork anchors the permanent collection of the HAC’s museum named in his honor; Mayor Gil Trood, an early supporter of the HAC; and certainly Muriel Dinsmore. But there might not even be a Morris Graves Museum or a thriving Humboldt Arts Council if it wasn’t for Sally Arnot’s vision, hard work, and determination. She was born and raised in Eureka, and since her earliest school days had a deep love of art. As a little girl, Sally frequented the magnificent Carnegie Free Library, which served the area from 1904 to 1972. Built with money donated by the famed philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it was one of over 2,500 Carnegie libraries built between 1883 and 1929 worldwide. The building was designed in the Classical Revival style by local architects Knowles Evans and B.C. Tarver. It was considered by many one of the most beautiful Carnegie libraries ever built, and was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1986. Sally continued her education, graduating from Eureka High in 1956 with plans to attend Humboldt State College, as it was then known. As often happens, however, life intervened. In 1957 she married Philip Arnot and moved with him to San Francisco. He studied law and Sally took art classes at various schools in between doing title searches and real estate
work. Five years after moving to San Francisco, they returned to Humboldt County. Children came along in 1964 and ’66. 1966 was also the year HSU’s Dr. Homer Balabanis founded the Humboldt Art Council. In 1969 HAC Board member Muriel Dinsmore, who passed away in 2018 (see page 10), asked Sally if she would be the Art Chair for the Christmas Art and Music Festival at the Eureka Inn, the beautiful old Tudor-style Eureka landmark. The festival is still fondly remembered for its amazing art and the music that emanated from the Inn during those heady days – and who can forget the huge Christmas tree in the lobby that had different artistic themes every year? Sally accepted Muriel’s invitation, and thus began an extraordinary career melding civic involvement with the arts. Authorized by the Humboldt Arts Council but personally unknown (“Can you imagine, they didn’t know me from anyone!”), she went to San Francisco to acquire art to exhibit, and acquire she did. She came back with pieces from the Museum of Modern Art and the de Young, including a Diego Rivera. It wasn’t an easy trip – she got stuck for hours at a landslide along Hwy 101 with the precious pieces wrapped in blankets in the back of her station wagon! In 1970 Sally joined the Humboldt Art Council’s Board of Directors, and in 1971 was instrumental, along with her husband Philip, in establishing the Arts Council as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. About a year later, the Humboldt Cultural Center was born. It was housed in the E. Janssen Building on First Street, an Italianate commercial structure (originally a hardware store) built continued next page The Palette / 7
