California Sculpture Academy is now homeless

Here we go again… another leadership failure within an important Fallbrook community group. Yes, another Fallbrook community organization, originated so many years ago for the good of Fallbrook and nurtured by hard work and financial support of its citizens and businesses, has become an anathema to the citizens it is supposed to serve.

Wake-up Fallbrook! Your community is being taken away from you brick by brick by yet another group of self-serving community activists somehow put in charge of one of our valued institutions.

On Nov. 1, Fallbrook Arts, Inc terminated its lease with California Sculpture Academy, Inc. (CSA), a nonprofit corporation, its long-term tenant of its facility on East Alvarado Street.

Many of you may have noticed this little artistic gem within our community located a few doors down from the Sheriff's Sub-station. It is one of a very

few “public” foundries still operating in Southern California.

No official reason for the termination was given other than a vague statement that the Board of Fallbrook Arts Inc. has “elected to move in a new direction for the use of the …facility”.

I am the president of CSA and have served this small group of dedicated visual artists for the past several years, with my greatest admiration of its members.

Organized as cooperative of like-minded artists, for the last five years CSA has offered classes, provided equipment and foundry resources and worked to advance the relevance of the artistic medium of sculpture for not only its members but the greater artistic community of Southern California.

Think about it, you can’t create a bronze or marble art piece by just picking up a sketch pad and trying your hand at drawing. With sculpture making, there is a huge learning curve and the need of considerable specialized equipment.

When the Laguna Art School closed its stone program several years ago, the director of that department relocated his resources to Fallbrook. When Palomar Community College cut back its sculpture-making offerings a few years back, CSA picked up the slack for the local art community.

World renowned art instructors have put on workshops for aspiring artists and numerous artists have commissioned castings at our facility. A veterans art program and community demonstrations have been our regular offering for the community of Fallbrook.

I know that Fallbrook Arts has tried to take credit for this but don’t be deceived. It is CSA that has made all of these possible while that organization has been a stumbling block over the years.

Further, CSA was created with the vision of making a world-class art school, in league with the venerated Florence Academy of Arts (with whom it has a strong relationship) right here in our little community of Fallbrook.

All of that vision, all of the available support that was given the art community of Fallbrook and the surrounding area, all of the presence of having a unique and special art institution like no other community has, is at risk because (God knows why) Fallbrook Arts, Inc. makes a decision that

potentially throws that all away.

To quote a Fallbrook Arts Board member, “we don’t care about the community, we only care about what makes Fallbrook Art look good”. I hate to tell her, but right now you guys don’t look very good: very self-centered, very mean and petty and utterly an undesirable member of “The Friendly Village.”

I have supported the Fallbrook Art Center over the years with my contributions; I’ve entered their art shows; I’ve housed visiting artists and I’ve spoken favorably of what I thought was an organization that could benefit the community.

Guess what? Fallbrook Arts, Inc. better not come knocking on my door. I will be slamming it in their face and telling the rest of my friends in Fallbrook to do the same.

Gary Votapka