Gardena High students showcase school's forgotten collection

The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University presents “Gifted: Collecting the art of California at Gardena High School 1919-1956,” a collection of California artworks collected over a 37-year period by then-students at Gardena High School.

The tradition started back in 1919 when a teacher suggested that the senior class purchase a piece of artwork to donate to the school. It continued for nearly 40 years, with the works being displayed around the school. After the tradition stopped, many of the pieces were stored in a closet and were mostly forgotten.

It wasn’t until 2009 that al...