Santa Monica Public Library and Santa Monica History Museum Collaborate on First Joint Photography Exhibit

May 16, 2019 2:10 PM
by Kathy Lo

Photo above: Intersection at night in the Palisades Tract, 1960s, Photographed by Victor Barnaba, Santa Monica Public Library Image Archives City Collections [B109]

One thousand residents, 160 houses, a school district and a church, the wharf, and a local newspaper. In 1875, those elements constituted Santa Monica, a small coastal community that was officially declared a town that year. Over the past 150 years, Santa Monica has grown immensely to become a city of over 92,000 and attracts millions of visitors every year.

Light & Shadow: Capturing Early Santa Monica, the first joint exhibition presented by the Santa Monica Public Library and Santa Monica History Museum, draws from each institution’s photographic archives to showcase the work of seven photographers who captured the city’s history from its founding to the 1960s. They are: Victor Barnaba, Adelbert Bartlett, Bill Beebe, Emerson Gaze, H.F. Rile, Kenneth Strickfaden, and George Tate, Jr. The exhibit runs until June 15, 2019 for more information smpl.org/Research/Local_History/LightShadow.aspx.

“I am thrilled to partner with our neighbor, the Santa Monica Public Library, to bring you an exhibition highlighting the museum’s extensive photography collections. The images presented here represent the long and generous support of our local community, which has helped build the museum’s archive of prized Santa Monica material.”

--Susan Gabriel Potter, President, Santa Monica History Museum

“The Santa Monica History Museum and the Santa Monica Public Library are dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of our local history. This photographic exhibition represents the first of what I hope will be other collaborative opportunities to explore the connections linking our shared history and communities.”

--Patty Wong, Director of Library Services, Santa Monica Public Library

 

Authored By

Kathy Lo
Librarian II