PRESENTED BY THE HUNTINGTON BEACH ART CENTER
Juried by Lyn Semeta and Mark Zambrano
June 22 – August 17, 2024

IMPORTANT DATES​

OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, June 22 | 6:30pm

JURIST TALK WITH ORANGE COUNTY POET LAUREATE
Tuesday, June 25 | 6pm - 7:30pm

ART FOR LUNCH
Thursday, July 11 | 11:30am - 1:30pm

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Saturday, August 3 | 1pm - 2:30pm
FROM THE CURATORS
Lyn Semeta, Former HB Mayor and Artist 
The waters, its waves, its restorative and energizing powers, and the wildlife that come here, are the heart of our identity as a city. As a community we are immensely proud of our ocean, Harbour, and wetlands, and we are passionate about preserving and sharing their beauty with everyone. Surfing is integral to that identity.  
 
The sandy break just at the end of Main Street is where elite athletes and precision jet pilots perform at the highest level and where tens of thousands of people arrive annually to experience the thrill of watching them. Locals know that sometimes the ocean is peaceful, sometimes it is turbulent, much like life. One can get lost in it or find oneself. It beckons those who live and visit here to gather our families and friends for celebrations. Our waters are where we come for solace and peace, a place to escape the over-stimulation of modern life. When we need courage, its power reinvigorates us, giving us renewed energy to tackle life’s difficulties.
The selected works of art in the Surf City ART exhibition reflect to me the myriads of ways that people and wildlife interact with our natural environment. I want visitors to the Art Center’s galleries to see up close how local artists interpret some of the many interactions with it. Visitors will leave with a sense of how our beloved ocean reflects who we are, how -- through our waters -- we welcome everyone to come to Huntington Beach and experience it for themselves.
Mark Zambrano, Local Author and Surfer ​
Visitors will come away feeling that the exhibition was true to its name — Surf City ART. While it is difficult to capture all parts of a community as iconic as Huntington Beach, I believe this show authentically embodies HB’s authentic spirit and vibe. It makes me think of this great Hawaiian expression, talk story, it's a way of passing wisdom. More informally among the surfers, it means to shoot the breeze and share personal experiences with just the right amount of embellishment. 
 
I want this exhibit to talk story. 

I want visitors to experience each artwork’s talk story, to encourage visitors to talk story with one another. This exhibition is a place for us to come together to shoot the breeze, sharing the folklore, the history and moments that are Surf City. Each piece in the exhibition was selected because the artist uniquely captures a slice of life in HB. Iron pipes giving way to natural life, 
the poetry of a sunset seen from Highway One, a collage of cars cruising the streets, volleyball players lunging across sand, free spirited kids perfecting kick turns, and surfers enjoying the calm of a glassy day before dropping in on a pounding wave, together they are glittering mosaic fragments reflecting Huntington Beach and its many pocket communities.

​Viewed together, these base elements — the Art Center, the art, the artists and the visitors — form a lively, engaged and organic community portrait. All roads lead to the ocean, and our collective conscience is deeply rooted in beach life. In the same breath, HB is more than just its coastline. It is a bustling city that can feel like a small town; a resort getaway, luxury cars, restored jalopies, and blue-collar enclave; a pedestrian paradise nestled in suburban sprawl; a natural wonder up against an industrial machine. It is a mishmash of newcomers and old-timers, ideas, styles and cultures that can sometimes be at odds with one another. But it's those differences that also make Huntington Beach so interesting and unique, so alive. That is, in my view, the heart of our Surf City. And all those stories and adventures make for some excellent talk story to bring us together again and again.
ORANGE COUNTY POET LAUREATE
Gustavo Hernandez is the author of the acclaimed poetry collection Flower Grand First (Moon Tide Press). He has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Slowdown Podcast, and The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series. In January 2024, Hernandez was appointed Poet Laureate of Orange County, California. He was born in Jalisco, Mexico and was raised in Santa Ana, California, where he still resides.