Surf City ART Exhibition Opening in Downtown Huntington Beach on Saturday, June 22nd. Former City Mayor, Local Author, and OC Poet Laureate to Lead Celebration.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – The Huntington Beach Art Center presents Surf City ART, a multimedia exhibition celebrating the Surf City arts community. Jurists Lyn Semeta, accomplished artist and former Huntington Beach Mayor, and Mark Zambrano, author of “Surfing in Huntington Beach,” selected approximately 70 works from over 200 submissions to shape this vibrant exhibition. Orange County’s Poet Laureate Gustavo Hernandez completed an original poem for presentation in the exhibition. Visitors are invited to carve out some time to ride the Surf City ART wave. Galleries are always free and open to the public. Hodads, grommets, and kooks are welcome in the lineup anytime!

The water, 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. ~Jurist Lyn Semeta

JURISTS
Lyn Semeta pursued a successful career as a business attorney, but her love of art began with an Art History Class at UCLA. Over her artistic career, she discovered her favorite mediums, mixed media and watercolor, and her paintings have earned awards locally, including the Best of Show at the Sunset Beach Art Festival. Lyn was elected to the Huntington Beach City Council, serving as Mayor in 2020. Her passion for Public Art led Lyn to serve as Chair of the Art in Central Park Committee which successfully oversaw the installation of “See Yourself in Nature Art Project.”

Mark Zambrano is the author of “Surfing in Huntington Beach,” a history of the surfers who shaped the local surf community into the cultural force it is today. The author compiled an in-depth visual historical narrative spanning over 100 years, using images and stories gathered from city and county archives, generations of surfers and their families, local libraries and businesses, and renowned photographers. Sharing never seen images in the 2019 publication, the author’s collection of stories, surfing lore, and epic waves capture the Surf City USA indomitable spirit.

POET LAUREATE
Gustavo Hernandez is the author of “Flower Grand First” (Moon Tide Press, 2021) & the micro-chapbook “Form His Arms” (Ghost City Press 2020). Gustavo lives in Santa Ana, California and in 2024, he was appointed Poet Laureate of Orange County, California. He graduated from Saddleback Community College in 2018 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in creative writing-poetry from Cal State Long Beach in 2021. The position of Orange County poet laureate was created by the arts cooperative LibroMobile, which operates a bookstore in Santa Ana. Poet laureates are considered among a region’s most esteemed poets and are appointed to represent and advocate for poetry in the region where they live.

ABOUT THE HBAC
The Huntington Beach Art Center (HBAC) is a community arts and cultural center serving Huntington Beach and the Southern California region. The Art Center opened its doors to the public in 1995. HBAC serves to advance public awareness and understanding of cultural, historic, and contemporary perspectives through public exhibitions, performances, film/video screenings, lectures, and educational programming.

HBAC is operated as a public/private partnership with the City of Huntington Beach and the Huntington Beach Art Center Municipal Foundation, a non-profit private corporation. Founded in 1989, the HBAC Foundation was established to raise funds for the facilities construction and program endowment. The Art Center is managed through the City of Huntington Beach Community & Library Services Department.

Admission to the Huntington Beach Art Center is free, and events are open to the public. The public is invited to contact our front desk staff at (714) 374-1650 or [email protected] or visit www.huntingtonbeachartcenter.org for more information. The HBAC is ADA accessible.

SURF CITY ART EXHIBITION DETAILS

On View: June 22 – August 17, 2024

Location: The Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Events

Public Reception: Saturday, June 22, 6:30 – 9pm

Jurist Talk with Orange County’s Poet Laureate: June 25, 6:00 – 7:30pm

Art for Lunch: July 11, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Artist Spotlight: August 3, 1:00 – 2:30pm

Gallery Hours
Tuesday, 12 – 8pm
Wednesday – Thursday, 12 – 6pm
Friday – Saturday, 12 – 5pm

Admission: FREE, open to the public

EXHIBITION LINK, SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES, HASHTAGS

https://www.huntingtonbeachartcenter.org/surf-city-art.html

https://www.instagram.com/huntingtonbeachartcenter/

https://www.facebook.com/Huntingtonbeachartcenter

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