www.montereycountyweekly.com January 12-18, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Monterey County’s oldest nonprofit, the Monterey History and Art Association, took a detour in 2017 at the Stanton Center on Custom House Plaza in Monterey. Instead of featuring local history and art inside the building MHAA constructed on city land in 1992—as was agreed in a lease with the city, with $1 annual rent—it became a museum focused on a collection of Salvador Dalí art owned by a wealthy Ukrainian investor and art collector. The MHAA board saw the move as necessary since Monterey history and art wasn’t pulling in enough visitor donations to pay the bills. What it did bring was scrutiny by the Monterey County Assessor’s Office, which ruled that charging an entrance fee meant the nonprofit would have to pay fullprice property taxes. (A contentious appeal resulted in a reduction in 2021.) As it turns out, the Dalí art didn’t pull in enough visitors either, nor did a partnership with a production company that leased the Stanton Center’s theater for about a year to present professional magic shows. (The company left in August.) The Dalí art collection is now on its way out too, after nearly seven years, about the same amount of time the surrealist artist spent on the Monterey Peninsula in the 1940s. Last fall, MHAA President Gary Spradlin polled members asking which direction the Stanton Center should take next. The answer was clear: Bring back local history and art. The organization is now rebranding the site as “Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center.” Spradlin got to work pulling Dalí art from galleries and replacing it with pieces by influential 20th-century artists, including Jo Mora, whose entire archive was sold last year to MHAA by the Jo Mora Trust Collection for an undisclosed amount. “It’s really good stuff,” Spradlin says. “What we’re trying to do is get it back to the kind of museum it once was,” he adds. The plan is to include displays of artwork that MHAA has amassed since it was incorporated in 1931. In addition to the newly acquired Mora pieces, Spradlin and volunteers have brought in a display with artwork of mostly local scenes by Armin Hansen and Paul Whitman. In another gallery, MHAA is offering a rotating display of art by local contemporary artists. The Dalí pieces are going into storage, with hopes of one day selling some when the market is better, Spradlin says. (The original owner, Dmitry Piterman, donated half of over 500 pieces of Dalí art to MHAA, promising to donate the remainder later.) In March the theater will begin showing plays by New Canon Theatre Co. as well as history lectures. On Jan. 19, MHAA is hosting a free 92nd birthday party inside Stanton Center. In the meantime, MHAA is eager to negotiate its lease with the city. Currently they are required to maintain a public restroom at the rear of the building but the costs are difficult for the nonprofit to meet—toilet paper alone is $6,000 a year. Spradlin plans to ask Monterey City Council to remove the restroom requirement, among other things, to help Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center succeed. Goodbye Dalí The Monterey History and Art Association is transitioning the Stanton Center back to its roots. By Pam Marino Gary Spradlin in front of the historic printing press Armin Hansen used, in a gallery that now displays works by Hansen and Paul Whitman. A hand-painted globe by Whitman is also displayed. NEWS The answer was clear: Bring back local history and art. DANIEL DREIFUSS Friday, January 20, 4:45-8:45pm Elks Lodge • 150 Mar Vista Drive, Monterey The 11th Annual John “Spud” Spadaro Hospitality Awards Dinner501(c) (3) Tickets: $65 per person. This event will sell out. Order your tickets now! No-Host Cocktails 4:45pm • Dinner 5:45pm • Award Ceremony 6:30pm Raffle Tickets with Great Prizes For Tickets Go To ticketor.com/spadaroawards Proceeds from the event goes toward the John “Spud” Spadaro Hospitality Scholarships at Monterey Peninsula College For more information call (831) 649-1421 Hospitality Honorees Lifetime Achievement Honorees Humanitarian Award Rich Rosendale Flying Fish Carmel Tony Tollner Montrio, Tarpy’s, Rio Grill Rose Russo Woody’s at the Airport Cindy & Ted Walter Passionfish Pati Stevenson Poppy Hills, Spanish Bay Marie & Nino Favalora Favaloro’s Big Night Bistro Danny Aliotti Sardine Factory, Escargot Bozzo Family Gino’s in Salinas Al Siekert and Friends WE BRING OUR MOBILE SHOWROOM TO YOU! We are the #1 Customer Rated In-Home Flooring Company in America. Locally Owned and Operated. Mention this ad to get $250 OFF of your proposal CALL 831-583-8031 to make an appointment! Visit FloorMB.com to learn more Fully licensed and insured CSLB# 1051783 CARPET – LUXURY VINYL – HARDWOOD – LAMINATES
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