He also takes his students to painting workshops around the world, including Mexico, Russia, Italy and France. Okun teaches private lessons and holds online classes from his Liberty Station studio. One of the best-known instructors is Leon Okun, a classically trained painter who is a teacher and chairman of the Fine Arts Department at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. The public is encouraged to engage with the artists, and many of the Barracks 19 tenants offer classes. They are usually amazed at the work we are putting out up here.” We try to make guests as comfortable as possible so they don’t feel like they’re intruding. “But most of the time, the doors are open. “There is a little bit of feeling like you’re in a zoo,” Gaffey said. To help demystify the artistic process, all the artist rooms have glass doors, and additional glass windows were put in so visitors can watch the artists at work.īut working in an open studio isn’t always easy. Her pieces include both glossy and matte finishes and colorful and muted palettes. Leah Schaperow, the ceramics artist behind Milk Oolong Pottery, teaches small classes that include not only the making of ceramics but also modern and historical techniques. She plans to expand and feature work from Latino artists from all over California.īryson’s work primarily is in in oil portraits and focuses on her quirky take on the world. “My work is humorous as well as sophisticated, gleaned from my experiences, dreams and travels.”Ĭolor also features strongly in Rosa Huerta’s Mi Gallery Tu Gallery, which offers art exhibitions and workshops and Huerta’s own pieces. “I employ vivid colors in my watercolors, acrylics, mixed media and artworks with dime store sparkly ‘gems,’ Rubin said. Her whimsical cats, florals, mandalas and Frida Kahlo portraits are often inspired by her trips to Bali and Borneo. One artist bringing color to the space is June Rubin. No longer a monotone beige, the upstairs interior of Barracks 19 is full of color and art of all types. “But they were all painted the same Navy tan.” “All the buildings were numbered in the order they were built, but they weren’t always built next to each other,” Ziter said. The buildings are fully disabled-accessible and are equipped with elevators and fire sprinklers.Īs a nod to history, the barracks kept their original numbers. Twelve of the remodeled barracks in the Arts District now boast four large downstairs spaces and 13 upstairs studios. The remodeling process, at a cost of $2.5 million received from grants, involved removing asbestos and other hazardous materials from the buildings, installing new electrical wiring and gas lines and constructing the new loft spaces. The old training center was closed in 1993. The buildings are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. He added that each concrete building is a little more than 9,000 square feet. “Originally, each building would have had two floors with 50 beds per floor and the two bathrooms, and not much else,” he said. (Courtesy of Arts District Liberty Station) “Barracks 19 really is a destination for artists and for people who want to see art and buy art.” Now it’s such a beautiful place, clean and so well kept up,” Gaffey said. “I’ve seen the historic buildings in various states of renovation. The commission to build the base began around the time of the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park, “and you can see the influence of the Spanish Colonial Revival in the buildings,” said Ziter, referring in part to the many archways, outdoor spaces, courtyards and limited decoration of the structures. Construction began in 1921 and the base was commissioned in 1923. Its executive director, Alan Ziter, said William Kettner, a congressman in the early 1900s, is credited with establishing the Naval Training Center, as well as several other Navy bases in San Diego.Ĭongress authorized the Naval Training Center in 1919. The old barracks buildings are under the care of the nonprofit NTC Foundation. One of the first things she did on arriving back in California was secure a studio in Barracks 19.
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