los gatos lifestyle magazine

8/8/2019 Los Gatos Lifestyle Magazine

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16 LGHISTORY

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fn 2012, Montalvo Ans Center will celebrate ts centennial anniversary,with

Ia special Open House celebration, communig' eventsand expanded hisrory

Itours. The historic Villa and properry originally known as Villa Montalvo,

was built in 1972 by James Duval Phelan (1861-1930) as his summer home.

Phelan, a passionate Californian who had

been a tlree-term progressivemayor of San

Francisco, went on to become Californias

6rst popularly-elected U.S. Senator. Mlla

Montalvo was Senator Phelan's favorite homeartd a center of artistic, political and social

life in Northern California. Phelan invited

leading writers and artists to Vlla Montalvo

to work on individual anisric projecrs n an

environment rich in dialogue and fellowship.

Jack l-ondon, Ethel Barrynnore, Mary

Picldord, Douglass Fairbanks, and Edwln

Markham were among Phelan's many guests.

At his death, Senator Phelan was

explicit in his bequest of Villa Montalvo.

"I uould lihe the propnty at Saratoga, Califomia bnoum as Vilk Monalao, to

be maintained as a public parh open under re/tsonable restrictions, the buildings

and grounds imrnediately sunounding the same to be used asfar aspossiblefor the

deuehpment of art, Iiterature, musir, and architecture by promising sntdents."

Today, Villa Montalvo is a private non-profit arts center called Montalvo Arts

Center. The 2.5 miles (5.6 km) ofhikingtrails aremaintained through apartnership

with Santa Clara County. The park and arts center are open to the public. Funding

support is provided by memberships, foundation grants, other private donations,

and earned income via ticket sales and rental

fees. More than 600 volunteers donate

tl-rousandsof hours annually to suppoft the

a,rts prograrns and maintenance of the villa

and grounds.Montalvot artists residency program

is the oldest program west of the Mississippi

and the *rird oldest n the United States.Since

1939, tl-reestatehas hosted artists-in-residence

who live and work at Montalvo. In the fall

of 2004, Montalvo substantially updated the

program with the opening of rhe Sally and

Don Luas Artbts Residenqt Program, which

offers facilities and sta-f f supportive of the

creative process. The Lucas Artists Residency

Program has taken Montalvo to new levels of excellence and international

recognition, having hosted 267 accomplished artists from 33 counffies. Airisrs

range from musicians, painters, actors, writers and architects. -W4rile in residence,

the participants produce works and give performances.



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More History

In 1930, the San FranciscoArtAssociation assumed fusreeshipof Mlla Montalvo

and within a year announced the intention to launch an aftist residency program,

the third program of its kind in the United States. n 1939, the Villa reopened

to the public as an arts center with 10 artists in residence and a small gallery in

the Villa. At the official opening, Dr. Stephen Pepper, head of the art department

at the Uniaersitl of California stated, "7lrough the cooperation of artists and the

community Montalao, in its sibnce and beautJl-

uill become one of the creatiaeforces oftbe uorld"

Following'World \Var II, a shift in priorities for the SFAA left many local

citizensconcerned about the future ofVilla Montalvo. Thesecitizens oined together

to form the Montalao Association, and in October 1953 trusteeshipof the villa was

turned over to that organization where it remains today.

For more than 75 years,Montalvo has served he community as a center for

creativiry, o{fering art courses, performing arts events, gallery exhibitions, educationalopportunities, artist residencies nd more.

Vlla Montalvo was named for the popular 16th-century Spanish writer

Garcia Ordonez de Monaluo, who coined the nme "California." In one of his

fables,he describedan island rich with gold and jewels,peopled byAmazons whose

queen was Cali6a. On this storybook island of California, Montalvot Amazons

rode griffins, the mlthical winged guardians of precious rreasure. Griffins can still

be found throughout the Villa Montalvo grounds, standing guard over one of

Californids true precious treasures.lG

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