Happy Thursday everyone! Welcome back to I Heart Old Towne Orange, the blog where we share the scoop, stories, and reviews of everything about Old Towne Orange, California. And here in this beautiful and historic city, art is all around us. I know that sounds like a very cliche sentence to include in this blog post, but it is so true! And it comes in many forms! Art just isn’t a painting or sculpture. It ranges from something as small as cake decorating to as large as architecture.
For the next series of four blog posts, we will be sharing all of the art in Old Towne Orange! From fine art to performance art to food art, we will be taking the I Heart readers on a artistic journey through our favorite city ever. And if you are a lover of paintings, pottery, sculptures and statues, let’s get started with all of the places you can visit to enjoy fine art in OTO!
West Coast Flavor
What was previously Gallery on Glassell is now West Coast Flavor. West Coast Flavor is an artisan food, accessories and art store with a large inventory of vibrant paintings by Ernest Lacy which work particularly well in homes, restaurants, specialty food stores and commercial settings. They happily welcome inquiries from the design community.
The Hilbert Museum of California Art
We absolutely love the Hilbert Museum of California Art. We visited them a few months ago to do a full review and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The Hilbert Museum serves as a time capsule of California’s rich history. From the opening of Disneyland to an iconic basket of In n Out french fries, the Hilbert Museum will capture your art-loving heart and leave you California Dreamin’.
Orange Public Library
The Orange Public Library is always pinning up children’s artwork throughout the library. To see some of Orange’s finest young work and to possibly get your child’s drawing on the wall, visit Orange Public Library!
The Exchange Fine Art Gallery
Formerly the Sunkist Orange County Fruit Exchange Building, the structure was constructed in 1922 at a cost of $20,000; the exchange itself, however, had incorporated considerably earlier, on November 13, 1893. A few years after the Exchange closed its doors in 1994, colleagues Tom Porter and Lydia Passannante renovated and restored the structure, creating a fine art gallery with an Italian Renaissance-themed interior. In its new incarnation, the gallery re-opened on October 4, 1997
Dragonfly Shops and Garden
If you are looking for a new pot for your home garden (and looking to view some beautifully crafted art) visit Dragonfly Shops and Gardens. Not only is the pottery beautiful, but the succulents and plants around the garden are lovely – AND you can take many art classes with Dragonfly year-round.
Plaza Park
And of course, the Old Towne Orange fountain area in Plaza Park is a true gem. The fountain itself stands at the very center of our amazing city and serves as a symbol that you have made it to Old Towne Orange. However – this was not always the fountain that stood tall in Plaza Park. For that historical tidbit, click here!
Thank you for reading everyone! We are so thrilled to be blogging about art for the next 3 weeks! Have a great weekend!
Afew comments regarding art in OldTowne: Gallery on Glassell has become West Coast Flavor however they moved to North Orange at least 4 years ago. The Exchange Fine Art Gallery is only available to see by appointment. The Orange Public Library is chock full of art. A quilt created by local quilters led by nationally known fabric artist Jamie Fingal hangs behind the childrens librarian’s desk, huge paper-mache animal heads, a mosaic wall created by children, and images done in watercolor of historic Orange on placques around the building with descriptions by historian Phil Brigandi.
Thank you so much for the comments! Thanks Judy!