As the cars zoom down Monterey Street, a pleasant chime signals a new customer at Art Central.
Sometimes it’s a student looking for materials for class. Other days it’s an artist looking for the perfect paints to bring their passion to life, or a mother and child looking for materials to make the most memorable family craft night.
“There is a wide variety of artistic types that we serve in the community. Promoting this diversity has always been part of our mission,” said Art Central Fellow and Event Coordinator Shona Jellison.
On Feb. 4, the store will hold a special 12th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., celebrating its impact and history with sales and live artist demonstrations, including pet portraits with Karin Blaney, book-making with Lindy Singh and acrylic paintings with renowned guerilla artist Robbie Conall.
All of these festivities are designed to celebrate Art Central founder and owner Etty Pacifico’s vision of bringing the San Luis Obispo art community together by being the go-to place for artistic needs, carrying products from simple canvases, to acrylic paints, to T-shirts ink for custom designs etc.
Pacifico, who started out as an artist, saw the need for an art store that would meet the needs of artists but also serve other art forms thriving in the SLO community.
Beginning in 2011, she enlisted others who were equally passionate about growing the local art community, including Jellison and her colleague Nick Webb, to help expand workshops and demonstrations like those held at the anniversary event. Pacifico and Art Central even engage in fundraisers that provide art supplies to local students who might not otherwise be able to afford them.
“We’ve had programs over the years that have been dedicated to raising funds for art scholarships and expanding the reach of art throughout the community,” Jellison said, “so that should also be an essential part of the anniversary celebration.
“This is the first time since 2020 that we have been able to host an in-person event like this,” she said. “For the past two years, these events have been mostly online, but the virtual events weren’t as interesting and didn’t offer the same excitement as our traditional anniversary event.”
In addition to the live demonstrations, the event will also feature play art stations and mini-classes, all led by local artists who are happy to share their know-how with watercolors, specialty pens, gold leaf, drawing markers, printmaking and calligraphy. Art stations will be run by Tracy Taylor, Shirley Horacek, Marian Nucci, Dorothy Anderson, Mary Lou Johnson and Charmaine Martinez.
“The anniversary event is all about giving back to the community while increasing our artistic impact in the process and celebrating local artists alongside our customers,” Jellison said.
Art Central will also host youth-focused activities, encouraging young artists to come and enjoy live demonstrations and special discounts on beginner art kits with their parents. Morning demonstrations and play stations will cater primarily to teenagers and adults, while afternoons are designed to be more kid-friendly, part of the store’s desire to encourage more creativity in the community.
“The artists who will be providing demonstrations and workstations offer a truly unique experience for adults and children alike, and that reflects the range of supplies we provide here,” Jellison said.
She and Webb have come to learn the ins and outs of the needs of the local art community, from standard art equipment to special packages or items required by the art programs at Cal Poly, Cuesta College and Allan Hancock College.
“We see a lot of local landscape artists coming in knowing exactly what they want…bam in and out,” Webb said with a laugh. “Other times, it’s a brand new artist just looking to start their journey of expression, so we’ve learned to adapt to whatever the client needs us to do.”
In addition to equipping students and accomplished artists of all ages for the past 12 years, Art Central serves a new role for many of its newer clients.
“We’ve seen so many new people come in the last two years looking for some way to express themselves artistically because of how closed off they’ve been,” Webb said. “To be able to be a part of their creative journey and give them the tools they need to express themselves is really cool.”
Freelancer Adrian Vincent Rosas is saving up to buy fancy new colored pens to jot down notes with. Contact him at [email protected]