Founded in 1909 along the banks of the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena, California, the historic California Art Club is one of the oldest and most active fine art organizations in America. A “cultural younger cousin” of the Ruskin Art Club, the organization was established by a handful of professional artists who migrated to Southern California, drawn to the Golden State’s natural beauty and year-round sunshine. With conditions that were ideal for outdoor painting, these pioneering artists gave birth to a new artistic movement, now known as “California Plein Air” or “California Impressionism,” and their collective efforts quickly earned the organization the reputation as a cultural authority on the West Coast.
Three thought leaders who have been instrumental in today’s renewed interest in traditional art forms – Jean Stern, Peter Adams and Elaine Adams – will present the California’s Art Club’s illustrious history, from its early years, which included the involvement of Ruskin artists, to its revival in 1993, which was spearheaded by the Adamses, and its innovative approaches to expanding the appreciation of classical art forms with initiatives that span land preservation and space exploration.
Jean Stern, Director Emeritus, The Irvine Museum
A recognized authority on California Impressionism, Art Historian Jean Stern has extensive experience in the field as an author, curator, lecturer, and teacher. He was the founding director of The Irvine Museum from its inception in April 1992 until his retirement in 2020. As director, Mr. Stern worked to establish a national presence for California Impressionism through a noteworthy series of books, exhibitions, lectures, articles and video documentaries. In his career, he has presented over 275 lectures and judged and juried more than 125 local, national and international art competitions. He has authored, edited or contributed to over 30 books on California art.
Mr. Stern has presented tours and lectures on California Art in numerous museums including the International Cultural Center, Krakow, Poland; Mona Bismarck Foundation in Paris, France; El Centro Cultural del Conde Duque, Madrid, Spain; National Academy Museum in New York; Terra Museum in Chicago; San Diego Museum of Art; Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Gibbes Museum in Charleston; Brigham Young University Museum; Autry National Western Heritage Center; The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and many others. He appears in IMPRESSIONS OF CALIFORNIA, a PBS documentary video series on art in California, and on PLEIN AIR: PAINTING THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE, (PBS 2007).
He was a consultant to the Fleischer Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is an adviser to the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University, in Orange, California. He currently serves on the board of the California Art Club, founded in 1909, and is a board adviser to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, in Laguna Beach, California. Since its inception in 2012, he has presented lectures at every annual Plein Air Convention, organized by Plein Air Magazine.
In 2017, Mr. Stern received the prestigious CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER OF ARTS AND LETTERS from the French Ministry of Culture. He has also been presented with three LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association in 2013; by the Plein Air Painters of America in 2014; and by Plein Air Magazine in 2014.
Peter Adams, Artist and California Art Club President
Contemporary American artist Peter Adams was born in Los Angeles on August 27, 1950. He received his training at Art Center College of Design, Otis Art Institute, Instituto de Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende, and at the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts in Los Angeles. At the Lukits Academy, Adams spent seven years, from 1970 to 1977, in diligent formal training, including four years as the personal apprentice to the renowned classical painter of murals, landscapes, and portraits, Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992).
From his years with Lukits, studying still life compositions consisting of sculptures and porcelains from various Chinese dynasties that were part of the Lukits personal collection, Adams gained a heightened appreciation for Asian objets d'art and antiques. This interest later led to Adams traveling throughout Asia, and in 1981 he became the first American artist to travel and paint unescorted through the People’s Republic of China. His fascination for Asia gained him great acclaim when, in 1987, he was the only American artist to travel and paint with the Mujahideen rebels in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. Today, Adams combines Eastern design concepts with the Western sense of depth through atmosphere.
Since 1993 Adams has served as president of the historic California Art Club, which was established in 1909 and is one of the largest and most active professional arts organizations in the country. Under his leadership, the Club’s roster has grown from 80 members to nearly 3,000 at present. Today, the California Art Club is recognized as a leading proponent of the current national realist art movement.
Elaine Adams, Executive Director and CEO, California Art Club
Elaine Adams combines her extensive background in art history, executive administration and business to provide a unique and personal approach to initiating community-oriented arts education programs and supporting the arts and fine artists. For more than twenty years she has been immersed in the contemporary-traditional fine art scene, and has been involved in various capacities in the art industry. Today, she is recognized as one of the country’s most dynamic and influential forces in the growing shift away from conceptual art and back to representational, figurative formats.
Since 1993, Adams has held the position of Executive Director of the California Art Club, est. 1909, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports an ongoing dialogue between artists and the public. Adams has also served as a volunteer as Editor-in-Chief of the California Art Club Newsletter and is a published author and lecturer on topics relating to traditional fine art and art history.
Prior to her work in the art world, Adams studied at the University of Southern California where she received dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics. After graduation, she worked as a financial advisor for Crowell, Weedon & Co., the largest independent investment firm in the Western United States.