A Chrysalis Moment
Ojai’s Art Scene is Waking Up
COVER: CHRISTOPHER NOXON FROM THE R/EVOLVE EXHIBITFor much of the past year, I've watched something unusual happen in our local art scene. The artists were still creating. Galleries were still mounting exhibitions. Visitors continued to flow through. Yet sales slowed noticeably. People seemed hesitant to commit to purchases, especially those they considered nonessential. Art, for many, fell into that category.
The reasons were understandable. In a politically charged and economically uncertain climate, people were holding tighter to their resources. Conversations drifted toward instability, elections, inflation, and what might happen next. I felt it myself. There were moments when I found comfort in having extra cash on hand and my passport nearby, just in case. It sounds dramatic now, but anxiety has a way of shrinking our vision and convincing us that survival should come before everything else.
Yet over the past several months, something has begun to shift. As the Co-Founder and President of the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation, I've had a front-row seat to a quiet but meaningful reawakening in our local art community. Through our last two exhibitions, I've witnessed art slowly and steadily finding its way back into people's homes, not just the homes of seasoned collectors, but those of everyday people seeking something that speaks to them.
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